The hour
of homesickness, of strangeness in a strange land, of perplexity and
trouble, is the hour of hours when sympathy and help come most
gratefully. The missionaries are on hand at this critical juncture.
Thousands of immigrants are saved from falling into bad hands and evil
associations through their zealous efforts. Thousands are supplied with
copies of the Testament, the sick and sorrowful are comforted, the
rejected are tenderly ministered to in their distress, and the gospel is
preached in the practical way that makes it a living remembrance. This
is one way in which a true and enduring assimilation is begun.
[Sidenote: The Fruit of Kindness]
Here is a single illustration of the unexpected results of this first
Christian touch in the new world. One of the women missionaries was very
kind to a Bohemian family, helping the father find his destination and
get settled. At parting, the missionary gave him a Testament and asked
him to read it when in trouble. He thanked her for all her kindness to
him and his family, and said he would keep the book for her sake. He
put it away and forgot all about it. One day his little girl got the
book and tore a leaf out. When he learned what she had done he was very
angry, and punished her for tearing the book, saying that the kind lady
at Ellis Island had given it to him, and he had promised to keep it.
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