Chapter 2
The appeal
After his conversion, Edwin Schnauzer continued to work as a shoemaker. But at the same time he served as pastor and teacher. For him the most important thing was the hour of the Kingdom. Some criticized him for the time he devoted to this work. A friend once told him that he should take more care of his business. Edwin replied:
"My business is the extension of the Kingdom. I'm a shoemaker just to cover expenses of my business."
Edwin was still not thinking of going to other countries to preach the Gospel. In his church no one thought about missions. Edwin himself had almost forgotten the books he had read as a child, and the far-off lands from which he had learned. But God had not forgotten. And God called Edwin to be a missionary. He called him through the books Edwin read.
God called Edwin in the Bible. From his conversion, Edwin read his Bible carefully. There he read Jesus' command to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. There he read about Paul's journeys taking the Gospel from country to country. There he began to feel like St. Paul: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel."
God also used books to call Edwin, God used a book that told of Captain Cook's travels. The captain had discovered many islands in distant seas. In this book there were drawings of those islands and the people who lived there. It was said that many of them ate human flesh. None had heard the Gospel. God used two other books that spoke of two missions that had worked among the North American Indians. Both had given their lives for the salvation of the Indians. Both were examples worth imitating.
Reading all these books, Edwin felt compassion for people who had no one to preach to them. With a shoe store skin, he made a map of the world, and put it on the wall. On that map he wrote down the customs and beliefs of each country. And every day he prayed for them. Edwin wanted to convince other Christians to send missionaries to those countries. He wrote a book and preached sermons trying to interest others. Hardly anyone listened to him.
After much effort, only a few people believed that missionaries should be sent. But Edwin believed that great things had to be expected of God, and that great things had to be done for God. For one thing, his friends raised as much money as they could. They wanted to send a missionary to a country where it was necessary to preach the Gospel.
Edwin's friends thought he should go as a missionary himself. They would pay for the trip and give him money for a year. Then he would have to find a way to earn what he needed. Edwin's wife didn't want him to go. It was too long and dangerous a trip. That's why he refused to accompany him. Edwin replied:
"If I had the whole world, I would gladly give it to you and to our children. But this is something I can't stop doing."
Finally, his wife decided to accompany him. Edwin left for India with his family and his doctor. They would have to travel five months before arriving in India. But God's call had been answered.
Image link
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To be continued
