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178 Among the Mohammedans and Kurds
hand and slept sweetly in assurance that there was now nothing to
be feared from the Kurds.
Unique Experience
When I awoke next morning some of the Kurds stood there and
looked at me. I tried for a while not to show them that I was awake.
I had slept in my clothes, with my overcoat spread over me. Suddenly
I got up and greeted them in their own language. They were much
amazed and they asked: "Can you talk our language?" "Certainly
I can talk your language." "But why then did not you talk our lan-
guage yesterday?" "I hid from you yesterday that I knew your
language, in order to let you talk with more freedom in your own
tongue about me. Now although you did not know that I knew your
language, as you have not spoken evil of me, and you have behaved
well with me, to thank you for your hospitality I will read to you
from the Word of God Almighty to the children of men."
Now there was a commotion among the crowd and they shouted:
"Come in, come in, he is going to read for us!" The hall quickly
filled with Kurds and I read to them from John 3:1-16, and I gave
them a short address and prayed.
After that I wrote my name and my Tiflis address on a slip of
paper and gave it to the Prince, saying: "Have now the kindness
and let them saddle my horse, as I cannot stay any longer with you,
but if anybody wishes to know more about the Word of God Almighty
to the children of men he may go to Tiflis and, if he shows there this
paper to any one, he will be told how to find my house, and I will
tell more about the Word of the Great Spirit."
Surely one would call it a long distance to go to church, 140 miles,
but I thought that if a yearning had been awakened in some one to
hear more of the Word of the Almighty, the distance would not be of
much importance. The Kurdish chief took my slip of paper and kept
it. He gave the order to saddle my horse. Also he ordered a man,
whom he trusted, to convey me safely out of the mountains. He also
told this man to tell the Kurds, that we might meet on the way, that
I was a friend of the Prince and that no one should do me any harm.
Thus I reached safely my mission station in Tiflis after this unusual
experience.
Comes 140 Miles to Church
One Sunday morning, several months after, when I was about to
preach for the Armenians, a man came up to me and said: "There
is a wild highlander armed with swords and daggers, standing out-
side; he says he knows you. He looks fierce and dangerous. I won-
der if he has some mischievous device. What shall we do with him?"
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