INDIA CHRISTIAN

Volume IX MAY 1955 Number 1

MR. AND MRS. ROTHERMEL
The Seminary Second Semester
By William Roland
This last half of the year is a combination of class work
and practical training. The religious fairs at this season pro
vide a good opportunity for field work. The one at Ratanpur,
sixteen miles away, is close enough so that all of our students
can go.
This year we spent two days at the mela. Such an array of
musical instruments and talent as the students came out with,
I had never seen before. One boy had a "violin" made from
scraps of thin wood, wire, and string coated with rosin. The
"bow" was made from horse hair. Another had a combination
piano and banjo. With one hand he picked at the wire strings;
with the other he pressed keys to give different notes. Along
with these we had a harmonium-sort of portable organ and
two small drums. To my amazement, the collection was used
to a very good advantage. During the morning the boys took
the'r instruments and a bundle of tracts and soent their time
selling and explaining them. The main Hindu temple was
located on top of a small hill, with a foot path leading up to
it. At the foot of the hill, near the path, one group of the boys
worked. Three or four of them played instruments and sang.
As a crowd gathered others of them went through the crowd
and sold the tracts.
In the a<'ternoon we divided into groups for preaching in
the market area. One group stayed with the Jeep and used the
(Continued on page two)
AN ANNIVERSARY LETTER
By Zoena Rothermel
Dear Friends of the Homeland,
Just forty years ago on Dec. 23rd my dear husband and I
left our native land to become Ambassadors for our Saviour
in this land of India. We came, not for one term as so many
do. but for life. When asked to sign for life, we meant that and
nothing less. After our first term, when asked to stay at home
because the U.C.M.S. didn't wish us to return, (the reason,
though not stated, evidently being that we were not modern
ists) we felt we could not comply with such a request for we
had made our promise, not to men, but to God. So we re
turned. After Brother and Sister Wolfe we were the next so
called "independent" or "direct support" missionaries. We re
turned to India just a couple of months after Brother Wolfe
returned to the Philippine Islands. His and Sister Wolfe's
courage gave us the courage to return, not knowing what the
future might hold, but fully trusting our Lord.
Soon there were many trials and sorrow also, for within
two years after our return I lost my husband. This meant that
I must either take over the Mission work or return to the
Homeland with my two children, Charles, ten years old, and
Jean, who was seven. The children said to stay and since that
was also my desire, for my pledge had been for life, we stayed.
I had learned to love the Indian people, and had some sons
and daughters who had been given to me, so I felt I should
care for them and do what I could to further the Lord's work.
When, about seven months after his father's death, Charles
was killed by a fall at the American school in the hills, I felt
more than ever called to stay and look after the Indian boys
and girls and to carry on to the best of my ability.
We had sailed from New York during the first days of the
first World War and reached England on December thirty-
first. That night an English ship was sunk in the channel. The
next night we were anchored in that same channel ready to
sail with the morning tide. You wonder if we were not afraid?
No, we were not, for we knew that we were in the Hands, not
of men, but of our Heavenly Father whom we could trust.
Our ship was a new one making her second trip and,
since she knew she was being chased by a sub, she made extra
time and reached India a day ahead of schedule. That was on
January 22nd, just forty years ago. That morning my husband
and I had arisen early to get our first glimpse of the shore and
found few others on deck except some Indians anxious to be
landed. One was a young Raja whom we later saw at the
Railway station when we were ready to leave Bombay. He
was bedecked with many garlands and when he saw us he
came and put some beautiful rose garlands on us. One might
have thought us his best friends, though we had seen little of
him while on the ship except that last morning. It made us
feel very welcome.
As one thinks of what has been accomplished through the
years, one feels it so little compared to what our Lord has
done for us. Although our first term there were over a hun
dred brought to Christ, at times my husband would feel dis
couraged, but I always reminded him that if only Ram Nath
had been converted, it had all been woj'th while and he agreed.
Through Ram Nath a goodly number were brought to Christ,
and while this man is no longer here, for he has gone to be
(Continued on page three)
Six teachers and the first semester student body. Miss Sampson and three of the
students were not present for this picture. These students come from three differ
ent provinces. Two of the men are from Maudaha.
will leave our Seminary family this
spxdng, but we are happy they will be
going out to work for the Lord.
Thank you for helping train these
God's servants. Let us hear from you
often. Pray continually for us. May God
bless you richly. The forwarding address
for William and Jean Roland is
First Christian Church
Pat McManus, Secretary
Lincoln, 111.
Published by
THE CHRISTIAN MISSION TO INDIA
Ragaul, U.P., India
Lloyd Pickering, Central Agent
La Monte, Mo.
MISSIONARIES
Mrs. Zoena Rothermel, M.D.
Miss Mildred Haas,
Forwarding Agent
1328 Cherry Ave., N.E.
Canton 5, Ohio
William and Jean Roland
(Bilaspur, M.P., India)
Fat McManus, Forwarding Agent
Lincoln, 111.
Gladys Hoppe (On Leave)
Mrs. Walter Hoppe
Forwarding Agent
R. 2, St. Charles, Minn.
All funds should be sent to the forward
ing agents, not to the central agent.
MISS HOPPE TRAVELS
FOR MISSION
With the help of the Lord in increasing
her strength. Miss Hoppe is now travel
ing to places which extend her an invita
tion to speak in behalf of the labor of the
Lord in the land of India. The only pro
vision in this matter is that the church
pay traveling expenses and also take an
offering for the mission. Miss Hoppe is
of a sacrificial spirit and is far from in
clined to wasting money, hence we would
all like to commend her to camps and
churches as a fine and able speaker.
I
(Continued from page one)
P.A. system to sing songs and preach.
Other groups of two and three went
around through the crowd, talking to
individuals and groups and selling tracts.
Toward evening we gathered at our
camp for the night. As the groups re
turned one by one they related their ex
periences: many bought tracts, some lis
tened to the stories with interest, others
mocked and went on. The melas are a
time of sowing seed. Occasionally the
seed finds good soil and bears fruit. Many
have come to Christ as a result of the
seed sown at these places.
The evangelistic teams are also giving
our senior students some practical train
ing. On week ends we visit different
churches and lead worship services with
a program of music and preaching. The
second Sunday in February we were in
vited to preach for the Mungeli Church,
of the Disciples Mission.
As this is being written, four of the
men are preparing to attend the confer
ence of our churches in Orissa. It is a two
hundred mile trip, and we plan to go in
the Jeep and trailer, taking along a tent
and other necessary things. These four
students know the Oriya language and
plan to work in Orissa when they grad
uate. Each of our senior students have
made fine progress in their Christian
growth and training. They do a fine job
of preaching the Word and witnessing
for the Lord. We hate to think that they
Mr. Panigrahi, Mr. Davis, and Mr. Roland with the twelve workers from Orissa
Province. These men took a four month concentrated course in Bible Survey,
Acts, Gospels and Doctrine.
X >:
Ready to start for India in our Red Indian.
Medical Work
Daily there are patients with various
diseases. Some days and months there
are many coming twice a day, at other
times there are fewer. The diseases vary
with the time of year, but always there
are some with colds, coughs, and fever.
Worst of all are the cases with ulcers,
boils and abscesses, some of which are so
terrible that it truly takes the grace of
God to care for them.
Many of these worst cases are little
babies and children. They come from
far and near. Recently one man came
with a child ten miles. Another man had
told him of our good medical care. It
gives us the opportunity to tell of the
Great Physician who came to cure them
of their sins if they will but believe and
obey Him. But in these days so few are
interested in anything but the flesh and
not the soul.
Convention
Last year two of the men went to
Bilaspur for the Convention. This year
in October, Miriam and Mrs. Rothermel
attended it. Mrs. Rothermel had not
been in Bilaspur for a good many years
so was happy to see the work there.
Two of our boys are attending the
Seminary there and two are in the High
school. Mrs. Rothermel was also happy
to see the work which her children are
doing in teaching young people and
training them for His service, a work
much needed today.
As Bilaspur is four hundred miles by
train from Ragaul, with three changes of
trains, taking two nights and a day or
two days and a night, you know we shall
not be visiting each other often, but we
are all happy that the Rolands are back
in India training young people, the work
they are best fitted to do. Pray for them.
During the two and a half months be-
fore her marriage, Miriam, our nurse,
helped Dr. Rothermel by doing dressings, such things, thus relieving her. This was
dropping medicine into eyes and many greatly appreciated.
Anniversary Letter
(Continued from page one)
with the Lord, his son has become a good
preacher and also teaches others who are
preparing for the Lord's work. A num
ber of our boys and girls are now work
ing for the Church of Christ in various
places, as preachers or wives of preach-
The widow whom we helped, along
with her six children (Some may re
member her as the girl of sixteen years
who accepted Christ and left her Hindi
husband and over whom there was a
court case and who at the time caused us
much anxiety) never married again un
til her husband died eleven years later,
although he took another wife at once.
She has always kept a good name and
reputation through the years and today
is still looked to as a very good Chris
tian. When her husband died and left her
penniless because his illness had eaten all
their saving and Provident fund, she
wished to go to some Orphanage and
work where she could keep the children
together, but no orphanage would take
them. They would take the children, but
not the mother. When her baby girl was
born about two months after her hus
band's death, she heard that I had re
turned to India so she wrote to me, and
we brought her here to help her. Her
children are among the brightest in our
school, and we still feel we did right to
help such a good woman. We believe the
years will bring more Christian workers
from that family.
After my husband died, soon the bank
in which his insurance was placed, closed
and we never received any of the funds
in that bank, and funds promised for our
support stopped because of the depres
sion, but I went to sleep every night
knowing that though all failed me, the
Lord would not, and He never did. It
seemed at times that what funds there
were, like the Widow's meal as she fed
the prophet, were bountiful. We know
that our Father in Heaven will never
leave us without help if we are doing
His bidding.
CAR FUND
For some time it has come to my at
tention that Dr. Rothermel is in need of
a means of transportation since she can
no longer ride her bicycle.
She can purchase a small auto for
about one thousand dollars, but does not
desire to use Mission money for this.
If you would like to help in a car fund,
send your contributions to me, Lloyd
Pickering, La Monte, Mo., labeled "Car
Fund."
Charles, Paul and David Roland with
their Indian aya. She tries to keep an
eye on them so they won't fall into the
well, or get bitten by a snake. There
is a contest going on presently between
them, as to whether she will leam Eng
lish, or the boys will learn Hindi first.
Below: Wedding bells rang recently for
two of our students, now Mr. and Mrs.
Ishwari Lai. Mrs. Lai is the daughter of
one of our retired evangelists. Mr. Lai
is one of our senior students. He is help
ing Mr. Davis make our new library a
success.
Last summer while Mrs. Rothermel
was in the hills, you may remember that
our daughter, Miriam, the nurse, gave
away the bride in Mrs. Rothermel's place.
Now. you will be happy for Miriam that
the Lord has sent a good Christian man
ANOTHER WEDDING
1 to claim her. We often wondered where
t a man cou'd be found old enough for
; Miriam, if it were the Lord's will for
her and she wished to marry. Most men j
t over 26 years of age are already married,
1 so we just left it in the Lord's Hands ;
where we believed it belongs. He sent
the mana preacher of the gospel of
good report among the churches.
Through a young friend of ours who had
never even seen Miriam this man of
thirty years heard of our good daughter
M'riam. His father wrote Mrs. Rother
mel, and after making plenty of inquiry '
and feeling satisfied that the man was <
really worthy of such a splendid young
woman, they met in August while Mir- i
iam was spending her vacation with Mrs. ;
Rothermel. They were willing to trust
each other seeing the Lord had brought
them together. They planned to marry
in November, but when they found that
the Roland family could not come imtil
the Seminary vacation in December, thev
put the wedding off until December 22.
The Rolands came the 18th and left the.
30th. After their arrival, the Rolands
helped with such as could not be done
previously, such as bringing the huge
rented kettles for preparing the wedding
tea and dinner. One of the best things
which William did was to go hunting one
night. He returned in the morning with
ten peacocks and one nil gai (Blue Bull).
That was plenty of meat for the wedding
dinner of Paleu and Curry for over
eighty guests and for the whole Christian
community for days. How pleased they
all were for this gift from William.
Pictures in color of the wedding may
be seen at the Christian Mission to India
table at the North American Convention.
CHRISTIAN MISSION TO INDIA
La Monte, Missouri
Form 3547 Requested
Sec. 34.66 (e), P.L.&R
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
LaMonte, Mo.
Permit No. 1