Medical Missionary Work in the South
By B. E. Loveland
DURING the months of August, September, and October it has been my privilege to visit several places in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and to call on many of our people in their homes. As opportunity offered, we have had studies on the subject of medical missionary work. At Lexington, Ky., and Hatley, Miss., we were able to spend considerable time in this way, as I stayed five weeks at Lexington and three at Hatley. I also visited Graysville, Tenn., and Georgetown, Ky., and attended camp meetings at Cleveland, Tenn., and Quitman, Miss. At the latter we were able to have several studies, and the interest was good in all branches of our work. I shall now spend some time at my home, in Fayetteville, Tenn., where there will doubtless be many opportunities for advancing the cause of truth. I find medical missionaries working in19every place. When a truth is accepted and built into the character, it will certainly work out and influence others. A former patient at the Sanitarium, speaking of work which she had done, said: “I did not want to do it, but I had to.” But shall we not, each one in his place, be both willing and progressive medical missionaries? Every worker is bound to be a medical missionary, for it is all one work. Even the physician is able to help people only as he succeeds in opening the way for life from God to reach them. More of his life means better living, and the great question of “how to live” means how not to die; that is, salvation. In fact, the whole thing is the simple gospel (Rom. 1:16), and work for body and soul is so inseparably connected that we may speak of it as all the same work. To be progressive missionaries we should not be satisfied to carry on one or two truths; but whenever we need more knowledge on any point, we should definitely seek for it and find it. In this way we shall become better and better qualified, and our scope of usefulness will steadily increase. How to live is best taught by living; and as truth is thus woven into our character, we become more and more fitted for eternity; for truth is eternal. As we study the living temple, we clearly see the things which belong to the invisible part of God’s universe. “Because that which may be known of God is manifest” in us. Rom. 1:19, 20. Natural law exists, because God always does things in the best way for us; and as we seek his way and not our own, we open the door and let him into every part of our body temple. His way (character) becomes a part of us, and we are transformed into his image.