“Please, Ma,” they said, “send us a teacher.”

“It is not `book’ I want,” said a chief in his message, “I want God.”

“We have three in hand for a teacher,” said Chief Onoyom of Akani Obio.  “Some of the boys have already finished the books Mr. Wilkie gave us.  We can do no more until you send us help.”

Mary spent the night praying to God to send more workers to Africa.  “O Britain,” said Mary, “filled full of ministers and church workers, but tired of Sunday and of church, I wish that you could send over to us what you are throwing away!”

#13#

Blessings Unnumbered

God blessed Mary’s work in cannibal land and more and more people were won for Jesus.  Chief Onoyom stayed true to his faith.

“Come,” he said to his people, “we must build a church here at Akani Obio.  Let us go to the jungle and cut down trees for the house of God.”

Chief Onoyom and his people went to the woods.  The chief went to a tree and got ready to cut it down.

“Chief,” they cried, “you are not going to cut that tree, are you?  You know that is the juju tree.”

“I know it is the juju tree,” said Onoyom, “and I am going to chop it down.”

“The juju will be angry.  He will not let us.  He will kill us,” cried the people.

“Ma’s God is stronger than our juju,” said Chief Onoyom.  “Cut it down.”

The people began to chop.  The trunk of the tree was thick.  After a while they stopped.

“See, we cannot cut it,” they said.

The heathen natives were glad.

“Aha,” they said, “our juju is stronger than Ma’s God.”

The next morning Chief Onoyom took some men who wanted to be Christians.  Before beginning to chop at the tree they knelt and prayed that the white Ma’s God would prove stronger than the juju.  Then they got up and began to chop.  Soon the tree fell with a mighty crash.  Ma’s God had won!

The juju tree was used for a pulpit and seats in the church building.  A large group of people came to the dedication services.  They were quiet and well-behaved.  What a great change the Gospel had made!  Only two years before the people were wild savages.

Mary had to hold services at Arochuku out-doors, but now the people built a church and a schoolhouse.  At other villages along Enyong creek congregations were organized, and churches and schoolhouses were built.

In 1905 Mary had to go to the Mission Council meeting at Calabar.  During the meeting Mary was called on to tell about her work.

“God has done great things in cannibal land.  We have congregations at Itu, Arochuku, Oko, Akani Obio, Odot, Amasu, and Asang.  In all of these places churches have been built.  In many of them we have built schoolhouses too.  Many of the cannibals are being won for Christ.  But we need more workers.  In all this wide country of the Aros, I am the only white missionary.  My six months’ leave is almost up.  Who will take care of these people who are as dear to God as you or I?  Now they are being taken care of by native workers, but these have only little training.  Send workers to cannibal land to change these man-eaters into Christians.”