/I from Thailand

JOURNEYING BY OX-CART
God be merciful unto us, and bless us,
cAnd cause his face to shine upon us;
^hat thy luay may be l^nown upon the earth,
^hy salvation among all nations.
Psalms 67:1 2
Beneath God's gu'td'mg hand the paths of
Margaret Alldr/dge and Alastair John Macdon-
aid have been brought together, and their hearts
acknowledge that He has made them soul-mates,
intended by the King of Kijigs to serve as one.
As with joy they announced their engagement,
so now. their plansto be married this July twen
ty-third, nineteen hundred fifty three.
/i
ALASTAIRE JOHN MACDONALD AND
MARGARET M. ALLDRfDGE
June, 19'>3
Dear Friends,
This is truly a letter of gladness and praise for God has brought me great happi
ness, showing me His plan in bringing me to this time and place, and setting an
unmistakable seal of blessing upon my life. Join me in a hymn of thanksgiving and
praise to Him of whom we affirm, "Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy
presence is fulness of joy."
I know you are waiting to hear the "news behind the news" and apologize for
keeping you so long. Alastair Macdonald (John) came to Thailand in November,
shortly after my last newsletter was written to you. His aim was to make a survey to
determine whether or not the work of preaching the Gospel here would be helped
greatly by the use of an airplane; he is one in a closely knit band of young men
whom God has asked to bring about quite literally that "they shall mount up with
wings ..." To me it is wonderfully significant that I have been given to become
one in a partnership which is, through His grace, to bring abouf in an extremely
practical and concrete way the fulfillment of that conviction of need for urgency
which He used so strongly in bringing me to the field. These young men call them
selves the British Missionary Aviation Fellowship (John is Scottish, in case his
name hasn't already told you that!). Eager to serve, not missionaries especially, but
God, these men have no interest in simply making life on the mission field some
what easier. They are a prayer fellowship, as the following excerpt from a letter
rather indicates: "... we are greedy for an increasing volume of prayer, for the
M.A.F. has primarily a spiritual target, viz, enabling evangelization by making it
possible for missionaries to operate in places they could not otherwise reach."
"Wherefore brethren, look ye out seven men . . . whom we may appoint over
this business." Acts 6:3- As in those first days the Church appointed men for special
tasks, so today there are specialist helpers such as doctors, nurses, and printers, and
now more recently, aviators, whose task it is to help the missionaries overcome many
obstacles to a wider extension of God's Kingdom as they carry out the Great Com
mission, "Go ye into all the world ..." All members of M.A.F. are consecrated
Christians skilled in flying and in aircraft maintenance. They serve by taking mis
sionaries to remote parts where rivers, jungle, or mountains make land travel labori
ous or impossible, and help them tolivein such places by ensuring a supply of food,
mail, and equipment, and by dealing with sick emergencies. Days of tedious travel
by mule or dugout canoe are .saved, reduced to hours or minutes by airplane, and
missions are allowed to expand and advance to needy unreached peoples. "And
other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring." John 10:16.
No one has any illusion about the Communist menace or the suddeness with
which the missionary door can be shut. Thailand is open and free to missions and
many who have had to leave China are finding their new field of service here. At
HENRY PRINTING CO., EUGENE, ORE
present language study still takes a heavy toll of time, but soon the missionaries
will be pushing out, opening new work. The last two or three years have seen the
beginning of work among the mountain tribes and as the territory is unexplored (to
all mission intents and purposes), an aerial survey would be a real help. Later other
needs for air assistance may become apparent in connection with the tribal effort.
Many fee! a mission planewould greatly expedite their plans.
Perhaps the most immediate need for the plane is with the leprosy work. A
Buddhist stronghold, this land is known among missionaries to be a particularly
difficult field, for the unresponsiveness of the people is almost appalling. One of
the reasons for this is probably because as a nation they have never truly known
great suffering or difficulty. Of late, however, a door seems to be quietly, steadily
opening, and this, through the hearts of those stricken with leprosy; people who
are aware, perhaps as keenly as human beings are able, the transitiveness of
earthly, material, things. The American Mission to the Lepers has the charge of get
ting these people into small cooperative villages of their own where they work to
gether to support themselves without fear of transmitting their disease or being
outcast, and where they can be more easily treated effectively. Leprosy is not now
incurable, but treatment is a slow process requiring frequent and steady taking of
medicine over a long period. Medicine is supplied through the A.M.L. and the
missionaries (of other missions) in each area have the opportunity to help by tak
ing responsibility for dispensing the pills, as it were. And here, it seems, is the
secret: as the lepers come week after week, perhaps for two, three years or more,
they receive not only their medicine, but Gospel messages for the healing of their
souls. Fruits are becoming increasingly apparent, and the director (A.M.L.), a
tireless, consecrated servant of the Lord, anxious to expand with more and more
colonies (Thailand is cursed with the di.sease) and push wide this door for the
Gospel, is eager for the help a plane would offer. Travel is his greatest hinderance.
Unlike the countries round about, this is a peaceful land where railways and roads
are freely usable but far from ideal. Although trains are economical they are fairly
slow, and crowded, and rail coverage is limited. Roads mostly very rough and
few are in the all-weather category, so the wet season causes major disruption for
about seven months every year.
In the past, use of airplanes in the work of missions has been hindered by the
two problems of cost and safety. Briefly, to be operated economically a plane must
be used every available hour, something a missionary is powerless to do it he spends
his time at his work. Safety is possible only when qualified engineers are available
to carry out efficient inspections at regular intervals. The Missionary Aviation Fel
lowship is able to erase these two difficulties by bringing all the missions on a field
into cooperation and providingthemskilled pilots and aircraft engineers.
Mr. Macdonald, as other men of "MAF", is a fully qualified aviator/engineer
.And wherever we serve (in Thailand if God wills) his time will be well taken
with these two jobs. Just now he is working at getting governmental permission
to establish the air sen'ice. The Thai officials have had his request under considera
tion for some time and on this specific point we ask your prayers, feeing that God
would have us work here, yet seeking only to be willing to be used of Him, how
and where He wills.
I have continued on here at Chiengkam, learning the language and coming to
knowand understand the Thai people and their ways, and as I have been helping in
the work of the mission it has been also a preparation for the mission work that
lies ahead of me as I become John's help-meet and carry on the work at home as
God may lead.
Our Lord advised good will on the part of His disciples toward others who
sought to work in His name, saying, "He who is not against us is for us," and
Paul rejoiced in the proclamation of the name of Jesus Christ, whether from good
or even from wrong intent, only that His name be proclaimed. Although we (John
and I) believe that many of the missionaries err on certain points, yet we know
that from sincere hearts of love for Christ, they proclaim Him, and it is our con-
viction that if we but trust God to guide us, and follow His perfect leading, He
will use us to His own honor and glory. We long to see the unity of believers and
knowing Christ's own prayer for it, trust Him to use us to that end and to the sav
ing of manysouls.
May God keep you faithful to those tasks which he has committed to you, for
Jesus sake, and may the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, guard your
hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Your co-laborer in Him, Margaret M. Alldridge
"If I lake the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thyhand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."
Psalms 139: 9,10.
Biography
Alastair John Macdonald was born of Scottish parents in Bengal, India, Decem
ber 27, 1924. John began his education in Scotland but circumstances directed other
wise and all except his earliest years of study were spent in London. He attended
Colet Court prep school and St. Paul's, and then entered the College of Aircraft
Engineering.
At the conclusion of his course he was called to serve with the Fleet Air Arm,
and was, during the war, an air engineer officer in Royal Naval Aviation. Mr. Mac
donald is an Associate Member of the Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers, and
a Graduateof the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Flight training, taken after the war, was in direct response to God's call to him to
missionary aviation. His life was already surrendered to the Master for full time
service but now it became plain that the challenge of the mission field was to be
his. Reared by a wonderful Christian mother, John early gave his heart to Christ,
determining to serve Him with his whole life. Throughout his school years the
Crusaders Boy's Bible Class (a strong Christian youth work in Britain) afforded
him especially fine training in the Scriptures. Later he became an assistant leader,
working with the younger boys in a Bible Class and in their summer camps. During
the time occupied with aviation training he came in contact with an independent
Church of Christ in Southampton, England, and became convinced that he should
be immersed. It was there that he was buried with His Lord in the waters of bap
tism. (Should you wish, it would be very well in order for you to write the church
in Southampton, c/o Pastor Philips, concerning their knowledge of John and his
fellowship with them.) Although his primary job on the field will ^ to give, as
it were, "wings" to the Gospel message, he is not at loss to preach the Word, and
has as his life's full motivation that true missionary spirit which seeks to win the
hearts of men to our matchless Lord.
Leaving Great Britain a year ago last December, he went to the Anglo-Egyptian
Sudan where several months were spent assisting and observing MAF's work there,
and then continued on to French Indo-China ror a survey or that field and as it
was to turn out, several months of flying. The work in Indo-China seemed, how
ever, less than what one plane should do, and soon, by a "happening" that showed
quite plainly God's desire that Thailand also be surveyed, John was led to that task.
Now, with thesurvey completed, the need made apparent, hewrites thus: " . . .you
saints who know how to pray can prevail against the devil, verily making victories
possible ... we depend on you in a very real sense. Are you willing then topray
for our part in evangelising-these two countries while there isyet time?" (Since this
writingJNorthern Laos, that part of Indo-China which he was to serve has closed,
except fortwo main cities. It isnow Communist occupied territory.)
"I have accepted the resignation of Mrs. Mary Kbr who will no longer be my
forwarding agent."Margaret M. Alldridge