Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - July 15, 1905 A MISSIONARY TO FAR OFF CHINA AT HOME Mary A. FUNK (picture). One from our own section who has devoted years of her life in behalf of the benighted heathen writes as follows: "Long before I was grown up or even a Christian, I had a desire to be a missionary. This desire came through reading books that belonged to the Sunday school library of the Mennonite church, in Hereford, where I attended Sunday school as a child, later served as a teacher, and subsequently became a member of the church. The knowledge of heathen lands without the Gospel and men and women sent forth as workers stimulated in me a desire to go myself. I was born on the farm of my father, John H. FUNK, near Schultzville, Berks county, and fully appreciate the advantages of country life and farm training as a child. My father selling his farm in 1880, made me free to leave home. I had then become a Christian and with it came a longing to go into active christian work. I went to Dr. CULLIS, of Boston, to engage in the work. He had a large connection with many departments. I could only enter on the condition that I was willing to do anything offered. I was placed in the Consumptive Home and soon had charge of three wards, for six months. Next, I was promoted to the Cancer Home as matron and housekeeper, where I remained another five months. This work however was too much for my age and experience and made me realize the need of definite preparation for service. This led to my entering the Training School for Nurses, at Bellevue Hospital, New York, from which I graduated in 1884. During my stay in New York, I came in touch with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and my next step was to enter their Bible school, where I followed systematic Bible study and received practical training for christian work. In October, 1888, this society sent me to china, being their first missionary to that great land, other workers followed in a year. The work was started and has steadily increased until at the present time we have seventy-four missionaries. Some of these are in the extreme south, others in the west, on the Thibetan border and still others in Central China along the Yang-tze river. I have been in the latter place at the port of Wu-hu. Here we started our work and I have lived there most of the time I have been in China. I was in China during the Boxer outbreak in 1900, but all the missionaries of our section escaped. We had to go to the coast and remain there for some months. During our stay on the coast I was in the British Hospital at Wei-hei-wei and helped to nurse the soldiers. Over twenty of our workers were cruelly massacred in North China and some had to go through the seige of Peking. This is my second furlough, I was home ten years ago and returned to China in 1896. During my second term I had charge of our Training Home, in Wie-hu, a home where our new missionaries stay while studying the language. This usually requires one year. It is also a home for our workers who need a change and rest, or where they go for treatment, when sick. Here we also hold conferences once a year for mission and native workers. As to my travels I can merely give an outline, as to begin to describe places or customs of the people in the different lands would make too lengthy an article. The direct route to or from China is to come across the pacific to the western coast and cross the States by railroad, but coming home I took the longer route, via Europe. I sailed from Shanghai to Hong Kong, thence to Singapore to Penang, to Rangoon, to Calcutta, from there I went by railroad to Darfeeling in the Himalaya, where one sees the grandest scenery and the highest peaks in the world and from these heights, looks over into that great land, Thibet, called by some, "the roof of the world." I went back to Calcutta and took the Great Eastern Railroad of India and crossed India, taking in the most important places as Benares, the sacred city of the Hindoos; Lucknow and Cawnpore, so closely connected with the Mutiny of 1857; Agra, where one sees the Laj-ma-Nal, the finest specimen of Fastern art; then to Delhi, the old capitol of India, with its marble palaces and Mosaics; then through Jeypon to our mission districts in the Western part where we have about ninety missions. After six weeks in India I sailed from Bombay to Aden and through the Red Sea to Port Said, thence to Jaffa into Palestine, going via. railroad from Jaffa to Jerusalem. I spent four weeks in the Holy Land, seeing about all there was to see in and about Jerusalem, went to the Mount of Olives, going to Bethlehem, Hebron also Bethany, Jericho, Dead Sea and the Jordan. I also took a trip to the Samaritan district, to Shechem which lies between Mt. Ebol and Mt. Gerazim, Jacob's well, the ruins of Samarid, Herod's and places of lesser note. One is influenced not with the beauty of Palestine but with the fulfillment of prophecy: "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles." "Samaria shall be made desolate." "Your country is desolate." I had to retrace my steps, going via. Jaffa back to Port Said and sailed for Naples and crossed Europe by railroad, goin first to Rome, then to Florence, Milan, Lucerne, Paris and London, at the latter place I spent ten days very profitably and went by railway to Edinburg and sailed from Glasgow, for New York, where I arrived May 15, a year ago. This year at home has been spent mostly in deputation work for the Christian Missionary Alliance. It has been a blessing as well as a pleasure to meet with the many friends at home, yet I feel very much like a visitor here and shall be glad to return to China in the early fall. The Lord is greatly blessing the work in China and many are turning to Him. We find Rom. 11:6 true, "The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," also Rom. 10:14, "How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they hear without a preacher." How shall they preach except they be sent? China is open as never before. We need more workers, men and women constrained by the love of Christ. "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will thrust forth labourers into his harvest." The address of Miss FUNK during the remainder of her vacation is Beulah Home, 65 Sheridan Ave., Bellevue, Pa.