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all desperate as we contemplate the prospect of a famine.”

“Oh,” says our friend Lee, not without a touch of irony, “you gentlemen have
found the T‟u ti Lao Yie (the god of the fields) has not been able to help you out?
Now you come around and ask me to pray my Jesus to send rain down on a lot of

idolaters who do not believe on Him! I shall do nothing of the kind, so if that is all
you have to say, you may take your departure.”

“But Mr. Lee,” they protested, “you will not refuse us so hastily! Is there anything

we can do that will make you change your mind and supplicate your Jesus for us?”
(Thinking of course that a financial barter was in the offing). But this
Lee-Born-of-the-Spirit proved to be none of the spiritual seed of Balaam, the son of
Beor!

“Yes,” he declared, “there are conditions, but they are not what you think. I
demand no money and desire none, but you as the heads of the village will be
required to take down every idol or idolatrous symbol of any kind out of your homes

and remove your ancestral tablets. All of these things must be brought out and
publicly burned in the market place before I shall utter one prayer to my Jesus to
relieve your drought.”

The “Dong Sz” (village fathers) were speechless at this. They had come prepared
to accept a financial proposition, but such conditions as these were beyond their
remotest thoughts.

They looked blankly at one another till one suggested that he should give them
time to think over his terms. To this he agreed.

Another week, and the heavens remained as brass, the ground was cracking, and

the sprigs of wheat long obscured by dust were beginning to turn yellow.

Again the four village fathers presented themselves at the home of Mr.
Lee-Born-of-the-Spirit.

“Though they were unexpected and unusual, we have decided that we will meet the
terms on which you agree to pray to Jesus for rain. We shall remove every Buddhist
idol and every idolatrous symbol from our homes. We only beg of you that you will

not require us to remove our ancestral tablets. We cannot offend the spirits of our

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