John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides

I just finished this autobiography. John G. Paton was a missionary to the New Hebrides islands also known as Vanuatu) which are in the Pacific near Australia during the 1800's. After he decided to go to the New Hebrides, a lot of people tried to dissuade him and told him "you will be eaten by cannibals!" And in fact, many missionaries were eaten by cannibals.And while this book is somewhat long, over 500 pages, it read fairly easily as it was mostly stories. And boy, were there some incredible stories! I definitely recommend this book. It really challenged me to examine how much I truly love the Lord. What am I really willing to do to serve Him? Here are a few quotes:

• Amongst many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, "The Cannibals! You will be eaten by Cannibals!" At last I replied, "Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my ressurection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer."
• Initially, his ministry was not very fruitful with MANY near death experiences. This is the prayer of one of the few initial native converts who worked with John Paton during one of their many moments on the brink of martyrdom. "'O Lord, our Heavenly Father, they have murdered Thy servants on Erromanga. They have banished the Aneityumese from dark Tanna. And now they want to kill [John Paton] and me! Our great King, protect us, and make their hearts soft and sweet to Thy worship. Or, if they are permitted to kill us, do not Thou hate us, but wash us in the blood of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ...Our Lord, our hearts are pained just now, and we weep over the death of Thy dear servants; but make our hearts good and strong for Thy cause, and take Thou away all our fears...' In this manner, his great simple soul poured itself out to God; and my heart melted within me as it had never done under any prayer poured from the lips of cultured Christian men!"
  
• After many years of faithful service and several missionary martyrs, this is the statement of some of the natives - "'How is this?' they cried; 'we slew or drove them all away! We plundered their houses and robbed them. Had we been so treated, nothing would have made us return. But they come back with a beautiful new ship, and with more and more Missionaries. And is it to trade and to get money, like the other white men? No! No! But to tell us of their Jehovah God and of His son Jesus. If God makes them do all that, we may well worship Him too.'"