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Show of the West with the markets of the North and South. Thus Mazatlan is the central, all important commercial center on that line. It is, therefore, not to be wondered at that the Woman's Board of the Pacific should have chosen Mazatlan for its main point of concentration and the proposed expansion of its work in our neighbor Republic to the South; and now that the Rockefeller Foundation has representatives there and has given cheering assurances as to the health situation at Mexico's Golden Gate, the future of the work there seems assured.'' In the exchange of territory, the M. E. South left us at Mazatlan a strong church which although small in numbers had been self-sustaining for several years. Have you ever felt the thrill of knowing that you were looked upon as a direct answer to prayer ? If you have, then j^ou know the touching joy that Mr. and Mrs. Barber had when the little church at Mazatlan enthusiastically welcomed them. For years the faithful members had prayed that God would send them a missionary, or a trained minister, and they never lost faith that He would; and now, here was the answer in the persons of two young enthusiastic Christians who spoke their own language. It is indeed touching to hear from the lips of the brethren in Mazatlan the story of their happy year before Mr. Barber was called away, dying of fever there in 1918. And what was their joy when another enthusiastic young Christian couple arrived, and Rev. and Mrs. Cedric E. Crawford became their leaders. The Pacific Board has already sent out its first teacher. Miss Elizabeth Richards from Iowa, a graduate of the Department of Education of Chicago University, and a teacher of large experience, one especially fitted for work in Mexico, as she speaks Spanish. The beginning is modest, but it seems the part of wisdom to study the field, learn to know the people, and build up gradually from such a nucleus.'' The work in Mazatlan has been a perfect joy this year. The two school-rooms, idle for several years, have been a busy work-shop for one hundred and eighty-nine days and two-thirds as many nights, [ 44 ] |