Africa, the Land of Miracles
(A Missionary Story of Margaret Nicholl Laird)
By Laura Jo Cook
Links by Laura Jo Cook
"Three old copies of Reader's Digest!" This afforded quite a bit of enjoyment to Margaret Nicholl Laird, it had been a long time since she had seen anything like that. From the Ippy territory in the Central African Republic, American literature is often hard to come by. Mrs. Laird stayed up very late one night reading a copy from cover to cover. She came across one article that was of particular interest. It talked about the safety precautions taken at a steel mill in Youngstown and discussed the various treatments tried on severe burn cases of workers that had been burned from hot metal. One apparently effective treatment was to treat the burn with tannic acid and then spray it with paraffin.
"Tannic acid and paraffin, where would I get a hold of something like that, I don't even get Vaseline!" cried Mrs. Laird. However the article ended with this statement. "In case you are caught in a place with no tannic acid and someone's fingers are badly burned, make a cup of good strong tea and stick the burnt fingers in it. The tea's tannic acid will do the work."
"Now that is practical," thought Mrs. Laird. Often articles ended with instructions that told thereader to go to the hospital or see your nearest doctor. This was never much help in the heart of Africa.
The very next morning, Mrs. Laird woke to the sound of yelling and screaming. This was not entirely unusual sinceMrs. Laird was the only missionary within miles that was a nurse and ran a dispensary. Apparently, a large crowd brought in a young man that had been caught in a great bush fire. The insides of his legs and his back were burned a little, but his chest, legs, and feet were badly burned. In some places, Mrs. Laird could see parts of the ribs. The rest of his body looked like raw meat. The poor man was screaming in pain.
Mrs. Laird remembered the article she had read the night before. But how could she immerse an entire man in acup of tea? She hurriedly sent for the goat's watering trough and began to fill it with pots of the strongest tea she could make. When the trough was half full, she urged the man to get into the trough. The poor man did not have the courage, so his family members had to pick him up and gently lay him in the trough. Within minutes the man's screaming stopped, he relaxed, and then he fell asleep. "And after all that suffering," thought Mrs. Laird.
For four weeks Mrs. Laird kept that young man in the trough because he was in too much pain to get out. Mrs. Laird continued to nurse the man. After many months, the burns were healed and he returned to his village with his family.
During the time the young man stayed at the mission, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Not only he,but his mother, his two brothers, and many other people from his village accepted Christ. Now the young man holds Bible meetings at his work and continues to lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
"All because of three copies of the Reader's Digest," thought Mrs. Laird. "God got that information in my hands in time to save that young man's life. Not only was he healed physically, but nearly his entire family found Christ. God is so good, and Africa truly is the land of miracles."
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Sources:
Laird, Margaret Nicholl. They Called Me Mama. Chicago: Moody Press, 1975.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What was Mrs. Laird's occupation?
2. What source did Mrs. Laird use to help the burned man?
3. What did Mrs. Laird do to help the burned man?
4. How did the man get burned?
5. Do you think it was a coincidence that Mrs. Laird read that helpful information the night before she helped the man?
6. What may have happened if Mrs. Laird did not help the young man?
Answers to Questions:
1. Mrs. Laird was a missionary and a nurse.
2. She read the information from Reader's Digest.
3. Mrs. Laird put the burned man in a trough of strong tea.
4. The was burned in a brush fire.
5. Answers may vary.
6. Answers may vary. The young man may have died. His family may not have been saved.
Storytelling Outline:
1. Reading Reader's Digest
2. Margaret Nicholl Laird
3. Central African Republic, Ippy territory
4. Steel mills
5. Burns from hot metal
6. Tannic acid and paraffin
7. Dip fingers in strong tea
8. Noise in the morning
9. Man burned in brush fire
10. Missionary, nurse, dispensary
11. Chest and leg burns
12. Screaming in pain
13. Goat's trough, strong tea
14. Man fell asleep
15. In trough for 4 weeks
16. Nursed to health
17. Man and family accept Jesus
18. Holds Bible meetings
19. Info to Mrs. Laird just in time
20. God is good
Props:
* Map of Africa
* Reader's Digest
* Tea bag and cup
* Picture of mission