ADONIRAM AND ANN JUDSON:
America’s First Foreign Missionaries © 1996 Dave and Neta Jackson
Adoniram Judson and Ann Hassletine
were married on February 5, 1812, in Bradford, Massachusetts. Fourteen days later the
newlyweds set sail for India, eager to fulfill God’s call to foreign missions.
But the British East India Company
didn’t want any missionaries interfering with their money-making, and forced them to
leave the country. But where could they go? God had called them to preach the Gospel to
people who had never heard! In faith they boarded a ship heading for Burma—a
country hostile to foreigners, ruled by a king whose whims had the power of life and
death, where it was against the law to worship any other god than Buddha. But when they
landed in Rangoon, Burma, the Judsons knew this was where God wanted them to be.
Their first task was to learn the
difficult language. Bit by bit Adoniram worked on an English-Burmese dictionary and
translated the books of the Bible. After six years they baptized their first convert. When
the little church in Rangoon grew to eighteen, the Judsons sailed up the Irrawaddy River
to begin a mission in Ava, the royal city.
But war between England and Burma
broke out in 1824, and all foreigners were suspected of being English spies. Adoniram was
thrown into the Death Prison. After a year and a half of torture and misery, he was
released to help translate the peace treaty between Burma and England.
But tropical fevers and stress had
broken Ann’s health. She died two years later; two-year-old Marie died six months
later. (They had already lost an infant.) Adoniram struggled with grief and doubt for
several years, but eventually finished his translation of the entire Bible. He died in
1850 at the age of 62 and was buried at sea.
HONESTY
The Talking Place
When Adoniram and Ann Judson
arrived in Burma in 1813, the first thing they had to do was learn the language. A former
Buddhist monk named Maung Shwa-gnong agreed to be their teacher.
But after the Judsons had been in
Burma almost six years, not one Burmese had become a Christian. “People are polite,
but no one wants to talk about Jesus,” Adoniram said.
“But you have translated two
tracts and the Book of Matthew,” Ann said. “At least people can read the Gospel
in their own language.”
“Yes, that’s good,”
Adoniram agreed. “But we have to find a way to actually talk to people.”
“If you want to talk about
religion,” Maung Shwa-gnong said, “you have to build a zayat.” The
American missionaries had seen these platforms on stilts along Pagoda Way—the street
that led to the Great Golden Pagoda. “The zayats are where men gather to talk
about philosophy and religion,” the language teacher added.
Excited, Adoniram built a zayat
and sat under the thatch roof waiting to talk about Jesus. Sure enough, first one man,
then another came and sat in the zayat. This was the acceptable way in Burmese
culture to discuss religion.
“What does your religion say
about the mind?” a man named Maung Nau asked, hoping for a good debate.
Adoniram said simply, “Our
Bible says, ‘Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right . . . think about such things.’” Then he added, “How we think is how
we act.”
“What?” said Maung Nau.
“That’s impossible. We cannot live without telling lies!”
Adoniram was startled. “What
do you mean?”
“The king’s word in
Burma is law. If he doesn’t like what you say, he can cut off your head—just
like that. So you say whatever you think the king—or the viceroy or the
mayor—wants to hear. Nobody trusts anybody else. It’s the only way to stay
alive!”
Adoniram realized that the Burmese
way of thinking made it hard to understand Bible truths. “But our religion is based
on truth,” he said. “God’s Son said, ‘I am the Truth.’ People who
believe in Jesus must also do and say what is true.”
The men went away shaking their
heads. These strange Christian ideas could be dangerous!
But Adoniram, Maung Nau, and a few
other men continued to talk in the zayat. Maung Shwa-gnong also listened. Then one
day Maung Nau said, “I have decided to become a Jesus follower. I want to be
baptised.”
This was what Adoniram had been
praying for! But he hesitated. He knew Maung Nau was risking his life by becoming a
Christian. But Maung Nau said, “I am tired of cheating and lying and deception. I
want to follow the true God.”
Adoniram and Ann rejoiced! And
within a few years, the little church in Rangoon had eighteen Burmese
believers—including Maung Shwa-gnong, the language teacher.
Truthfulness helps point people to
Jesus, who is
“the Truth, the Way, and the Life.”
But we have turned away from
secret and shameful ways. We use no traickery, and we do not change the teaching of God.
We teach the truth plainly, showing everyone who we wer. Then they can know in teir hearts
what kind of people we are in God’s sight (2 Corinthians 4:2).
1.
Why was it important to actually talk to the Burmese people about
Jesus?
2.
Do you agree that “how we think is how we act”? Why or why
not?
3.
Christians say we believe in the one, true God. Why is it important
for us to tell the truth and be honest with others?
“Adoniram!” Ann Judson
called to her husband. “Koo-chill says our supper is ready.”
Wearily, Adoniram Judson put away
the manuscript he’d been working on. The Judsons had been in Burma for thirteen
years. The language was difficult and translating the Bible was slow work. Burma and
England were at war, so the American missionaries worked quietly in their bamboo home on
stilts. It was too dangerous to do open mission work.
Adoniram and Ann and their two
Burmese foster daughters started to eat Koo-chill’s savory fish soup. Suddenly the
door burst open and several men rushed inside. “Mr. Judson? You are under
arrest!” said the city magistrate sternly. “Tie him up!”
“What is the charge?”
gasped Adoniram, as two men roughly tied his arms behind his back.
“The English are paying you.
You are spies!” accused the magistrate.
“No, no!” cried Ann, as
the frightened girls hid behind Koo-chill the cook. “Our English friends simply
cashed our mission checks from America.”
But in spite of Ann’s pleas,
Adoniram was dragged away and thrown into the dreaded Death Prison, along with several
English prisoners, also suspected of being spies.
When Ann finally got permission to
see her husband two days later, it was hard to be brave. At night the prisoners’ feet
were tied to a pole which was lifted into the air so that only their shoulders touched the
ground.
“Where is my
manuscript?” Adoniram asked hoarsely.
“I buried it beneath the
house,” Ann whispered back.
“That is the first place they
will look!”
Ann looked thoughtful.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
The next time Ann came to see her
husband, she brought a pillow—a hard, lumpy pillow that no other prisoner would want
to steal. A secret smile passed between them.
For eleven months Ann visited her
husband in the Death Prison as often as she could. She brought baby Maria, born while her
daddy was in prison, to see him. But one day when Ann arrived at the prison, the prison
was empty! No one knew where the prisoners had been taken.
As Adoniram was forced to march in
chains to a new prison, he felt sick at heart. The guards refused to let him take the
precious pillow, and had thrown it in the garbage. Thirteen years of work translating the
Bible—in the trash!
Finally the king released Adoniram
to help translate a peace treaty between England and Burma. Then he was allowed to go back
to his family. Adoniram was happy to be home with his wife and child—but he was
discouraged. “Everything is lost,” he moaned. “We will have to start all
over again.”
Ann just smiled. Gently she placed
a hard, lumpy pillow in Adoniram’s hands. His mouth fell open. The manuscript was
safe inside! A Burmese Christian had discovered the pillow on the garbage heap and brought
it safely home.
Now the Burmese people could have
the Word of God in their own language.
Perseverance is sticking to the task
God has given
you, even when it involves suffering.
We also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4, NIV).
1.
Why was Adoniram’s work of translating the Bible into the Burmese
language so important?
2.
How do you think Adoniram felt when he was locked in prison for months
and months where he couldn’t do any “mission” work? What was God doing
during this time?
3.
Is there something you know God wants you to do, but you get
discouraged and feel like giving up? Talk about what helps you persevere (keep
going) during those times.
The war between Burma and England
was over! Adoniram and Ann Judson were weak from the hardships of the past two years.
Exhuasted, they were on the way down the Irrawaddy River back to Rangoon. “I wonder
if the little church of eighteen believers survived the war?” Adoniram said.
Part way down the river, the
Burmese rowers pulled ashore. They had arrived at the British army camp, which was getting
ready to leave Burma. Sir Archibald Campbell met the two American missionaries as they
stepped off the rowboat.
“Welcome!” the general
cried. “I am having a special dinner for the Burmese officials who signed the peace
treaty. You will be my honored guests!”
Even though the Judsons did not
take sides in the war between Burma and England, it felt good to be treated so royally.
Instead of a dirty prison, they were given a large, comfortable tent. Instead of gruff
officials ignoring them, the British officers eagerly tried to grant every wish. The
soldiers considered it an honor to have a heroic lady like Ann Judson visiting their camp.
They had heard stories of how she had faithfully visited her husband in prison, and how
she had bravely worked for his release.
On the day of the dinner, the band
played; flags were flying. Ann’s eyes sparkled. What a festive occasion! But when she
walked in on the arm of the British general, one of the Burmese officials suddenly looked
like he wished the ground would open and swallow him.
This was the frail lady he had
kept waiting for hours! She had come to beg him to take off the five leg irons which
chained her sick husband in prison. “No,” he’d shrugged. When she had
turned to leave, he said, “Wait. Give me your silk parasol. My wife thinks it is
pretty.”
“But I need it to keep the
hot sun off my head,” she had said. “I am not well; I might faint on the way
home.” But the official had just laughed.
Now here she was—the honored
guest of the British general who had just won the war! Surely she would seek revenge.
After all, that’s what he would do if someone had treated him so badly.
But to his surprise, Ann Judson
came over to him. “Don’t be afraid,” she said kindly. “I do not hold a
grudge against you. Please, relax and enjoy this special dinner.”
But the man could not relax. All
through the dinner he sweated and shook, wondering when she would tell the British
soldiers to drag him out and shoot him. But nothing happened. He left the dinner shaking
his head. “I don’t understand these Christians,” he muttered. “They
forgive their enemies!”
Forgiveness means not taking revenge
on people
who have treated you badly.
“But I say to you who are
listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who are cruel to you” (Luke 6:27-28).
1.
Why did the Burmese official feel so scared when he saw Ann Judson at
the Peace Treaty Dinner?
2.
Why do you think Ann Judson was able to forgive this man?
3. Do you know someone who has treated you unkindly? Talk about it with your family. What would happen if you treated this person kindly? Ask God to give you the courage to forgive this person.