Pioneers

See the roses along the front walk of this missions home!

It's interesting to think of the early settlers who left their known homes for the unknown, unclaimed territories out here on the west coast. I know some came in search of earthly fortunes in the gold mines; others came due to restlessness in their spirits. Many came and stayed and worked through the hardships.
I have just finished reading King of the Cannibals: The Story of John G. Paton by Jim Cromarty. In 1858, Paton left all his comforts of home in Scotland and set out for the New Hebrides islands in the south pacific. He took his first wife and shortly lost both his wife and child to disease. He continued on, though, for many years with a second wife, several children, and most important... many he saw saved and discipled in Christ. He came, he stayed, and he worked through tremendous hardships, and God blessed him with eternal rewards. Paton was a true missionary pioneer.