TB World

The Land of Mystery, Tibet

James Huston Edgar (1872-1936) went on an amazing journey with the China Inland Mission, spending his life helping people in Tibet and China. At a special encounter with a woman while in New Zealand, she asked if he was going to Tibet for adventure or for God. This incited Edgar’s promise to devote his life to doing God’s work. He also decided to always put “God first in everything”. In July 1901, the China Inland Mission sent Edgar to the border areas of Tibet, where he worked diligently. His gift of noticing things and understanding them in new ways, made him a brave explorer in the “Roof of the World.” He was fearless and went to places no other Europeans had been before. Even when faced with bandits, stubborn religious leaders, wild animals, sicknesses like cholera and typhoid, and natural dangers like floods and steep cliffs, his love and commitment kept him going. Thanks to his hard work and never-give-up attitude, many people heard about the one true God and Jesus for the first time, and lots of writings on the Good News in the Tibetan language were distributed to very hard-to-reach places. The talk he had with the woman in New Zealand really changed his life. It made him mix his love for adventure with his strong belief in his faith. Also, he was the first person from the West to see a live panda, which shows just how adventurous he was.