Hilo, Hawaii by Mrs. Mabel McKeague

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 20, 1916

Hilo, Hawaii

By Mrs. Mabel McKeague

MRS. MABEL McKEAGUE

ELDER F. H. CONWAY has been with us the past few days, and greatly encouraged us by his timely counsel and help. Last Sabbath was a day long to be remembered by our Hilo company, as three, the first fruits of our labors here, were buried with their Lord in baptism. We were especially glad for the answers to prayer and for the victories gained which enabled Brother and Sister Henry to unite in this solemn ordinance, and also that Sister Ruth Yeaman, who has long known the message of truth, could take her stand definitely at this time. One of our patients gave us the use of his beach home, and all our number (eighteen), with five visitors, gathered there in the afternoon to witness the baptism. It was a beautiful place for such a service, and following the ordinance there was preaching in the house, especially for our visitors. Others will soon be ready for baptism.

Sunday night a special service was held on the subject of the signs fulfilling, and was attended by several of our friends. Every member of our company is a worker, and if all continue to bring more friends to the meetings, our porch will very soon be too small for us. Our special prayer now is that the Lord will give us a church and a church school. There are at least ten children who are anxious for school privileges, and we are praying and working for a school. Since the great majority of our believers here are Hawaiians, the church bids fair to be our first really Hawaiian church in these islands.

During the week of prayer our people learned to pray for definite things, and many precious victories were gained, among both adults and children. We are glad to say that new victories are reported at each midweek meeting, which is a strength to all.

Perhaps you would be interested to know how the truth is pulling on our purse strings here in Hilo. The tithe for 1915 amounted to $261.75; the Sabbath school offerings, including the thirteenth Sabbath, to $143.45; foreign missions, from the second Sabbath offerings, to $20.65; special offerings, such as the Annual, Midsummer, and poor fund, to $49.45; making a total of $475.30 collected during the year. Then we must remember that for the first six months our membership was only four. Eighty dollars was collected for the Harvest Ingathering, and the treatment-rooms brought in $561.50, including expenses.

In my last letter I spoke of the freedom from devastating storms in the islands. Since then a storm on land and sea has been raging, of such unprecedented magnitude as to cause men's hearts to fail for fear, although no serious damage has been done. Here in our own harbor boats were unable even to anchor, and the scene presented, as we stood and watched the waves roll mountain high over the new breakwater and then on over to the beach, sweeping away a considerable stretch of railroad track, and on across the seaside park, was not unlike the pictures we had seen of floods in other parts of the world.

Turning our backs upon this angry demonstration, we looked upon one of the most sublime scenes of nature—grand old Mauna Kea Mountain covered with a thick white blanket of snow almost to her very base, and tinted with various hues by the rising sun.

We heard of several houses’ being removed by the waves, and now the windstorm is sweeping the land with the same effect. Last night and today the air has been peculiarly suffocating, and every one we meet speaks of the strange weather we are having. We try to point all to the fast fulfilling prophecies. Pray for us as never before, that we may be faithful to warn our share of these islands.