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H. STEINER

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jul 16, 1914

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 29.

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H. STEINER

By H. STEINER

From the Abyssinian Mission

H. STEINER

[A note from the superintendent of our Abyssinian Mission at Asmara gives some news which it is not so pleasant to report, and in addition an item of sad news of the death of one of the Abyssinian believers.]
SINCE last I wrote you, we have had an experience of the kind that we do not like to report so well. The enemy has been working his part it seems, and we have lost some of our pupils for whom we had hope. We had some good ones in our school. Now, alas! they have been attracted by the opportunities to enter the military service here. They had made progress in their work, and were in our special Bible study class. Now they have left us. There are many temptations for our students, as we are near the government headquarters in this Italian colony. We are sad, but we must make the best of it. We shall continue our special Bible study with some of the more advanced students left. May the Lord give us souls is our constant prayer.
We have just lost one of our first members through death. Segu, the oldest of our native members, fell asleep in Jesus, as we trust, last Sabbath morning. We were called to his house in a village near us, in the night, before dawn, so as to be with him in his last hours. He recognized us and spoke our names. Alas! we could not render him help save to pray the Lord to be with him.
We had difficulty in restraining the people from noisy mourning before he died. He himself seemed to have fully forsaken the ways of the Abyssinian church, as he also requested quietness while we endeavored to read lessons of hope from the Bible. We believe he will come up in the first resurrection. Meanwhile he sleeps here in a grave near ourmission building. We secured permission to bury him thus from the city government in Asmara. This was his wish, as he told his people in the village that he wanted to be buried near his brethren. We loved him, as he seemed a very honest soul. Many were present at the burial service, and we trust this death in hope may bring forth fruitage. In the meantime we shall try our best to rescue others. Pray for us still, and for the progress of the work here.
Asmara.