India by GEO. F. ENOCH

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 8, 1909

India

By GEO. F. ENOCH

GEO. F. ENOCH

We are longing now to get out among the people. I can speak quite a little. But where shall we go? is the question. It will take a little time to get the lay of the land, and make up our minds as to just what the Lord wants us to do. We are not idle. I am putting in full time studying, and some of my time is taken up with the Oriental Watchman.

In a quiet, unobtrusive way we are trying to become acquainted with the Christian community and the missionary leaders here. The old, established missionaries, who have come to India to stay, have been imposed on so many times by strangers from England or America (enthusiasts with but little caliber, who, expecting to revolutionize things in a short time, soon find themselves wholly inadequate to the smallest part of the task, and come to nothing) that, adding the prejudice which exists against us as a people, it is very hard for us to gain an entrance. However, we are making progress. We have been able to meet most of the Christian workers in a social way; and I have been asked to give public speeches at Ramabai’s, the Y. M. C. A., and to take charge one night of the union prayer-meeting, which is held every Thursday evening. Of course I do not stake much on these things; they are only incidental. Still I am glad for the opportunity to give a good gospel talk, letting them see that we are evangelical, and have the name of Jesus at heart, as well as they.

I have had an interesting experience at Ramabai’s. I gave a gospel talk one Sunday morning, before her sixteen hundred girls, that was very well received. After the meeting, Ramabai called me, and we had a long talk about our work. She told me of some unentered territory near here. She is about forty miles from Poona, and offered to help us locate. She has seven European assistants, among

whom is some one prejudiced against us. The second day after I left, I received a good letter from her; enclosing a tract entitled “Seventh-day Adventists and the Atonement,” wholly misrepresenting us, and concluding that we do not believe in the atonement, saying that we never wrote one word about Gethsemane, Calvary, etc. I immediately sent her a copy of “Desire of Ages,” asking her to read the chapters on these subjects, and followed it later with a summary of our fundamental principles, as given in our Year Book, for which she had asked, and reviewed the tract. I wrote in a kind, Christian spirit. We have not yet received her reply, but feel thankful for the privilege of setting these things before Ramabai.

By the end of this year, at least, I hope we shall be able to obtain a location out among the people. To sit in these towns where the people are gospel-hardened, is like working at arm’s length. I have been thinking of the advisability of going out in the districts with a tent next cool season, and touring around where we think there is an opening, and studying the situation and the people.

Poona.