Malaysia by F. A. DETAMORE

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 18, 1915

Malaysia

By F. A. DETAMORE

F. A. DETAMORE

JULY 23 I left Singapore for Java and Sumatra. The work seemed to be prospering in Java. Sister Wood had just recovered from fever. She feels that her present state of health is due to the mercy of God, and I feel so, too. Brother and Sister Wood have been in the tropics for six or seven years. Sister Tunheim was having the fever while I was there, but was of good courage. Sister Sharp had taken a vacation, but finally decided that it was not wise for her to try to remain in this country longer, so she and her husband have gone to Australia.

Brother Van de Groep and family went to Surabaya a short time before I reached there, but he had not yet found a place to live. Brother and Sister Wood, having given them their rooms, were living in a part of the hall they use for meeting. It is on the dusty street, and the noise was so great that they could not sleep at first, but they finally got used to it, and decided to stay there till after the Shanghai meeting. This did not seem wise, and as we fortunately found a place for Brother Van de Groep and family to live, we were glad that the way opened for Brother and Sister Wood to move back into their house. We need homes for the workers there very much.

Seven good persons were baptized, and a man of Dutch nationality took a firm stand for the present truth, and will be baptized soon. Another man whom I visited at Samarang decided to obey the truth. There is a good interest in the message at Surabaya, and others are becoming awakened. The workers were planning to make a special effort to sell a Dutch tract dealing with the Turkish question, as many were asking about the war. Brother Van de Groep sold thirty-nine of these in just a short time one evening.

The church members are doing well in missionary effort. One Chinese brother decided to give a part of his time regularly to the work. We hope that he will become a good worker. A Chinese sister, who was baptized there last year, showed us where she goes to pray. When she began to keep the Sabbath, she could not read, but had such a desire to study the Bible that she began to try to read it, and by the Lord's help, with perseverance, she now reads quite well. Her husband is a stonemason, and prepares tombstones. As they live in the same place where he does his work, it is very noisy. They have a place just across the alley back of their home where they keep large stones. This is inclosed by a board wall, and she used to go there to pray. Later one of their workmen was taken sick, and they built him a little structure just large enough to get into. Now she goes into this place to study her Bible and to pray. She took us into it, and told us how happy she was to have such a good place in which to seek the Lord, and seemed as proud of it as if it were a mansion. We all bowed with her in her little sanctuary, and worshiped our Saviour together.

At Batavia I found eight ready for baptism, and the meetings we held there were well attended and seemed to be a real encouragement to all the believers. All are trying to do what they can to bring others into the truth. One Chinese, a dentist, works at his trade in the forenoon, and spends the afternoon selling papers and teaching the truth. For this service he gets a small profit on his sales, but he usually turns this back into the Lord's work. The day I left there, one young sister went out and took four orders for the Dutch paper, besides selling a large number of tracts, in just a little while. She made two appointments for Bible studies the same day, and a young man made one appointment. When all our people get fully aroused and begin to give the message, we may expect to see great developments in God's work.

I also visited at Soekaboemi, and saw a number of our members, including Brother R. Sisley, who is teaching English there. With his income he is supporting several native workers. Brother Brouwer had been canvassing in this place, and as a result of his efforts a Dutchman had accepted the truth. He is well informed, and is conscientiously walking in the light. We had a baptismal service there, and he united with us. So while we have many hard things with which to contend, we all rejoice and take courage when we see a few taking their stand with us. We know that our united influence, when on the Lord's side, will help to swell the message into the loud cry, and thus hasten the coming of our Saviour.

At Padang, I met Brother and Sister Yates for the first time, also Brother Lawrence Fox, who is teaching the mission school there. This school has a good attendance, and is self-supporting. Brother Yates is giving several studies a week regularly, and at the same time learning the language. He will necessarily be quite handicapped until he gets so that he can converse with the people in Malay. Brother Fox helps much, and does some interpreting. One young man recently took his stand for the truth at Padang, but he lost his job and has gone to another place to work, so I did not see him. One other Chinese told us that he was going to keep the Sabbath. Padang has been a hard field in the past, and though our work has been established there about fourteen years, still we have but a few real converts. Yet our workers are hopeful for the future. We believe we shall yet reap fruit from seed sown in the past. We have permission to enter other places connected with Padang by rail, and we hope soon to begin to go to these with the message. One place, Fort de Kock, is high up in the mountains, where it is cool, and is a very healthful place for our workers to go for a change.

(To be concluded)