Victories in Spain by FRANK S. BOND

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 2, 1915

Victories in Spain

By FRANK S. BOND

FRANK S. BOND

I came to Baeza April 1, and have held a meeting each evening with the believers and other interested persons. The attendance is increasing. Some who had never attended Protestant meetings before were out last evening, and were very favorably impressed.

The meetings are held at the home of a believer. Victories are being won. Just this morning, six pictures of the saints and the Virgin were removed from the walls of the room where the meetings are held, and three large Bible texts now adorn the walls. The ten commandments also occupy a prominent place on one of the walls.

When the law of the true God is given its rightful place in the lives of men and women, and in the home, all false gods are cast down. Yesterday, a woman who began to keep the Sabbath when my brother Walter was laboring here, just before his death, took down her crucifix from the wall, and gave away her rosary. She has decided to walk, by God's grace, in all the light of the precious truth.

Two young men have declared that, come what may, they will keep the Sabbath. These are meeting strong opposition in their homes, and may be disinherited by their parents. Other persons are interested in the truth and think of obeying it.

I am rooming in the home of a Catholic family. On the walls of my room are a crucifix, four pictures of the Virgin, a guardian angel, and a sacred heart. On the wall above the table in the dining room are pictures of San Antonio, San Jose with the child Jesus, San Francisco, and Santa Eulalia. The mistress of the house, and a neighbor woman who lives below, have tried to convince me that I should confess to some priest of Baeza, and partake of the "sacred form." I am endeavoring to convince them of the importance of confessing their sins to Jesus, and turning away from all saint and priest worship.

Usually at meal time the mistress of the house listens reverently as I invoke God's blessing upon the food. Pray, dear readers, that the Spirit of the Lord may impress these hearts with the importance of turning to the living Saviour.

The city of Baeza is situated on the top and at the edge of a high mountain. Almost the whole of the mountain and the surrounding hills and valleys are under cultivation. At the foot of the mountain, about a league from the city, flows the beautiful river Guadalquiver. This has been an unusually wet winter in Spain, and excellent crops are anticipated.

One seldom sees more picturesque scenery than we have here at this season of the year. Yesterday, Sabbath, was a beautiful, sunshiny day. In the forenoon we wended our way down the mountain side about two kilometers to a beautiful spring of crystal water, and there we held our little Sabbath school; and in the afternoon two dear souls followed their Lord in baptism.

In the evening, when we returned to the city, we found that the news of the baptism had been quite widely circulated. The mistress of the house came to my room and informed me that the owner of the house told her that if I remained there that night, the police would come the following morning and put her furniture into the street. I persuaded her to interview the owner and see if I could not remain until the following day. This permission was granted, but after that I must get out.

On Sunday morning the brother who was baptized entered a store, with the thought of interesting the proprietor in our missionary paper, but the proprietor ordered him to leave, stating that the women had threatened that they would not come there any more to buy, should our brother enter the store. But I am glad to say that in spite of the persecution, several other persons at Baeza plan on being baptized soon.

While in Andalucia, I visited the interesting city of Seville. It was here that many Christians, in Inquisition times, rather than renounce their faith in God's Word, were called upon to lay down their lives. Here are still to be seen, in the Alcazar,—a building of Moorish construction, used today as the king's palace,—dungeons where many martyrs were tortured. Seville is a city of 155,000 inhabitants. Oh, how great is our need of additional workers in Spain! We have two sisters in Seville. They moved there from Cartagena, and are endeavoring to hold up the light of God's truth in their new home.

Pray that more laborers may soon be found for this great field. Only one ordained minister for nineteen million inhabitants!