The Malaysian Mission by F. A. DETAMORE

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 23, 1915

The Malaysian Mission

By F. A. DETAMORE

F. A. DETAMORE

On July 4 I left Singapore for Sandakan, British North Borneo, where Elder R. P. Montgomery and his wife live, the only foreign workers in Borneo. It is an eight days' journey, and the boat service is very poor, so that it was quite a tedious trip.

Brother Montgomery went to Borneo about two years ago, and now we have thirty-five members there, which shows that the Lord has gone before us. We have believers in Labuan, Jesselton, and Sandakan; but the greater part of our effort has been at the last-named place. Here we have a good Sabbath school and church, and the believers rejoice in the message. A school of about twenty pupils is in operation, and is almost self-supporting.

We have a Chinese worker in Jesselton, and an interest is being awakened. About five miles from this town there is a large settlement of emigrants from China, living on farms. Not being satisfied with their religious teaching, some of them have made request that we send them a worker. In fact, they asked us to build a church and place a minister in charge of it. We decided to build a bamboo house and test the interest. It was not long before a number publicly professed their belief in present truth, some of whom have since been baptized. We hope our work is permanently established there.

Elder R. C. Porter met with us in council at this place, and also at Sandakan, and we greatly appreciated his help and his words of encouragement. While he was with us at Sandakan, we looked for land on which to build a home for our workers. At present they are in small quarters above the meetinghouse, wedged in between native families that are anything but clean. They have no front room, so they cannot invite people to visit them. Their health is not good, and they must take a furlough soon. We hope to hear that a family has been selected to go to Borneo to join these workers, and we trust we shall have the privilege of erecting healthful homes for them, so that their health may not be constantly in jeopardy.

Our training school in Singapore is doing well, and God is sending us young native students from sources that we knew not of before. They are taking right hold of their studies, and some of them will soon be ready for service. Recently we had baptism in Singapore, five out of the seven baptized being from the school. Four were young men who came from Battakland, and have been in the school for a number of months. They are preparing for the work. One is a Tamil from Kuala Lumpur, who was not keeping the Sabbath when he started to school. Thus the school is not only a training center, but an evangelizing agency as well.

We shall be able to start the publishing work in the near future. All we lack is the facilities, after the editor and the bookman arrive. We have experienced native printers who will be able to carry the work forward. Our Malay paper has done well, and now we must get out cheap books and small tracts as fast as we can. This will do much to advance our work. Wherever the printed page has gone, interests have sprung up.

Thus far this year we have baptized thirty-five, and still a large number expect soon to take the step. From every mission station the good news comes of interested ones and of those who wish to be baptized. Pray for us.