Mission Notes

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 30, 1908

The secretary of the South American Union Conference writes that a good opening is afforded nurses in Argentina. They do not experience difficulty in obtaining license, as do physicians, to practise, but can engage in self-supporting work from the start.

The Missionary Review gives the following interesting facts in reference to the English Baptist Missionary Society: “This oldest of missionary bodies, whose first missionary was William Carey, at the end of one hundred sixteen years reports the largest receipts ever gathered, amounting to $437,510. Its missionaries now number two hundred ninety-three, including wives and unmarried women, and its native helpers, five hundred thirty.”

Good, thorough work in the school at Nyassaland mission is being carried forward. Of their work, Brother Rogers says: “While we are not working under the educational code, we feel that our school ought to be better, if possible, than anything they give. I will give one or two instances of how our boys and girls learn. In the morning Bible classes, while having regular lessons in the Gospels, studying the miracles of Jesus, they committed to memory all of the beatitudes, the ten commandments, and parts of the nineteenth and twenty-third psalms. My wife had charge of this

class, and it would do you good to hear them repeat these verses, mostly in good English. In the afternoon school, including grades two to five, our studies were on the books of Daniel and Revelation. I had a class of about thirty. While hearing practical and doctrinal lessons from these books, they memorized thirty-three verses in Daniel, and thirty-four in the first fourteen chapters of Revelation. These included all of the third angel’s message, and all of the Laodicean message. They like this memorizing, and when they go to the heathen villages without a Bible, they are able to tell what they have learned.”

One brother, although writing privately, drops the word that he and his wife had been under the strain of mission work for over six years, most of the time carrying its responsibilities alone. During this whole time his wife had been away from the mission only six weeks. This simply illustrates that when workers keep well, because of their deep interest in the work and the great need and scarcity of workers, they are often compelled to labor on year after year, often beyond their strength; for they can not think of going aside to rest, with no one to look after the work.

It will be remembered that Brother Kalbermatten, a young brother in the army in South America, has experienced much difficulty recently because of his strict adherence to principle in the matter of obeying the Lord in keeping the seventh day, under penalties of floggings and imprisonment. The good news now comes that he has gained the consent of the army officials to keep the Sabbath, providing he will work on Sunday. Upon the Sabbath he has a little meeting by himself, studying his Bible and singing hymns. One Sabbath the officers heard him singing and gathered about him, asking many questions regarding his religion. A very interesting experience occurred at the last trial before obtaining liberty to keep the Sabbath. Brother Kalbermatten had arranged with the captain for permission to state his reasons for refusing to work on the Sabbath to the head officials of the army. This was granted. He supposed he was to meet only two or three, but was surprised to find a room full, and among them a priest. Many hard questions were asked him, but God blessed his servant with ready answers. The priest failed completely in his effort to confuse him. Then Brother Kalbermatten required the priest to produce from the Bible one single command for the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath. The priest admitted there was no such command, but that the day was changed by the sole authority of the Roman Catholic Church. The priest still visits him on the Sabbath, seeking to persuade him to refrain from keeping it; at the same time, he has been persuaded by Brother Kalbermatten to read “Steps to Christ,” and a tract upon religious liberty. Pray for this young man.