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Progress in China

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 14, 1909

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 86, No. 2.

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Progress in China

By LAW KEEM, M. D.

LAW KEEM, M. D.
The Lord is blessing the work here, and the people are willing to hear the truth, although the enemy is wide-awake, and doing what he can to keep them away. I thank the Lord he can not keep the honest ones from coming to hear the truth. Our little chapel is well filled each Sabbath, and the meetings during the week continue with a good attendance. Some wish us to leave Fat Shan, and go to some place where the people have never heard the gospel. They say that then there would be no confusion about which day is the Sabbath. Good Christians have talked thus. I always tell them that this truth is for them, as for every one else—not a few, but for all.
During the summer the people of the other denominations waged quite a fight against us, while we were away for a little time. Finally they wrote our young evangelist a long letter, challenging him to debate with the leading Chinese minister on the Sabbath question. Our Sabbath-keepers came together, and after talking the matter over, two of them wrote letters in reply. Our evangelist wrote one letter, in which he stated that if their minister wished to discuss the Sabbath question, taking the Bible as the proof, he was ready to do it at any time they should set; but if he wanted to prove the matter outside of the Bible, he had no time to waste on the subject. They never set a time. It seems that some members of the Congregational church asked their pastor if he would dare to debate with us. He said, “No; there is no use, for they have the Bible on their side. All this talking and fighting will bring no good, and you had better leave off.” Since then things have been quiet.
Two weeks ago our evangelist and two of our Bible students were baptized. The latter are our first converts in Fat Shan. They have been attending our special Bible class for a year. They come from the Congregational Church, and have been keeping the Sabbath for nearly a year, as it did not take them long to decide which was the Bible Sabbath.
We send a photograph of our Sabbath-keepers, our evangelist, and my nephew. At the left of the back row is my nephew. Next are the two brethren who were baptized. The first in the lower row at the left is Jo Yat Nin, a pen-maker. Next to him is the father of the two boys. The last one in the row is our young evangelist. These are well established in the truth, although the father and Jo Yat Nin were not baptized, feeling that, under the present circumstances, it was not best to take this step. Both are pen-makers, and have several men as apprentices, who began their training before these brethren even heard of the seventh-day Sabbath. As the men are determined to hold their original time of work, their employers feel compelled to allow them to work on the Sabbath. They hold worship with the men in the shop every Sabbath morning, and with their own family in the evening, also buy all supplies for Sabbath on Friday. They themselves do no work on the Sabbath. As soon as it is possible, they intend to close the shop, however. This seems strange Sabbath-keeping to our people in America, no doubt; but it is a hard question over here. No Chinese, either Christian or heathen, closes his shop on any day of the week or year except during a few days at the new-year time. Of course the places of business of our people must be shut on Sabbath; consequently these men must wait for baptism until they can close theirs.
GROUP OF SABBATH-KEEPERS AT FAT SHAN
GROUP OF SABBATH-KEEPERS AT FAT SHAN
Our Sunday advocates would certainly have a hard time getting all stores closed in China. Here it is a continual “dig” from the beginning of the year till the close. The women do the worshiping mostly, because they have time!
There are others who are becoming interested in this truth, and who we feel sure will take their stand with us soon. Two of these are ministers—one in the London Mission church, and the other the Congregational minister mentioned above, who is now attending our meetings. The London Mission minister lives at Macao, where we spent our vacation. He has already accepted the light on the Sabbath question, and desires all the reading-matter on the different points of truth that we can give him. He is to attend the Bible institute to be held at Canton this winter. He has been preaching for ten years, and can be a great help to us if he takes his stand for the truth. He has subscribed for our Chinese Gospel Herald for one year. This paper should have a wide circulation wherever there are Chinese.
While in Macao, we met a man and his wife from Scotland, who became much interested in this message, especially in the Sabbath, as they had never even heard of Seventh-day Adventists before. My wife gave her several numbers of the Signs of the Times to read, and they were much pleased with what they read. She said to my wife, “Well, I said to my husband, ‘Isn’t it strange the Bible everywhere plainly says that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, and we all are keeping the first day of the week instead?’” She wanted to know how and when the change came about, giving Mrs. Law a splendid chance to tell her. The Lord alone knows the result of the seed sown. They gave us an earnest invitation to come to see them whenever we go to Hongkong.
We wish the prayers of our brethren and sisters in America, that these interested ones may be brought to a full knowledge and acceptance of the truth, and also for ourselves, that we may be faithful in living and giving this last message.
The medical work has been secondary, so far, but is slowly increasing. This phase of the gospel message must be more fully developed, if we expect to reach the better classes; for they will not come to our chapel meetings. If they are sick, they will come to get help, and thus they will have an opportunity to hear the gospel from us, or we can give them reading-matter. Our workers feel the need of this work in reaching this class. As yet we have no suitable place to carry on this kind of work.
Our health is very good, and our courage is the best. We expect to push thebattle to the gates, and triumph with the message. We thank the Lord for a part in his work.
Fat Shan.