En Route to Africa by G. A. IRWIN

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 14, 1907

En Route to Africa

By G. A. IRWIN

G. A. IRWIN

At the session of the General Conference Committee held in Washington, D. C., in the month of October, it was recommended that I attend the South African Union Conference, which was to be held in Cape Town, beginning Jan. 6, 1907. At the close of this conference it was planned for me to spend some time in visiting our different missions, and if time would permit, to visit Uganda and ascertain the prospects and best place for a mission in that portion of British East Africa.

It is now several years since a representative from the General Conference in America has visited this field. In the interval, South Africa—where the greater portion of our work in this great continent is being carried on at present—has passed through a most terrible war, which for the time affected our work very seriously in the established centers, and practically stopped its advance into new territory. A brighter day is now dawning, and the brethren in that field are calling for help to counsel and plan, and for men and means to assist in extending the work into new territory. My trip, I trust, is but the beginning of our response to this call.

In looking up my route, I found that I could go by way of Australia with only two weeks more time at sea, and an additional expense of one hundred dollars. To offset this, I would have three weeks’ time between boats to spend in Australia, visiting the institutions and some of the principal churches and centers of our work in this important field. In harmony with this arrangement, I sailed from San Francisco October 27 on the steamer “Ventura,” which was due in Sydney, Australia, November 16. On the following Sabbath after leaving San Francisco we arrived in Honolulu a little after midday, in the midst of a cold, blowy rain. After some trouble and delay I succeeded in finding the home of Elder Williams, who has charge of our work in the Hawaiian Islands, with headquarters in Honolulu. All those who have made the trip from America to Australia by this route, know that Honolulu is an important resting-place. I call to mind a number of times when I, with others, have been made comfortable and have enjoyed a brief respite from the horrors of sea life through the kind attentions of present and former residents, such as Sister Kerr, Brother Burgess, Brother and Sister Howell, Brother and Sister Carey, Brother and Sister Behrens, and Brother and Sister Colcord. The work in Honolulu has passed through many changes; only Sister Kerr of the afore-mentioned persons still remains; Brother Burgess has been laid away to rest, and the others have all returned to the States, where they are still engaged in the work, each in a different place and sphere.

The work in this field is at present under the direction of the North Pacific Union Conference, and is a part of the conference mission territory. Brother and Sister Williams were quite surprised to see me, in fact, did not recognize me until I told them my name. Not knowing that I was coming, they were taken off their guard, and thought I was one of the ministers of the city who had come to give them a berating for having captured some of his members. We passed two hours very pleasantly together, talking over the progress of our work in general, and the prospects of future success in Honolulu. The abandonment of the school and sanitarium work in the city and the withdrawal of the workers has left them very weak in numbers, and without any regular place of meeting. Quite an interest is being developed among the Japanese, and some among the Portuguese are becoming interested. Brother Williams believes that the time has come for them to have a church building of their own, and is going to make an effort to see how much can be raised in the city toward it. If this effort could be supplemented by a liberal donation from the home land, he thinks they might, in the near future, be in possession of a neat little house of worship of their own, and thus give their work some degree of permanency. At the conclusion of a nice supper, Brother Williams accompanied me back to the boat. On our way we called on Sister Kerr at her home. She seemed delighted to see me, and we spent some time answering questions relative to the many friends and acquaintances in the States, and as to the progress of the message in the home and other lands. When parting, in addition to her expressed well wishes for my safety on the voyage, she gave me two large pineapples and some beautiful oranges grown upon her own premises, to take with me to the boat for an occasional change from the sameness of the boat fare. To those of us who have been compelled to travel much by sea, these little meetings with those of like faith in the great ocean centers, are like so many oases in the great waste of waters over which we travel.

Nothing worthy of special note occurred on the passage from Honolulu to Auckland, New Zealand, only the failure of the boat’s machinery to do its proper work. Most of the time, only one engine was in operation, and several times both stopped, and we were left for the time at the mercy of the waves. Fortunately for us, however, we had good weather and a quiet sea, so that nothing more serious happened than the loss of seven days’ time. It was said by one of the engineers that when we sighted Auckland, the last bit of coal in the bunkers was being swept up, and if we had been an hour later, they would have had to tear down the partitions and use the lumber for fuel, or appropriate oil or bacon from the cargo, in order to get into port.

Directly after landing in Auckland, I was handed two letters and a telegram from Elder Olsen, requesting me to break my journey and come to Masterton, where the New Zealand Conference and camp-meeting was to be held November 8-18. This was impossible, as our boat was late. Later in the day I met Joseph Hare and his daughter Florence, who were on their way home from the meeting. From these friends I learned that notwithstanding the weather was rather cold and rainy, they had a good meeting. Sister Campbell and her daughter called at the boat and took me home with them to dinner, where I had a pleasant visit, and also met Maud, Sister Campbell’s daughter, who is one of the nurses at the Wahroonga Sanitarium in Australia. She had just returned home for a short rest and visit.

On Tuesday morning, November 20, we left Auckland for Sydney, Australia, where, after rather a stormy trip of four and one-half days across the Tasman Sea, we arrived Sabbath noon, November 24, eight days behind the advertised date of arrival. The “Sonoma” was still in port, having been held back to take the regular trip of the “Ventura,” thus giving her three weeks to go into dry-dock for repairs.

My son Walter and his wife came out on the tender to Neutral Bay, where we were anchored, and accompanied me to the regular dock at the quay, where we were met by Sister Graham and Brethren Hindson and Starr. As soon as my baggage arrived from the boat, and was passed by the customs officers, we went out to the sanitarium at Wahroonga, where I received a hearty welcome from all. As I looked into the familiar faces of the nurses, it did not seem possible that I had been away two full years. During that time, however, many changes and improvements have been made. On the road from the station to the sanitarium, which was mostly bush land when I left, clearings have been made, and a number of large brick houses have been built, and the road is assuming the aspect of a street. As the result, the sanitarium property is much more valuable now than when first purchased. The two new cottages built by Elder Olsen and Dr. Kress on opposite sides of the road just at the entrance to the grounds, have added much to the general appearance. The completion of the heart-shaped driveway in front, and the removal of some of the old fruit-trees and the substitution of ornamental trees and flower beds, give the place an appearance of order and

thrift. The erection of a new gymnasium and a neat cow barn has added much to the practical side of the institution. The old orchard, under the care of a practical orchardist, is springing into new life.

As I looked over and around this beautiful place, and attended the noonday and evening prayer-meetings, and witnessed the spirit that seemed to pervade all departments, I felt amply repaid for whatever sacrifice we had made in the way of means, labor, and anxious days and nights when the building was being erected and equipped for patients. I call to mind a remark made by a young man who had apostatized from the faith, as he watched some of us who had volunteered dig out the foundation for the bath-rooms. “Do you ever expect,” he said, “to finish this building? I predict that it will prove a white elephant on your hands.” It is true that we passed through many dark and trying experiences while it was being erected; many times we came to the end of our means, and there seemed to be no way out but to stop work. Then we remembered that the Lord had spoken definitely that there should be such an institution built in this field, and his own chosen servant assisted in selecting the place and urged the beginning of the enterprise. Constrained by this, we struggled on; means came in at the opportune moment, so that at no time did the work come to an entire standstill. As the result of perseverance, hard work, self-denial, and faith in the Testimonies, we have a medical institution in Australia that is a credit to our work, and is exerting a strong influence for good. Already thirty persons have accepted the truth as a direct result of the work of this institution, and its work has only begun,

Another gratifying feature of the work of this institution is the willingness and cheerfulness with which the physicians and nurses work in harmony with the ministry in evangelistic work, and also with the school in educational efforts. It is the aim of the sanitarium managers to train evangelical medical missionaries—rather than professional nurses—and place them at the disposal of conference boards for use in their regular conference work, their time to be audited and paid from the conference treasury, the same as other conference workers. I speak of the work of this institution thus in detail for the encouragement of others who may even now be struggling with similar problems and conditions. What has been done by faith and perseverance, can be done again. The same principles of co-operation between the educational, medical, and evangelical work that has operated so harmoniously and successfully here, can be made equally successful elsewhere if men will follow the Lord’s direction.

I remained at the sanitarium until Monday that I might secure my passage on the steamer “Medic” to Cape Town. In the meantime I visited some of the sick in the sanitarium, and called on the families outside the institution, and had several talks with Elders Gates and Fulton relative to their island mission work, besides speaking to the workers at their noonday meeting, and to the patients and helpers in the drawing-room Sunday evening.