En Route for Australia by Ole Andres Olsen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Sep 28, 1905

En Route for Australia

By Ole Andres Olsen

My last report for the REVIEW was written last March after our British Union Conference held in February. Soon after that meeting I made a short visit to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, in the North England Conference, and Belfast, Ireland. I was glad to find the work prosperous, and our people and workers of good courage.

After this tour I returned and visited some of our brethren in the South England Conference. At Southsea, where Brother and Sister Farnsworth and Brother A. E. Bacon had been laboring during the winter, I found a growing interest. Here we had the privilege of baptizing ten dear souls. We are grateful for the blessing of the Lord so manifest at Southsea. We also visited East Cowes, Southampton, and Bath, and had profitable meetings at all these places. At Bath one was baptized and two added to the church. At Newport I met Brother Farnsworth, who, together with Brother Meredith, had visited several places in the Welsh mission field. At Newport all the workers in the mission were gathered, and all joined in a four days' institute, which was very profitable. The Lord greatly blessed Brother Farnsworth in presenting some of the early experiences and underlying principles of the message, to the encouragement and edification of all.

In company with Brother Farnsworth, we visited Plymouth, where we had a four days' meeting. At this time three were baptized and united with the church. From here I returned to London to get ready for attendance at the late General Conference.

On April 26 quite a delegation from Great Britain started for the General Conference. Of this meeting I need not here speak, as it has been fully reported, further than to say that to me personally it was a great blessing and source of much encouragement. The strong missionary spirit that prevailed through the entire meeting enthused every heart. May we not expect to see the truth go forth with that grace and power that

will hasten its final close and usher in the final consummation?

At this meeting it was recommended that I make Australasia my field of labor, and in compliance with this request I began at once to arrange for the move; but it was necessary first to return to England. It was also the request of the conference that I should attend the general meetings in Scandinavia; so I was present at the Denmark Conference held at Fredrikshavn, June 16-19. This was the most largely attended and I may say the best conference yet held in Denmark. All seemed full of courage, and we may expect to see a rapid advancement of the message in that country.

From Denmark I went to Sweden, where I was present from June 20 to 24. This meeting was held at Grythyttehed, and proved to be the most largely attended conference our people have held in Sweden; this was also a most excellent meeting.

Our time was too limited to attend the Norway Conference, and on returning to London we made all haste to get in readiness for our departure for Australia. During our short stay in England we had the privilege of meeting with several churches and companies, also of baptizing four dear souls at North London, and fifteen at Catford. At this latter place Brother Ritchie has been laboring for some months. By this time, no doubt, others have been baptized and a church organized.

On July 12 we took our departure from our friends in London and the work in the British Union, with which we have been connected for the past four years. My experience in the British field has been a profitable one to me personally, and while our hearts have been made sad by seeing some depart from the truth, on the other hand we have been made to rejoice by seeing the truth advance, and a goodly number of souls added to the company of believers.

We have also been made glad by the starting of our training college, and the special blessing of the Lord that has attended it, also in the establishment of the health work. Indeed, the blessing of the Lord is very marked in every department of the work, and the outlook for the future is most encouraging.

In taking our leave of the work and the friends in the British Union we realize that we are bound to the work and friends there by many tender ties, and our prayer shall be that God's blessing may rest on the work there in a very special manner, and that a rich harvest of souls may be gathered for the kingdom.

The call to go to Australia was a very unexpected one, but as it seemed to be the unanimous mind of the brethren, we accepted it as the call of the Lord. Still it was a very serious matter to us on account of the condition of Mrs. Olsen's health. She has been a sufferer for a long time, and during the winter and spring has been confined to her bed much of the time. But we reasoned that if God called us to this distant field, and we believed he did, he would also give Mrs. Olsen the needed strength for the long journey. And in this we have not been disappointed. Every step has been taken by faith, and I wish to say to the praise of the Lord that he has honored our faith in a most marvelous manner.

As the journey via America seemed to be the most favorable, we decided to go that way. We made very brief stops at Washington, Battle Creek, Chicago, and San Francisco. At every place we met the utmost kindness, and were assisted on our way after a royal fashion. This was much appreciated, as Mrs. Olsen so much needed this attention.

At San Francisco we embarked on the steamship “Sonoma” direct for Sydney, August 10. We are now twelve days out, and we are grateful for the favorable weather and accommodations with which we have been favored thus far.

At Honolulu we made a stop of twelve hours, and had a pleasant visit with the workers located there. We shall send this back from Pago Pago, which we expect to reach to-morrow. August 28 we are due at Auckland, New Zealand, and at Sydney on September 1.

Elder L. A. Hoopes and his family are also on this boat, bound for Australia. What we earnestly desire and pray for is that we may be fitted by the blessing of God for the work he has for us in our new field of labor, and to this end we crave the prayers of God's people.

O. A. OLSEN.

Aug. 22, 1905.