Labors in West Michigan
By Daniel T. Bourdeau
DURING the last six weeks I have visited the churches at Bauer, Wright, Lowell, Lyons, Grand Ledge, and Eaton Rapids, and in public and in the homes of believers and those not of our faith, I have dwelt upon the stirring, practical themes for our times, especially on the importance of entering heart and soul into the work involved in the present campaign. Since the opening of this campaign, I have, besides doing other work, given special attention to extending the circulation of our papers. Thus far the list of subscriptions obtained is as follows: for the REVIEW, 52; for Life and Health, 12; for the Southern Watchman, 1. And let none, in comparing these figures, conclude that the Signs, Southern Watchman, and other papers published by our people, were disparaged and neglected. In not a few cases I found that a grand work was being done with the Southern Watchman and with the Signs, and that in some churches the interest in these excellent papers assumed such a phase that there was danger that their original design and their relation to our church paper should be lost sight of, and that they should be made to supersede our valuable and indispensable REVIEW AND HERALD, the parent of all our denominational periodicals, and special instructor of our churches in essentially church matters, in methods of labor for others, and in the progress of the cause, and withal a faithful exponent of the doctrines held by Seventh-day Adventists, and a weekly chronicler of the events of the day answering to prophetic utterances of Holy Writ, and showing unmistakably that the final consummation is indeed imminent. In view of these and other facts, I have thus far put the REVIEW in the front; and in doing this, I have not, by any means, divorced it from our other good papers, nor have I shown myself at all partial with regard to heaven-ordained instrumentalities, which have been created and brought into use as a result of the rise and progress of the cause of the second-advent messages of Rev. 14:6-14. I am thankful to be able to report that the churches already mentioned can say, Henceforth the REVIEW shall make its weekly visit to all the families and isolated believers that we are associated with in church capacity. As these churches have been stirred up on this and other subjects, the true, old-fashioned missionary spirit has revived among them, the bond of love and union has been strengthened, and special effusions of the Holy Spirit have been enjoyed; and at every point calls have come in for a course of lectures for the general public. The enthusiasm shown in favor of the REVIEW has been of a marked character. Even those not of our faith have subscribed for it, as its important mission has been set forth in public and in the homes of the people. We were particularly affected, and were reminded of the spirit of sacrifice that existed among us in the early history of this cause, by the following circumstance: A vote has been passed by a church to see that the REVIEW was taken by all the families and isolated believers within its jurisdiction. But this was not to be accomplished with folded arms. Those who did not have the REVIEW were away in the country, and to reach them we had to travel several miles in a strong, cold wind. In the night, while praying over this matter, I felt especially impressed that this trip must be made. I could not make it on foot, and proposed that a horse and carriage be secured at my expense. A brother who was laboring on the self-supporting plan, and knew from experience what was meant by self-denial and sacrifice, stepped up and said, “This expense shall not rest on you. I have arranged to work half a day to pay for the use of a horse and carriage for you.” These words touched me, and more than made up for the suffering I experienced in making the contemplated trip that day, and I received an additional compensation, at least in my feelings of satisfaction, in securing the object for which I made this trip. May God increase among us the spirit of sacrifice manifested by the aged brother who helped me over this hard spot,—a spirit that characterized all our labors in the early history of this cause.18 Within the last two weeks, notwithstanding the rigor of the latter part of autumn in this latitude, I have baptized one person in Grand River, at Lyons, and another in a baptistery kindly offered us by the Baptists at another place. God signally blessed us and those who were with us on these occasions; and especially did we realize the divine presence, and were encouraged last Sunday night in giving our last discourse during this trip, in the town of Eaton, to a respectable and deeply interested audience composed mostly of those not of our faith. There had existed great prejudice against us at this point; but the feelings of the people were so changed that we were kindly offered the use of a large church. And thus the way is opening in almost every place we visit.
D. T. BOURDEAU.