Mission Notes

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Feb 9, 1905

“By what right do you choose your King’s last command as the thing to be crowded out of your life?”

SPEAKING of the Sabbath-school at Tonga, Sister Butz writes: “The school has taken a deep interest in the lessons. Most of the senior class, and also the two children in the junior class, have learned nearly all the book of Revelation by heart.” Our Tongan brethren have set us a very worthy example. We wonder how many have done likewise.

A MISSIONARY writes: “Two young men who came often to our meetings said they believed in Jesus. We hoped they would soon show a desire to be baptized, but they did not. One day they called together on us, and we read the Scripture, ‘Whosoever . . . shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.’ ‘Ah, we did not understand,’ they said. ‘We thought if we believed with the heart, we need not be baptized; we could just go on quietly so.’ Three weeks later they were baptized. They have still much to learn, but we hope to see them ever confessing Christ, and themselves confessed at last before the Father.”

“THE problem is no longer ‘the open door.’ The doors are wide open in every land. With the exception of Tibet, Afghanistan, and the Belgian Congo State, there is not a country in which the delivery of the gospel message is not merely feasible, but a constant fact. It is not the securing of an audience. It is, indeed, no more true to-day than it ever has been, that the great masses of Asia and Africa are hungering and thirsting for Christianity. Yet nowhere is it difficult to gather a company of those willing to hear, while many, everywhere, are eager to know of Christ. The great problem of to-day is the securing of the funds needed to enter these open doors.”

WORD comes from Brazil that “Elder Graf is just now instructing some students in the Taquary school for the canvassing work. Two of our German canvassers are ready to go among the Brazilians, but we lack books in this language. Elders Spies and Ehlers have been moving their families to new fields, and this always takes a long time in this country. You will be glad to hear that the Lord is greatly blessing the efforts of Elder Schwantes. At one place he baptized eighteen, with about twenty more awaiting baptism. Brother Haelzle reports quite a number of converts awaiting baptism in Parana. So you see the work is onward. A few days ago we had a small revolution in this city, with the aim to depose the president. All is quiet again now, but only for a time. O that we could enter these cities at once with a number of good workers! Pray that this may speedily be done.”