A New Thing in the Fields by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Apr 20, 1905

A New Thing in the Fields

By William Ambrose Spicer

A NEW and very encouraging phase of work presents itself in various mission fields. As different lands were entered in past years, and a constituency was raised up, efforts were made to plant training centers for the development of workers in the field. The fruits of this effort were not immediately apparent, but now the results are appearing.

In South African native work, some of the youth who have received training in the schools are now going out to plant village schools, and to teach the truth in the regions beyond. It is just the beginning of what we shall see in all that vast continent; for the African himself must be trained to run with this message through all those winding paths that thread the African interior.

In other lands, as well, this new era has come to us. All Europe has been busily training consecrated young people who are now going into the field. Australasia is doing the same, with its eyes upon its vast mission fields in the Pacific. In a recent letter from Argentina, South America, Brother N. Z. Town says:—

There is no discouraging word to send from the work here. In every place where there are workers, we hear of souls who are accepting the truth. This is especially true of the young native workers who went out this year from our school.

The effort to train workers during the last few years as the great fields have been opened has not been in vain. Now we shall see an ever-increasing band of laborers pressing the triumphs of the message among their own peoples, and with a familiarity with local conditions that should give special advantage when seasoned experience has been gained. Yet, of course, there is bound to be a continual call for consecrated helpers from the home land of this message, to join the forces raised up in the fields. There is a great field to be covered within a brief time; for ere this generation closes, the work for the world will be finished. W. A. S.