While we listen to the good news from the wide world, we are certainly cheered to find that the holy land of old is not missing. Our workers there had suffered considerable from fever, so that we were compelled to make an entire change. Brother and Sister Hoerner left Jaffa, and are now laboring in southern Germany. Brother Gregorios and his wife (both nurses) have taken their place. The three believers whom I baptized while I was there, attended our Friedensau meeting last summer. One of these is now a teacher in the Friedensau school, while the other two have spent some time in the school, and have returned to their farm near Jaffa; they have now paid into the work four hundred dollars tithe upon their property. As they carried back such a good report of their experiences with our work and workers in Germany, another family, with whom we had been laboring for some time, began to keep the Sabbath, and are now ready for baptism. The little company in Jaffa was pleased to have Elder Quinn, who stopped on his way from Australia, celebrate the ordinances with them.
THE JERUSALEM SANITARIUM
Brother and Sister Jespersson, nurses, were obliged to leave Jerusalem on account of fever. They are now assisting in the school at Gland, and expect to connect with the sanitarium when it is opened at that place. Brother Teschner, who took Brother Jespersson's place, died, so that we had only Sister Mueller there for a time; however, a short time ago Brother Freund, who had just served his time in the German army, as a nurse, has gone there. He reports very encouragingly about the work. The health of the workers is good. They seem to find some interested souls in that city. One German lady, who has a home for girls in Athens, spent a week at the health institution in Jerusalem, and became much interested in our work. Her husband is working among the Greeks in America, and she expects to join him there. She is very anxious to see health work, similar to that carried on in Jerusalem, started in Greece, and offers her home for that purpose. Thus once more the light is breaking forth from the holy land and other portions of the Orient.
Brother Zarub, with another family, is located at Beyrout. Since Brother Krum left, we have found no one to take his place in this Syrian field. Farther up in Asia Minor our brethren are still in prison, awaiting their sentence. We questioned whether it would be best for us to attempt to do anything in their behalf; but they wrote us that it would not be wise, as any interference on the part of foreigners might create suspicion, and make the matter still worse. All we can do is to leave their cases with the Lord, asking him to turn the tide in their favor.
We should be only too glad if we were able to secure a good, promising young man, a minister of some experience, to go into Asia Minor and begin gospel work there. As soon as Dr. George opens up the treatment rooms in Constantinople, his hands will be full, and he will not be able to look after the evangelical portion of the work. Thus far, we have had no more promising field in Asia Minor than right among the Armenians. It seems a pity to have hundreds of believers there, with no one even to visit them.
We have just secured Sister Adomeit, a German nurse of experience, who knows French and some English, to go to Constantinople, to assist Dr. George. God is blessing the German workers we have sent to the Orient. We are sure that if we could secure a good minister to go there, one who would not be afraid of hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, we should see a growth in Asia Minor and Turkey. Let us remember the holy land and the Orient in our prayers and gifts, that these fields may be again lighted with the rays of the everlasting gospel.
