A Most Encouraging Token
By A. G. Daniells
If there is anything in the results of our labor, sacrifice, and expenditure in the cause of the third angel's message that should encourage us to greater endeavor, it is found in what may be called our difficult mission fields, more than anywhere else. It is not always the easiest and most promising field that yields the largest and most encouraging results; nor is it the field containing the largest number of believers, and the greatest array of facilities, that produces the largest average or per cent of returns. There is something remarkable and truly encouraging about the working of gospel truths and influences in the hearts of men. It is certainly contrary to nature. It is altogether different from man's calculations. This working is expressed by the scripture truths, which teach that joy comes from sorrow, riches from poverty, exaltation from humility, life from death. “There is that scattereth and yet increaseth.” This is the law of the kingdom, and the working of this law in gospel work is surely designed to encourage God's people to enter and push forward the cause of God. From all parts of the world we are continually receiving encouraging news from our missionary workers. From the reports that come to us we find that, in the hardest and most difficult fields, where the least investment is made, and where we would naturally expect to see the smallest results, the best progress is being made. A report for 1903, just completed by the statistical secretary, contains some very interesting items. It records the membership, net increase, per cent of gain in membership, and the average tithes of all the union conferences and mission fields of the denomination. As far as comparisons are of any value, this report speaks well for our mission fields. The highest per cent of gain in union conferences in the United States was 12.67, and that was in the Southern Union, which all concede to be the most difficult field in the home land. The largest per cent of gain in any foreign union conference was 37.52. That was in the British Union. The German Union comes next, with 26.15, and the Australasian with 25.95. The Latin Union, as forbidding as it appears, had 14.01 per cent of gain. The Lake Union, with more than sixteen thousand Sabbath-keepers, and $136,387 tithe, and with many facilities, reports an increase of only one hundred and six members—a gain of less than one per cent. The Central Union, one of the finest fields in the world, shows a gain of only two hundred and eight members, which is one and one-half per cent. A glance at the average tithes paid per member will show that our brethren in foreign fields are well to the front. It is well known that wages and wealth among our people in all foreign lands are much less than in the United States. Yet the average tithe in the organized fields in other lands is almost as large as in America. In Great Britain it is $12.71 per member. This is the highest average of any union conference. In Australasia the average tithe is exceeded by only one union conference in America, namely, the Pacific Union. It is not to put any home conference in a bad light that attention is called to these figures. It is to show the encouraging results of our efforts in mission fields, where the believers are few, receipts small, and where there are very few facilities. How shall we account for this remarkable showing? It is the Lord's doings, and it is marvelous in our eyes. And now, dear reader, does this stir your heart to sow more bountifully in the difficult mission fields? Does it not stimulate you to give more cheerfully and liberally? Your gifts are not thrown away. Your endeavor is not in vain. A splendid work is being done in the destitute, difficult mission fields by our faithful, hard-working, self-sacrificing comrades. The Lord is blessing their labors. New doors are continually being opened for them to enter, and this leads them to send back to us earnest calls for more workers and means. There are workers who are willing to go. Some have been waiting with great anxiety for months to go to distant fields, where they know that they will meet difficulties not experienced in the home land. How many times have our hearts been made to rejoice by the prompt, courageous request of a worker in the home land to take the place left vacant by the death of a comrade at the front. But often we are obliged to delay sending recruits for lack of funds. The situation calls for a large offering Sabbath, July 2, for missions. Once more we earnestly entreat our people to give their money to the cause of missions, rather than to the Fourth-of-July celebrations. We are exceedingly anxious that this offering shall be large, that we may be able to send out a large number of new recruits.