City Work in Buenos Aires, Argentina*
By Deborah Knight
The work in Buenos Aires is onward. In the beginning of the year 1913, when the church was divided into three, it was thought best to seek a more central place for our meetings. Securing one, we began constant visiting to arouse an interest, meeting with varied experiences, both encouraging and discouraging. With the help of God and of our associate workers, Elvira Deggeller and Ernesto Tulin, we pressed the battle to the gate, gaining victories. From our first baptism, April 19, to the same date one year later, thirty-three persons were baptized, all of whom were adults. There are seven others who desire baptism, making forty new Sabbath keepers gained during this time. These have not accepted this message without passing through severe trials. The enemy is working harder now than ever before to prevent souls from coming into the truth. One young woman who accepted the truth came out of the Catholic Church. Afterward, it was necessary for her to go to a public hospital for an operation. Upon entering the hospital, the mother superior told her she must confess her sins to the priest. She said, “No.” It was insisted upon, but still she said, “No.” Then she was told that she would go to purgatory. She said, “I will not,” and told them that she was a Christian. They tried to convince her that if she did not confess her sins, she would die during the operation. She underwent the operation, and came out from under the effect of the anesthetic without the slightest feeling of sickness. Then the mother superior cried out with surprise, and “Look how the Christian comes out!” Afterward the priest sought opportunities of talking with her, asking her how she dared to change her faith without consulting with the church. She in turn asked him why they kept Sunday, and how they dared to change the law of God and the Sabbath. The priest said, “We keep Sunday because now it is impossible to change the customs of the whole world,” thus acknowledging that the day had been changed. By this we see that the priests are in darkness, and they are holding the people in it. May God help by his Holy Spirit to enlighten these poor souls.