Since my last report we have held general meetings in all our churches in the province of Entre Rios. This province lies between the Parana and Uruguay Rivers, and is one of the most productive of the Argentine provinces.
SCHOOL TAUGHT BY ONE OF OUR MEMBERS IN BATTAKLAND, SUMATRA
I left Buenos Aires August 8, in company with Brethren O. Montgomery, W. H. Williams, and G. E. Hartman, to attend the regular board meetings of our sanitarium and school at Puiggari. We traveled by boat on the beautiful Parana River, and the trip was made in twenty-seven hours. Elder J. W. Westphal, president of the South American Union Conference, was present, and called the meeting to order August 10. The Lord greatly blessed in the board meetings, and very definite plans were laid for both the sanitarium and the school.
It was planned that Elder Montgomery and I should hold meetings for the students and our people in Puiggari. These meetings were attended with much of God's Spirit, and from the first, hearts were made tender by the touch of God. Special calls were made for the unconverted to accept the Saviour, and for those who had left their first love to renew their consecration to him. Many of the young men who had made no profession came forward and gave themselves to Christ. It was a very impressive scene. Others came forward, filling up all the space around the platform, to seek a loving Saviour who was willing to forgive their sins and to accept them as his own.
This work for the youth touched our brethren and sisters living in the vicinity of these institutions, and at the last meeting, when the invitation was extended to the church members to reconsecrate themselves to the Lord, there was a quick and willing response, and such a precious season I have not seen for some time. The whole community was stirred by this manifestation of God's wonderful power.
At the close of the meetings several signified a desire for baptism. Prof. H. U. Stevens and Elder W. W. Wheeler cooperated with us, and their help was appreciated. The members of the school faculty and of the sanitarium board were invited to meet with the Union Conference Committee, and plans were laid to follow up the work that was begun. I was cheered to see the teachers rally to this work of leading the youth toward a deeper Christian experience.
August 18 Brethren Westphal, C. F. Neumann, G. Block, and I began a general meeting for the church at Crespo. This church has a membership of one hundred and thirty. The church school building is used for church services, but this would not accommodate a general gathering, so we were obliged to pitch a tent. The Lord blessed this meeting, and every member renewed his covenant with the Lord. There are a great many young people in this church, some of whom were in need of spiritual help. The Lord came very near to them, and when a call was made for all who would give themselves to Christ and volunteer for service, many of the previously indifferent ones responded.
At the business meeting good reports were given by the treasurer, the clerk, the missionary secretary, and the Missionary Volunteer Society leader. The Crespo church had paid into the conference more than six thousand pesos in tithes, besides the Sabbath school offerings. All the reports showed progress in the work, and we are sure that even better reports will be rendered next year. Church officers were elected, and plans were laid for a strong work to be carried on by the members of the church.
We devoted one day to the consideration of home missionary work, and this proved to be one of the best meetings we had. Large orders for literature were taken, and a capable church missionary leader was selected in order that the work might be carried on according to the usual departmental plans.
We left Crespo August 22 for a general meeting at Seguí. On the way we held two meetings at the home of Brother Foggle, who lives in a Catholic community. He invited some of his neighbors to the meetings, and one family became interested in the message and asked us to their home. There they told us that they had received light by attending just two meetings. These people were ready to receive the truth.
The next day we held meetings with the company at Seguí. A few years ago there were nearly one hundred members living here, but of late the majority of these have moved to Viale. At Seguí13we have a church school with Brother Schubert as teacher. We were glad to find our brethren at this place faithful, and doing what they could to give the light to those around them.
Two days later we went to Viale, where we found the brethren making preparations for the meetings. Here we have a church of one hundred members. There is a large church school building, and an excellent school is being taught by one of our sisters, who received her training in our school in Puiggari. So many of the brethren had gathered for the meeting that here also we were obliged to pitch a tent in order to accommodate them. The weather was ideal; on Sabbath we had a real revival. Some who were scattered out over the country and who had grown cold and indifferent, gave themselves anew to the Lord.
We followed the same plan here as at other places, and held a business meeting for the church and heard the reports for the year. The tithe of this church seemed small in proportion to the membership, and this gave us an opportunity to speak on the question of the tithe. Some arose and confessed that they had not paid tithe for one, two, and three years. These all promised with tears that they would be faithful in the future in returning to the Lord his own. Officers were chosen for the year, and the work was placed upon a more substantial basis. A missionary convention was held, in which our people were taught how to work for their neighbors. Tracts and small books were ordered, and an earnest work was begun for the winning of souls. On Sunday there were forty wagons on the church lot, and these wagons were loaded with people who were anxious to hear the word of God. The close of the meetings found the brethren and sisters greatly rejoicing in the Lord.
August 28 we started for Galarza, where we have a church of forty members. The Lord was with us here, and the brethren were revived and expressed a strong desire to triumph with this message. Sabbath was marked by a special revival service, and many hearts responded to the call for consecration. In the afternoon a very interesting social meeting was conducted. I think it was one of the best social meetings I have ever attended. Surely the Lord was present in great power.
The next church we visited was at Urdinarrain, where we have a membership of nearly one hundred. We drove all day to reach this place, and the sun was just setting when we arrived at the home of Brother Schimp, who is elder of the church. We held several meetings here, with splendid results. The reports rendered were encouraging, and everything indicated that the Lord was at work. We have a very good church school in operation at this place, with an enrolment of forty pupils. Brother Block is in charge of this school. He has a diploma from the government, and is therefore a recognized teacher. The school closed half of each day during the meetings.
On Tuesday, September 5, I was invited to speak in the small village of San Juan, where our Missionary Volunteer Society had been doing missionary work. I was surprised to find a congregation of three hundred people in attendance, of whom only about thirty were our own people. I spoke to them on the second coming of Christ, and so great was the interest manifested that we made definite arrangements for the meetings to be continued.
It appeared to me, as I gave close study to the various needs, that the time had come for us to move quickly and finish the work in this field. Argentina is ready for the message. There are more than eight million people who must hear it. Many openings for new work present themselves, but the laborers are few. I am greatly encouraged over the prospects for a progressive move for the work in the province of Entre Rios.
