Recruits for the Orient by R. C. Porter

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 31, 1916

Recruits for the Orient

By R. C. Porter

Our Largest Single Offering on the Altar of Missions

R. C. PORTER

Today, August 1, forty-two missionaries, besides seven children, are leaving San Francisco for the Orient. Nine more who were unable to secure passage on this steamer, will follow on August 9, from Seattle. This makes the largest company of our missionaries ever leaving America at one time. This means that we have reached the hour for a special advance.

If these missionaries who are now leaving for the Far East were given their choice between going to heaven to remain there in the bliss of its glory until the work closes, or going forward and meeting the experiences of labor and privation in the mission fields until the Lord shall return to bring them, with the fruit of their labor, to the kingdom when the work finally closes in triumph, I believe they would all choose to remain with the work until it is finished.

Steamship “China” on which the missionaries sailed from San Francisco

We cannot fully express our appreciation of the liberality of our brethren and sisters in the homeland in their contributions of their children and of their means to the work in the mission fields. In giving us your sons and daughters for these needy fields and in supporting with your means the workers that go, you will be sharers in the reward when the work is over.

It costs about $100 to meet the salary and expenses of a native worker for a year. Some in the homeland may wish to be represented in the mission fields by an evangelist who will be working in their stead. You can do this by contributing $100 and requesting that a missionary be supported for one year.

Brother and Sister McWhinny were intending to go forward with our company, but upon the invitation of their home conference officers, they have decided to remain and take a year's further preparation in the Loma Linda Medical College.

While we shall miss them for the present, yet the year spent in training in the medical work will make them much more efficient for service in the field when they reach it. Every province in our field would be greatly benefited by having a thoroughly trained medical worker as a member of its staff. Now that the General Conference has authorized the erection of a hospital and the further development of the Loma Linda Medical College, every loyal Seventh-day Adventist should join in a united movement to make its work a success. In this way you will be aiding in training workers who will be better prepared to care for their own health and to be a help to the multitudes of natives who are continually seeking medical aid.

On the last mail before leaving, I received a letter from Elder B. L. Anderson, of South China, in which he says:—

“You will notice‘ the total offerings from the field averaged 21 cents (Mex.) a week per capita. You will notice that the total expense of the mission is $38,549.95 for last year, and that the total net receipts from the field were $10,241.43, which is a little more than one fourth of the total expense. Adding the rental of foreign houses and the refunds to the net receipts, increases them to $13,154.87, which is a little more than one third of the total expense, so that of every three dollars expended in the field, our Chinese brethren in South China have furnished one dollar.”

“Good meetings were reported at Swatow and Amoy. Eighteen were baptized in the former place and thirteen in the latter. We have also been having good meetings here in Fu-chau. Last Friday about midday I assisted Elder N. P. Keh in baptizing sixty-nine persons. The membership of the Adventist church in Fu-chau now stands at one hundred and eighty-two. Of those recently baptized, fifteen were heads of families. With the exception of three women, the remaining fifty-four were students in the school. When these first applied for baptism, I hesitated; I wished there were not so many; but when I learned of their intelligent faith, I could not forbid them. Besides the daily devotional services in the school and their regular Bible classes and study course, and instruction in the Scriptures on the Sabbath, these students had had personal work done for them. Before the close of last year the twenty-eight students who had previously accepted Christ and were baptized into the church, were organized into a Missionary Volunteer Society, which had for its aim, ‘Every member win at least one soul for Christ during this year.’ The Lord of the harvest gave them souls. When I saw what God had done for the intelligent faith of these students, I said, ‘The Lord has done more than we had expected or asked.’ One Chinese brother recently said, ‘I have vowed before the Lord to give him $1,000 during the coming year.’”

Thus the work moves forward. Every passing month brings its fruitage. Soon the final “harvest home” will be sung and the laborers will receive their reward.

Elder R. C. Porter saying good-by to Elder I. H. Evans

The photograph on page 9 gives a fair idea of the number of missionaries sailing, as all but seven are included; but we wish we might have had another picture showing the hundred or more brethren and sisters who came to the boat to help us in every way possible, and to bid us farewell and Godspeed. Some of the most prominent among these were Elders I. H. Evans, president of the North American Division, A. O. Tait, M. C. Wilcox; Brethren C. H. Jones, H. G. Childs, H. H. Hall, James Cochran, L. E. Froom, and many others from the Pacific Press and the Mountain View church; Prof. M. E. Cady, of the Pacific Union Conference; Elders J. L. McElhany, E. W. Farnsworth, R. S. Fries, and others from the California Conference and the Oakland church; also Elder W. C. White, C. C. Crisler, and others from St. Helena. The churches of San Francisco, Alameda, Berkeley, and other bay cities were well represented. There were also a number of returned missionaries in the company,—Dr. A. G. Larson and family, Dr. Riley Russell, and Elder J. W. McCord.

The loyal company of missionaries sailing on the steamship “China” join me in sending to the readers of the REVIEW our parting greetings.