One Week’s Experience at La Plateria by C. V. Achenbach

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 1, 1916

One Week’s Experience at La Plateria

By C. V. Achenbach

C. V. ACHENBACH

THE past week has been a very strenuous one here at the mission. There is a great deal of sickness at this time of year. I have been kept very busy. Last Sunday a call came for us to go six miles to see a sick person, and when we returned, another messenger was waiting for us, asking us to go nine miles to see three sick children. So altogether I rode thirty miles on horseback that day.

On Monday a messenger came from Puno, twenty-one miles distant, having a letter from the prefect, the highest official, asking us to come to Puno at once to see a woman who was sick. She had fallen from her horse and bruised her arm very badly, and the doctors in Puno were not helping her as she thought they should. I went, and did all I could to help her. The next day she felt much better, and had confidence that her arm would soon be well. Her husband is a prominent official in Puno, and we were glad for the privilege of getting acquainted with these people. He asked us in regard to our work, and seemed much interested in what we are doing for the Indians. He is very anxious for

a teacher from our mission to teach his Indians. He has a large farm, on which one hundred and twenty families live; and when we told him that none of the Indians belonging to our church use alcohol in any form, he was much surprised. With few exceptions, everybody uses alcohol in Peru, and the Indians, especially, use much of it.

I hope that we shall soon be able to furnish a good teacher to this man in Puno. He is the alcalde of Puno (an administrative officer, a judge or mayor); and before we left, he gave Brother J. M. Howell a teacher’s license. Every teacher must have a license, and sometimes it is rather difficult to get it. We came home Tuesday, leaving our patient a great deal better.

On Wednesday a woman came to the mission crying, saying that her husband was very sick, and she wanted us to go at once to see him. We saddled our horses and rode five miles to see the man. We found three persons who needed attention.

Thursday one of our Indian boys and I went twelve miles to hold a meeting among the Indians. It was an interesting experience for me. I spoke on the subject of the new birth and the importance of the Word of God. After I had finished my sermon, I asked if any one had any questions he desired to ask. Immediately they began to ask questions about the state of the dead. We made that subject plain to them. And so they began to ask what good the burning of incense does, and also the crosses on the houses. Many families have crosses on their houses to keep away the hail. We explained that at the mission we have no crosses on our houses, and that we get no more hail than the rest of the people. They finally acknowledged that it did not keep the hail away. One man said that he was going to take the cross from his house.

Friday morning we went to see a sick family. Two of the children and the mother were very ill. Another child had died a few days before. All were suffering from dysentery of the worst form. We tried to comfort the father, and gave him some medicine for the sick ones. Before we left, we prayed with them, and promised to call on them again.

Altogether I rode one hundred and eighteen miles on horseback during the week. On Sabbath morning, the brethren and sisters came from all directions to attend the meeting. I spoke on the subject of proper observance of the Sabbath. Before closing the service, all pledged themselves to keep the Sabbath better than they had in the past.