p. 13 | Kampong Sawah, Java by R. W. Munson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 26, 1911

Kampong Sawah, Java

By R. W. Munson

R. W. MUNSON

By the first two words the reader must understand the title to read, “Rice-field Village.” This is the name of a large community of Javanese four hours’ walk from Batavia. Why do I say four hours’ walk?—Because I do not know the distance in miles, and when I asked Timotheus, the Javanese teacher who has left the Roman Catholics and joined us, as he solemnly affirms, because he is seeking after the right and true way and believes that we have the light that points it out, he replied, “It is four hours’ walk.”

Timotheus is the man who walked all this distance six times in quest of Brother Pietersz, in order to learn from him the Sabbath truth. Brother Pietersz is a Sabbath-keeper who has taken hold of the truth heart and soul, and he it was who taught Timotheus first.

Well, Timotheus has been teaching his countrymen. There are ten thousand of them, more or less, in his village, if we may call so populous a place a village. Last Sabbath eleven of them met with him to hear the word, and they have sent word to us that they desire Brother Pietersz to go out to that village and teach the people, as Timotheus does not yet feel competent to do so. He has endeavored to teach them what he knows himself, but he wants Brother Pietersz to come to his aid.

The problem is, How are we to send Brother Pietersz when we have no money? The expense of a horse both ways (Brother Pietersz has a wooden leg and can not walk far) will be about fifteen shillings.

The two have just left my house, after we had had a long talk on the necessity of each one looking to God for his daily bread, and for all the things that are necessary to his daily needs. We made a covenant that we would seek the Lord together. If the Lord wants Brother Pietersz to go to Rice-field Village and preach the truth, then he will provide the money needful to send him. When he sends the money, then, and not till then, will Brother Pietersz start for Rice-field Village.

I had a long talk with these brethren, and told them the story of our great and pressing needs in the China field, where the people are calling for the message in such numbers, from so many directions, but we have neither men nor money to meet all the calls. They are

asking only for teachers, but we can not send them. It is like people starving for bread, and we have none to give them.

So I sought to impress upon these brethren the importance of our seeking the Lord in earnest, importunate, persevering prayer. The promise of God covers all our need. He has promised to hear and answer our prayers, especially in the interests of the gospel. My object was to implant a deeply spiritual conception of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. If we are filled with the Spirit, and are truly consecrated to God, he will find ways of working of which we have no conception, and he will cause his truth to advance on every side. Brethren, unite with us in prayer for these men and for this work.

Ordinarily these two men would be in the pay of the conference, but if ever the message is to go to all Java, it must be by men who are so filled with the Spirit and with the love of the truth that they will do just as the early Christians did, go everywhere preaching the word as self-supporting workers.

Although you have no money, like Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, you may, like them, have something vastly better. Give us your most fervent, earnest prayers. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”

Batavia, Java.