In the South Pacific by A. H. Piper

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 15, 1911

In the South Pacific

By A. H. Piper

A. H. PIPER

On the fifteenth of August, while our steamer loaded oranges and pineapples, we had the privilege of spending the whole day ashore at Aitutaki. It was on this island that John Williams first landed native workers from Raiatea. Those familiar with the way the gospel reached these islands will remember that, upon the first visit of John Williams, who planned on leaving two native workers and their wives here, their treatment was so bad at the hands of the Rarotongans that the next morning they all went on board ship again, it being deemed advisable to postpone working here until some more favorable time. When about to sail away, Papeiha, one of the workers who had been ashore overnight, said to Williams: “Take my wife to her people, but let me return to the shore of this heathen land, and preach the gospel to its needy inhabitants.” They tried to persuade him to remain on the ship, but he was determined to go ashore; and, binding his Tahitian Scriptures to the back of his head, he jumped into the sea and swam ashore. The effect upon the Rarotongans was marvelous. They greatly wondered at a man who was so willing to risk his life to give them the gospel; and before many months had passed, he was busy building a large meeting-house to accommodate the first-fruits of the gospel on this island. In this work he was assisted by those who had so recently desired to kill him.

While waiting for our boat, we visited a young native man and his wife, who have charge of a large school here. We had known the wife ten years before. When she was a girl, she was adopted into the family of one of our workers on Rarotonga, and there partly learned the truth. She was separated from us, and returned to her island, Aitutaki. Although forced to give up the Sabbath, she had never forgotten it. Being far above the average native girl, she attracted the attention of two white Christian women, and was invited to join them. This she did, and has since been connected with the school, being now in charge of it.

Both she and her husband seemed glad to see us, and talked for three hours about the message. The remarkable part of this visit was the fact that the night before we reached the islands, she had dreamed that the Lord was coming, and that she could see him coming through the sky. She awoke, and then fell asleep again, dreaming the same dream. This dream made such an impression on her mind that she got out of bed, and went out upon the veranda, in order to look up into the sky at the place where she had dreamed that she saw the Lord descending. When she had finished telling her dream to us, she said: “Can there be any connection between my dream and your visit to me? I dreamed about his coming last night, and you come here this morning, and talk about his coming. Surely there must be some connection.”

Tears filled this native woman’s eyes; and as we knelt to pray, all felt the tender, softening influence of God’s Holy Spirit. It seemed hard to leave these poor children, groping in darkness toward the light. Oh, how can we long delay sending more workers to these needy fields, to gather out such as we have described!

Wahroonga, Australia.