Harvest Ingathering Notes

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 24, 1910

Harvest Ingathering Notes

Extracts From Correspondence

“I AM not a member of your denomination, but I have taken the REVIEW AND HERALD for the past fifteen years, and the Signs of the Times for thirty years, and I enjoy reading them. Ten copies of the Missions number of the REVIEW were sent to me, and I enclose herewith post-office order for ten dollars for your foreign missions.”

Prof. I. C. Colcord, educational superintendent of the California-Nevada Conference, reports that one church-school in northern California distributed eight hundred copies of the Missions number of the REVIEW. Another school received $20.58 in return for their quota of the Missions REVIEW. In another school twenty-one out of twenty-six pupils went out with the special REVIEW. A school of six pupils collected $17.30 for foreign missions, $7.50 of which was realized from a little school garden. Our church-schools have truly acted a noble part in this great campaign in behalf of our faithful missionaries in distant lands.

“I live just outside the city limits, and about one mile from the post-office, and as I am sixty-two years old, I am not as spry to get around as I once was. I received the ten copies of the REVIEW you sent me, in addition to my order of twenty-five. Have collected six dollars, and sent it on for the mission work. I want to tell you a little experience I had soliciting last year. I called on a banker’s wife, and she gave one dollar. This year I felt impressed to go to her again. When the servant gave her my name, she came with the donation in her hand. She said she had been thinking of me for a number of days, and thought she would send it to me, as she was expecting to go away.”

Elder H. W. Carr, of the Western New York Conference, says: “Our German Bible worker in Buffalo has collected over twenty dollars for foreign missions with the Harvest Ingathering number of the REVIEW, and expects to use a number of German papers also. A young man who had a number of friends in a business college distributed the REVIEW among them, and nearly all the students gave him fifty cents each for missions. A sister in the Salamanca church has distributed the REVIEW from door to door, and collected nearly eleven dollars for missions. Another sister from Little Valley distributed twenty-five copies of the REVIEW, and collected seven dollars for missions. An agent called at our office, and in less than a minute Miss Landon had given him a paper, and secured a donation of fifty cents. A lady physician, while waiting for her train, called at the office, and Mrs. Carr presented her with a paper, and received in return one dollar.”

“As I live on a farm and have much work and many cares, with no one to help me, I was unable to get out very much with the Harvest Ingathering number of the REVIEW; yet I tried hard to do so. In looking over the instruction leaflet, I saw that there was another way. I decided to write letters, telling my friends of the great effort which was being made to raise money for foreign missions, and of the sacrifice being made to enlighten the needy souls in foreign lands. All to whom I wrote gave something. In response to five letters, I received $6, $2 from one person and $1 from each of the others. I thought that was fine, and I could not thank them enough. I felt that the dear Lord was working with them, and my prayers were being answered. For sixteen papers I received $10.55, gave three away, and have one left. I do hope that all have tried to do the best they could, and that the sum will be large, and that great good may be accomplished as the result.”

“I received the ten extra copies of the Harvest Ingathering number of the REVIEW, and added them to the one hundred fifty copies already received through our tract society. I have distributed all except four at offices, stores, and homes, giving a good synopsis or canvass for the paper at each place. I did not hurry, but gave a thorough, page-by-page explanation of the paper. I then presented the solicitor’s card, and asked respectfully for a contribution to extend and enlarge the Lord’s work in foreign fields. I collected $26.40, or an average of 16½ cents for each paper. I am sincerely thankful to our blessed Master, who enabled me to gather this amount. I was generally well received, and respectfully listened to. I had many pleasant experiences, and some amusement as well. I learned also that many of us who think we can do nothing, may become capable canvassers, by prayer and perseverance. So I am thankful for this small share in the Master’s work, and hope to be permitted to extend my efforts to his honor and glory.”