GEORGIA A. BURGESS by Georgia A. Burgess

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 3, 1907

GEORGIA A. BURGESS

By Georgia A. Burgess

India

DEHRA DUN.—Shortly after coming to Dehra, the annual conference of the Hindustani Reformed Presbyterian Mission was held in the Hindustani church adjoining our little bungalow. Quite a number of workers were present from distant places, and during the intermissions of the conference my husband was kept busy studying with different ones of the delegates on points of present truth, as they would come to visit us.

Among those who were in attendance was a Hindustani minister who was the guest of the pastor of the church where the conference was held. Seeing us going back and forth, he inquired of the pastor who we were, and was informed that we were teachers of a new doctrine; that we observed the seventh-day Sabbath, and did not use meat or tea. This aroused his interest, and he sought an early opportunity of becoming acquainted with us.

At his first visit my husband had a little Bible study with him on the soon coming of the Lord. This seemed to take hold of his heart as I have seldom seen it affect any one, and in our season of prayer after the study, as he pleaded with God for entire cleansing and a preparation to meet Jesus when he comes, the Holy Spirit seemed to fill the room. From that time, instead of attending the conference sessions, he would come to us to study the truth and seek the Lord. The last Sabbath of the conference he kept his first Sabbath with us, and returned to his home rejoicing in the precious light he had found.

For some time before meeting this man, we had been making our noon-time seasons of prayer a time of specially seeking the Lord that he would send us some one to train for the Hindustani work, and we felt that this man was sent in direct answer to prayer. He is now with us, studying the truth more fully, preparatory to going out and proclaiming the message among the Hindustani people.

About the time of the conversion of this brother to the truth, we began to

receive letters from several in Agra, one of the oldest native cities in India, who had learned something of the message through the efforts of Amar Nath, the young man who accepted the message last summer in Almora. One of these is a man who holds a responsible position in the Baptist Mission of that place, and who speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. His wife is a doctor. Another inquirer is a teacher in the government school of Agra. These, with several others who were interested, were very desirous of learning more of the truth for this generation, and so a few weeks ago my husband made them a visit, and had a blessed time studying with them. There are now four families keeping the Sabbath in that stronghold of heathenism. From a letter just received from one of them I quote: “We meet together now on the seventh-day Sabbath for prayer and the reading of God’s Word. Last Lord’s day we assembled at the house of Brother Gabriel, and had a joyful time, indeed.” One of these brethren, of his own accord, has translated several of our strongest Sabbath tracts into the Hindustani. The translation is excellent, and so we shall soon have a good supply of Sabbath literature in this language spoken by more than eighty million people.

In this experience that has come to our Hindustani work during the past few weeks, we feel that we have been having some droppings of the latter rain, and we are assured that abundant showers are soon to follow.