A Ship-Load of Gold Sovereigns for Missions by E. H. Gates

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 15, 1906

A Ship-Load of Gold Sovereigns for Missions

By E. H. Gates

A few days ago there arrived in Sydney a ship loaded with gold sovereigns for missions. It happened on this wise: The new extension of the Pure Food Café was dedicated on August 19. After an excellent dinner had been served to about ninety guests, all adjourned to the new room and listened to some good music and the reading of interesting papers by different members of the café staff of helpers. At the conclusion of these exercises, Brother Fisher, the manager of the café, read the following recommendation, passed by the union conference council last September:—

“That we recommend our various conference committees and managing boards of our institutions to consider the advisability of giving each year, from the ordinary income of these conferences and institutions, a donation toward foreign mission work.”

Brother Fisher then stated that the café family had been making an effort to carry out this recommendation, and that all had united in practising economy in various ways in order to save something for the island missions.

At the conclusion of his remarks, he lifted a covering which concealed some object on the table, and revealed to the gaze of all in the room a miniature ship made of pearl-shell from keel to top-mast, loaded to its utmost capacity with gold sovereigns. On one of the sails soon was printed the well-known words, “The isles shall wait for thy law.” In an appropriate speech Brother Fisher, in behalf of the café workers, presented this ship with its golden cargo to the writer for the use of the island missions. It was found that the value of the cargo amounted to twenty-five pounds. The suddenness of the surprise nearly only took away the breath of the writer, but he managed to express his thankfulness to the happy-faced café family for the handsome gift.

No sooner were we seated than a boy connected with the café stepped up, and in a few well-chosen words presented a small silver tray containing a guinea in silver coins, to the writer, and with it a card on which were written the words, “The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest nearer home.” This was also for the foreign missions.

Our missionary department is more thankful than can be expressed for these tokens of the deep interest on the part of our people in the foreign missionary work. In our island missions are millions and millions of souls groping in the dense darkness of heathenism and Mohammedanism, who must go to ruin unless we send them the light of the gospel truth. Our mission department must have large sums in order that facilities may be furnished for carrying on the work in the great East Indian field. The Philippines have two workers, but must soon have a mission house of its own in order to save exorbitant rents. We can delay no longer to furnish means for a church and mission in the city of Singapore, and land in the country for a school and a printing-press. Java with its nearly thirty million inhabitants has one Sabbath-keeping family, and must soon have a school.

New Guinea calls loudly for workers who can give the present truth. Hundreds of other islands have never heard the gospel sound. These gifts by our faithful people make it possible for us to open up new fields from time to time. May we often be surprised by receiving ship-loads of gold.—E. H. Gates, in Union Conference Record.