China by W. C. Hankins

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 23, 1906

China

By W. C. Hankins

KULANGSU, AMOY.—Elder B. L. Anderson and his wife reached Kulangsu March 22. We have rented a house together, down by the seashore, where we hope to have purer and cooler air than we had last summer. Of course we need not tell you that we are very glad to have them with us, nor how much we enjoy their company. You will appreciate that better when you have lived for nearly a year without much companionship except that of the natives.

At present we have a force of six native workers, one of whom, Brother Keh, was ordained when Elder J. N. Anderson was here about two weeks ago, and two native Bible women. All the laborers, with possibly the exception of Elder Keh, need a great deal of training on the prophecies, etc., but they are standing firm on the truths they have received, and are working hard to teach them to others. Two of them have already been baptized by our brethren at Canton, and one had been baptized before he came to us. To the other three we expect to administer this rite soon. The two Bible women we shall baptize a little later.

We can not help being encouraged over the progress of the work here, for God has led in every step, and all the honor belongs to him. No one could make me believe that the Chinese are all “rice” Christians, after what I have seen during the past year.

One of the young men who is working for us, refused an offer of fifty dollars a month, and worked over a month for us before he knew whether we were going to pay him any wages or not, and is now receiving a salary of five dollars a month, out of which he pays his tithe; while a dear friend of his left a good position in the Amoy post-office, and worked a long time without any assurance of a salary. He is now receiving the same salary as his friend, which is considerably less than he was receiving before.

We are constantly receiving offers of just such help as this, which we are

forced to refuse, on account of a lack of sufficient funds. And we are unable to move out into very many new fields, for the same reason. About seventy-five dollars gold a year will pay the salary of a young laborer here in China, and in some places even less would do.

At present one of our workers is supported by the Elk Point church in North Dakota. I believe they pay eighty-four dollars a year. We have been wondering if a number of our churches at home would not be glad to adopt this same plan, and give from five to ten dollars a month for the support of a helper here in China. Then if we had more help than we needed here in this province, we could send some to the Straits Settlements, where there are a number of millions of Amoy-speaking Chinese, and to Manila, and to Formosa, with its population of Amoy-speaking Chinese, nearly, if not quite, as many as in this whole province.

We hope in the years to come so to educate the converts of this message on the subject of tithing that our work here will be largely self-supporting; but now we need help until the time shall come when the native assistants can be paid from the native tithe.

We are encouraged, too, concerning the language. While one can never be said to have mastered it, yet in the course of two or three years any one who will study can obtain a very good working knowledge of it.

We are all well, and of good courage. We like our work here, and have no inclination to return to the States. We hope that God may bless the work at headquarters. W. C. HANKINS.