Confirmed in the Truth by H. A. Owen

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 23, 1902

Confirmed in the Truth

By H. A. Owen

H. A. OWEN

Over in the village church the priests are waiting to confirm the children of this district. The bishop is here, and all who have not received the service are expected to go with their pennies or dollars and receive the ribbon of confirmation.

There are a number of bright girls and boys who are not to be confirmed for some time to come. Their parents have told them to wait until they have studied a “year or two” in our school, and are able to decide for themselves whether they wish to become confirmed Roman Catholics or not.

Precious indeed is the opportunity of teaching the gospel to these youth. The blood of souls will stain our garments if we turn away lightly from the calls that are pressing upon us to save the youth of this place.

Here is a polluted land. Children learn the ways of sin because there is no better way shown them. Must we snatch the brands from the burning, and then drop them back into the fire again? — No; we must take them apart, and shield them for a time, that the Spirit of God may do a sealing work upon their souls.

Daily we seek to confirm our pupils for the kingdom. Our school is a daily Sabbath school. More time is devoted to teaching the principles of salvation than is devoted to the common branches. In other words, the great Teacher is helping us to make the common branches full of light to these youth.

To-day the tinkling of a bell was heard at our gate. I asked the children what it meant. They answered that a procession from the church was passing, bearing an image of the virgin, and begging pennies. Then the children listened while I told them of the heathen who in olden times cut down trees, and made images out of part of the wood, and warmed themselves by burning another part; and they agreed with me that “the stock is a doctrine of vanities.”

The Lord has greatly blessed us in providing a base of operations such as we need not only for school work, but as a center for operations in this peculiar land, without railroads, wagons, or regular conveyance of any kind. We have four good mules and two yoke of oxen.

We are planting gardens and growing some of the natural health foods. Some of our brethren who are farming in North America would like to help us if they knew more about our conditions and needs here.

Alfalfa does well here, as our land is well drained, and we have water for irrigation. Alfalfa seed done up in from one to five pound packages, and sent to us by parcel post, would be greatly appreciated, and the postage would cost no more than the freight per pound if prepaid.

Our school farm should be a model farm — a gospel farm. We should show the people here, who plow with a crooked stick and milk their cows with the calves tied to the cows’ foreleg, better ways of doing things. Brethren, if you could see what tools we are trying to farm with, some of you — yes, many — would divide with us, that our work might be more representative.

There are those among our farmers who have known what it is to do without a grindstone, or to have only a poor one. Now as you grind your tools on your easy-turning stone this week, think of our boys rubbing an edge on their tools by long and tiresome effort. The stones they use are taken from the bed of the river at the foot of this mountain.

You see we are looking forward to the season of gift giving for some of the necessaries for this field. We would be indeed thankful for a grindstone. Others of our needs you can imagine from the sketches of our native farm outfit.

The Mission Board will take pleasure in ordering and shipping us implements as gifts come in to their office.

We trust that our hopes will be confirmed.

Tegucigalpa, Spanish Honduras.