p. 138 | A LETTER FROM ROME by Louise Chiellini

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 4, 1902

A LETTER FROM ROME.

By Louise Chiellini

82 VIA NAZIONALE, ROME, Jan. 30, 1902.

I wish to make an appeal for my country to my brethren and sisters in the truth, as I am afraid that a great many in far-away America have a wrong conception of what we are as a people, and very few realize what a vast field for gospel work my country is.

I am an Italian, and accepted the truth about six years ago, at the sanitarium in Basel, Switzerland, where I was baptized. I had gone to that institution in a desperate condition of health, but God mercifully raised me from sickness, and has ever since kept me by His loving power. When leaving the sanitarium, I was presented with an English Bible, and one of the scriptures noted on its first page was Acts 23:11: “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” The last few words impressed me deeply at that time, as I was going back to Rome, where I was to have no home, and ever since, those few words have re-echoed in my heart, as if the Lord himself addressed them to frail little me as He had once said them to Paul; and ever since, I have had, in my heart’s heart, the greatest desire to witness and to work for my Lord, and to do it in His Spirit, led by Him, sustained and comforted by His presence.

With heavy responsibilities upon me, with a frail body, the daily struggle for life, and now with an invalid father on my mind and on my hands, I feel, at times, as if it all would crush me, and prevent my doing the work I desire to do. In my small circle I have given and lent our papers and books, but for lack of means have not been able to do as much as I wished. I have bought several copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” and given them to my friends not in the truth. Last winter I had a class of poor mothers, the poorest of the poor. I read the gospel to them, and taught them to pray. Those were blessed hours; God was with us, and His sweet presence made my heart so warm and my mind so clear. The loving Saviour touched the poor women’s hearts, and many, not satisfied with our weekly meetings, came to my home to ask me to pray with them, as they said it did them good to have me pray with them. Unfortunately, when I felt that we were accomplishing some good, my physical strength gave way again, and I was laid up for several months with nervous prostration, unable to do anything whatever. While ill in bed, unfortunate influences marred the Lord’s work, and I have not been able to take it up again on account of family cares.

While holding the mothers’ meeting, with the help of some of my friends I had started a crèche for poor little ones between two and six years of age. They were taught of Jesus in the hours when their mothers were at work, given milk and bread at noon, and washed and kept nice and clean. I had to give up my little crèche a few months ago, when my dear father became suddenly an invalid. To care for him was my first duty, and I submitted to God’s will, as I have learned, through much suffering, that “all things work together for good to them that love God.”

My people have responsive hearts, and are generally very intelligent and clear-headed. They are not, as is supposed, slaves to the priests; in fact, the majority have very little respect for them. The priests may be feared in some parts of Italy where poverty and ignorance keep the people under their authority; but when the pure gospel of love is preached and presented to our people in its simple and perfect beauty, very few can resist the blessed influence of their Saviour’s love, and they become at once interested. “It is so different,” they say, “from what we have been taught to believe of God.” Italy is not like Spain, where all outside influence is fought by the priests. There are many Protestant missions, and we have many Protestants among our people, and they are ready for more light.

We need laborers. Our poverty is the great drawback with us. The Lord is soon coming, and Italy cannot be neglected any longer. Nothing has been done until now. While thousands and thousands of dollars are spent to enlarge and build new institutions in America, where there are already too many, nothing has been done for Italy; yet the Lord died for us as well as for others, and we are all, every one of us, equally precious to Him.

LOUISE CHIELLINI.