A BLESSING IN SOUTH AFRICA.
By Herbert J. Edmed
For nearly two years the horrors of war and the excitement of its preparations, victories, and defeats, and the poverty and distress that follow in its wake, have almost closed up the avenues through which the Lord permits us to carry the Third Angel’s Message. The restrictions of martial law, the racial feeling, which has been intensified by the hostilities, the military dislike of the gospel of “peace on earth, and good will toward men,” and the unwise participation in political issues on the part of many ministers and Christians, have combined to make it very difficult to herald the glad tidings of the Lord’s soon coming. Yet, in spite of all these adversities, the Lord has reserved a few places where the work could proceed, and a company he gathered out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. About two years ago Mrs. Edmed and I were closing up our work in Port Elizabeth, where we had assisted Elder Hankins in raising up a company of believers, and in building a church. A twenty-mile ride by train brought us to this town, which is the railway repair depot of the Eastern province, having huge workshops, and employing, according to circumstances, from one to two thousand men. In addition to those working in the shops, the town has a population of about two thousand white and one thousand colored persons. One of its principal trades is wool washing, preparatory to shipping the same to English markets. This is the chief town of the largest district in this province, and is regarded as an important center. We soon succeeded in delivering over six hundred of our small books. We canvassed with a view to becoming acquainted with the people prior to holding a series of tent-meetings, and then pitched our tent in a suitable spot, and invited the public to hear the truth. The meetings were not well attended at first, owing largely to the attitude of the ministers of the churches, who unitedly started a crusade against us. Six persons, however, took their stand, and the interest began to increase. When these ministers began to calm down, we felt that if we could pitch our tent in another place, the Lord would continue to break down the prejudice, and give us more precious souls. We succeeded in securing a house and plot of ground, and Elder Hankins came to assist in an aggressive campaign. From the first, this effort was richly blessed of the Lord, who has given us victory after victory. The general public supported our meetings well, the congregation often containing the prominent men of the town. We published outlines of our sermons in the local paper, which the people sent to their farmer friends in outlying districts. Farmers began to keep the Sabbath, and we received invitations to go out from sixty to eighty miles to preach the message. Unfortunately, martial law was proclaimed at that time, and we have had to postpone our visit to those farms for a while. In the town, however, we have continued to hold meetings and to do Bible work, and we have now an organized Sabbath-school of forty-eight members, eighteen of whom are children of tender years. Fighting has proceeded all around us several times, but the war has never disturbed our work with these people. There are now thirty-two adult Sabbath-keepers, twenty-two of whom have already been baptized; the others, having begun to obey the Lord later, will be baptized before long. Such a blessing in South Africa causes us to praise the Lord! We have just had the privilege of enjoying the association and counsel of our beloved president, Elder Hyatt, who stopped here for three weeks on his way to Natal. He found us enthusiastic over the question of building a church and schoolhouse. We talked the matter over, and decided to proceed if the Lord opened the way. In a few days we had the promise of about three hundred dollars. The children caught the spirit, and are holding “sewing bees” at my house daily, making wool clothing for babies, which they sell from house to house, and devote the proceeds to the building fund. A gentleman whose wife has been baptized has given us his brick field and plant to make our own bricks; another has undertaken to do all the inside painting, free of cost; five others have promised to do all the wood and iron work and window making, and yet another has just given a large bell. What we need is about seven hundred and fifty dollars in money, with which to buy the ground and materials. We made an appeal to our other churches in this colony, and some have responded, while others, feeling the pinch of hard times caused by the war, would like to help, but cannot. While writing this for the REVIEW, I have thought perhaps the Lord may impress some good brother or sister with a burden to send us the help we so much needed. During Pastor Hyatt’s stay, four sisters sent “for the elders,” in answer to whose prayers they were healed of long-standing diseases. At one of our Sabbath meetings, the Spirit of God came in with great power. Testimonies having been borne by the adults, we were singing the closing hymn, when the children began to testify to the love of Jesus, and they all gave themselves to the Lord. Not an eye was dry, not a heart was hard. It was truly a shower of blessing. We wish to build a church and school, so that this glorious work may be permanently established in this place, and these little lambs be given an education that will fit them for the coming kingdom of our Lord. For these rich blessings we give the Lord all praise and glory.