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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Nov 10, 1904

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 81, No. 45.

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Chile

By H. F. Ketring

VALPARAISO.—The Spirit of God is working upon hearts in this field, preparing them for the latter rain. But it is his plan that men should work in harmony with his Spirit. Even with the fresh recruits for this field, we shall still be but a mere handful. With a population nearly as great as the combined Central and Northern Union Conferences, the magnitude of the work before us nearly staggers us at times.
Calls are coming from every direction. Traveling is very slow and expensive when one must go by steamer. Thus we are always behind, and can never answer all the appeals for help that come to us. O that we had still more laborers!
I will translate here a part of a letter that I recently received. It is from a young man in the interior, in the mines. He has had no one to instruct him in the truth, which may account for some strange expressions in his letter; yet any one can see that he has the truth in his heart:—
“Dear Brother in the glorious faith of our Lord Jesus Christ: My object in writing you at this time is to ask you what I must do in order to be baptized, and thus blot out the ‘mark of the beast.’
“In April, during the week of prayer, I sent an envelope with my offering to Brother —. I do not know whether he has received it yet.
“Brother, the priests have great power over the poor people here, and for that reason they do not want to receive our papers. They say that they are heretical papers, and contain false doctrines. What they like is illustrated reviews and bad books that corrupt their spirit more and more. I explain to them as my Lord commands me, and my answers to them are plain and according to the Word of God. There is one other man here who believes in the Saviour, and is in sympathy with present truth. He also, like myself, desires to be baptized in the gospel of Jesus.
“Dear brother, no one visits us here, no one enlightens us, no one explains to us, neither do we understand what we should do.
“They say here that I am proud and vain, because I do not go to the taverns to drink liquor with them; neither do I go to the gambling houses; and they say that since I have known God better, I am crazy. But the sane and educated people and my employers see in me a serious young man, honorable, and of good conduct, and they wonder at the change in me during the last two years. I tell them that God has made the change in me, and he is my best Master; he teaches me how I must conduct myself with my superiors.
“May the Lord accompany you with his blessings, and all our brethren in the faith of our Lord Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords.
“Your humble brother in the faith of our Lord.
“JUAN PUJADO, JR.”
It is such appeals as this, and our utter inability to meet their requests, that has caused us to appeal to you so urgently for help that we may go to them. I have never seen this young man. He inquires what they must do to be baptized, as there is no water in that part of Chile, and arrangements must be made for them to come to the seacoast.
May the Lord still move on the hearts of others to “come over and help us.” The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few.
H. F. KETRING.