Great Missionary Activity
ON this and the succeeding page are some groups of individuals who are sailing to various parts of the Orient as missionaries. The first group is of three men who are returning to their fields in the Hawaiian Islands, in the Philippines, and in Japan, as superintendents of our missionary work in these respective countries. The large group is of a company of people who are going with them to assist in spreading the gospel of the soon coming of Christ among these various nationalities. On August 16 a similar group of fourteen sailed also from San Francisco Bay, in company with Elder Porter, principally for work in China. On September 10 Alfonso Anderson and wife sailed for Japan. All told, our Foreign Mission Board has sent out something over 150 recruits to the foreign fields since the close of our General Conference last June. The majority of those are young people who have but recently married, and who are just stepping onto the threshold of life. All of life's great prospects are before them. Many of them had good homes, well-to-do parents, and splendid opportunities were offered them in the world to make a good living and to enjoy themselves. Why is it that they give up all these prospects of present enjoyment and emolument to go into the forbidding countries of the East, where privation and suffering of every sort await them? There is one great thought that is thrilling their souls and leading them on. They believe that the Bible plainly teaches, through its great array of prophecy, that the second coming of the blessed Christ of Nazareth is right at hand. They believe that this generation is to see the great event, and imbued with that faith, and inspired by that hope, they are leaving everything behind them that this world holds as dear, in order that they may impart to the unenlightened minds of the Orient the great hope that is inspiring their own souls. This splendid army of workers that is being constantly recruited will soon spread the knowledge of the coming and kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ into every corner of the world. There could be no more inspiring hope, there could be no higher ideals, than those begotten by a knowledge of prophecy, which enables us to understand that the coming of the Lord draws very near. The mighty power of God that is leading men and women in such numbers to such a wonderful work is truly one of the marvels of His grace. It shows in a significant manner the deep conviction that attends faith in the soon coming of Christ.