p. 43 | CHILE by A. R. Ogden

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 21, 1902

CHILE

By A. R. Ogden

A MEETING was appointed with the church at Santiago for Sabbath and Sunday, November 29, 30. Elder Baber and myself attended the meeting, and we are confident that some lasting good will result. A few brethren attended from other places.

The question of selling our Spanish missionary paper, the Las Señales de los Tiempos, was presented to the brethren, and we were truly rejoiced to see the good missionary spirit which they manifested. Those present agreed to sell each month nearly one thousand copies. This, if carried out, will result in great financial help to the paper, as well as in giving the brethren a good experience in missionary work. One brother agreed to sell five hundred copies, giving all his time to the work. He expects to make a living by selling them, as we agreed to furnish the paper at five cents (Chilean) a copy, and it sells for ten cents. Could not many of our brethren support their families by selling papers?

On Sunday, word came to us that a man and his daughter, living twelve miles away, desired baptism. So an appointment was made to go and baptize them the next day. Accordingly we, with a number of the members of the Santiago church, went on the train the next morning to San Bernard, to meet and baptize them. Before the baptism, Brother Thoman spoke in the open air to a large crowd that had gathered, following us from the depot to the water. There were some disturbers (drunken men) present, but there were others who interested themselves in endeavoring to keep order. A baptismal scene in Chile is a rarity, as most of the churches are Catholic, and the Protestant denominations largely follow the custom of Rome, in sprinkling; so immersion attracts considerable attention. After the baptism, we, all together, began to carry into effect the plans of the day before; so we scattered to all parts of the village, selling the Señales. We had but a few hours in which to work before the train should return to Santiago, but we sold about seventy copies of the paper, at ten cents each. We are sure that in that village there were but few families who did not hear of that day's events before the sun went down. And as the papers were sold all over the town, it will give them opportunity to read and meditate. We presume that the people thought that we had come to take them by storm, as nothing of this kind had ever been witnessed by them before. When God's people arise as one man to give the Third Angel's Message to all the world, not only will one village be stirred, but there will be a stir in all the earth. The message is to be given not by one or two loud voices in a few localities, but by many voices in every part of the world. Are we each doing our part?

We have now been in Chile just one month. It is a very needy field. Sin here, as in other countries, is rife. What religion there is, is a mere formality. But the truth is finding an entrance; the cry is, “Come over and help us.” We need workers and means with which to carry forward the work. Pray for the work here.

A. R. OGDEN.

Casilla 1125, Valparaiso, S. A.