SOUTH AMERICA by J. W. Westphal

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 31, 1901

SOUTH AMERICA.

By J. W. Westphal

Our company, consisting of Elder A. R. Ogden and wife, and Elder H. F. Ketring and family, bound for Chile, Brother Bell for Ireland, and the writer and his family for Argentine, set sail at New York on the “Teutonic,” of the White Star Line, August 28. A council of some of the workers in the Brazil mission field had been called at Rio de Janeiro, and I stopped there one week to meet with them. Many things relating to the interests of the work in that field were considered, which we believe will be a help. Among other things, a general meeting was arranged for, to be held May 22–31, at which time a Conference will probably be organized.

The Lord has greatly blessed the work in Brazil. As a result of only six or eight years’ labor, there are now fully eight hundred Sabbath-keepers, and the number of laborers through whom the Lord has effected this has been very few. I was glad indeed to meet some of the pioneer workers of the South American Continent. Elder F. W. Spies, Superintendent of the field, Elder H. F. Graf, and Brother A. B. Stauffer were present in the council.

By request Elder Graf accompanied me to the general meeting in Argentine, and rendered valuable help. The meeting was held about twenty miles from Diamante, in the Province of Entre Ríos, near the Crespo church, November 10–20. Nearly all the laborers of the field were present. Elder John McCarty was absent on account of sickness. Elders Ogden and Ketring were also with us through the meeting. Besides the Crespo church, which now has a membership of one hundred and ninety-one, representatives were present from other churches. Throughout the meeting the forty-foot tent was crowded to its utmost capacity, and frequently it was not large enough to hold the congregation. The testimony borne was straight and practical, and the Lord greatly blessed it. During the meeting twenty-six were baptized, and ten have been baptized since, and the prospects are that there will be a number more.

A Conference was organized at this meeting, consisting of thirteen churches and about four hundred and twenty-five members. A constitution was adopted, and officers were elected. Elder N. Z. Town was chosen President, R. Diriwaechter, Secretary and Treasurer, and Mrs. N. Z. Town, Corresponding Secretary and Secretary of the Sabbath-school Department. Complete harmony prevailed throughout all the business transactions, and in the discussions many expressions of faith in this work and message were heard. All, and especially the laborers, felt that it was good to come together in such a meeting, and they go out into the work with good courage.

However, this Conference is not nearly self-supporting; especially will this be the case for at least a year to come. We are now just before the harvest. For about ten months there has been no rain to speak of, and much of the wheat is already entirely ruined. We have now had rain, and while some wheat may yet be harvested, it must necessarily be very little. Stock has been starving. Corn is being planted, but it is somewhat late. Other crops are not raised.

The Conference starts out with three ordained ministers, two licentiates, and three holding missionary credentials. Besides this there are others engaged in the tract society office, and several young men who will begin work shortly. The Conference, to be known as the Rio de la Plata Conference, embraces the republics of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, and the laborers will be scattered over them all. Elder E. W. Snyder, with another worker, returns to his work in Paraguay. Elder Town and some of the young workers will go to Uruguay, while Elder McCarty and Brother Maas and others will remain in Argentine to labor. Brother Arthur Fulton, the teacher of our school, will labor in Buenos Ayres for the summer, and while there, make a specialty of the study of the Spanish language. At present the canvassing work is at a low ebb, but when the harvest is better, and more laborers are trained by our school, the prospect will be much improved.

J. W. WESTPHAL.