p. 802 | CANADA by J. W. Boynton

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 10, 1901

CANADA

By J. W. Boynton

ALBERTA.—Since my last report, in July, I have spent some time in searching out the isolated Sabbath-keepers in Alberta, encouraging them to greater faithfulness, and seeking to become acquainted with the needs of the field as I had opportunity. I have visited all the principal towns in northern Alberta, and find a good class of people, who are willing to read, and who manifest very little prejudice. Everything is new, settlers far apart, and accommodations poor in many places, but people are warm-hearted and hospitable. As I could not obtain a house to rent within my means, I bought a lot and put up a small house in Ponoka, where my family are now living. During the summer the rain and mud were so excessive that it was hard to travel; but since the ground has frozen, we can get around a little better.

I have held one series of meetings, about fifteen miles west of Olds, in private houses, as there was no schoolhouse. A few families of our people had moved here, and by careful living had awakened an interest in the minds of some of their neighbors. November 19 I had the pleasure of baptizing four dear souls in a beautiful mountain stream. One of them was a sister who had long believed the message, but had neglected baptism; another was raised a French Roman Catholic; another desired rebaptism into the Third Angel’s Message. A few more of our people are expected to move here from the States soon, and we hope to organize a church. The brethren have voted to get out logs for a church building and church school, during the winter. They have a Sabbath-school of about thirty members. They have prayer-meetings and Reading circles each week. Each family is supplied with the REVIEW, the Good Health, and other papers.

We have only one organized church and four Sabbath-schools in all this territory, but we are glad that others are becoming interested, and calls for labor are coming from different parts of the territory. One of our greatest needs just now is a team, or saddle horse, with which to go from one settlement to another, and scatter the tracts and papers. We shall be glad to receive clean copies of our periodicals in the English, German, and Scandinavian languages, and will seek to place them where they will do the most good. I have secured thirty-seven subscriptions for the Good Health, three for the REVIEW, two for the Signs, several for the Missionary Magazine and the Instructor, and have disposed of twelve copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons.”

All have good health, and are of good courage in the Lord. Although we are in a far-off corner of the earth, we shall be glad to hear from our friends in the States, and from any others who are interested in this field. Our permanent address is Ponoka, Alta., Northwest Territories. J. W. BOYNTON.