QUEBEC by D. T. Bourdeau

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 5, 1901

QUEBEC

By D. T. Bourdeau

After my effort at Namur last summer, I spent about two weeks in Montreal, visiting and encouraging French and English believers, who were calling loudly for an effort in this city, both in French and in English. With no small difficulty did I pacify them with the promise that their desires should be met as soon as proper help could be secured and other favorable conditions supplied. The believers in Montreal are faithful in paying their tithes, and one of them has pledged one hundred dollars toward meeting the expenses of a hall.

I then passed a short season at Ann Arbor, Mich., with Mrs. Bourdeau, who, during my absence of over three months, had been seriously ill of nervous prostration attended with great suffering. This illness had been brought on largely by an unusually taxing experience in connection with our tent effort of nearly four months last year. This effort required watchings, wakefulness, and no small anxiety caused by heavy rains and fearful tempests, the circumstances being such that we were not only under the necessity of lodging in the tent in which we held our meetings, but also of having the principal charge of the tent night and day. Another thing that contributed to the breaking down of my wife's health was unavoidable exposure to the severity of a cold winter, following this taxing effort.

During my recent brief stay with Mrs. Bourdeau she revived, and encouraging facts brought out through a thorough medical examination led us to hope that with the blessing of God, by taking rest, and by avoiding placing herself under a heavy pressure, which in earlier life it had been a pleasure for her to bear, she may live on, and be useful in such lines of work as a merciful Providence may assign her. In passing through this experience, we have more than ever supplicated the God of might and infinite resources to raise up and qualify an army of young men and women to do pioneer work for the French. Let all the numerous friends of my companion, who, though a woman of Anglo-Saxon blood, has devoted the best of her life to the furtherance of the last gospel work among the French, pray that this glorious object may be secured, and that God may speedily restore Mrs. Bourdeau. She has faithfully stood by me over forty years in helping carry on the glorious work of the Third Angel's Message.

I have been visiting the scattered French believers in this province, and am about to go to points where our French literature has penetrated, and where I am personally unknown. I have had precious seasons with French believers at Waterloo and at Ely, who have had but little French ministerial help. Brother Esaie Malboeuf, who resides at Waterloo, and is putting his business matters in shape to labor for the French, took me to Ely with his team. Here I had a good time in removing prejudice, and in instructing inexperienced French believers in the fundamental principles of the message.

When practicable, I now and then make a halt among English companies of Sabbath-keepers, not only to instruct and encourage them, but also for the promotion of my own physical and spiritual prosperity. I recently spent a few days in visiting most of the members of the Stukely church, which was raised up by my brother, Elder A. C. Bourdeau, and Elder R. S. Owen, about a quarter of a century ago. Sabbath, the 19th inst., it was my privilege to hear Elder W. J. Blake deliver his farewell sermon to this church before leaving for Mississippi. It was a most affecting season. Following this sermon a social meeting was held, in which nearly all present took part, expressing the desire that God would accompany Elder Blake and his companion

as they go to strengthen the hands of Elder and Mrs. Rodney Owen in Mississippi.

Last Sabbath, on my way to distant points, I had a most encouraging season with Brother John Claxton and his family in the township of Westbury. It had been about forty years since I was at Brother Claxton's. He and Brother Joseph Hoole were the first to receive the Sabbath in Canada. They have now kept God's holy day for fifty years, and have stood by Canada, while many have unwisely left it to go to the States. Their great desire is to see the cause prosper in their own country, and to read in the REVIEW more reports of victory from laborers in the province of Quebec, that they may know that the cause in that province is not in a state of stagnation.

D. T. BOURDEAU.

October 25.