FIELD NOTES | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 23, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 12.

FIELD NOTES.

FOURTEEN candidates were baptized in the Tabernacle at Battle Creek, Mich., on the 7th inst.

REUBEN T. WOODWARD, 66 Emerald Street, Boston, desires clean copies of the SIGNS, Review, and American Sentinel, for missionary work in that city.

ELDER DAN. T. JONES left Oakland on the 16th inst., for Walla Walla, Wash. From there he will proceed to Battle Creek, Mich., to attend General Conference. It is expected that the remainder of the California delegation, and other brethren and sisters accompanying them, will leave Oakland about February 2 in a special car.

BROTHER A. BARRY, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, writes as follows to the Union Record: "Excitement runs high in colored circles here. Miss Mary E. Britton, an Episcopalian, has accepted the truth. She is a teacher in the public schools and also the organist of her church. The Congregationalist minister came to the help of the Episcopal minister, but all to no purpose."

ELDER HUTCHINS reports as follows from Bay Islands, Honduras: "There has recently been a real revival on the islands of Ruatan and Bonacca. One marked case in which a complete change has been wrought in the man's life, was that of a man who had been very profane and who used to get drunk and make a gazing stock of himself to all. His wife was none behind him. The day that he was baptized his wife would not come to the water, and in fact she had not attended one meeting that we had held in Bonacca. She has said that she would never attend any other church than the Church of England, and there she has stood. As her husband went to the house after his baptism, she sat in her room crying, and it was some time before he could get from her what was the matter. She finally said, 'Oh, I am so wicked!' and was lamenting over her sins. All that her husband had done for her was to pray and to live the life of Christ in her presence. She sent to have us come and talk with her, and also to pray, which we did, and before we left the island, two days later, she wanted to put her name on the covenant with her husband, which we allowed her to do. I have spoken of this as it was to me one of the clearest workings of the Spirit of God that has ever come under my notice."

APROPOS of the departure of the missionary ship Pitcairn on her second voyage to the South Pacific islands, an appropriate farewell service was held in the Oakland church, Sabbath afternoon, the 14th inst. The program consisted of singing; prayer by Elder N. C. McClure; scriptural reading by Elder J. H. Durland; address on our foreign mission work by Elder D. T. Jones, of the Foreign Mission Board; a report by Brother C. H. Jones, who has been actively connected with fitting out the vessel for the voyage, and brief remarks by the missionaries, the captain, and such of the crew as were present. At the close of the remarks, prayer was offered by Elder M. C. Wilcox, and the exercises ended with the hymn, "Peace, Be Still." The meeting was an impressive and profitable occasion, and was attended by a large audience. The entire party consists of nine missionaries, captain, mate, steward, four sailors, and cabin boy. The names of the missionaries have been previously published. Captain J. Christiansen went out on the former voyage as mate, and became captain on the death of Captain Marsh. The present mate is Brother J. E. Werge, an experienced officer who came from England to take the position. The Pitcairn carries a full cargo of supplies, including books to the value (retail) of $40,000.

OUR brethren in Albuna, Ontario, have erected a new house of worship, together with a commodious shelter for teams. The latter will accommodate over fifty horses, and is a humane move worthy of imitation.

BRETHREN C. A. WATKINS AND J. B. FRASER report to the Review interesting results of the canvassing work in London. A lady had read "Bible Readings," and on meeting these brethren, and learning who they were, exclaimed, "My prayers have been answered; I have prayed to see an Adventist." As a result they were invited by the deacons of the Baptist Church to which the lady belongs, to preach in their house. After one discourse, however, the minister interfered. But this only aroused a greater anxiety on the part of some to hear more, and the brethren received a request to come over to a Methodist Church.

ELDER CONRADI writes concerning Russia: "Three years ago Elder Laubhan wished to baptize on the river Volga in winter time, but a mob prevented him, and as they went from the place in sleighs to another spot, one man struck at him with a heavy club, but missed him and damaged his sleigh. Brother Laubhan has lately visited this same neighborhood. In one of his letters he reports the following remarkable incidents:—"

During the summer I have baptized six on the left side of the Volga, among them a man who tried to kill me three years ago. While examining the candidates he confessed that he was the man, and asked me whether I would forgive him. This shows how wonderfully the Lord does turn the hearts of men. Many are anxious to hear the truth.

BROTHER GRANT ADKINS reports a sample of so-called Christianity near Fountain City, Knox County, Tennessee. He had been preaching in a schoolhouse, and roused a strong opposition by maintaining the claims of the law of God. Some Baptists and Methodists put up an irresponsible party for a discussion, but Brother Adkins paid no attention to him. Then they induced the trustees to refuse him the further use of the schoolhouse. Not satisfied with this, they circulated all manner of false rumors about him, and two Methodist brethren told him he ought to be cowhided and run out of the county. More yet, they offered to fight him; and when he declined to settle the matter in that way, they threatened to insult his wife and force him to fight. In the midst of all this, our brother writes encouragingly: "God's blessing was with us, and in the face of the opposition, four took their stand for God and his law. . . We are still at this place, and will stay until we feel that God's work for them is done."