THE WORK IN TURKEY

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 13, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 40.

THE WORK IN TURKEY.

ELDER H. P. HOLSER writes thus encouragingly of the work in what would naturally be deemed a most discouraging field:—

Of all parts of the field, Turkey has been the most encouraging. The difficulties to be encountered there are the greatest; still there has been a constant interest and growth in our work. Brethren Baharian and Anthony have been in prison several times during the past year, and have been forbidden to hold public meetings; and Brother Baharian has twice been attacked by mobs; yet the Lord has wonderfully protected them, and they are still as active in holding meetings as workers are in a field where there are no such difficulties. Our work has spread from Constantinople to the province of Nicomedia, where several villages have been stirred by the message, and also far into Syria, where a superintendent of colporters embraced the truth, and spread it far and wide in his travels. Although the country is bankrupt, and its citizens poverty stricken, those who have embraced the truth are faithful in paying tithes, and free in donating for the support of the work. For the past year their donations have been almost as much as those of France, one of the richest countries of Europe. Our membership in France being several times that of Turkey, the donations per capita were several times larger in Turkey than in France. This is the more encouraging when we consider that the membership gained in Turkey by other missionaries is a dead weight on their hands, often demanding much help, instead of giving anything toward the support of the work in their field.