SEVERAL weeks ago we held our annual council of the Fiji Mission. As our people live on different islands, thus making it hard for them all to meet together, it was decided to hold two meetings. The first one was conducted at Lau, the most easterly part of the group, where we have about forty believers who availed themselves of the privilege of attending this meeting. The second division of the council was held at Suva Vou. This is still the headquarters of our mission. The Fijians naturally like large gatherings, and will travel long distances to attend them. Some of the brethren who came to this meeting walked about one hundred miles over hilly country, taking three days to make the journey, as they brought their little children with them.
Elder J. M. Cole, president of the New Zealand Conference, attended both these meetings, and gave timely and helpful instruction. It was no doubt a great joy to him to spend a short time in this field, and see the progress the message has made since he landed here over seventeen years ago, and sowed the first seeds of present truth. During these meetings he baptized seven believers, thus making a total of thirty to embrace the truth the past year. We now have two hundred fifty baptized members here, who are striving to live up to all the principles of the message.
While there is much more that we should like to see accomplished in the way of aggressive work and in the attainment of a higher spiritual standard, still we feel encouraged by what the Lord has done and is doing for his people in Fiji. It makes one's heart glad to hear their earnest prayers and free testimonies.
We are sorry to have to report that through illness our force of European laborers has been somewhat reduced during the last year, Brother G. E. Marriott and I, with our wives, being the only ones left. However, we are thankful for a good staff of native workers, who are earnestly laboring for the advancement of the truth among their own people. One of our faithful workers, Alipati Rainima, was taken from us by death a short time before our council. We missed him from his accustomed place in our annual gatherings, but he is missed more in the field where for so many years he has labored faithfully for the sake of the truth he loved so dearly. We hope that at the union conference council soon to be held more help will be forthcoming from the home fields should our former fellow workers not return.
GROUP OF BELIEVERS ATTENDING THE FIJI COUNCIL
The work for the forty-five thousand Indians in these islands still stands untouched. Time is fast hastening on, and their numbers are yearly increasing. How long must they wait before we give to them this last message of mercy?
