The North Dakota Camp-Meeting
By N. Z. Town
THE North Dakota conference and camp-meeting were held at Carrington, N. Dak., June 17-24. Approximately nine hundred seventy Adventists attended this meeting, about two thirds of whom were Germans. This meeting reminded the writer very much of general meetings in Argentina, South America, where the larger proportion of the members are Germans. It seemed quite strange, at first, to attend a meeting in this country where the English occupied a small tent to one side. The workers present from outside the conference were practically the same as those who attended the Minnesota meeting, with the addition of Elder J. H. Schilling, who had charge of the German meetings. At this meeting services were conducted regularly in the German, English, Scandinavian, and Russian languages. As this was a short meeting, including only one Sabbath, not so much time could be given to the different departments of the work. One very enthusiastic union meeting was held in the large German tent, in the interests of the colporteur work. Elders O. A. Olsen and Charles Thompson, the general agent of the union, the field agent of the conference, Brother S. N. Curtiss, and the writer took part in this meeting. The report of the field agent showed that the total sales of literature during 1911 amounted to $4,200. Some of the workers were frightened from the field on account of the severe drought, but those who remained in the field demonstrated that books could be sold even during this trying time, their sales amounting to from forty to seventy dollars a week. In the consideration of this phase of the work, brethren seemed to realize as never before that success in God's work does not depend upon outward conditions, but that he is able to carry on his work in spite of droughts or floods or revolutions or political controversies or any other hindrance. As the drought is now broken, we may expect some good reports from North Dakota. When the Sabbath arrived, it was clearly demonstrated that the drought had broken not only outside, but also in the hearts of the brethren and sisters. The Sabbath-school offering for the one Sabbath on the camp-ground amounted to $514. In one division of the camp, where there were 115 members present, the offering was $119. Sunday morning, at the six o'clock hour, a union meeting of the different nationalities was held, to consider the work in the regions beyond. After a stirring talk of about thirty minutes by Elder Charles Thompson, a call was made for donations and pledges for the foreign work. As the result of this meeting, about $4,000 was given in cash and pledges for foreign work. Aside from these, pledges were made to the amount of $3,000 on condition of the sale of property. The business meetings of the conference were conducted in four different languages: German, Russian, Scandinavian, and English. Elder C. J. Buhalts was unanimously elected president of the conference for another year. The Lord's Spirit was present in a marked manner in the preaching of the word in the different languages. At the close of the meeting twenty-five were baptized, while others deferred baptism until their return to their home churches. Brother Buhalts and his associates take up the work for the coming year with new determination and courage.