Medical Missionary Department
By E. Meyer, M. D.
Conducted by the Medical Department of the General Conference GEORGE THOMASON, M. D. - - - - Secretary
L. A. HANSEN - - - - Assistant Secretary The Friedensau Sanitarium
It is now more than ten years since the sanitarium in Friedensau was opened. Although I have been directly connected with the medical missionary work in the sanitarium for the last five and one-half years only, yet from the first I have been intensely interested in its development. In spite of all human failures, we can say that our institution has been richly blessed, and has been a blessing to others. Many patients have not only gained physical health, but have also found spiritual recovery for their souls. God does not count it a mysterious experience for a man to live a Christian; it is, rather, only natural that a Christian have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. Worldly people, on the other hand, think it strange, sometimes hardly comprehensible, and they involuntarily express their surprise. Often have I heard a woman who was inclined to theosophy, say, "I have visited many places, but what holds me so to Friedensau is the continual kindness and courtesy that is exercised by every one and to every one." We are glad of this testimonial, and it will serve as an encouragement for us in the future. We believe that, although preaching is a good thing, especially if the minister sets a worthy example, it is also a good thing if everybody preaches the word by a godly life. Here also many can be won only by a Christian example. Many patients return to our institution after many years, partly because they desire to be revigorated, but also because they desire again to visit the place which they learned to appreciate at the first visit. Many guests have told us that Friedensau is like an oasis in the desert, as the ground is very sandy in the surrounding country, and needs thorough cultivation before it proves fruitful. But the most refreshing part of the oasis is not the Friedensau springs, but rather the living stream which flows from the hearts of those who are God's children. The children of the world seem to have an insatiable desire for these streams. May God enable every one of his children to answer the cries for help from a languishing world. If we always have the right connection with the Living Stream, we shall always be able to impart to the world and her children what they long for. The nurses' school, which is connected with the sanitarium, numbers at present fifty students. After several years' training, we send our nurses out to various parts of Germany and to foreign lands. Nurses who were educated and formerly worked in the sanitarium are at present working not only in Germany, but also in Russia, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, Rumania, Palestine, and German East Africa. In many places the medical missionary work is being visibly blessed by God. In other places it meets many difficulties, and the worker's courage is severely tested. Jer. 15:19-21 ought to be the daily experience of every medical missionary. Success lies in perseverance. It would be too much for me to describe all the difficulties that our nurses meet in the different lands. It will suffice, perhaps, to quote a little from the letter of a nurse who is working in Hungary. This sister is a Russian subject; and besides German, she understands a very little Hungarian. Nevertheless, with the Lord's help, she has had the best success, as may be seen from the following:— "The Lord be praised that he has helped me with advice and in many other ways, and has richly blessed me in my weak endeavors. I have often had the opportunity of testifying for the truth in the higher circles. May the Lord give success, and water the seed sown. "I have had some good experiences with an atheist woman. I gave her some treatments without charge, and thus learned her comfortless and helpless condition. She always had a loaded revolver at her bedside, and was ready at any minute to take her life. After some conversation concerning the existence of God, she asked for a Bible, and read it diligently. When I saw that she was making good progress in faith, I took her 'Daniel and the Revelation.' One Sabbath I visited her again, and she asked me whether I had a holiday on that day. When I inquired why she asked this question, she answered: 'The Bible and the book you brought me show quite clearly that the Sabbath is the day we must celebrate. I am keeping to-day,—my second Sabbath,—and if you live according to the Bible, you must also keep the Sabbath.' Later she saw the other points of the message, and often rejoiced, with tears in her eyes, that she had found the truth. She was sorry she had not heard it before, and she forgot to complain and murmur about her sickness. Soon afterward, I had to go to nurse a case elsewhere, but she promised to remain true to the Lord. After I left, her brother took her to Austria, but I am hoping that the Lord will lead her to confess her faith boldly. "My joy is great that I can write you that my missionary correspondence has been blessed of the Lord. My aunt has been keeping the Sabbath for a long time; and my cousin, with his wife, who would not listen to it before, wrote me a short time ago: 'We both acknowledge that the Sabbath is the right day, and must be kept; for both the Old and New Testaments testify to this fact. We are going to begin soon to keep the true Sabbath; but we have a great deal to learn yet in order to be true Sabbath-keepers and not Pharisees.'" "A short time ago the Lord helped me wonderfully in a case of hypochondriac-hysterical melancholy, which had developed into complete insanity. The doctors had treated the patient for two years with drugs, pills, drops, and strong sleeping medicines, but without success. At last the patient was declared to be insane beyond all healing, and was put into an insane asylum under guardianship. A few months later, the relatives of the patient had her taken home again, and the Lord led me to that house to nurse. In despair, the relatives besought me to try our natural remedies on this human. Their doctor was opposed to all natural cures, but they requested me to try them. I besought the Lord to give me the right counsel, and spoke also with the doctor. He was willing for me to give the treatments, and it was only for me to request the Lord to bless my weak endeavors. How wonderful were the results of these simple treatments! In three months my patient was fully restored to health, to the wonder and joy of all. The guardianship was removed, and she still rejoices in her regained health. She is even merrier now than before, and weighs eleven pounds more. We can see how God blesses the practise of our health principles in connection with prayer. "Although I had no permission to canvass in Hungary, and many hindrances were put in my way, yet the Lord helped me wonderfully in this also. Often the police stopped me while I was canvassing. In order to cause me further annoyance, they telephoned from place to place, announcing my arrival. Once two policemen took hold of me on the street, and took me to the senate-house21as if I were a prisoner. Another time the police were on my track for two whole days, but without result. After they had searched and found my lodging-place, they came early on the morning of the third day, being quite sure that they had me at last, but the Lord saved me wonderfully out of their hand. In all this the Lord blessed my work, and I was encouraged. Many days I took from fifteen to seventeen subscriptions for Good Health, and received from forty to fifty kroner in cash. One week I worked three and one-half days, took fifty-seven subscriptions, and received one hundred seventy kroner in cash. "As I got along well with the German language in nursing, I learned but little Hungarian. Nevertheless, I summoned up courage to canvass in ——, although I was strictly forbidden to do so. Here, however, I had to sell mostly Hungarian literature; so I wrote the necessary sentences in Hungarian on a piece of paper, and read them from the paper until I could say them by heart. The people were rather surprised at my strange canvass, and advised me to learn the language first in order to have better results. But the Lord worked on the hearts of the people. They bought my papers, and subscribed for them also. One day, in which I worked eight hours, I took fifteen subscriptions for the Hungarian paper, and only two for Good Health. Thus I worked five days in secret, circulated about three hundred papers, and obtained fifty-nine subscriptions, two thirds of which were Hungarian, and also received about one hundred thirty-four kroner in cash. Altogether, the Lord gave me three hundred thirty-two subscriptions. May the Lord thus guide the people nearer to the truth." Our wish is that the Lord may bless the medical missionary work, which is the right hand of the message, not only in Germany, but also in the whole world. May he make many willing to give themselves entirely to his service. Soon the day will come when the Lord will say to each of his faithful servants, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
E. MEYER, M. D.