Honan, China by J. J. Westrup

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · Sep 25, 1913

Honan, China

By J. J. Westrup

"I WILL praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright." And to his praise we can say that two days ago we closed one of the best general meetings ever held in Honan. With such a powerful message as we have to proclaim, we naturally expect our people to get up on higher and still higher ground. I pity those who do not, as the time is at hand and the end very near.

We were facing a terrible famine, having not had any rain to speak of for many months. The famine was already a reality in the north and west of the province, and the wheat was also dried up in most places here in central Honan. Thousands are continually coming down from the north with all their belongings in this world on their backs. Husband, wife, and children straggling along the roadways, hungry, dusty, and sickly. Everywhere are beggars covered with rags and sores, and facing starvation. It is an awful, pitiful sight, enough to make one sick to behold. Can it be wondered at that we long with all our hearts for the day when we can leave this cursed domain of the devil and enter the blessed places that Christ is preparing for his children, where we shall enjoy life and love and glory in abundance forevermore?

The curse of sin is seen more plainly in this awful heathenism, but the day will soon come when our dear brethren shall see it as plainly everywhere in one way or another, and long as much as do we for the kingdom. We naturally anticipated that this famine would hinder many from attending our meeting, which it did. Still we are thankful to say that our chapel has never been so crowded before, and by actual count we had one hundred and seventy who attended regularly, besides those coming in from the city.

From the beginning there was a quiet waiting on the Lord as if the brethren expected a special blessing; and thanks be to his name, they were not disappointed. Some sixty sisters in the Lord attended, and many of them had walked long distances on their small feet,—some as far as forty miles in that terrible dust,—showing a determination to get to the kingdom. Pastor R. F. Cottrell, our superintendent, was greatly blessed and sustained in giving the message. The brethren liked his sermons so well that the last day he was invited by them to speak twice. And our four Chinese evangelists who helped us were also wonderfully blessed in presenting the truth. Brother Cottrell remarked, "I love to listen to them preach; they are certainly able preachers."

On the Sabbath we celebrated the Lord's Supper, and the confessions made came from the heart. During the meeting one hundred and thirty-seven believers were buried with Christ in baptism to walk henceforth with him in newness of life. The offerings were fifty per cent larger than they have ever been before. Five persons, three of whom had been evangelists, one a teacher, and one a Bible woman, from the north of the province, were baptized at this meeting. They all have a very clean record, and we voted to send the men to our training-school in Shanghai next fall. They have earnestly been studying the truth for some months and preached it, with courage and great zeal both to their foreign pastors and to their Chinese brethren. Not a few are interested and wished very much to attend our meetings, but could not on account of the

famine. These men will be a great help in opening up the work in the north of the province and perhaps in Chi-li, too.

The Lord says, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain." But the Lord not only used his doctrine to water our hearts and establish our faith, but on the third day came rain as a direct answer to our earnest prayers. It rained gently and fast for two days and one night, and on top of it came snow, which melted at once and soaked thoroughly into the thirsty ground, so that now there is hope of being able to raise a little wheat and millet and other foodstuff for this year. O, how it cheered our hearts! Tears of joy filled many eyes. Many of the brethren testified that they had come to the meeting with the full confidence that the dear Lord would surely hear our prayers and break this terrible drought; and he did—another evidence that whenever we confidently expect anything and pray for it we get it. I had the same hope, as I had told some here that during the general meeting we should get rain. We had rain last year at our spring meeting and we all confidently expected the same this year; and again it came to pass, and I cannot tell you how greatly it strengthened everybody's faith in prayer.

We were not slow in taking advantage of this evident mercy and goodness of the Lord to impress upon the minds and hearts of all the importance and efficacy and power there is in prayer; that none should forget this, but pray often, and learn to pray with faith. Then the devil would have no power over us, and Christ could save us to the uttermost.

All went away from this meeting feeling that the Lord was indeed good to us, and with a solemn determination to serve him more faithfully and to get ready, by his grace, to meet Jesus when he comes in glory. "And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; . . . there shall be showers of blessing." "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass."

We are very thankful for what the Lord has done for us, and we all know that there are greater blessings yet in store for us if we will only completely surrender and come up to the help of the Lord.

I told the brethren that in Germany, Russia, and England every worker had gained ten persons on an average for the Master last year; that in Siberia every worker had gained seventeen believers; and that if we also should really repent and consecrate ourselves to him, we could win two or three hundred really converted persons this year. We were thankful to read the good report in the Year Book, but if we could only be completely surrendered to God we should be able to accomplish ever so much more. As pointed out by Brother T. E. Bowen in a recent article, "God does much for those who make much of what he makes much." I can truly say that I have had some experience in this of late. I am here alone to lead out in this great work.

I have consecrated my life and everything else in this world (even leaving my wife and son in America for some two years, and they, too, without the least murmur), in order to do his work in this great field. I have never before so plainly seen his blessing upon everything I have done.

We have had severe shakings here in Honan, but by earnest prayer it is all turning out to be a great blessing to our work. Evangelist Dju Dzi in taking his leave and shaking hands with me, said: "The Lord has wonderfully sustained Brother Westrup during this meeting." God loves cheerful givers; I thank God for grace to have given all. "You may be obscure, but the day you fit your unworthy life into the great plan of God, you will see things accomplished. . . . Christ Jesus sits on his throne to bring to pass the things that he has promised in his Word." I know that this great need and great work appeal to you, my dear brethren. But I do not plead for Honan; we can get along. But I do plead for the unentered provinces of China. What real joy did J. Pierpont Morgan get out of his many millions? The brother or sister who has given all to the dear Lord gets more real joy—the joy of the Holy Ghost—even in this life. Brethren, if we want joy now and glory to come, let us consecrate our all to his glory and service. "Christ's word to all is 'Pray ye.' And when this is done, the gratifying results we all love so much to see, the advance into new fields, and the increase of our mission funds, will not be lacking." See Heb. 7:25.