The Malaysian Mission Field by I. H. Evans

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 17, 1913

The Malaysian Mission Field

By I. H. Evans

I. H. EVANS

IN company with Elder F. A. Detamore I left Hongkong Dec. 11, 1912, for Singapore, where we arrived safely in four days. We were met by Elder R. P. Montgomery and taken to the mission home, where we had the pleasure of greeting the Singapore workers during the day. This was my first trip to this field, though for three years the workers in Singapore had been looking for a visit from me. Elder Detamore, too, who had come to take the superintendency of the Malaysian field, had never visited it before.

We found the weather pleasant, but not at all adapted to the clothing we had with us. We had come from China, where at that season one could scarcely wear enough clothing to keep warm, while here we could scarcely wear little enough to keep cool.

We found a very cozy church building, in which our people hold meetings. It is a neat structure, but it has been a source of great perplexity to some who had little desire to see our work established in that place. On Sabbath the believers have a full day, with almost continuous meetings. At 8 A. M. the Sabbath-school convenes; this is followed by a preaching service in English. At 2 P. M. the Malay brethren and sisters hold a service, which is followed by a meeting in the Chinese language. At five o'clock there is another preaching service, this time in English. Five services are therefore held in the church each Sabbath, besides the weekly prayer-meeting and other services.

We found quite an interest among the Chinese, and several were just beginning to keep the Sabbath. It was planned to buy a tent, and the present year Elder Detamore, with others, will conduct a series of meetings. All are hoping for good results.

The brethren had planned to open a school about one hundred eighty miles up-country, as they had already arranged with the government for the purchase of fifty acres of land. Brother Detamore and I, in company with Elder Montgomery, visited this land the day following our arrival. The trip was through the famous rubber estates, which have been so diligently advertised, both in America and in the Orient, and in whose stock such wild gambling took place three years ago. In the Orient many were ruined financially by their frenzied investments in these new rubber plantations, while others have been ruined, though in another way, from the same cause.

Drawn by T. J. Gibson. SKETCH OF THE SELUKWE RESERVE MISSION, RHODESIA, SOUTH AFRICA

We found the location isolated, and a bit expensive to reach from such a place as Singapore; and having neither teachers nor available students for such an undertaking, it was decided not to push the enterprise till means could be raised to assure the support of the plan, and a teacher secured to have charge of the work.

The following day we returned to Singapore, and the next afternoon sailed for Java, arriving in Batavia on Sabbath morning just as the forenoon service was closing. We were glad to meet Sister Tunheim, who has charge of the work in Batavia, and some thirty or more persons who either were keeping the Sabbath or were interested in the truth. Sunday evening we had another service with a good attendance, and were pleased to see several present who were interested in the truth.

It was agreed to hold a general meeting for the workers at Soember Wekas, in the eastern part of the island. Here we have a good location, and it was thought that by having the workers assemble at this place, the change of climate from the low plains might benefit their health while they enjoyed the blessing of the meetings.

At Batavia we also met Brother Richard Sisley, who, though midway between threescore and threescore and ten years, seemed in the best of health, and was doing a splendid self-supporting work by teaching English in one of the great centers of Java. Not only is he self-supporting, but after supporting two workers in the Malaysian field, he has undertaken to support one of the best native evangelists we have in China. We visited his place, and surely it is only by limiting his needs that he is able to support three workers in the Asiatic Division; but it is by this spirit of self-denial that the Lord's work has been built up from the beginning. In the same city there is a family of Chinese in moderate circumstances who had recently given two thousand rubles for the work in the East Indies. One of these givers was an invalid, whose income was insufficient for her support in the simplest manner, yet she gave a thousand rubles for the prosecution of the work.

We left Batavia on Monday morning by rail, taking the northern line, and visiting Brother and Sister Sharp at Cheribon. We found these young people well located, doing self-supporting work and earning more than a liberal support; but their hearts were not at rest, because they were not more directly engaged in the work of God. They offered themselves for service, and it was arranged at the general meeting that at the close of their school term in April they should move to Singapore and connect with our mission work. This will make one new family for aggressive work in the East Indies.

(Concluded next week)