Yencheng, Honan by John J. Westrup

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 1, 1914

Yencheng, Honan

By John J. Westrup

JOHN J. WESTRUP

I HAD never enjoyed a general meeting as much as I did the one here that closed October 20. Most of those who attended the meeting made a great sacrifice to do so, and all received a real blessing, especially the workers. I saw plainly that the seed sown in the past had begun to bear precious fruit. Praise the Lord. Between 150 and 160 attended the services regularly, among whom were about forty women. I did not expect that even ten women would be able, or would have the courage, to get here in these dangerous times. Some of the women came about 100 miles through territory filled with robbers.

Five men came 166 miles, from a place where the robbers have been fierce all the year round. They surely give evidence of an earnest desire and a great hunger for the truth. Thirty-one earnest persons were baptized.

The work has opened up north of the Yellow River in a wonderful way, which is surely the Lord's doing. A great many are interested, and many are keeping the Sabbath.

The foreign houses have been finished, and I have also built eleven Chinese houses with tile roofs; and the two large schoolhouses, each seating almost 200, have been built of brick, at a cost of less than $750 gold. Next Sunday we shall open our schools. About eighty have been passed by the committee as proper candidates for the school, but as we have not sleeping quarters for more than about sixty, some have to wait until February. Nearly all of these are very intelligent and earnest Christians, and many will develop into workers.

The terrible poverty in this province is something that hurts my soul. I have already paid out $100 Mexican of my own money to help poor persons. One brother came to the meeting on Friday, having walked sixty miles. On the Sabbath he fasted, and on Sunday he came to say good-by. When I asked why he

was going to return so quickly, he said he had to, as he had no money to live on. I then gave him enough to supply his necessities until the meeting closed. Think of a brother in his poverty coming so far to share a day's blessing of the Lord, and that day fasting. Such earnestness is bound to get through to the kingdom. This same poor brother gave $1 Mexican to help build the schools.

We are now passing through an experience similar to that of last fall. We have had a long dry spell, and the people are unable to sow their wheat, and the price of food is going up at a rapid rate. Even if we should get rain now, the wheat crop will be much poorer than if it had been sown on time—about a month and a half ago.

Everything seems to be out of order in these last days. In the north of China they have had very destructive floods, but here and to the south of us there is a terrible drought. I do not know what will happen here if we do not get rain soon. The robbers, too, are still working terrible havoc. They have been very close to us many times this summer, and sometimes we have been surrounded by them. But God has surely been good to us, and mercifully preserved us in these troublous times. James 5 has certainly been partly fulfilled. The rich have reaped what they have sown. Great numbers have lost their lives as well as everything they had in the world.