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Report from Bro. Bates

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Jan 19, 1864

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 23, No. 8.

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Report from Bro. Bates.

By Joseph Bates

Bro. White: According to the previous appointment in the Review I have visited the churches in Otsego, Mich., Lake Station, and North Liberty in Northern Indiana.
December 9-16 we spent in Otsego, visiting individual families and holding meetings on Sabbath and first-day. The church was much blessed and refreshed in celebrating the ordinances of the Lord's house. Some of their number which had been lingering with sickness, were so far recovered and graciously strengthened in the Lord that they enjoyed the blessings of the meetings with their brethren.
Dec. 17-21, was with the church in Lake Station, Ind. Here we held five meetings, and at the close baptized three; two of them youths of twelve years, from the Sabbath-school, and Sr. S., who had become fully satisfied that sprinkling in infancy did "not answer a good conscience." They much desire to be organized and share the blessings and privileges of the remnant of God's people.
Dec. 22 came to Laporte. The great portion of the church here within a few years have scattered to find better employment in other places. The few that remain are hoping to overcome and be numbered with the remnant.
Dec. 23-30 with the church in North Liberty. Here we found their numbers reduced by sickness, and one sister died while we were there. (See obituary notice.) We held six meetings. Spent a part of the Sabbath by request in the sick room, and by the dying bed of Sr. C., who fell asleep after the Sabbath closed. The celebration of the ordinances of the Lord's house after this was solemn and profitable I trust to all. O Lord help us to profit by this and all other dispensations of thy providence and always remember how frail is feeble man.
Dec. 30, Bro. J. Harvey took us in his conveyance to South Bend, thirteen miles, to take the stage for the central R. R. Here he introduced us to an Advent brother and his companion with whom he had some acquaintance and had given them books on the Sabbath and other subjects. They kindly invited us to tarry with them until stage time in the morning. One of their brethren joined them, when the Sr. said, Now Bro. Bates we want to hear all you can tell us about your position. This we gladly did by a brief history of the Advent movement, noting the two disappointments in April and October in 1844 forever settling the question that the first and second angels' messages of Rev. xiv, were given in the right time; and how readily and clearly we found the Sabbath of the Lord in the third angel's message that followed them. They all acknowledged it was clear, and true. We asked them if they would keep the Sabbath of the Lord. They all answered they would. We then united our voices in prayer and separated. God help them to remember and keep the Sabbath holy.
Jan. 1st 1864, came to spend the Sabbath with the church in Otsego, Mich., but the violence of the raging snow storm kept us all away from the place of meeting.
Jan. 4 Bro. Leighton brought us to Monterey.
JOSEPH BATES.
Monterey, Jan. 7, 1864.