Earlier text: Seeing Things as They AreMissionary Experiences
By F. W. SPIES
Some people regard the missionary’s life as a sort of novelty. They think it must be “so nice” to embark in a modern steamer and “take a trip” to some “far-away” country. Of course the true missionary has always seen more in his calling than merely the taking of a trip. And then, too, the Lord has frequently tested the faith, courage, resignation, and obedience of those whom he has sent out “to be a blessing.” The call to Abraham was: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. . . . So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him.” It meant much for Abraham to do this. But the Lord added, “I will bless thee . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” That was a genuine missionary calling.12 But when Abraham arrived in that strange land,—a land he had not before known (Heb. 11:8), perhaps had not heard of,—he found the Canaanite there. As we remember how his posterity felt at the prospect of meeting this nation of warlike giants, after they had left Egypt, even though they numbered hundreds of thousands, we need hardly be surprised if Abraham felt a little strange to find himself suddenly in the midst of this formidable and idolatrous people. And as he saw them offering their human sacrifices, no doubt his heart more than once sank within him. But “the Lord appeared to Abram.” And as long as the Lord appeared to him, Abraham made up his mind that all was well; and as long as those about Abraham, his large family of servants, saw that he was of good faith and courage, they felt no misgivings. But after a little the heavens withheld their rain. The grass began to wither and die, the brooks and even large streams dried up. The fertile plains were turned into a dreary desert, and starvation stared them in the face. Yes, the situation was getting quite serious, as the Lord permitted a new trial of Abraham’s faith. What would he do? Would he turn back home? If he had, he never would have been called the father of the faithful. As he could not remain in Canaan and live, he for a time went down to Egypt. But he never went back home. In fact, when years later Eliezer, Abraham’s faithful servant, proposed that he take Isaac back there, in case he could not persuade a woman of his relatives to accompany him to share Isaac’s lot in Canaan, Abraham’s reply was decisive and emphatic. He said: “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of Abraham, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.” The Lord still calls men to leave their fatherland; and now, as in Abraham’s day, he at times permits his children to be tried. No doubt he is still desirous of developing Abraham’s faith, courage, resignation, and obedience in his children. To illustrate that this is so, I will tell you of a missionary’s experience which occurred in 1911. A short time ago, a good and devoted brother left his home land, and came over to Brazil, to help the few struggling workers here in this great republic. He went to his field, and settled in a small town called Blumenau — the valley of flowers. After having settled his family, he started out on his first missionary tour. And then, what do you think happened? Well, in Abraham’s day it was a drought; this time it was a flood. It rained for days. The wide Blumenau valley, with its respectable river, grew to be a sea. Incredible as it may seem, but according to reports, the water rose to a height of forty-nine feet above the normal water-line. By this time it was entering into our brother’s house, his wife and children being at home alone. As the water began rising in the house, which fortunately was a two-story building, they removed everything they possibly could to the second story. Meanwhile, the waters rose to a height of eight feet in the first story, and the clothes-presses were swimming around under the ceiling. The family was finally rescued by being taken through a second-story window into a canoe, and was brought to higher ground. The brother hurried home, the water, meanwhile, having abated somewhat. He then wrote me a letter, in which he stated the facts as I have given them above. Do you wonder if he talked about going home? No, he did not say a word about leaving, nor did his wife as far as I know. He only said, “Thank God we are yet all alive.” That seemed to be the thing especially on his mind. The Lord had spared his life and the lives of his dear ones, and he was thankful for that. That was of more importance than the damage to his furniture and other things. As the rain continued, the river rose again, and they moved into another house, situated on higher ground, but still on the river bank. They now felt safe. But the next morning, when the day was dawning, the brother heard a strange rumbling sound, and getting out of bed to see what it was, found that the whole embankment up to within a few yards of his house had slid down into the river. A perilous situation indeed, but the Lord, the “watcher of Israel,” had set bounds to the landslide, and had said, To here is near enough this home. Not feeling safe in this location, our brother hurriedly moved his family again about an hour’s distance to the farm of one of the brethren. Again he wrote: “Our furniture and things have suffered considerably from what we have recently gone through, but thank the Lord, we are all alive and unhurt.” As this is one of the major missionary experiences, I thought it might be good to mention it. There are many minor ones, that are, as it were, the order of the day, and we do not think of writing about them. But this shows some of the things that our missionaries meet, and I hope it may serve as an incentive to those at home to remember earnestly before the throne of grace, those who are giving their lives and their all to hasten this message so dear to us all, to earth’s remotest bounds. A Fijian Feast
By A. M. WILLIAMS
DURING our council which was held at Viti Levu, we had the pleasure of witnessing a native feast, presented in native Fijian style. As one of our business meetings was about to close, a request came from the outside asking that we adjourn, the meeting being rather a lengthy one, as a feast was prepared and waiting for us. As we passed out of the building, we saw a large company of people from Navala and the adjacent towns, awaiting us. As we watched them, wondering what was going to take place, a company consisting of from twenty to thirty young women, approached, walking one behind the other, each carrying a large basket of food, and emptying its contents, which consisted of yam, taro, etc., already cooked, in a pile near us. Their part being performed, they drew aside and sat down on the ground near by. A chief then stepped forward, kneeled down, and placing his hands upon the food, presented it to us, saying that they were glad to have us come to their district, and they wished to present to us their “small gift of love.” Pauliasi, in a short speech, thanked the friends on behalf of our people for their kindness in remembering us in this way. Representatives from the various districts then went forward in turn, and placing their hands upon the food, expressed their thanks to the kind friends who had provided the feast. At each few words uttered the company clapped their hands in unison, at the same time uttering some exclamation, a Fijian custom of expressing thanks. Then they all sat down on the grass, and the food was passed around in baskets. Formerly in heathen days food was thus presented to the gods, and the persons who placed their hands upon the food offered a prayer to these gods. The gods were entreated to be of one mind to let them all live; to sweep away all diseases; that they might be at peace with the king; that their enemies might be clubbed, etc. Since Christianity has been introduced, this prayer is not offered; but in its place the person who kneels before the food and places his hands upon it, presents the food and wishes the recipients success in whatever the undertaking may be. He also wishes them good health, long life, etc. In presenting the food to us, they wished us success in our meetings, the enjoyment of good health, and a pleasant stay in the community. CHARLES SUMNER, one of the greatest American statesmen, once said: “Give me the money that has been spent in war, and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens would be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to the gospel of peace.” When Experience Helps Others
By Maltbie D. Babcock
WE shall be glad — really glad — of everything that has come to us, no matter if it is sorrow or pain, when we find that our experience fits some one else's need — that some one else can build on our lives.—Maltbie D. Babcock. “The Child King”
By Arthur V. Fox
O lowly, sacred stable,
Whence light divine is shed;
O humble little manger,
Where rests that baby head;
Teach me thy old, old story,
How Jesus Christ was born,
How angels sang their carols,
Upon that blessed morn. O little star, outshining
All worlds in splendor bright;
O little star, revealing
Where rests incarnate light;
Now lead me to my Child King
Encradled in the stall,
Creator, Monarch, Saviour,
The King and Lord of all. O blessed Babe of Mary,
We worship thee, our King.
O Deity incarnate,
To thee our praise we sing.
Accept our heart’s devotion,
Receive our homage due;
Bestow on us thy blessing;
Create our hearts anew. Treatment of a Cold on the Chest
By G. H. HEALD, M. D.
TAKE it in hand immediately. The very first symptom should be a call to arms. Every half-hour that the cold is allowed to proceed, increases the difficulty of breaking it up. Do not put it off until you have filled certain engagements, but attend to it at once. Empty the bowels. This is always good treatment in any cold, and in almost any acute sickness. The sweating treatment as recommended for cold in the head, in the December 21 issue, is applicable here. Some recommend staying in bed from twenty-four to forty-eight hours. This may be good in some cases if the cold is due primarily to exposure, and the treatment is begun early enough. If it is due to sedentary habits, a vigorous run or walk in the cold bracing air may be a proper procedure. This, of course, should not be preceded by hot treatment. The writer once caught a severe cold, because of being all day in a very much overheated house. Outside it was slushy. In leaving the office he had to wade, with thin shoes and no rubbers, in soft snow. With his feet as wet as if dipped in a pail of water, and himself “frozen to the marrow,” as it seemed to him, he had to sit at a junction in an unheated room and wait half an hour for a car. The surprising thing to him was that instead of contracting pneumonia as he expected, he reached home with every trace of his cold gone,—frozen out! He does not recommend the treatment to others. On the whole, perhaps the best procedure is, after a hot treatment, to remain in bed, in a moist warm room, until the attack is over. For local treatment one may rub the chest with camphorated oil,—olive-oil in which camphor is dissolved. Fomentations should be applied to the chest, followed by a cold compress. A mustard plaster to the chest, as a counter-irritant, at the first will do much to allay the inflammation. Onion is a good expectorant. The oil of onion is absorbed into the blood and excreted in the air-passages, as any one can testify who comes near one who has eaten onions. Sometimes the free eating of mild onions, like the Bermuda, seems to act like magic in the breaking of an incipient cold. The oil of the onion may act not only as an expectorant, that is, to loosen the phlegm, but it may actually have a germicidal action. Garlic acts in the same way. Needless to say, the patient should be quarantined on account of his onion as well as on account of his cold. Licorice is another mild expectorant, and for this reason acts well in influencing the progress of cough. Turpentine, oil of tar, and various balsams inhaled in vapor from boiling water, or by means of an inhaler or atomizer, also act as expectorants, and in this way relieve irritation; for most of the irritation comes from the ineffectual dry coughing. An atomizer with a solution containing tincture of benzoin with perhaps some other ingredients, as oil of Scotch pine, pine tar, etc., may prove beneficial. Hygiene
By MRS. M. E. STEWARD
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2. IMPORTANT sanitary agencies are sunshine, pure air, and a correct diet. 1. Sunshine. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5. “The legitimate work of the sun is uplifting, healing, blessing. Christ is called “the Sun of Righteousness,” as nothing so nearly resembles him as the natural sun. 2. Pure air, respiration. We are breathing all the time. Unless the air is pure, it is slowly but surely poisoning us. The Israelites were commanded to keep all their possessions clean; then the air would not be polluted. See the law of Moses. 3. Diet. “Eat ye that which is good.” Isa. 55: 2. Adam subsisted on the products of the vegetable kingdom. It was a simple, palatable, nutritious dietary, beneficial, good for both body and mind. Three other necessary hygienic agencies:— 1. A healthful dress. The organs can not properly perform their functions under compression, when chilled with insufficient clothing, or enfeebled with an unnecessary amount or an unequal distribution. The dress should be modest, neat, and pleasing. 1 Tim. 2: 9. 2. Exercise. One breathes faster when exercising than when in repose. By increasing the amount of oxygen taken into the blood, the general health is improved. Exercise develops and hardens the muscles, keeps the cartilages and joints flexible and strong, and the mind active and amiable. 3. Rest. “Passing through the day under a high pressure is very wearing to the vital machinery, and night often brings too little relief. The heart and lungs rest half the time; why do not the other parts of the body need as much rest?” 1. Faith—faith that works by love. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Ps. 37: 3. These promises embrace all minor points. Faith in God will give rest; doing good will bring gladness, which will react in a manifold blessing on the doer. Prov. 17: 22. 2. Energy, will-power. The Saviour is represented as saying, “I have set my face as a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Isa. 50:7. Determination often succeeds where irresolution falters and fails. It will soothe the nerves, quicken the circulation, and conquer much actual disease. Mastery should be maintained over all appetites and passions. The appetite is a steward, divinely appointed to regulate food supplies. Its manifestation is hunger, which is the demand of the whole body for nutrition. Being very easily perverted, it is necessary to place it under enlightened reason and self-control. The wise man condemns the “drunkard and the glutton” and “the riotous eaters of flesh.” Prov. 23:20, 21. Passion is poison to the entire physical organization. Anger has caused death, while “jealousy is cruel as the grave” (Cant. 8:6); but “pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Prov. 16:24. 3. Cleanliness. The Canaanites were deprived of their land because they had defiled it. Lev. 18:25. Cleanliness is a correct measure of civilization. Savages live in filth. As civilization advances, they begin to clean up; then they are ready for the gospel; sanctification carries on the work till they are prepared for heaven. Dirt begets immorality; the dangerous quarters of cities are always filthy. Uncleanliness is a hot-bed for germs, which cause disease. The Inn That Missed Its Chance
By Amos R. Wells
The landlord speaks -- 28 A. D. WHAT could be done? The inn was full
of folk:
His honor Marcus Lucius, and his
scribes
Who made the census; honorable men
From farthest Galilee, come hitherward
To be enrolled; high ladies and their
lords;
The rich, the rabbis, such a noble throng
As Bethlehem had never seen before,
And may not see again. And there they
were,
Close herded with their servants, till the
inn
Was like a hive at swarming-time, and I
Was fairly crazed among them. Could I know
That they were so important? Just the
two,
No servants, just a workman sort of man,
Leading a donkey, and his wife thereon
Drooping and pale,—I saw them not my-
self,
My servants must have driven them
away;
But had I seen them, how was I to know?
Were inns to welcome stragglers, up and
down
In all our towns from Beersheba to Dan,
Till He should come? And how were
men to know?
There was a sign, they say, a heavenly
light
Resplendent; but I had no time for stars.
And there were songs of angels in the air
Out on the hills; but how was I to hear
Amid the thousand clamors of an inn?
Of course, if I had known them, who
they were, And who was he that should be born that
night
(For now I learn that they will make
him king,
A second David, who will ransom us
From these Philistine Romans), who
but he
That feeds an army with a loaf of bread,
And if a soldier falls, he touches him
And up he leaps, uninjured,—had I
known,
I would have turned the whole inn up-
side down,
His honor Marcus Lucius and the rest,
And sent them all to stables, had I
known, So you have seen him, stranger, and per-
haps
Again will see him. Prithee say for me
I did not know; and if he comes again,
As he will surely come, with retinue,
And banners, and an army, tell my Lord
That all my inn is his to make amends. Alas, alas! to miss a chance like that!
This inn that might be chief among them
all,
The birthplace of Messiah,—had I
known!
—*Amos R. Wells, in Sunday School
Times*. “I WONDER,” Grace Andrews remarked, catching a bill that fell from the change Lilian Reed was receiving at the post-office window, “whether I could ever achieve such a royal disregard of money. Don’t you ever count your change, Lilian?” “Never. What’s the good of fussing? If it’s gone, it’s gone.” “Only sometimes might it not affect some one else?” “I don’t know anybody it could affect except daddy, and he doesn’t care. Don’t go to being exact at your age, Grace; you’ll be sure to turn out like Miss Lucretia Moxey, and I know you wouldn’t like that.” “The fates forfend!” exclaimed Grace, in laughing protest. But although Grace said no more at the time, and the two promptly forgot the incident, Lilian was to receive a lesson she could not easily forget. It happened one day that a package was sent to her from a jeweler’s shop by a special messenger, a round-faced, honest-eyed boy of fourteen. The bill was for thirteen dollars. Lilian gave him two tens, and according to her usual custom, stuffed the change into her pocket without looking at it. That afternoon she was called up on the telephone by Mr. Tracy, the head of the firm. He apologized for troubling her, but said that their messenger was five dollars short on his accounts, and declared that he must have given her five dollars too much change. He had had but three packages to deliver, and both the others were accounted for. “O, no, Mr. Tracy,” Lilian replied, promptly, “I am very certain that he gave me the right change—one five and two ones.” “I am afraid so,” Mr. Tracy returned, “but the boy was so insistent that it seemed only fair to him to ask you.” “It was no trouble at all,” Lilian answered, cheerfully. “I hope that he will find the money, Mr. Tracy. It could not possibly have been here.” That afternoon, it happened, Lilian did not go out; but the next morning, planning a shopping trip, she opened her purse to count her money. A wad of bills tumbled into her lap. She opened it carelessly; it contained two fives and two ones. There was no doubt about it; she had had but the twenty and some change the day before. It was humiliating, but she was honest. She at once called up Mr. Tracy and confessed her carelessness. Mr. Tracy’s voice came back gravely:— “I am very sorry, Miss Reed; we dismissed the boy yesterday. In our business we dare not keep one upon whom the least suspicion rests.” “But surely,” the girl cried, “you can get him back?” “Unfortunately, through an oversight, we did not have his address. It was our carelessness and our loss, I am afraid, for we liked him. I only hope it was not too serious a matter for him—we could give him no recommendation, you see.” Lilian stammered a word or two and hung up the receiver. But her eyes were full of trouble. For the first time she realized how much a girl’s carelessness might cost others.—The Youth’s Companion. EIGHT hundred replies came to a London magazine which asked the question, “What is home?” These answers were written by persons representing all classes of society. They emanated from homes of refinement and wealth, and from those of crudeness and poverty. Seven, which the editor called “gems,” were selected and published, and are as follows:— “Home—a world of strife shut out, a world of love shut in.” “Home—the place where the small are great and the great are small.” “Home—the father’s kingdom, the mother’s world, and the child’s paradise.” “Home—the place where we grumble the most, and are treated the best.” “Home—the center of our affection, round which our heart’s best wishes twine.” “Home—the place where our stomachs get three square meals daily, and our hearts a thousand.” “Home—the only place on earth where the faults and failings of humanity are hidden under the sweet mantle of charity.” That Scotchman must have had a happy home, and must also have known the joys of Christian service, who when asked, “Do you believe in heaven?” replied: “Why, man, I live there.”—New York Weekly Witness. ONCE upon ’a time a prince visited the prison-galleys of his kingdom to see the prisoners who were condemned to hard labor in chains. He was deeply moved by the hardships to which they were subjected, and intended to set at least one at liberty, meaning to try to discover which was most deserving of such a favor. One after another the galley-slaves spoke of themselves as the most innocent and honest men possible, stating that by false accusations they had become criminals, and begging the prince to release them. Presently he came to a very young prisoner, who, on being questioned, told a different tale. “Good sire, I have been a worthless rogue. I would not listen to my father or my mother. I deserted them to live a wicked life, and to thieve and cheat. If I must tell all my faults, it would take hours. I have at length been overtaken by justice, and I willingly consent to the punishment of my crimes, for I know I have deserved it a thousandfold.” The prince, knowing well that all had deserved their punishment, forgave this young man, and had the chains knocked off him, perceiving that by his sincerity and penitence he was already beginning to atone for his wrong-doing. Even so God acts with us; when we sincerely and contritely confess our faults, he is pitiful and good, and compassionates us.—Jewish Exponent. Alone With God
By James Martineau
He who himself and God would know,
Into the silence let him go,
And, lifting off pall after pall,
Reach to the inmost depth of all. How small in that uplifted hour
Temptation's lure and passion's power!
How weak the foe that made him fall!
How strong the soul to conquer all! A mighty wind of nobler will
Sends through his soul its quickening
thrill;
No more a creature of the clod,
He knows himself a child of God. North Carolina
By Geo. M. Brown
More than thirty years ago some papers mailed by a sister in New York State were blessed of God in bringing the advent message to some brethren living in the mountains of western North Carolina. Since then the standard of present truth has never been lowered in the old North State. For years there was little work done, and not much progress was made until 1900, when the mission field of North and South Carolina was organized into a conference. The North Carolina Conference as a separate organization dates from 1906, when reports show that it contained about three hundred Sabbath-keepers. The State extends five hundred twenty miles, from the Atlantic on the east to the Appalachian Mountains on the west, having an area of more than fifty-two thousand square miles, and a population of 2,206,287. The faithful brethren who have labored in the conference have been few in numbers, and have had but little money with which to prosecute the work; but the seed-sowing has been done, and now the harvest is being gathered. Since the camp-meeting in August seventy persons have been baptized and united with our churches. The calls for laborers to present the message in places where interests exist and the truth is not known, are manyfold more than we can possibly fill. Seeing our great need, the General and union conference brethren have approved of our request for another minister, and we expect that he will soon be in the field. North Carolina offers an unsurpassed field for those who wish to sell our books. A careful comparison of reports from all over the United States shows that the average canvasser in North Carolina took more orders in the month of September than the average canvasser in any other conference. Our best agent will deliver about $1,500 worth of books in 1911. We have four men who have delivered more than $1,000 worth of books this year. Many are now rejoicing in the truth as a result of the books sold by our canvassers. The book work in North Carolina is a success, and yet it is far short of what it might be if we had more workers. We shall deliver about $9,000 worth of books, but it could be $20,000 if we had more agents, for there is no lack of territory. Our people are poor, yet God has prospered them in a financial way, and there has been a steady growth in the tithe and offerings to missions. We now have in successful operation, in different parts of the State, five church-schools, in which one hundred children are receiving the benefits of a Christian education. Openings exist everywhere for self-supporting missionaries to do a great work as medical missionaries, colporteurs, carpenters, farmers, etc. The South has long been known as a neglected and needy field, but it is also a fruitful field. The harvest is ripe. Where are the reapers? Pray that the Lord of the harvest send forth reapers; and as you pray, listen to see if he will not call you to go. Work for the Colored People in Delaware
By Fred H. Seeney
Last April I was asked to work for the colored people of Wilmington, Del., during the summer. We started our meetings the latter part of July. Brother G. P. Rodgers, Sister Jackson, a Bible worker, and the writer made up our tent company. The average attendance for the season was about one hundred fifty each evening. On the tenth of October we transferred our services from the tent to a comfortable hall, and the Lord continued to bless us in sending people to hear the message. It seemed impossible to find a suitable place for baptism, and so finally we decided to ask the Baptist minister for the use of his church for the service. This he gladly gave us, and both the gallery and auditorium were filled with interested people who had never before witnessed a scene of this kind. The Lord certainly worked in our favor to bring about this opportunity to present the truth to many people whom we would not have been able to reach through other means. He blessed in the presentation of the subject of baptism, and the words spoken carried conviction to many hearts. On November 18, Elder R. T. Baer, president of the Chesapeake Conference, helped us organize a church of eleven members in Wilmington. Several who were unable to be present at that time have since joined us, and we are hoping to increase our church-membership during the winter. Our Sabbath-school has thirty members. Recently Brother Rodgers and I visited the weekly meeting of the Ministers’ Union of this city. They asked us to say a few words, and we were indeed thankful for the opportunity. I was asked to address their meeting the following week, and after much study and prayer, chose for my subject “The Millennium.” This opened the way for quite a discussion on the question, and many different views were advanced by the ministers present. I hope to be able to visit these meetings often, and present some phase of the third angel’s message as opportunity offers. May the Lord guide is my prayer. Port Townsend, Wash.
By Daniel Nettleton
“As the cloud foreshadoweth the rain, so prayer foreshadoweth the blessing.” This was one of our mottoes on the blackboard in our sanitarium church and training-school at this place during the week of prayer. As we gave ourselves to prayer and the study of His messages and Word, the promised blessing of Zech. 10:1 came upon us. Yes, there were bright clouds and showers of the latter rain,—the quiet, gentle showers. There was no wind nor wild rush of waters, but the Spirit came like the dew on Hermon, “for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.” God says that his doctrine shall drop as the rain, as the small rain upon the tender herb and as the showers upon the grass. It came in the way the Lord said he would visit his people. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth. My people, says the Lord, shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwelling-places and in quiet resting-places, and the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. While the wicked world is in a mad whirl, rushing on in sin and folly, while men's hearts are failing them for fear, and many are disappointed, sad, and weary, God's people are singing: “He gives me joy in place of sorrow; he gives me love that casts out fear; he gives me sunshine for my shadow, and ‘beauty for ashes’ here.” We are having a good and happy time in our work at this place. Three were baptized and four united with our church not long ago. God is blessing our efforts to let his truth be known and his “saving health among all nations.” The week of prayer brought a great blessing to our church and people here. We proved his good promise, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” Including our two regular services of prayer with helpers and patients, we had four meetings each day. At our morning helpers' worship, an appointed reader selected and read one or more prayers of the Bible. As we read morning by morning how earnestly these men and women of the Bible sought the Lord and confessed their sins and pleaded for God's help and blessing in times of distress and great need, a spirit of prayer came upon us. At 3 P. M. a general prayer-meeting for all the church was held in the sanitarium parlor. The special messages in the Week of Prayer Readings were read in the evening. All these meetings were well attended. There was no special manifestation or excitement, but a quiet, settled resolve16to seek God for more of his Spirit for victory in our own lives and for better service and more earnest efforts to seek and save the lost. After the reading, opportunity for comment and testimony was given. As we came to the day prayer-meetings with a Bible promise, we all were encouraged to pray not alone for ourselves, but for our unsaved relatives and friends and for our missionaries who have gone to the great heathen world. The last day of this special week of prayer was the “great day of the feast.” Our elder, Brother Wakeham, read the lesson by Elder Daniells, and after a few words of exhortation, there followed a praise service. The Spirit that came upon Mary and Zacharias, rested upon us. In a short time more than thirty-five testimonies of praise and thanksgiving for the blessings of the past year, and the benefits and helps of this week of special prayer, were given. Then with glad and willing hearts, the people brought their offerings for missions. Nearly all had a part in the giving for missions. I am so glad we have a mission in the world, that we have a message for this time, and that we all can have a part in it. The people never were so happy as when they were building the sanctuary, for each one had an opportunity to help in its construction. I have had a part in every one of these annual weeks of prayer since they were commenced, and I am happy to say this one has been the best of all. With renewed hope and courage, I go on to help finish the work. An Ingathering Service in India
By G. G. LOWRY
As we watch the reports which come to us from week to week through the good old REVIEW, and as we see how our brethren in the home land are rallying to the front and helping to carry on the work in these benighted lands, by giving of the means which God has given to them, our hearts rejoice, and we are encouraged to bind the armor closer and press onward with our work. It makes us feel that, though we are separated from our brethren, yet we are all engaged in the same great work, with the same interests at heart; and that while we work in these lands of heathen darkness, our hands are being held up by our brethren and sisters in the home land. I thought that perhaps it might be of interest to the readers of the REVIEW to know how our Indian brethren and sisters look upon the idea of giving free-will offerings to help carry the message to those who know it not. So I will tell you about our first Ingathering service in South India. After setting before our little company of Tamil Sabbath-keepers the importance of our co-operating with God in carrying on his work in the earth, by paying a faithful tithe of all that God gives us, and by giving free-will offerings according as God has prospered us, we appointed a day in which we would have an Ingathering service. On the appointed day the people all came to the church, bringing rice, fruits of different kinds, money, and other things which they felt impressed to bring, and gave them to the Lord. After the service was over, we counted up the value of the produce, and the money which was given; and although the people of our little company are, as a rule, poor in this world's goods, yet we found that the gifts amounted to over seventy-eight rupees, or about twenty-six dollars. This does not seem like very much to us; but when we think of the very low wage scale of the ordinary working man in India, and of how hard it is for these poor people to make “tongue and buckle meet,” as we sometimes say, we realize that this amount means a great deal to them. It means to them about what two hundred twenty-five dollars would mean to us. This money was given in a willing and cheerful way, and I believe the people themselves feel that they have been blessed in taking this part in the work. One man said to me after the meeting, “Indeed, it is more blessed to give than to receive;” and he asked if, hereafter, we could not have two Ingathering services every year. So we see that the people in these fields, although extremely poor, are also ready and willing to give of their means to advance the cause of truth. If they in their poverty are willing to sacrifice and give as they have to see the work go, what should not we who are more favored, do? Let us all do what we can to push the work on “while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” DURING the summer, Brother W. W. Wheeler, our missionary in Ecuador, found it necessary to immediately leave his field on account of severe and repeated attacks of malarial fever. He and his wife stopped in Colon at one of the United States hospitals, where they remained a short time, and were then able to return to their field. After returning, Sister Wheeler writes:— “We can not express our praise and heartfelt thanks to God for what he has done for us, that we may remain here in this dark and most needy part of his vineyard. It was our Heavenly Father who, in answer to earnest prayer, restored Mr. Wheeler to health; for the physicians in the American hospital at Colon examined him thoroughly and pronounced him perfectly sound in every way. Mr. Wheeler said to the doctor, ‘What has become of those malarial germs? I know that I have had malaria.’ “The doctor replied: ‘Yes, indeed, you have had it, and the kind that you had leaves a person as weak as if he had had typhoid fever.’ “He also said: ‘The people in the States think they know what malaria is, but just let them come to some of these South American countries, and they will know. It means something here.’ “Mr. Wheeler got malaria nearly a year ago when he and Brother Osborne went on their second trip to the coast canvassing. He took quinin and the malaria disappeared for a time, but in a few weeks it returned more severely. He took more quinin, and it acted the same. Each time it returned it was the more severe, until quinin or water treatments would have no effect. The last attack was something awful,—two chills one day and one the next, with fever 104° and over. This continued for two weeks or more, until he was as near death’s door as one could be. Brother Osborne was with us when he had his last chill, and advised me to take the very next boat and go where I could get help. We had special prayer that afternoon, also the next morning, asking that it might be held in check until we could reach a place of help that God had provided. “I am sure that no missionaries ever left a field with sadder hearts than we did; and as we talked over the condition of the field, the scarcity of means with which to forward the work, and the need of workers, especially in Ecuador, we could but weep. But now we rejoice that we are here again. “We are of good courage, though the work seems to go slowly and hard. We are sure that there are better times ahead for Ecuador. Pray for us, as workers.”