The Missionary Leader for 1930

444 lit MISSIONXRY LENDER II dal _ Vol. 18 SYDNEY, DECEMBER, 1930 No. 12 sins ; and I will live in Him day by day.' out. I want to see your hands. [A number Foreign Missions Day It was a triumphant testimony, and the raised their hands.] In this meeting this transforming power of God's Spirit could be morning my heart overflows in love and Department conducted by Pastor A. H. Piper, seen on his face. gratitude to you for sending that ship that Union Conference Secretary " Another testified as follows : In the carried the message to us. I am so glad past I was a heathen boy. I worked the that I can have the privilege of coming to (Sabbath, December 13) works of darkness. The Jaupa Rate you this morning, as one of the fruits of (S.D.A.) Mission came to my village and this message in our far-away land. Notice when I saw the light I came to it, because " ' When you lifted your hands, this text it showed that my works were very dark. came to my mind : "Cast thy bread upon THE offering this morning will be for I was happy in the new light of the mission. the waters : for thou shalt find it after Foreign Missions, for the last time under But later I found that sin came into my many days." It is many days since you the old plan. Beginning with January, life again, and then I began to realise that gave your offerings to help buy that ship 1931, the Second Sabbath offering during the mission could not save me, and that to Pitcairn. Many days have gone over our the church service will be given for local be a true Christian, Jesus must live in my heads between then and now. I am here and conference work. life all the time. I want to live for Him this morning as a result of that enterprise. The selection of an appropriate Scripture and for His work at all times.' Here is another sitting behind me, my reading is left to the leader. Those testimonies were no formal ones. friend. Now in behalf of many other What could be more fitting than that Those boys had a hold upon God. They are minds that are still in darkness, and do not time be given before the close of the service, an excellent class of boys and young men. know of the real Sacrifice, I make this to a season of short, earnest prayers that They do not use their religion for con- further appeal, that you will continue the God's work may have no lack of means, venience, but they live it in their school and work, that these countries may hear this and that His Spirit will be poured out upon work day by day. Thus the power of Christ, good message, and may be ready when our His workers in the mission field? after leading these people to accept the gos- Saviour comes again. My heart rejoices, pel, can sustain them in their daily walk. as I travel from place to place in America, What I Found on Returning And surely this is the most vital need for all to see the zeal manifested in your labours from Furlough of us—that we daily live the life of our and in your offerings to help send the mes- Saviour in the strength provided for us." sage onward. I beg of you also, brethren " ON returning to Choiseul, in the Solo- and sisters, to be faithful as you have been mon Islands, after my furlough in Aus- in the past, that we may all meet at last tralia," writes Brother A. J. Campbell, "I The Message Echoes Back in God's eternal kingdom.' found a steady growth and a good spirit. " There was something very impressive While I was absent in Australia on furlough, THE two Fijian brethren who attended about these words. Here was a native from the General Conference session, afterwards Nangaha gathered the people from several the heathen South Seas, that most forbid- journeyed to the headquarters of our work heathen villages among the hills of Choiseul ding part of the world to which our people down to a location on the shore, near a good in America, and on the Sabbath spoke to so many years ago sent a knowledge of this the church at Takoma Park, Washington. anchorage. I am looking forward to visit- message via the ship Pitcairn. Now come It was the first time that this church had ing these people who have lately decided to two native chiefs from those far South Seas ever had a visit from native believers from part company with heathenism. Several to speak to the representatives of this move- Fiji. Forty years before, some in the audi- years ago on the eastern side of Choiseul, ment at the headquarters of the denomina- ence had taken part in the building and this young man gathered a hundred people tion, to tell us, with visible emotion in sending out of the first missionary ship of from the hills by ones and twos to a good their voices and tears in their eyes, of their this denomination, the location on the coast, and built up a strong Pitcairn, in 1890. gratitude for the missionary gifts of this The following editorial regarding the visit mission. They constitute a fine body of Advent people. And they brought us not of these natives was published in the people to-day, and form a great contrast to Review only their personal word of deep apprecia- and Herald : the heathen who have lately accepted him tion ; they spoke for a large company of as their shepherd. Though they are still A Fijian Chief Speaks native believers in these islands that dot the practically heathen people, we see in this Pacific. They told us of how they and raw material bright, intelligent Christians " In a simple, yet vivid and earnest way, their people had been delivered from the of the future. We now have fifteen mission he told of what God had done for his bondage of fear and degradation in which stations on the island of Choiseul. It was people through the sending of the message they had been held for long centuries by my privilege to take part in the Week of to their islands. In the midst of his re- superstitious beliefs. To them salvation Prayer with the students of the new inter- marks, one of the Fijians declared : was no theoretical thing ; it was a very mediate school on Choiseul. It was a won- " ' You people from this country sent out real power that had released them from the derful occasion, and the Spirit of God was the missionary ship Pitcairn to the islands terror of demons and cleansed them, body very near. Every one of those boys recon- with a message, and we have gotten into and soul. secrated his life to his Creator. this message. And just as iron is cast into " As we listened to their fervid words, " Two of their testimonies will serve to the pit and is melted over and made clean, there came to many of us a new and clearer illustrate the note of deeper spiritual ex- so this message has made us clean. This realisation of the drama of missions that is perience that was struck by all. One young message has presented to the Fijians a being enacted by this Advent movement. man had some years ago spent two years in standard of living which is entirely in prison for stealing from a trader's store. harmony with the Word of God. And now The Circuit Completed After his release he went back to his village, my friend [his fellow Fijian] and myself and by that time the Adventist mission had have come before you as representatives of " To-day there come to the shores of found its way there. He decided to cast in this church and this message which you America from far ports men of different his lot with it and so turn his back on the sent out to Fiji many years ago. We thank race and colour who have been converted by past. He said in effect : My past life has you very much for the gifts you made to the Advent missionaries in the far corners been very sinful, but the gospel came and I send a ship bearing this message to the of the earth, and who now journey here to accepted it, and it has changed my nature. islands. bring the greetings of their people to us in The blood of Jesus flowed from the cross of " ' Now I wonder if there are people here the homeland and to exhort us, as did these Calvary for me I It has washed away my who gave offerings to help send this ship Fijian brethren, ' to be faithful as you have Vrerr••••••••• ••••••••••••••••• r•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••1 2 DEC., 1930 MISSIONARY LEADER been in the past, that we may all meet at The weakening forces and efforts of other last in God's eternal kingdom.' denominations in the face of a trembling Missionary Volunteer and confused world both at home and "Is there not something in such an ex- abroad, is the supreme moment of privilege Department hortation as this to fire our souls ? To for a people who have a living and definite think that after our earnestly preaching for message such as God has given this people, years and exhorting the heathen to make —a message with a living, ministering Sa- ready for the last great day, there should be viour who is ready to help people in time of Missionary Volunteer Programme raised up in all those distant lands faithful need.

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