'Vol. 47 First Quarter, 1938 No. 1 THE THIRTEENTH SABBATH OFFERING OVERFLOW THIS QUARTER WILL GO TO THE MISSION FIELDS OF THE SOUTHERN EUROPEAN DIVISION TO HELP ESTABLISH TWO NEW MISSION STATIONS, ONE IN UBANGI-SHARI AND ONE IN FRENCH GUINEA Batouri Mission, French Cameroons. Chief and Councilors of Koba tribe requesting us to open new work in his territory. 2 MISSIONS QUARTERLY SABBATH, JANUARY 4 The Southern European Division Says THANK YOU ROBERT GERBER [Treasurer, Southern European Division] It is a real pleasure to say THANK and far. One little boy leaves home at YOU to our Sabbath school members dawn and, without watch or clock, gets around the world for the generous re- to school before 8:30 in the morning sponse to our plea for a new mission (nearly always on time), having walked station near Tamatave on the island of five miles to get there. After school he Madagascar during the fourth quarter of trudges the five miles home again and 1955. We should so much like to show repeats the operation the next day. Many each one of you around the plant that come from still farther away, but they has just mushroomed out of the dense are able to stay in the nearly completed virgin forest under the most remarkable dormitories. Many others are seen each and able direction of Brother H. Drou- morning coining in their little pirogues ault. To see what has been done in the (dugout canoes). short time since the heavy bulldozer You can be really proud of the $150,- first dug into the red soil that character- 000 mission station that your offerings izes the island, is to see nothing short helped to provide. The French govern- of a modern miracle of first magnitude. ment supplied a good share of this sum. Already standing as a witness of the lib- The government attached no strings to erality of our Sabbath school family and the money they gave us, and we are the blessing of God are two lovely dor- absolutely free to run the school after mitories for the boys and girls, a com- the Lord's own blueprint. The govern- fortable home for the missionary family, ment officials extend their thanks for and a chapel building. These combine to providing such an educational opportu- make a mission station that is a real nity for their people. We also thank credit to the Lord's work. Not only has each of you most sincerely for having Brother Drouault been both architect made this project possible. and builder, but he also ran the bull- For many years now we have received dozer through the virgin forest to make calls from Ubangi-Shari (u-bange-sha.% the roads necessary to reach the station. re) on the border of French Cameroon The plant now stands as a light on the near Batouri, and contacts have been hill to the surrounding community. established with some few believers in Although the construction work has Ubangi-Shari. They have expressed the occupied much of his time, Brother desire for some time now that an organ- Drouault has also gotten the school in ized work be established in their terri- operation to such an extent and in such a tory, and we feel that the time has come radius that its influence is felt both near to go ahead with this project. MISSIONS QUARTERLY 3 Four years ago when I visited Dakar The next day, when we went to com- in French West Africa, we already felt fort and encourage the parents, we found that the next forward move should be that the father and relatives had run to enter French Guinea in French West away, leaving the dead child and its Africa, not so very far south of Dakar. mother alone. It is thickly populated with heathen The mother refused any help. "I will people that have not been influenced too not live to hear that I am a mother of much so far by Islamism; so the work twins and to know that one child re- should be very much easier now than mains alive," she said. later, for the longer we wait the greater What this woman said stirred our the danger that they will fall a prey to hearts. We decided to accept the offer Mohammedanism, and then it would be made us the previous day, and took the much more difficult to reach them. remaining child. Our Lord says: "Verily We trust, therefore, that through our I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter done it unto one of the least of these we will be able to establish a mission my brethren, ye have done it unto me." station in both of these great centers of Matt. 25:40. unentered regions: One in Ubangi-Shari, The little girl is here on our Seventh- French Equatorial Africa and the other day Adventist mission compound to be in French Guinea, French West Africa. a witness to these people who live in gross darkness, who regard mothers of twins as defiled beings, and who never Should Twin Babies Be keep twin children alive. Left to Die? We sincerely solicit your prayers on R. MEZE behalf of this adopted daughter of the [Director, Aba Mission, East Nigeria] Lord. On the twentieth of November, 1951, a woman living near Ibibio gave birth SABBATH, JANUARY 11 to twin babies—a male and a female. The babies were kept unwashed for Our Great Need: A School four days. Then my wife and I arrived, R. ERDMANN heated some water, and had them [Director, French West African washed. Mission] The mother and the babies were I am thankful to God for the privi- shunned by the husband and the rela- lege He has given me of telling our Sab- tives. bath school members around the world After the babies had been bathed the about our great needs. father asked us to take them away. We At the time of the closing of the Suez were startled. Thinking that he was Canal, Dakar came to occupy a very perhaps just joking, we asked him why important place in the world. In this he offered the babies to us. He replied city of 200,000 we have begun the work that twin children were never kept alive for this great French West African ter- in their village. ritory, a region nine times larger than The babies had been so badly mis- all of France. From the very first we treated that the baby boy died that night. were aware that the Lord had placed 4 MISSIONS QUARTERLY His hand over the noble enterprise of Spirit, is the establishing of a school proclaiming the gospel to this last gen- where national workers may receive a eration. Have we not waited too long Christian education necessary to extend to execute the orders of our Master? the Word in our immense territory. Have we not let Satan get the advantage In connection with this institution we over us? Is it not time to awake and do have thought to establish a primary something to change this state of affairs? school also, in order to respond to a most As I see the masses of Moslems, my urgent need of the population of our city. heart breaks at the thought that they are Thousands of children cannot receive submerged in darkness; for in spite of instruction because of an insufficient their rites and ceremonies, their souls number of schools, and our initiative are not satisfied. Those who become en- would be enthusiastically received by lightened meet with such obstacles as to the government officials and the depart- human eyes seem insurmountable. They ment of education. Our educational sys- are black-listed, banned from their fam- tem based upon the everlasting princi- ilies and society, persecuted, deserted, ples of the Word of God has a profound pursued, in peril of life itself, if they influence on the children and produces take their stand to follow Jesus. a rich and abundant harvest. This is one It takes the faith of the martyrs and of the most effective ways in which to the heroism of a Daniel to confront these penetrate the Moslem world, and WE difficulties and to place their lives in the WILL BE RESPONSIBLE BEFORE hands of a Saviour who knows and un- GOD IF WE NEGLECT TO ENTER derstands their plight. The Lord has THIS DOOR THAT IS OPEN JUST given a promise: His Word will not re- NOW. turn unto Him void and without effect. Our work should be established also The gospel is the power of God, and it in the surrounding countries: French is placed at our disposal. Guinea, the French Sudan and others. Our first victory, God be praised, was How long must these people wait? the baptism of a young Moslem—first Should we not show the same spirit fruit of the harvest to follow. Persecu- that animated the Macedonian Chris- tions have not been spared him. Chased tians, who, even though extremely poor, from his home and abandoned, he took gave their hearts to God and then gath- up the work of spreading the printed ered donations so that new lights could page. Today he is in one of our schools be established in new places? to prepare himself to carry the gospel Remember in your prayers, and in to his countrymen. Brothers and sisters, your thirteenth Sabbath giving, the work are your hearts not filled with joy at the in French West Africa, that all may con- thought that your offerings have made tribute to the rapid completion of the such a salvation possible, and that others work of God in this dark corner of the can now hear the good news of a cruci- world.