HAVANA, CUBA, MAY 1945 
"The Grace of God Bringeth Salvation" * 
By W. H. BRANSON 
No. 5 
"Far the grace of God that bringeth salvation hash appeared to 
all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, 
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 
looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the 
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, 
that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself 
a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:11-14. 
I
N THE STUDY of this text we notice first 
that the grace of God has appeared unto 
all men. We recognize, of course, that sin 
has become universal. That man is in a lost 
condition. That all have sinned and come 
short of the glory of God. Sin is the great 
tragedy of this world. In fact, it is the only 
thing that is wrong with this world; for all 
the trouble and strife among nations, all the 
sorrow, all the heartache, all trouble of all 
kinds, and finally, death itself, are all here be-
cause of sin. Let me repeat: if it had not been 
for sin, nothing adverse would have ever hap-
pened in this world, or to any member of the 
human family. 
But sin has come, and it has cut us off from 
God. And of himself, man is without life, and 
without hope for the future, for he partook of 
sin of his own choice. And as far as he is con-
cerned, or any power that he may have, he is 
helpless, undone, lost! He is utterly beyond 
the possibility of doing anything to regain the 
place that he had in the beginning. Therefore, 
of himself, he is lost; hopelessly, eternally lost! 
Sin is likened to a great pit into which man 
has fallen, and from which he is unable to 
escape. It is also likened to a great gulf that 
separates man from God, for man has no 
A Condensed Report of an Address to Workers, Given Dur-
ing the Annual Meeting of the Division Committee in Havana, 
Cuba, on November 28, 1944. 
means of crossing that gulf. There are many 
illustrations in the Bible indicating that man 
has altogether separated himself from God. 
We know that Adam's sin affected not only 
himself, but all the human family; and we 
know that to the sins inherited from Adam, 
we have added our own sins. Therefore the 
sentence of eternal death has been passed upon 
all the human family. 
But our text says that God's grace brought 
man salvation. By pure grace, God came to 
man's rescue. There was no cause, or reason 
for His doing this; for man had become a 
rebel. He had forfeited all right to the good-
ness of his Creator. By grace, and by grace 
alone, God brought salvation to man. This is 
the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the very es-
sence of the plan of salvation; for the Word 
says that "while we were yet sinners, Christ 
died for us." Rom. 5:8. And again: "For by 
grace are ye saved, through faith; and that 
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of 
works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2 .8, 9. 
No one who is saved in the kingdom of 
God will ever have any reason or cause for 
boasting. For it will not be by anything that 
he is, or has done, or ever can do, that he is 
there. He will be there by the sheer gift of God 
in extending grace for the forgiveness of in-
herited and individual sin. Salvation, my 
friends, is the gift of God! 
Many of the texts to which we shall refer 
are familiar to us; but the thing I wish to 
emphasize this morning is that salvation is a 
gift to all those who will accept it. It is not 
forced upon any one. It is a gift. And I want 
:=1101WZMINCINIW- �
7.74111PCZWINC7IESWZMIOW„:=1111Ci,- 
2 �
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER �
May, 1945 
you to notice also that salvation is not 
sought or won. Not at all. It is brought 
to us by the grace of God. Salvation 
is not something that man can work 
out for himself. It is brought to him 
by the goodness of God. "Not of 
works, lest any man should boast." I 
am glad that Paul added that thought; 
for how prone human nature is to take 
the credit for whatever is worthy or 
commendable in his experience. If we 
are ever saved, my Brethren, it will be 
because of the pure grace of God. 
In the story of the prodigal son, and 
in the experiences and teachings of the 
Saviour during His ministry on this 
earth, we have illustrated again and 
again the infinite love of God for 
those who have rebelled against the 
government of heaven. Man is a rebel; 
yet God, through infinite grace, calls us 
friends, and claims us as his sons and 
daughters! Even the vilest sinner He 
is willing to accept, if that sinner will 
accept Christ as his Saviour, and by 
faith accept the forgiveness of his sins. 
But our heavenly Father does more 
than that. He not only accepts us, in 
the name of Christ, and forgives our 
sins, but He offers us eternal life as the 
substitute for eternal death, which is 
the heritage of every human being. The 
Father extends hope in place of despair. 
He gives beauty for ashes, and the oil 
of joy for the spirit of heaviness. It is 
impossible for us, with our poor, finite 
minds, to fathom this great goodness 
of God to man; yet, even if we cannot 
comprehend it, we can accept the gift, 
and become sharers of the eternal in-
heritance. 
When God sought to provide for the 
redemption of man, He found no easy 
way in which to do it. Man transgressed 
God's law, and the wages of sin is 
death. God's law could not be set aside, 
for that law is holy, and just, and good. 
It is the perfect law of liberty. The 
throne of God rests upon the unchange-
ableness of His divine law. And God 
had said that if man should eat of the 
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 
he should die. Therefore. any plan that 
God might make to bring salvation with-
in the reach of mankind. would of 
necessity include the forfeiture of life; 
for the death penalty had to be paid. 
The death of a man could not sub-
stitute for the life of the sinner. Angels 
could not fully represent the govern-
ment of God. or become surety for it. 
And the plan for the restoration of man 
required the reincarnation of man, and 
obedience in the sinful flesh of the 
human race, that a divine human obedi- 
ence might become the substitute for 
the disobedience that is ours. More-
over, the plan required that man's rep-
resentative be one with creative power, 
in order that He might restore the 
image of God, which man had lost at 
the fall. Man could not be modified, or 
changed, or made over in any way. He 
had to be recreated. Therefore a sub-
stitute for man had to be a being who 
is a •partaker of the character of God, 
who had creative power, who could rep-
resent the government of God, and 
who could represent man in his earthly 
flesh. There was only One in all the 
universe of God who could meet those 
requirements, and that was the Son of 
God. 
So Christ came to this world, and 
lived in the flesh. He became subject 
to the same temptations that man is 
subject to, and He represented the law 
and the government of the Eternal 
during His earthly ministry, just as He 
ALL POWER IN HIM 
(Col. 1:19) 
Power to keep the law of God. 
Power to be kind in the home. 
Power to live like Christ. 
Power to triumph over death. 
Power to become sons of God. 
He is all and in all. 
We are saved by His death. 
We are transformed by His life. 
And He says to each of us: 
"My son, give Me thine heart." 
W. H. BRANSON. 
does in the courts of heaven. But there 
is one other qualification that I think 
we sometimes overlook in our study of 
the plan of salvation. The representa-
tive of God's law, who should stand be-
tween God and man, as it were, must 
also be someone who had the power 
to bestow eternal life. Here again we 
have pointed out that man's substitute 
must be a member of the Godhead,—
One who is equal with God,—even His 
beloved Son. 
The great truth,—the mystery of sal-
vation, is all summed up in the beau-
tiful words: "God so loved the world, 
that He gave His only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in Him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life." 
John 3:16. 
In this connection I recall a beautiful 
statement in the Spirit of prophecy 
which tells us that God would have 
done this,—risked all heaven for the 
sins of mankind,—would have given His 
only Son to save men from the pit into 
which he had fallen, if there had been 
only one person on earth to be saved! 
When I come to the place where I 
fully understand that I am that one 
person, it helps me to understand some-
thing of the love of God. It helps me to 
put a new value upon human life. In 
God's dealings with Abraham we have 
illustrated again, the great truth that 
God, Himself, is the One who provided 
for man's salvation; and Abraham spoke 
a prophetic answer to Isaac's ques-
tion when he said: "God will provide 
Himself a Lamb." Indeed. "The Lamb 
of God, which taketh away the sin of 
the world." John 1:29. • 
Man has no claim to the goodness of 
God. He has nothing to pay. There 
is nothing that he can do for God. 
There is no possible means by which 
he can merit consideration from a holy 
God. The story of the two debtors 
aptly illustrates the impossibility of 
man's ever doing anything to redeem 
himself from the pit into which he has 
fallen because of sin. It is true that 
one may be a greater debtor than an-
other; but both are in the same position 
before God. They cannot save them-
selves; and their only hope is in the 
goodness of God. 
And, my friends, this is as true of 
men and women today, as it ever was, 
for we are born under sin, we are carnal, 
sinful beings; and there is nothing that 
we can do to change our ways before 
God, or to merit salvation. And yet, 
if we come to Him in faith, if we ac-
cept the life of the Son of God as our 
substitute before the tribunal of heaven. 
if we receive Him, we are accepted of 
God, and made sharers of the eternal 
inheritance, and are counted as sons 
and daughters of God. 
I thank God that He has made pro-
vision for the weakness of sinful flesh. 
I thank Him for what He has done for 
me! I can do nothing but come to 
Him in faith. "In my hand no price I 
bring. Simply to Thy cross I cling!" 
An Important Announcement 
WITH THE MAY ISSUE of the 
MESSENGER we begin the task of con-
densing the excellent information that 
comes to us concerning our field, to 
the Committee-prescribed limitations 
of eight pages of printed material each 
month instead of twelve, as heretofore. 
Obviously this is quite an undertaking; 
and we hereby invite the serious co-
operation of all our contributors to the 
May, 1945 �
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER 
end of presenting approximately two-
thirds the amount of material formerly 
required. 
This move is made in the interests of 
economy as well as because of war-time 
restrictions; and we believe our con-
tributors will be glad to keep in mind 
when writing, that words are at very 
much of a premium these days, and will 
endeavor to make each sentence a clear-
cut and direct means to the end of ex-
pressing the most possible, with the 
fewest possible words. If we all keep 
this objective in mind, we believe the 
task can be performed; and, as those 
who handle your good manuscripts 
month by month, we thank you most 
sincerely for further efforts in the in-
terests of brevity of expression. 
In the April issue we printed the 
cream of the material presented in the 
annual reports of the superintendents 
of three of our union fields; and in the 
May issue we shall endeavor to do the 
same for the other three unions; namely, 
Central America, Colombia-Venezuela, 
and Mexico. We believe you will enjoy 
these reports as much as we enjoyed 
them when they were presented at the 
time of the Division Committee meet-
ing in Havana, Cuba, in late November 
and early December, 1944. 
E. A. J. 
Central American 
Union Mission 
Superintendent �
 N. H. KINZER 
Secretary-Treasurer & Auditor , . H. L. HIGGINS 
Postal Address: Apartado 1059, San Jose, 
Costa Rica, Central America 
AintaMiliKZAIIIWTr" 
Highlights of the Superinten-
dent's Annual Report 
BY NOEL H. KINZER 
Of the many flags on display here this 
morning in the Division office, it ap-
pears that one-half represent various 
countries within the territory of the 
Central American Union Mission; and, 
by the way, our union comprises prac-
tically one-third of the territory of In-
ter-America, so you can see that our 
task is one of considerable importance. 
To evangelize Central America was 
the goal set by the workers gathered in 
San Jose, Costa Rica, at the time of 
our recent union session and Evan-
gelists' Council, and it was agreed that 
this was to be brought about by giving 
priority to prayer and Bible study. As 
you listen to this report, I believe you 
\ ill recognize that through the grace of 
God the workers in Central America 
are accomplishing their goal; for we 
have a most loyal and co-operative 
group of men and women as leaders, 
and they have all worked hard during 
1944. This is also true of our church 
members all through the field, for it is 
due to their co-operation and faithful 
work that we are able to report the 
good results thus far attained. 
Political Unrest 
Several countries in Central America 
have suffered revolutions during the 
past year, and quite naturally these 
have taken their toll in the interruption 
of our work. One of our church build-
ings was perforated from all sides and 
from above by machine gun bullets. One 
of our church members lost his life upon 
leaving the building, as he endeavored 
to arrive home during the revolution. 
But in the three countries most af-
fected, the difficulty died down long 
enough for our workers to hold some 
evangelistic efforts and to launch and 
complete the Ingathering Campaign. 
Then trouble started again. But in spite 
of all this we have much to be thankful 
for, and 1944 has proved to be the most 
prosperous year in the history of our 
work, in practically every line of en-
deavor. This includes financial items 
as well as gains in membership, and in 
other lines of denominational activity. 
Public Evangelism 
While we can report for only the first 
ten months of the year, as later reports 
are not yet in hand, we are glad to 
observe that 18 major public efforts 
have already been completed, and that 
eight others are in progress. Many of 
these efforts have been held in places 
heretofore unentered. Thirteen new 
churches and companies have been or-
ganized, and several have been strength-
ened as the result of these efforts. Other 
similar results will be effected before 
the close of the year. 
Elder Peter Nygaard and Brother 
Alfredo Lutz held an effort in Comaya-
guela, a new city just across the river 
from Tegucigalpa, and as a result, some 
25 souls have been baptized. 
Brethren Daniel Moncada and Miguel 
Cerna recently held an effort in El 
Progreso, Honduras, which is also a new 
place, and a large Sabbath school has 
been organized, and there will be a 
baptism before the close of the year. 
Elder R. G. Jones, together with 
Eduardo Revelo and Ruben Ruiz, held 
an effort in the early part of the year 
in the fanatical city of Leon, Nicaragua; 
and they expect to organize a church 
there soon. 
Elder Orley Ford, and our blind 
preacher, Gonzalo Gonzalez, held an ef-
fort in Puntarenas, the port for San-
Jose, on the Pacific Coast, and already 
20 have been baptized, while a number 
of others are still in the baptismal class. 
One of the most outstanding efforts 
during the year was the one held by 
Elder R. T. Rankin, in Port Limon, 
Costa Rica, for the English-speaking 
people of that area. Fifty-two were 
first reported from this effort, then the 
number grew to 76, and a possible 
thirty more will take their stand before 
the close of the year, bringing the fruit-
age from that effort to well over a hun-
dred souls. It is needless to say that this 
good increase will greatly strengthen 
our church in that place. 
Elder Samuel Farrell, the Panama 
Conference evangelist, and his helpers, 
entered Colon, Panama, and held a most 
successful effort for the English-speak-
ing people of that area. The effort was 
held in a large tent, and the, baptism 
was conducted at the beach. It was 
reported that 4,000 people witnessed 
the baptismal ceremony while 91 per-
sons were baptized into church fellow-
ship. We believe this is the largest 
baptismal service ever held in Central 
America; but the total fruitage of the 
effort reached 145, and a new church 
of 165 members has now been or-
ganized, thus giving us three churches 
in the city of Colon. 
Vision for the Work 
After such a recital of evangelistic 
work, it is scarcely necessary to say 
that our workers in Central America 
have caught a new vision, and are de-
termined to carry the message to all 
the unentered territories of our field. 
Much of this is being done through 
public evangelism; and this is the way 
in which we are instructed to labor. 
(See "Gospel Workers," p. 52, Old Ed.) 
"If we extend over as much ground as 
we can possibly occupy to advantage, 
going in every direction to raise up new 
companies of believers," the Lord will 
abundantly bless our efforts in the win-
ning of souls. 
Various Features of Progress 
The work of our lay preachers in 
Central America is most commendable, 
for they also have caught the vision 
of the finishing of God's work in the 
earth, and are holding offorts here and 
there, and bringing people to a knowl-
edge of the truth. Their work is par- 
ticularly appreciated because they must 
carry on their missionary work in ad-
dition to their regular work of earning 
a living for their families. We thank 
God for the faithfulness of the laymen 
of the movement! 
We have 31 very active Dorcas Socie-
ties throughout the Union, and these 
groups have distributed approximately 
20,000 pieces of clothing to the needy 
during the year. In several cases the 
local newspapers have taken special no-
tice of their activities, for this good 
work is appreciated by the public gener-
ally. One society has prepared bandages 
for the Red Cross; another has dis-
tributed large sacks of food to the poor 
of the district; and still another is very 
active in general missionary endeavor. 
We have a most active membership in 
Central America; but are sadly in need 
of a union Home Missionary secretary 
to lead our forces into the most ef-
fective type of soul winning endeavor. 
Our Ingathering work has also been 
greatly prospered of God so that the 
returns exceed those of any previous 
year; and best of all, the major re-
sponsibility of the campaign has been 
carried by the churches themselves. 
Church school students, academy young 
people, and singing bands from among 
the churches, have all joined in the 
effort to provide funds for the develop-
ment of the work. Many donors have 
doubled their gifts; and in one instance 
a company increased its offering from 
$15.00 to $200.00. 
The Voice of Prophecy 
We are now on the air over ten 
stations in Central America, having re-
cently added "The Voice of Guatemala," 
two new stations in Panama, and two 
in Honduras. At the end of the first 
ten months we had an enrolment of 
3,500 in "Radio Escuela Postal," and 
already 150 have finished the Bible 
course and have received certificates. 
Several have been baptized. and many 
other interests are being followed up. 
We could tell numerous stories of in-
terest that have come to us through 
this means of evangelism; but space 
forbids. However, we believe that the 
radio is one of those means referred to 
in the instruction given many years ago, 
when Sister White told us that "means 
will be devised to reach hearts. Some 
of the methods used in this work will 
be different from the methods used in 
the work in the past; but let no one, 
because of this, block the way by 
criticism."—Review and Herald, Sept. 
30, 1902. 
Our Educational Work 
Our union academy near San Jose, 
has the largest enrolment this year that 
it has ever enjoyed. With 140 students 
attending, we find our two dormitories, 
the dining room, and the class rooms, 
taxed to capacity. In fact, it will be 
necessary for us to do some building 
without delay. 
We are very happy to be able to re-
port that with the exception of two or 
three, all of the graduates of the 
academy are employed in the organized 
ork. We are now stressing especially 
the normal work, for we need teachers 
for the church schools that are growing 
up here and there. In fact, we are 
operating 37 elementary schools already; 
but with 108 churches, there should be 
many more. We must provide teachers 
to care for these pressing needs, and 
initiate plans that will encourage am-
bitious young people to devote their 
talents to this branch of the Lord's 
work. 
Our educational project in Panama is 
also a growing concern. Although we 
have no buildings for the accommoda-
tion of an academy, we are carrying on 
at night, using the church school build-
ing for the one hundred and more 
students who have already undertaken 
their secondary education. Plans for 
the new buildings are taking shape; but 
it will be some time before we can 
meet the needs of our young people of 
Panama, in the way they ought to be 
met. We have the Panama Academy up 
on our hearts, and thank God, and our 
brethren for the provision thus far 
made for this institution. Professor 
Wheeler and Mr. Henriquez are con-
ducting the school under handicaps, and 
are anxiously awaiting the time when 
better facilities can be made available. 
I recently visited the island of Guana-
ja, of the Bay Islands group, of Hon-
duras, where Brother Elden Ford is con-
ducting a most interesting school, but 
with very limited facilities. However, 
the surroundings have taken on the 
atmosphere of a school, and more than 
SO students are enrolled. This is al-
ready a three-teacher school; and if 
we had the necessary facilities, we could 
increase the enrolment to 150 almost 
immediately. In fact, it seems that we 
should look forward to making the Bay 
Islands school a Junior Academy in the 
near future. 
Other Items of Interest 
Our Missionary Volunteer work dove- 
tails with educational and other lines of 
departmental endeavor; for we have a 
SSENGER �
May, 1945 
very energetic army of young people in 
Central America, and thank God for the 
place they are taking in the develop-
ment of the organized work. Of the 
2291 young people in the union, more 
than 1,000 have been invested during 
the last year and a half. 
Our Sabbath school work is another 
unit of satisfaction, for our membership 
has contributed generously, having given 
more than $32,500.00 to the cause dur-
ing the first nine months of the year, 
and having conducted many branch 
Sabbath schools as well, a number of 
these having been organized as the re-
sult of colporteur work. 
Elder F. W. Steeves, our Publishing 
Department secretary, is active in the 
leadership of his faithful army, and 
they are doing a noble work for God 
through literature ministry. In the last 
seven and a half years our coiporteurs 
have sold more than $200,000.00 worth 
of literature, and half of that amount 
has been sold during the last two and 
a half years. Deliveries have been good, 
and many souls have been won as a 
result of this phase of our work. 
Our needs in the field are many; but 
our courage is good, and we thank God 
for His evident blessings upon our feeble 
efforts, and take courage for the future 
of the work in Central America. 
.411W-M
. 
Colombia - Venezuela 
Union Mission 
Superintendent �
 W. A. BERGHERM 
Secretary-Treas. and Auditor A �
 P. CHRISTIANSEN 
Postal Address: Apartado 39, Medellin, 
Colombia, South America 
Our Work in the Colombia-
Venezuela Union 
BY W. A. BERGHERM 
The Colombia-Venezuela Union Mis-
sion is located on the mainland of South 
America, with the exception of the island 
territory making up the Curacao group 
of the Netherlands West Indies. It is 
the largest union in the Division as far 
as territory is concerned, and stands 
second in the number of inhabitants, 
for approximately 14,000,000 people 
live within its boundaries. If placed in 
the United States, this union would 
occupy all of the territory east of the 
Mississippi, from Maine clear down to 
Florida, with the exception of a small 
tip of the southern portion of Florida. 
The union is divided into four local 
missions, and we have a most loyal and 
earnest corps of workers and church 
4 �
INTER- AMERICAN DIVISION ME 
May, 1945 �
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER �
5 
members to carry on the work which is 
still in its infancy. 
Adventists are fairly well known in 
the great Republics of Colombia and 
Venezuela, and we wish that some of 
the publicity given us through the pub-
lic press were more to our liking, al-
though we believe that man can do 
nothing to hinder the work of God on 
this earth. We thank God for the faith-
fulness of our workers, even under ad-
verse circumstances, and invite your 
prayers constantly, in their behalf, as 
they continue their labors of love in the 
winning of souls for the kingdom of 
heaven. 
Membership Gains 
During 1942, there were 230 persons 
baptized in this union. In 1943, there 
were 255; while our church member-
ship for the union at the close of 1943. 
stood at 2,836. At the close of the 
third quarter of 1944 there were 181 
baptisms reported, as compared with 
171 for the same period of 1943. We 
wish our gain had been greater, but in 
view of the fact that our union evan-
gelistic group was unable to function 
this year, we are grateful for the small 
increase that is evident: 
Financial Progress 
Our tithe for the year 1943 was the 
highest in our history in this union; and 
for the first nine months of the present 
year the tithes amounted to $57,632.73 
(pesos) as compared with $45,177.13 
(pesos) for the same period of 1943. 
This is most encouraging to us. The of-
ferings also reveal a good gain over 
those of former records. 
Departmental Activities 
We are happy to be able to report 
something more aggressive in the de-
partmental work this year. During the 
latter part of 1943 Elder L. L. Reile 
and family arrived from the United 
States to serve in the leadership of the 
Home Missionary, the Educational, and 
the Missionary Volunteer Departments. 
After six months of language study, 
Elder Reile entered upon his work with 
enthusiasm. His work is proving a 
valuable addition to our work. 
We appreciate the help of Elders W. 
A. Butler and Wesley Amundsen, in 
leading our church membership to work 
for their neighbors and friends. In 
fact, our laity became so enthusiastic, 
and raised up so many local interests, 
that our workers were unable to keep 
up with them, and were obliged to tell 
them to hold steady for a time. This 
merely suggests what can be done in 
some of these seemingly difficult lands, 
by the right approach, and the co-opera-
tion of our lay members. One man be-
gan to work for others before he him-
self was baptized; and, being an in-
fluential employer, began to pass on the 
studies that he was receiving in the 
baptismal class, to his workmen. After 
this man was baptized, his zeal in-
creased, and he called in others; and 
when Elder Martinez visited this place 
he found that a Sabbath school had 
been organized, and a group of more 
than one hundred people were ready to 
hear him present the message. 
Ingathering Returns 
Each year our Ingathering results 
grow larger. The amount reported to 
date for 1944 is over 19,000 pesos. 
When all the figures are in for the year, 
we believe this amount will reach 20,000 
pesos or nearly $12,000.00. Our re-
turns for 1943 amounted to $9,878.00 
(U.S.). 
FM- the first time, singing band work 
was successfully employed in the cities 
of Barranquilla and Cali, Colombia. 
Academy students joined in the work, 
and gave valuable help, raising over five 
hundred pesos; and double that amount 
was raised in the city of Medellin, 
which is by far the largest amount yet 
raised in that place. But the little mis-
sion of Curacao carried off the honors 
for the union. The latest information 
we received from them they had raised 
approximately $3,525.00. We think this 
is a most excellent record. 
Other Departmental Work 
During the first nine months of 1944, 
170 young people were invested in the 
Progressive classes, thirteen of this 
number being Master Comrades. Last 
year scarcely anything was done to 
foster the reading courses and other 
activities of the Missionary Volunteer 
Department, so the following few figures 
represent complete gains in the items 
listed: 
47 Received Bible Year Certificates 
431 Received Reading Course Certificates 
173 Received Vocational Honor Certificates 
13 Received Study and Service League Certificates 
We feel that this is a splendid accom-
plishment, and are looking forward with 
much confidence to the time when our 
lay members, both young and old, will 
do a mighty work in the fields of the 
Colombia-Venezuela Union. They are 
only waiting to be organized and led 
into active service. We have already 
seen how readily they resnond, and 
what might be accomplished with just 
a little more help. Our departmental 
work must have greater attention and 
leadership in the future than it has had 
thus far. 
The Educational Department 
Our union academy is enjoying its 
largest attendance this year. There are 
just one hundred students enrolled in 
the academic course, and thirty in the 
primary department. We also had our 
largest graduating class this year, those 
receiving diplomas numbering 14, among 
which group are several promising work-
ers. 
Strong ministerial training work has 
been done during the year by W. E. 
Baxter, Jr., who developed an enthusias-
tic class of 19 young people, two of 
this number being young women, pre-
paring for Bible work. As a part of 
their training they were given field 
work, which was a source of great en-
couragement to them, and a blessing to 
the field as well. 
The Radio Department 
The radio work is another valuable 
medium of getting the messages before 
the people of our territory. At present 
we have three radio stations in Colom-
bia and one in Venezuela. We have 
tried to engage others, but so far have 
not been successful. The three we al-
ready have, are located in the three 
most liberal cities of the republic; 
namely, Bogota, Barranquilla, and Cali. 
There has been some opposition, na-
turally, but so far the broadcasts con-
tinue. Many wonderful contacts have 
come to us through the radio work, and 
it is not difficult for us to realize that 
this branch of our work has become an 
important medium for the proclamation 
of the truth. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, 
business men, government officials, and 
in fact, people of all walks of life are 
among those taking the correspondence 
course. Though our work is young in 
,this field, we have 1,221 enrollees in the 
Bible course, and a number are already 
in baptismal classes preparing for 
church membership. 
The Publishing Work 
Under the leadership of Brother Ra-
fael Fleitas, our colporteur work has 
shown a fine gain over the same period 
of last year, and we expect the total sales 
for 1944 to exceed anything thus far ac-
complished in this union mission. Dur-
ing the vacation of 1942-1943, student 
colporteurs earned 18% scholarships; 
but during the last vacation period, 
1943-1944, there were 35% scholarships 
earned,—almost double those of the 
former period. We believe our field has 
AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER �
May, 1945 
6 �
INTER- 
the record for the entire Division in 
this phase of the work. Brother Enrique 
Elizabeth, of the Curacao Mission, 
earned seven scholarships during last 
vacation period; and we feel that this 
excellent record is worthy of special 
mention. 
General Remarks 
We are grateful to our brethren of 
the General Conference and of the Divi-
sion, for their sympathetic support of 
our work. We appreciate the additions 
to our working force in the Colombia-
Venezuela Union during the past year, 
and we thank God for the inspiration 
that their coming brings to the thin 
line of workers already in the field. As 
we survey the needs of this union we 
are staggered at the enormity of the task 
that lies before us, realizing that it is 
beyond the power of men to accomplish 
it. Yet we know that God will finish 
the work, and cut it short in righteous-
ness, using many of the "thousand 
ways" that may be unkonwn to us. 
Yet it seems to us that if we are ever 
to do the work Heaven expects us to do 
in the Colombia-Venezuela Union, we 
must accompany the evangelistic work 
with the medical. We teach and preach 
this, but while we are talking about it, 
the other protestant denominations are 
making heavy investments in Colombia, 
and are doing a strong medical work. 
They are stealing a march upon us by 
sending out their nurses and winning 
the hearts of the people. 
At the present time the party in 
power is favorable to our work, and 
there is no difficulty in getting permis-
sion for foreign workers to enter the 
country, but we cannot say how much 
longer this may continue. May the 
Lord help us to step into the openings 
now available before it is forever too 
late. 
_e- 
Selections From the Annual 
Report of the Mexican 
Union Mission 
By HAROLD F. HOUSE 
Two years ago, at the time of the 
annual meeting of the Division Com-
mittee, we announced that 1942 was the 
banner year for our work in Mexico. 
Last year I stated that 1943 was a his-
toric year; and now I can truthfully de-
clare that 1944 has been an eventful 
year indeed in our field. 
January.—We started the year by 
promoting, as never before, the work 
of our welfare and dorcas societies. 
There is sufficient evidence that the idea 
of helping the poor and needy in Mexi-
co is becoming popular in many of our 
churches, and is proving a strength to 
the work as a whole. Our welfare socie-
ty in Monterrey has imported thousands 
of articles of clothing from societies in 
the United States, and has made good 
use of them, under the direction of 
Elder and Mrs. C. E. Moon. 
Another item that is deserving of 
mention is the fact that Dr. Bralliar, of 
Madison College, spent several weeks at 
our Agricultural and Industrial School, 
with the result that we now have many 
new and useful trees to adorn the cam-
pus and to provide fruit when they 
come into bearing. 
During the sojourn of Elder Roth at 
the school, the grounds were improved 
considerably, as well as the internal 
machinery of this organization. We ap-
preciate his efforts more than words can 
tell. 
February.—During this month Dr. 
W. H. Teesdale, of the General Con-
ference Department of Education, vis-
ited the school, and stopped in Mon-
terrey to give counsel in relation to our 
educational work, which was more than 
appreciated. And it was during the 
second month also, that some property 
adjustments in front of our school were 
effected; and late in February a union 
'olporters' institute was held in Mexico 
City under the direction of W. R. Mul-
holland, and with the assistance of Eld-
ers Blunden, McAdams and Cone; and 
local workers as well. This meeting was 
a great success, being the largest gather-
ing of its kind ever held in Mexico. The 
inspiration of that meeting, the reports 
of work already done, and the plans 
that were laid for the future of our 
literature work, are bound to have a 
lasting effect upon the work in this 
union. 
March.—Our annual meeting of the 
union leaders was celebrated during the 
month of March, this session also being 
held in Mexico City, and being favored 
by the attendance of General Confer-
ence, Division, and Pacific Press coun-
sellors. By that time the new Chiapas 
Mission was functioning as a separate 
organization, and the new director, 
Brother Vicente Rodriguez, was with 
us during the meetings in Mexico City. 
Dr. I. S. Ritchie, of Riverside, Cali-
fornia. arrived during the meeting, and 
gave valuable help in planning for the 
future of our medical work in Mexico. 
As we look to the future, our hearts are 
full of courage, for we can recognize 
the hand of God leading in the develop-
ment of this phase of the program. 
April and May.—During the latter 
part of April Brother Alvaro Sauza and 
I left Guadalajara, and traveled to Lo-
ma Linda, California, to meet with 
Elder Calkins, and the other members 
of the Latin-American Radio Commis-
sion, in the interests of our radio pro-
gram; and during the month of May 
Brother Sauza did his first work in re-
cording special lectures on health topics 
and home interests, for use in Mexico. 
 
This work was done at the Voice of 
Prophecy studios in southern California. 
June and July.—June was the month 
when Brother Ernest Sanders and his 
family visited Mexico, and we were in-
deed grateful for his sincere effort to 
help us with the many problems con-
nected with our work. We greatly ap-
preciate his practical and timely as-
sistance. 
In July, Elder Branson, Elder and 
Mrs. Calkins, Elders Bradley, Amund-
sen, Whitsett, and some others, also 
visited our field, and gave valuable help 
in connection with the meetings that 
were held during their stay. Our church 
in Monterrey especially appreciated the 
help of these brethren, and the good 
counsel and instruction which they gave. 
August.—The session held in August 
was well attended, with delegates from 
all over Mexico; and it was followed 
by an Evangelistic Institute and a Gen-
eral Workers' Institute. Strong work 
was done during these institutes, and 
excellent instruction was given our 
forces in this field, which will result in 
the building up of mission interests in 
the days to come. These extraordinary 
meetings were climaxed by the first Na- 
DIVISION DIRECTORY 
GLENN CALKINS �
- �
- �
- �
- �
President 
C. L. TORREY - 
Secretary-Trea.turer & Auditor 
E. R. SANDERS �
- - Asst. Secretary-Treasurer 
R. B. CALDWELL �
 Cashier 
DEPARTMENTAL SECRETARIES 
D. A. McAmtms �
 Publishing 
A. H. ROTH - - - Educational, Missionary 
Volunteer and Home Commission 
WESLEY AMUNDSEN �
- 
Home Missionary 
and Sabbath School 
ROBERT M. WHITSET1 �
- Radio Department 
and Ministerial Association 
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER 
C. L. TORREY, Editor, 
GLENN CALKINS Associate Editor 
EFEIE A. JAMES, Assistant Editor 
Published monthly as the Official Organ of the 
Inter-American Division Conference of Seventh-
day Adventists, Box 50, General Peraza, Havana, 
Cuba. 
Price: 50 cents a year 
Entered at Cristobal, Canal Zone, as second-class 
matter under the Act of Congress of March 3, 
1879. Printed at Cristobal, Canal Zone, Isthmus 
of Panama. 
VOL. XXII �
MAY 1945 �
No. 5 
May, 1945 �
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER �
7 
tional Youth's Congress ever to be held 
in Mexico. This important gathering 
was presided over by C. Lester Bond, 
of the General Conference staff, and A. 
H. Roth of the Division Missionary 
Volunteer Department. Each of our 
six missions were represented during this 
meeting by the attendance of youthful 
delegates, all of them stalwart and 
faithful in the Adventist faith. 
The Youth's Congress was really a 
great event for our young people, and 
will mean much to the building up of 
Educational and Missionary Volunteer 
interests all through the Mexican Union 
Mission. 
Following the Congress, Elders Roth, 
Bond, Amundsen and Moon, with the 
assistance of our local men, conducted 
a very timely Convention for Depart-
mental secretaries; and a little later the 
group divided and went to other parts 
of the field. We especially appreciate 
the help of Elder Bond and Dr. M. L. 
Rice, and the excellent instruction they 
gave to our workers during the session 
and the other meetings which followed. 
September.—During the month of 
September we found it necessary to 
make frequent trips from Monterrey. 
our union headquarters, out to Monte-
morelos, where our training school is 
located. In fact, for a time it was nec-
essary for me to be in charge of the 
school until help came from the Divi-
sion, in the arrival of Elder and Mrs. 
Roth who then took over responsibility 
of leadership at the school. This emer-
gency assistance was greatly appre-
ciated, and has meant much to the edu-
cational program we are endeavoring to 
carry on for the young people of Mexi-
co. 
The Whitsett family also visited us 
during September, in the interest of 
plans for our radio work in this field. 
We appreciate this phase of the work 
in particular. for we believe it will solve 
many problems in reaching the people 
with the truth that we represent. 
It was during September, also. that 
the sad word came to us by telephone, 
of the accident that came to our co-
worker and friend, Brother Laurence 
Breitigam, while he was traveling from 
Mexico City back to Montemorelos by 
bus. In spite of all that could be done 
for him, he passed to his rest during 
the night of September 19, and was laid 
to rest in the Adventist lot of the Civil 
Cemetery in Mexico City. We shall 
miss our brother greatly, for he was 
fully consecrated to the work, and was 
faithful in his efforts for the people of 
this great republic. 
September proved to be a month of 
tragedy for other reasons. Ten of the 
largest states of Mexico were hit by 
cyclone, tornadoes, and severe floods. 
The railroad service was interrupted 
for days, all over the country; and 
newspapers reported that the estimated 
loss to the railroads alone amounted to 
more than $3,000,000.00. Although the 
Gulf states suffered the most stagger- 
NOTICE 
WANTED VERY MUCH 
The Division office Library desires to 
procure the following copies of the 
Inter-American Division Messenger for 
binding and permanent reference. Any-
one who has even a single copy of those 
listed, is requested to get in touch with 
us promptly, stating just what he has; 
or better still, sending copies to us at 
an early date. This co-operative assist-
ance will be much appreciated. Here is 
the list: 
Vol. I, No. 1 (April, 1924) 
Vol. II, No. 12 (December, 1925) 
Vol. III, Nos. 3, 5, 10 (1926) 
Vol. IV, Nos. 3, 4, 5, 10 (1927) 
Vol. V, Nos. 1, 2. 3, 8, 10 (1928) 
Vol. VI, Whole Volume Missing- 
13 issues—two in February (1929) 
Vol. VII, Whole Volume Missing-- 
13 issues—two in February (1930) 
Vol. VIII, No. 7 wanted (1931) 
Vol. X. Nos. 6, 7 (1933) 
Vol XI. No. 5 wanted (1934) 
And we also desire to procure missing 
copies of El Mensajero, as follows: 
Vol. I, No. 1 (January, 1927) 
Vol. II, No. 9 (September, 1928) 
Vol. III, No. 2 (February, 1929) 
Vol. VII,—Nos. 1-12 (January to 
December, 1934) 
Vol. IX,—Nos. 1-12 (January to 
December, 1935) 
Vol. X,—Nos. 1-12 ((January to 
December, 1936) 
Vol. XIV, No. 12 (July 1, 1937) 
Vol. XV,—Nos. 2, 8, 10, (Jan. 15, 
April 15, May 15, 1938) 
Vol. XXI, No 8 (August, 1944) 
ing losses, the inland state of Chihuahua 
was smitten with untold destruction. 
In that one state alone, more than 4,500 
persons were left homeless. Crops in 
some parts were almost totally des-
troyed, and thousands of head of cattle 
perished. It was reported that a cer-
tain large section of Veracruz, would 
probably be left without any children, 
because of the high mortality resulting 
from the spread of disease in the wake 
of the storm. One paper stated that 
any description of this tragedy would 
be pale before the facts of raw reality. 
These "natural occurrences" affected 
our own people to a considerable degree, 
for hundreds of Adventist families were 
left without food, clothing, or shelter; 
and since their own crops had been 
totally destroyed it was necessary to 
provide some relief from mission re-
sources. This help has been greatly ap-
preciated, although many are still suf-
fering keenly from their severe losses. 
But we thank God for their spirit of 
courage, and that He has spared the 
lives of our people in the midst of this 
widespread calamity. 
October.—During this month Brother 
and Sister Robert Aragon arrived in 
Montemorelos from Los Angeles to join 
us in the Mexican Union, Brother Ara-
gon to continue his medical training, 
and Mrs. Aragon to connect with the 
union staff, as English stenographer. 
In October Brother and Sister Roth 
came to connect with the school for a 
time, and, as mentioned in earlier para-
graphs, their assistance in our educa-
tional program was, and is, greatly ap-
preciated; and when the time came for 
them to return to their work in Havana, 
they left behind many new friends, and 
a host of grateful hearts, because of 
the noble and efficient service rendered 
during their sojourn with us. 
November is proving to be an event-
ful month for a number of reasons. The 
interests of the work call for attention 
in many places,—and often at the same 
time. Another reason why November 
is usually a difficult time, is that bud-
gets for travel are usally growing slim, 
and it becomes a real problem to finish 
up the year's work and still remain with-
in our financial limitations. Most of 
the union staff were at home at least 
a part of this month; and committee 
meetings were held, and plans laid for 
the work of the remainder of the year. 
One of the most important events 
connected with our work during No-
vember was the inauguration of the sec-
ond National Book Fair in Mexico City. 
Brother A. J. CalderOn, who is in 
charge of our "Agencia," worked hard, 
and supervised the preparations for 
our exhibit. The display of our books 
and periodicals this year was far more 
attractive than that of last year; and 
since the President of Mexico had him-
self inaugurated the fair, Brother Max 
Trevifio was ready with two beautifully 
leather-bound books with the President's 
- 8 �
INTER- AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER �
May, 1945 
name embossed in gold letters. These 
he presented to the President in the 
midst of the pressing crowds, as they 
passed by our stand. These books were 
prepared as a special gift from the Mex-
ican Union Mission. 
December.—At the time of writing 
this report, December has not yet ar-
rived; but we all recognize the last 
month of the year as the month of 
"asking." When we see that our money 
is gone, and the needs are still staring 
us in the face, there is nothing we can 
do but to seek further support for the 
work committed to our care. And if 
I should fail to plead for our work in 
Mexico, I know that I should betray 
the trust with which our six local mis-
sions have charged Brother Salazar and 
myself, in coming to the Division meet-
ing. 
And if I should list our most urgent 
needs only, and press those demands, 
it is certain that I should be considered 
a most importunate person indeed. The 
best we can do is to place our requests 
before the brethren, when the needs 
of other parts of the Division are also 
considered, and then let us prayerfully 
and carefully study through our pro-
blems seeking the guidance of our heav-
enly Father for the work that lies be-
fore us. 
There are many features of the work, 
and many projects that we are unable 
to mention at his time; but we thank 
God for the good results that are evi-
dent all through the Mexican Union 
Mission, and for the many blessings 
that He has given us. For the souls 
won, for the support provided, and for 
the encouragement that comes to our 
own hearts, as we see the work of God 
nearing its close in all the world field, 
we give thanks to the Lord of the har-
vest, and seek Him for guidance for 
the task that lies before us in the Mexi-
can Republic. -e- 
In the day of final reckoning, when 
the records of eternity are made up, 
there will be one outstanding fact in 
evidence; and that will be the number 
of souls saved as a result of the produc-
tion and circulation of truth-filled litera-
ture. Undoubtedly the greatest single 
helper the living preacher has in the 
great work of soul winning is the use 
of the printed page. It is impossible 
to over-estimate the value and far-reach-
ing influence of the publications that 
expound the the truths of God's word. 
—J. L. McElhany. 
BY RUTH CONARD 
+ Early in February, the Division men 
began to return to the headquarters of-
fice from their winter trips through the 
field. Elder Whitsett was the first to 
arrive, reaching Havana on February 2, 
returning from his itinerary in the Brit-
ish West Indies, Colombia-Venezuela, 
and the Caribbean Unions. Elder Tor-
rey came in on February 6. He had 
been gone since December, visiting the 
Central American and the Mexican 
Union Missions. These brethren have 
returned with glowing reports of the 
progress of the work in all parts of the 
field. As we go to press, February 15, 
Elder Calkins has just returned to the 
Division office, having been away since 
the 19th of December, visiting three of 
the unions, and attending some of the 
local sessions as well. -
-400-71-Amow:ms* 
Coming Events 
May 5 - - Missionary Volunteer Day 
June 2 � Home Missions 
June 9 � Educational Day 
June 30 - - - Thirteenth Sabbath 
(Overflow to General Conference Missions) 
July 7 � Home Missions 
July 21 - - - Midsummer Offering 
for Missions 
+ The Division Educational Department 
has received very fine reports regardin7, 
the enrollment in the secondary schools 
around the field. Even though this is 
the first year that the Panama Academy 
has been in existence, and in spite of 
the fact that it is still only a night 
school, it can boast an attendance of 
109. The other schools in the Division 
also report good enrollment's. The lat-
est figures which we have are as follows: 
Colegio Adventista de las Antillas, Cuba, 170 
West Indian Training College, Mandeville, 
�
Jamaica, 
 171 
New Hope College, Kingston, Jamaica �
 96 
Colege Vertieres, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. �
 195 
Caribbean Training College, Port-of-Spain, 
�
Trinidad, 
 119 
Academia Adventista, San Jose, Costa Rica, 124 
Academia Colombo-Venezolana. Colombia, 124 
Escuela Agricola Industrial, Mentemorelos. 
�
Mexico 
 146 
+ Evangelistic work is in the forefront 
in Jamaica, and great things are hoped 
for and expected, with the Lord's help. 
from the concerted efforts that are 
being put forth there this year to carry 
the message to every part of that island. 
January 14 was celebrated throughout 
the entire field as "E-Day,"---the day 
when evangelism was the major issue 
among our members, for all the lay 
preachers throughout the island had 
made plans to start efforts on that day. 
A few weeks later, efforts were started 
by the mission workers. 
It is the plan for every worker in 
the British West Indies Union Mission, 
from the superintendent down, to hold 
an effort at some time during this year. 
+ The Radio Department reports two 
new radio stations recently on the air, 
one in Medellin, Colombia, "La Voz 
de Antioquia," which was scheduled to 
begin broadcasts in February of the ser-
ies of health programs which have re-
cently been prepared; and the other, in 
Caracas, Venezuela, "Ondas Populares," 
where April was the date set for the 
starting of the health broadcasts. It is 
also hoped that before long a program 
can be started in French, over a Port-
au-Prince station, at "The Crossroads 
of the Americas." 
+ It has been a pleasure to have Elder 
R. G. Strickland, General Conference 
Home Missionary secretary as a visitor 
in our field. He has been itinerating in 
the Mexican Union Mission, in com-
pany with Elder Amundsen. They con-
ducted lay preachers' institutes among 
the churches in that field, where so 
much is being done by the work of our 
faithful lay workers. 
+ Radio work has caused a great awak-
ening in Puerto Rico in the study of 
the word of God. There are now, on 
that one small island, over 3,000 mem-
bers in the radio Bible correspondence 
school. Many people of wealth and in-
fluence have enrolled in the. Bible course, 
and are deeply interested in the truths 
of the third angel's message. A number 
of "Voice of Prophecy" branch Sab-
bath schools have been raised up by 
radio work alone. 
+ We are happy to introduce a new 
worker at our Division headquarters 
office in Rancho Boyeros. She is Miss 
Olga Gonzalez. Her help in translation 
work and along other lines is greatly 
appreciated. Miss Gonzalez's home is in 
Havana, but she recently spent a year 
and four months in the United States, 
studying, both at Pacific Union College, 
and at La Sierra College in Southern 
California. 
People 
Places 
and 
Projects