ELDER FRANKLIN'S VISIT TO
INTER-AMERICA
During the month of November and
the first part of December, it was our
privilege to have with us Elder E. E.
Franklin, Associate Secretary of the
General Conference Publishing Depart-
ment. Elder Franklin comes to us in
the interest of the publishing work, He
attended several institutes for colpor-
teurs in the Central American Union,
and at the present writing he has gone
on to the Antillian Union. Having re-
cently made an extended visit to the
Far East, he brought some very inter-
esting reports of the progress of the
work in that part of the world field.
His instruction and help given to our
workers and members were very con-
structive.
Below is a summary of the visits
made thus far, written by Brother
Franklin while here in Balboa. While
this was not prepared for publication in
the MESSENGER, but rather as a report
to our workers in the United States,
yet it will be of interest to our readers.
“Immediately following the Fall
Council, I left New Orleans to go to
Guatemala, where I joined the brethren
in the Inter-American Division. I have
just finished a series of Institutes in
the Central American Union, which
were held in Guatemala, Salvador and
Costa Rica. I am now at the division
headquarters at Balboa for a few days,
and I have had also the opportunity to
meet the Pacific Press group at Cristo-
bal, and to fill a number of church ap-
pointments in the Panama Conference
before leaving for institutes in Jamaica
and Cuba.
Our Work in Guatemala
“Upon arriving in Guatemala City,
I was met by Brother Orley Ford, the
mission director, and taken to the
church. 1 was surprised to meet a
group of nearly 300 people, who list-
ened with great interest to the story we
told of literature work around the world.
A fine class of men, many who have
been in the colporteur work for years,
was in attendance at the institute.
These men are the real pioneers of the
advent message. These brethren walk
many miles, travel by mule far back
into the interior, bringing the gospel
to many. One colporteur raised up a
company of twenty-five believers, which
the mision director has not yet visited.
Such tales of heroism and missionary
exploits I have never heard before.
These colporteurs have exposed them-
selves to the wild beasts of the forest,
malaria, and the fevers of the jungle,
to carry the good news of salvation
by way of the printed page to the peo-
ple.
“One of our colporteurs, Brother Al-
cantara, traveled by muleback among
The group that was In attendance at the colporteur institute recently held in Guatemala City.
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER"
the coffee plantations up near the Mexi-
can frontier, in the Province of San
Marcos. One morning at 4:00 o'clock
he started for a town, hiring a boy to
carry his luggage. In the jungle coun-
try they became lost. While praying
that day, three men appeared who said
they were surprised to see a man in the
mountains. They directed them to a
home not far away, where they secured
food and water, and then continued
their journey, In the next town they
met the mayor. . On the Sabbath, the
mayor wished the colporteur to accom-
pany him in a visit to a new govern-
ment project where over 300 men were
employed. The colporteur thought,
‘This day is the Sabbath.’ The mayor
said: ‘Wouldn't it be a good idea to
give them the gospel?’ So the colpor-
teur talked to this group of native In-
dians about the Beatitudes. The next
day the colporteur met a military man
who invited him to accompany him to
the next town. He said to the colpor-
teur: ‘I'll review the troops while you
canvass the town.” To his surprise the
troops were brought up to the plaza,
they saluted the officer and the colpor-
teur; and after the formal ceremony,
he continued his work in the village
with good success. In the next town,
the mayor called all of the principal
people of the town to his office, where
the colporteur canvassed them, selling
books and taking subscriptions from
all of them.
A miraculous story of deliverance
from robbers was told by Brother Félix
Barrientos. Upon arriving in a certain
town in the Province of Jutiapa, he
found a room. The lady of the hous
told him that he was in danger of be-
ing robbed as he traveled through the
country. She enquired about what time
the next morning he would leave. He
said he would leave at 4:00 A. M. Be-
ing in the plot herself, she told him
he would be robbed, but not to tell
anyone, He left at 8:00 A. M., had
been on the way an hour and a half,
when on the roadside five men appeared
with machetes, He said: ‘Hello.’ The
men responded by saying, ‘Adios, Se-
fiores’ (Good-bye, sirs). They said:
‘We hope all goes well with you.” After
six days the colporteur came back to
the same town and the same lodging
place, The lady said: ‘How has it gone
with you, and who was it that accom-
panied you on the way?” ‘No one,
he said. ‘Why, yes,’ she said, ‘there
were two men armed with pistols with