The Inter-American Division essenger Looking At The Year Ahead By ARTHUR H. ROTH Had it been possible for you to attend the year- end meetings of the Division Committee when the presidents and rotating members of Inter-America's seven unions met with the Division staff and the re- presentatives from the General Conference, your hearts would have thrilled to hear about the won- derful blessings God bestowed on His church dur- ing the year that has just passed. The complete re- ports for the year, at this writing, have not yet been compiled; but if the figures for the first three quar- ters of 1957 are any indication of what the final re- port will be, the past year was one of the finest God's work in Inter-America has ever enjoyed. Church membership in the Inter-American Divis- ion, at the end of September, stood at 118,484. That figure, by the end of December, will surely reach 120,000. When the meaning of that number makes its full impact upon our minds, we shall be compelled to exclaim: "Surely God is hastening to prepare a numerous company of Inter-Americans to be citizens in the kingdom of heaven." Imagine! When this twentieth century began, there were only a few hundred Inter-Americans who were expecting and looking for the second advent of our Lord Jesus. Now there are 120,000 who have joined the ranks of thOse who have entered the church by baptism and are buoyed up in the faith by- the "blessed hope" of the Lord's coming. That's what 120,000 Seventh-day Adventists in Inter-Amer- ica means. It also means that God has a mighty In- ter-American army of gOspel messengers which He can use to spread the tidings of salvation to every part of the Division. Our constant prayer is that this large company will devotedly live the Advent mes- sage and prove itself at all times to be true to the faith of Jesus. Nothing but a genuine Seventh-day Adventist will be of real worth to the Master in these final days. According to the statistics presented to the com- mittee by the Division's Secretary, Inter-American Adventists hold their membership in 1,172 churches. More than 1,700 workers are, now serving the de- nomination in Inter-America. God has also blessed His Inter-American child- ren financially during the past year. The Division treasurer reported that the tithes and offerings were the largest ever given. Again, this is nothing but an indication that God is providing for the means with which to do the work He wants His people to ac- complish. As the leaders laid plans for the year 1958, their chief concern was for increasing and intensify- ing the program of evangelism. (Please read the "Call to Public Evangelism" launched by the denom- ination's leaders, as given on page 7). As the mission and conference committees meet early in the year, they are being urged to make lar- ger plans for evangelism by both the workers and the laity during 1958. As a result of the call to in- tensify evangelism, a goal has been set for winning 15,000 souls in 1958. This goal is shared by the unions as indicated elsewhere in this issue of the Messenger. We urge you to pray and work for the achievement of this baptismal goal during the year which has just begun. Another situation that was frequently brought to the attention of the committee was the need for providing church buildings to house the thousands of souls that are coming into the faith. Never at any time during the history of the work in Inter-America has the need for church buildings been more intense. Never has there been a time when a greater percentage of the membership did not have a place in which to wor- ship. The Committee is appealing to our people every- where in the Division to co-operate with the missions and conferences in the plans that shall be promoted for raising church building funds. Half of the special appropriations voted by the recent Division Committee were assigned to church construction projects. The (Continued on page 7) V-01.. XXXI, � JANUARY 1958 � NO. 1 IN IN TI-IE INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION IN MONTERRY MEXICO After having completed the pre- liminary arrangements, such as the decoration of the hall and the giv- ing of instructions to the church, we began our lectures on Sunday evening the 23rd of June and fin- ished on September 14, just twelve weeks later. The mission chose five workers to be associated with me and we were all very happy to see that from the very beginning the people responded to the pub- licity and came to listen with much interest to the preaching of the word of God. Some of the breth- ren said we had chosen a bad time of the year because of the 'eat, and besides they told us that the rainy season wou:d interrupt our work and decrease the attendance before the end of the series of meetings, but thanks to God, the au- dience bore the heat in order to listen, and the rains were post- poned by God until we had fin- ished our meetings. We thank God that the rain of the Holy, Spirit was not postponed but was with us from the very beginning and, because of it we saw a precious harvest ripen. We were happy to hear many such testimonies as the following: "I have been in the . ... church for thirty-four years and had not-- learned anything in comparison to what I have learned attending these lectures." The lady who spoke these words was baptized at the end of the 2 series of meetings, and not only she, but several of her relatives, while others remain in the bap- tismal class because they do not yet have Sabbath free. We had the privilege of baptiz- ing -a—young man who had been in a Catholic seminary for four years. When he accepted the Bible truths his parents threatened to drive him away from home; they forbade his taking Protestant books home; and one day they tore to pieces his Bible, hymn book and Sabbath school lesson quarterly. Yet this young man is very firm and was baptized. The most important day for us was the 14th of September, a Sab- Forty-two persons added to the church in Monterry Mexico. John K. CHswell, Jr. with Juan Campos and part of baptismal group of sixty-five. bath. In the morning we had the examination of the candidates and some important instruction con- cerning Christian living, and in the afternoon we rented four bosses that took the church members to a nearby place where we had, rented a large pool for the sacred rile. Elder Jose de la Paz Matus, pastor of the church, took turns with me in baptizing the forty-two candi- dates. Many people watched the baptism with reverence. After the ceremony a stranger told me he was sorry he had not attended the lec- tures for he also wished to be a member of the Adventist church. More than 300 interested peo- ple remained and we hope that in the near future they will surrender their lives completely to Jesus. El- der Matus plans to present special sermons on. Sunday and Wednes- day evenings throughout the year in order to take advantage of the awakened interest. We thank the mission staff for giving us 100% support in our ef- forts. We thank the workers who tirelessly carried on the house-to- house work. We also thank the church members for their coopera- tion and their prayers in behalf of our work. —Rodrigo Bustillos IN BUCARAMANGA COLOMBIA Would you like to spend an un- forgettable Sabbath with us in the Santander district of Colombia? The hub of Adventist activity in this region, the church at Bucaramanga, was filled by more than a thou- sand persons, that morning. Breth- ren from all parts of the district crowded into every reserve seat, filling the aisles and even the patio outside the church, Many of these people came from the country groups that had suffered many per- secutions and threats through the years, but had ever maintained faith in the Lord who has- blessed them bountifully. (Continued on page 7) 'AVESSERGER Newly completed church in Alaiuela, Costa Rica, built un- der the direction of Elder Peter Nygaard with much volunteer help from the church members. Fear and discouragement often plague mankind as the result of dis- appointing experiences. Twelve leaders in Israel were sent to spy out the Promised Land. On their return to camp ten of them described the size of the giants and the walled, cities they had seen in Canaan, then declared, "We be not able to go' up against the people; for they are stronger than we" (Num. 13:32). Centuries later Elijah stood alone against the forces of apostasy and evil on Mount Carmel. As a result of the manifest power of God in sending fire from heaven to con- sume his sacrifice, he expected Is- rael and their king to renew their allegiance to God.• But when Jeze- bel purposed to kill him and Ahab refused to forsake his' l idols, the prophet became fearful and dis- couraged. While on earth even Jesus met disheartening experiences. His own people did not receive, Him (John 1:11). His neighbors and acquaint- ances at Nazareth tried to hurl Him over a precipice after He had preached His first sermon among them (Luke 4:28-30). The Gadare- nes asked Him to depart from their country after He had performed a mighty miracle of healihg in their midst (Matt. 8:34). Thou0 the very personification of truth, -le was ac- cused of deceiving the people (John 7:12). The spiritual leaders of His own people constantly tried to trap and entangle Him (Matt. 22:15). His re- latives thought He was insane (Mark 3:21). Judas, one of the twelve, betrayed Him (Matt. 26:49). Peter, one of the three, denied Him [Matt. 26:74). And on the night of His betrayal His disappointments reached a peak when all of His disciples deserted Him (Matt. 26: 56). To every one of us, living as we do in the realm of sin, disap- pointments will come. When events WHEN DISAPPOINTMENT ASSAILS By ARNOLD V. WALLENKAMPF do not develop as they ought to, when conditions and circumstances are not all that we might desire, we become disappointed. , Even experiences that are the common lot of mankind often dishearten us. Weeds grow, and death befalls! "Real life has its shadows and its sorrows. To every soul troubles must come. � Satan is constantly working to unsettle the faith and destroy the courage and hope of every one." —The Adventist Home, p, 111. The ten spies were absolutely correct — there were formidable giants in the land! But two others, Caleb and Joshua, had seen more than giants and formidable cities. They had seen God. They remem- bered how He had wrought for them in crossing the Red Sea. With their eyes on such a God they knew that both the walled cities and the giants would be subject to them. Confidently they assured fearful Israel, "We are well able to over- come it" (Num. 13:30). Elijah became discouraged be- cause for a time he saw only Jez- ebel's fingers reaching out after him. He forgot that the God who had sent fire from heaven to con- sume his sacrifice was also able and willing to protect His prophet. Fix Attention on God Discouragements and adverse conditions create discouragement only when we center our attention on them. Jesus might have done this and become discouraged. But He did not focus His eyes on His disappointments. He kept them se- curely on His Father. He did not per- mit the string of disappointments to penetrate His soul and weaken or destroy His stamina. "As the world's Redeemer, Christ was constantly confronted with apparent failure." —The Desire of Ages, p. 678. Yet He did not fail nor become dis- couraged. He lived above these dif- ficulties, as if in the light of God's countenance." —Ibid., p. 89. During years of teaching I have often visited with students. Sometimes I have asked a married student with a family in dire finan- cial circumstances why he chose to attend college. It would be so much easier financially for him to quit school. By devoting his day to in- come-earning labor he would be able to afford many items his fam- ily and he might want, but could not purchase because of lack of means. Besides, if he merely worked he could come home to his family at night and enjoy their com- pany instead of worrying about class preparations for the next day. The usual answer I have received to such a querry always cheers me. The average student in such cir- cumstances does not elaborate on his difficulties. He usually ignores and bypasses them entirely with- out even mentioning them. Instead, he says he is in college because someday he hopes to be a teacher in one of our schools, or a minister, or a physician healing the sick. Occasionally a student starts ela- borating on the hardships he is confronting in attaining his educa- tion. Instead of talking about his goal, it is apparent that he is more concerned with the immediate dif- ficulties surrounding him. As I lis- ten I know that if I am able to lift this student's eyes from his pre- sent hardships and refocus them on the aim he had set for himself in coming to college, he will soon des- pair and give up his college career. The life of a Christian is very much like that of a college student amid adverse conditions. The Christ- ian will inevitably face difficulties and disheartening circumstances along his path. Jesus Himself said, "In the world ye shall have tribu- lation" (John 16:33). But success in spite of these difficulties depends on not getting bogged down in them. Like the student, he must not center his attention on them, lest he despair and renounce his Me/44.0.904# TO THE 04URCH JANUARY 1958 � 3 hold on eternal life. His eyes must be fixed on Jesus and the glorious victory at the end of the road. Jesus, besides remembering at all times that He was fulfilling His Father's purpose for Him, kept His eyes on the reward at the end of the journey. "Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame" (Heb. 12:2). And just as a student in college will drop out if he begins to look at the difficulties that confront him, so a Christian will soon fail if he permits his eyes to rest on the dif- ficulties and hardships of life. Is- rael could not possibly have cap- tured Canaan so long as their at- tention was focused on the giants and the walled cities. It is reported of Luther that the devil came to him one day as he sat at his desk. He brought with him a list on which he had chroni- cled Luther's sin and asked failures. He pointed to the first sin and asked Luther whether he remem- bered having committed that sin. He admitted that he did. The devil pointed to another and asked the same question. Luther's answer was again affirmative. As the great Reformer read the lis't of his failures and sins, his courage fell; he knew he was a miserable sinner. Satan was com- pletely right. But suddenly the Holy Spirit came to Luther's help, and he asked his accuser, "Is that As Satan admitted that that was the whole list, Luther said, "But you have forgotten something." Satan was eager to know what that might be. "You have forgotten to write on this list that Jesus' blood cleanses me from all these sins," declared Luther triumphantly. And as the Reformer reminded Sa- tan of his salvation through the shed blood of Jesus, he took the inkhorn and threw it at the van- ishing devil. Friend, you must not permit your eyes to be glued to your past fail- ures or the difficulties along the road. You must fix your eyes res- olutely on Jesus who san help you in every difficulty. "For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed" (Isa. 50:7). "God has not designed that you should be miserable; but you have taken your minds from Jesus and centered them too much upon your- selves." —Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 309. "It was Caleb's faith in God that gave him courage � From she same exalted source, the mighty General of the armies of heaven, every true soldier of the cross of Christ must receive strength and courage to overcome obstacles that often seem insurmountable." —Ibid., p. 378. In speaking of the experience of the Advent believers back in 1844, Mrs. _,E. G. White says, "We were disappointed, but not &scour- aged." —Life Sketches, p. 57. Friend, you cannot be hurt by disappointment so long as your eyes are focused on a loving God. —Review and Herald CHRIST'S LIFE FULFILLED A PLAN FORETOLD By LESLIE HARDINGE siah. As she eagerly listened to the talk of the guests, her hopes sprang up anew. His mother heart swelled with pride. To settle all uncertainty she hoped that Jesus would perform some wonder. Mary had helped with the pre- parations for the wedding feast. And when, during the protracted festivities, the supply of wine. failed, she felt that this was the opportunity for Jesus to work a miracle. Her remark, "They have no wine," was a hint to her Son. Christ replied, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." These words were in the common idiom of His day. They were expressive of the ut- most love and respect. But they also contained a deep lesson to His mother, and to us. At the first Passover visit eigh- teen years before, Jesus had called the attention of His mother to the fact that His life must be spent in carrying out His Father's business. Now He underlined the same great truth. Mary had regarded her re- 4 From the beginning Christ con- stantly lived with the knowledge of His last ordeal. He referrect to it during the wedding feast in the mountain village of Cana, in Gali- lee (see John 2:1-11). The circum- stances of this first public revela- tion of His messiahship are so re- markable that they deserve careful study. Both the bride and the groom were relatives of Joseph and Mary. Jesus and His disciples were in- vited to join the family reunion and celebrate the nuptials. As the guests assembled they seemed to be pre- occupied with a question of ab- sorbing interest: Was Jesus the Mes- siah? For thirty years Mary had won- dered about her Son. She could never forget the mysterious details regarding Him that had been ac- cumulating through the years. Now she had heard about John the Bap- tist and his message. At the wed- ding Christ's disciples added their testimony to the divine character of the work of Christ. Mary had longed for her Son to be the Mes- lationship with Jesus as giving her special privileges. She felt she had a part, to some degree, in direct- ing her Son's mission. She want- ed to urge Him to act immediately. But Jesus must be left free to carry out the will of God. Jesus gently showed her that the progress of His work could not be hurried. Later in His ministry others also tried to interfere in the ordered events of Christ's life. After the feeding of the five thousand the disciples were among the leaders of those who would have made Him king. They felt that Jesus was too reticent. They urged the multi- tude to proclaim Him king. It was for this reason that Jesus first sent them away, and then calmed end dismissed the people. (see The De- sire of Ages, p. 378). Judas also felt that Jesus was too self-effacing to proclaim Himself the king of the Jews. His strategy in betraying Christ to the .Jewish leaders had two motives. First, he hoped to make a quiet shekel, and second, he wished to force Jesus into declaring Himself Messiah, thus MESSENGER establishing His kingdom immed- iately. But let us return to the wedding feast and our Lord's words to His mother. "Mine hour is not yet come," is the key to the life of Jesus. His words "point to the fact that every act of ChriSt's life on earth was in fulfillment,of -the plan that had existed from the days of eternity. Before He came to earth, the plan lay out before Him, per- fect in all its details. But as He walked among men, He was guid- ed, step by step, by the Father's will. He did not hesitate to act at the appointed time. With the same submission He waited until the time had come." —The Desire of Ages, p. 147. Not disconcerted by ,Christ's re- ply, Mary told her helpers, "What- soever he saith unto you, do it." And, as we know, water became wine and supplied the needs of all the guests as a reward 'for the per- fect obedience of the servants. The power of the word 1, of Christ changed the water into wine. It was a perfect demonstration that He was the Creator. This miracle is � repeated each year. The vine drinks up the water through its roots and ;changes it into wine each season. It does this by creative power. But this miracle of nature cannot be hurried. It is pointless to go to the vine and demand wine in the spring. Grapes ripen in the harvest, and not be- fore. Thus it was with the True Vine. When the time was ripe, Je- sus laid down His life, giving to the world His blood. To His mother at Cana Jesus sug- gested that the wine, � blood, would be supplied only when "his hour" had fully come. It was to this greatest event in His life that Christ directed the thought of His mother that day long ago in Cana of Galilee. Filled with amazement at the mir- acle, the wedding guests turned to find Christ, but "He" had with- drawn so quietly as to be unno- ticed even by His disciples." —Ibid., p. 150. It was a wonderful oppor- tunity for the disciples to testify to their faith in Christ. This they did with so much power that news of the miracle spread through the JANUARY 1958 country side and reached the priests in Jerusalem. With burning interest the rulers of Israel studied -the prophecies to discover whether this new Teacher might be the Mes- siah. Three years later Christ was leaving Galilee for the last time. His brothers urged Him to declare Himself Messiah. To them His an- swer was, "My time is not yet come" (John 7:6). Then He added, "My time is not yet full come." How clearly did He discern the plan for His life! He would do nothing that would anticipate the divine out working. There are so many instances in the Bible in which men ruin the plan of God for their lives, Abra- ham tried to help God by marry- ing Hagar. Saul could not wait pat- iently for the coming of Samuel, and offered sacrifice himself in di- rect disobedience to God's com- mand. Moses felt he was hastening the purposes of God by taking the sword in his hand and slaying the Egyptian. But Jesus resolved to fit in completely in His Father's pro- gram for His life. He understood that God's plans know no haste and no delay. But then the time came, and Christ was ready to act. "And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). What amazing fortitude! � In Jerusalem were only shame and death, yet He steadfastly obeyed. Speaking with His disciples in response to the quest of the Greeks, "We would see Jesus," He said, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.... Ex- cept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone... Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour" (John 12:23-27). At the beginning of Christ's life the Wise Men had come from the East to find the Saviour. Now at its close the Greeks came from the West for the same purpose. These Easterners and Westerners were the "earnest of the results of His great sacrifice." —Ibid., p. 621.•Our Saviour's prediction that many would come from the East and from the West and sit down at the feast that should mark the glorification of His people was meeting its ful- illIment. But as Christ sensed the immin- ence of His hour He looked for- ward to His glorification. It was the road of shame and death, and "was never absent from Christ's mind. The gathering in of the Gen- tiles was to follow His approach- ing death. Only by His death could the world be saved. Like a grain of wheat, the Son of man must ee buried out of sight; but He would live again. Christ presented His fu- ture, illustrating it by the things of nature, that the disciples might un- derstand. The true result of His mission was to be reached by His death." —Ibid., pp. 622, 623. 0 matchless Son of God, how marvelous is that song which Thou didst sing, face to face with the countenance of death! —Review and Herald fReace on Eat& "Peace on earth, good will to men"— Let's sing the rapturous song again! Around our world so much that's wrong Would cease, if men could hear this song! But songs alone won't do the work, If only sung within the kirk. Let's sing it, live it, in the home; Let's sing it everywhere we roam. Let's hum it at our work or play; Let's seek it when we kneel to pray. Let's practice it in shop or store; Let's take it to our neighbor's door. Let's carry it up in the plane. Let's sing it in the bus or car; Let's talk of peace instead of war Let's shout it everywhere we go, And preach it so alt men will know The magic touch, transforming power Of Christ, the need of this great hour! So as the New Year comes again, Share "peace on earth, good will to men." Let's catch the cadence of the theme, And help fulfill man's fondest dream. Let's spread above earth's blood- soaked sod, This wondrous peace and love of God! —Adlai A. Esteb 5 Est THE RIGHT CHOICE By 0. 0. MATTISON, President, Southern Asia Division In the spring of 1918, near the close of the school year, I was in an emotional turmoil, torn by many conflicting desires and aspirations. From childhood I had been reared in a good Adventist home and had attended our own schools. But the pleasures of the world, the love of money, and especially the great openings that were on every hand i the booming oil fields of Tex- as, were making a strong poll upon my life. I had not given my heart to God, and I was not living a Christ- ian life. I had become lax in pro- per Sabbath observance; in fact, the Sabbath had come to mean very little to me. Yet when I willingly broke the day, there was a troub- ling of conscience that I could nct shake off. For the preceding two or three summer vacations I had worked with a fine man in the cotton fields of Texas, and he had shown a great interest in my future. He was a re- spectable, clean-living man, liso wealthy, with broad acres of farm- ing and grazing lands. As he had no son of his own, he invited me io join him in his prosperous acti- vities. Time and again he urged me to break off my schoolwork and throw in my lot with him. He pro- mised to help me get well estab- lished in life and to accumulate plenty of this world's goods. Since I had fought against my conscience for so long, his promises were very appealing. I had been wrestling with the temptation all through the school year. Now as I was nearing the end of the term it was time to make a decision one way or the other. I was getting no real joy out of my school life because I was halting between two opinions. Be- cause my godly teachers had tried to keep me from going in way- ward paths, I imagined that they were against me and that they were trying to keep me from having the good things of life. One month before the end of 6 school my worldly friend drove many miles to the school where I was, in a new automobile. In those days automobiles were few in num- ber. He called me out of Bible class and showed me his lovely new car. Then he asked me to get in and take a spin with him. After we had taken a long ride he brought me back to the old turnstile on the campus. Then he asked, "Well, son, what is your an- swer this time? You know I have waited a long time for you to come and join me, andq as soon as school is out I will be expecting you to throw in your lot with me. Believ- ing that you will do this, I have already purchased a team of mules for you and have planted fifty acres of cotton that will be yours if you will only come." As a boy I loved cotton farm- ing and ranching far better than I did schoolwork, and I could have had no greater offer to tempt me to make my decision there and then. My heart wanted to say, "All right, I'll come." But instead I abruptly told him that I couldn't do it, that I had decided to go into the colpor- teur work. He was disappointed in my reply, and said so in no uncertain tones. He told me the day would come_ when I would more than regret the decision that I had made. Then he got into his car and drove off. I stood there for a few mom- ents thinking how foolish I had been to say I was going into the colporteur work when actually I had no such plans. Instead I had intendsd either to join him or go into the oil fields, where so many of my companions were making big wages. The next few weeks were un- happy ones. Then late one night I finally decided that it was either all for the Lord or nothing for The Lord. The prayers of my father and the promptings of the Holy Spirit persuaded me to cast my lot on the side of right. The next morning, which was only two days before the last Sab- bath of the school year, I went to my Bible teacher and asked him whether he would consider bap- tizing me the next Sabbath. With tears in his eyes he accepted my request. After school was out that day I went to the Book and Bible House and told them I wanted col- porteur territory. I had never at- tended an institute, but on my way back to the school I met the publish- ing secretary, and he said he would arrange territory for me. I went home and told my father of my decision, and his joy was more than could be put into words. Then he said, "Son, you have things to make right with your teachers. Can you do that?" It was hard for me to decide to go and confess my faults to the teachers against whom I had held grudges. But on Friday morning, the day before my baptism, the Lord gave me courage to go to these men and make things right. I thought they would give me a good lecture, as they had done so many times before, but ins+ead each in turn knelt and prayed with me. So I went home that evening with a light heart. On Sabbath after- noon my Bible teacher, who was also the pastor of the church, bap- tized me, together with another wayward lad. Monday morning I started out in the colporteur work. On the way to my territory I learned my can- vass. Now that I had made my de- cision and had turned my back on the world, I gave everything that I had to making a success in the Lord's work. He blessed me abun- dantly that summer, and I entered school that fall rich in experiences and with three scholarships. I had peace in my heart and a joy of anticipated service for the Lord that has never grown dim. As I looked back upon that ex- perience of almost forty years ago, I can truthfully say it was one of the brightest incidents in my life. I know I made the right choice. —Review and Herald WI � S-E-N G E R -WO +ON ••••• rflyntelntelfrettroftylfrottylfttltlftectlfffitelOtttnyttrofttMettteyntetfttlrettylltettrottletItttlItttfttetttlItellyntellyttleltretfutttts A CALL TO EVANGELISM WHEREAS, A sense of urgency is everywhere apparent in world events indicating that this is indeed the hour of our destiny; and WHEREAS, We recognize that the Advent Mov ement has been divinely commissioned to carry God's last message of mercyto a doomed world; and WHEREAS, Unprecedented demonstrations in the field of public evangelism have recently revealed the heart hunger of the masses for the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, We recommend,-1. That a denominational call be made for world-wide rededication of our min- istry to the public proclamation of the everlasting gospel of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming sav- iour, and that our ministers be urged to conduct evangelistic meetings in as many places as possible, utilizing public auditofriums, our own churches, and every other available facility. 2. That in connection with these meetings, we follow the counsel of the Spirit of prophecy (Evan- gelism, pages 143, 562), and make a study of the community with a view to laying plans to pre- sent the message in Such a way as to meet community needs, win the confidence of leaders of other Christian groups, and make favorable impressions on the general public. 3. That our union and local conferences give study to developing evangelistic teams, associat- ing workers of varied talents, thus adding strength to their soul-winning programs in order to meet the challenging counter-attractions of these modern times, and that where our devoted laymen have been faithfully sowing the seed of truth we endeavor to reap the harvest by holding short evangel- istic revivals. 4. That we recognize the importance of medical-ministerial evangelism, and encourage our con- secrated doctors to add the weight of their influence and professional skill to the evangelistic pro- 5. That our mhtisterial workers be urged to do more personal visitation evangelism in the homes of the people; and that our conference give study to developing more Bible instructors for home evangelism. 6. That in places where circumstances do not permit the holding of regular evangelistic meet- ings, we urge that evangelistic Bible classes be organized to which our members can bring their inter- ested friends; and that those who lead out in these classes be encouraged to make the presentations effective by using the excellent visual aids now available. 7. That in all phases of our evangelism we endeavor to fulfill the real purpose of the Advent message, which is "to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted saviour" and to make Him "appear in His efficacious work as the Lamb slain, sitting upon the throne;" and recognizing that "The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster," we heed the counsel, "Chirst and His righteousness—let this be our platform, the very life of our faith," *and thus prepare through the proclamation of the everlasting gospel, in the setting of the last messages of God to mankind, a ,people ready to meet their lord. *(Evangelism, pages 190-191) GENERAL CONFERENCE MINUTES, OCTOBER 28, 1951, pages 1033-1034. gram. Looking at the Year Ahead (Continued from page 1) committee urged that these funds be used in church building projects on the basis of benefiting Churches, sharing at least an amount equal to the funds they received. God is blessing the church with mbny add- ed souls, but the church has a re- sponsibility in providing a church home for the souls who are being added. As we look to the days which lie ahead in 1958, our hearts are filled with the assurance that God bless His people by enriching their faith and providing all that they need. JANUARY 1958 Bucaramanga, Colombia (Continued from page 2) Why had these people gathered together, many of them from dis- tant groups? To partake of the Lord's Supper, witness a stirring baptismal service, and to join the Advent people in all the world in a special day of prayer for Colom- bia. What a blessing was that Sab- bath to everyone present! Forty-sev- en souls were baptized in the morn- ing, 'and the following evening, eighteen more united with the church. The Lord's Supper on Sab- bath afternoon was solemn, and the spirit of prayer was prevalent. All through the day the Prethren met in groups to pray for Colombia. Probably the happiest member of all that day was Juan Campos, a lay brother who has been a church member less than three years. He had good reason to re- joice. � Thrity-five of the precious souls baptized that morning were won by his personal efforts. He hopes to win a hundred souls this year. Thanks, dear brethren all over the world, for your prayers in be- half of Colombia. Evidently God heard your supplications and an- swered them, for some big inter- nal changes have taken place in Colombia. These seem to point to a more favorable opportunity for the people of God to finish His work here. Please continue to pray for this beautiful country. —John K. Griswell, Jr. 7 ?wt. all ifte,faosieo. TEACHING CHILDREN TO BE QUIET IN CHURCH ,By HAROLD W. CLARK Watching distracted parents at- tempting to keep their little child- ren quiet (or sometimes making no attempt), and observing the distress of others at the confusion, has prompted me to try to make a few suggestions. Perhaps our exper- ience (Mrs. Clark and I have reared a family of eight) may be of some aid. At least, I will give it for what it is worth. The training of the child mus+ begin when he is very, very young. He should be brought to church re- gularly, even as a babe in arms, so that his dawning consciousness will include the service. Of course, at such a tender age he cannot be told to be quiet, and so may have to be taken from the room if he persists in fussing or crying. But the parents should sit where one of the other of them can remove him quietly if necessary. In such a case, as a rule, he should be brought back again as soon as the trouble is over. He should grow up with the idea that he is there to stay, and that fussing will not be- come an effective way of escape from the service. It is easy for him to come to feel that the extra at- tention he gets outside is preferable to what he gets inside. And so he may come to enjoy being taken out, and learn that a fuss is a sure way to gain his desired objective of a bit of extra attention. This should never be. As soon as the child's percep- tions reach the point where he knows the meaning of commands or hints, he should be taught that talking or crying are out of place in church. He should learn the meaning of a light tap on the lips and a s-s-sh. Of course, this train- ing must begin at home. Even if he gets so upset that his cries re- quire that he be taken out, he should be quieted down and re- turned as soon as possible. A child of this age needs to be punished in some way, so that he comes to realize that being taken out is not entirely pleasant. . . . The value of home training as a background for church behaviour cannot be overemphasized. In our family we always held family wor- ship, in which all the children par- ticipated. We sang a great deal, and the group singing became associ- ated in their minds with divine ser- vice. The youngest one always sat on Mother's lap, and was required to be quiet — never allowed to run about or to talk. Sometimes we had to hold up the program until proper correction had been administered, but we always in- sisted on quiet from all, even the smallest, except for the parts they might have in the program. Incid- entally, the youngest may not al- ways sing in perfect tune or time, but that is not to be considered a fault. If a child learns thus to_behave himself properly at home during the worship period, the transition to church service is automatically made. Something special should always be given a small child to hold his interest during church service. He cannot be expected to sit rigidly during an hour of service. Try it yourself, and you will be ready to scream. The only reason you would not do so would be because you have developed inhibitions that a child has not yet developed. Whatever is used to entertain the child should, if possible, be appro- priate to the occasion. Rather than a Teddy bear or a doll, give him a flower, a Sabbath school card or book, a pad of paper and pencil — and whatever it may be, let it be something that he does not have during the week, unless it be dur- ing the worship at home. Thus his interest in the new object will help keep him quiet. As soon as the child is old enough to write words, a good plan is to give him a pad of pa- per and a pencil and ask him to listen to the speaker and write down as many words as he can re- cognize. Or, have him tally the number of times the word Jesus, God, or some such words are used. You may have to wait until the speaker starts to choose your words, in order to correlate your list with his sermon. From this device it would be a natural transition to have him make an outline of the main points of the talk, provided it was on a level that he could un- derstand. I have seen children, boys especially, spend a good deal of time on Sabbath afternoon play- ing "preacher". Why not have them gather material for their "sermons" during the morning service? By all means, if nothing else is accomplished by the parents' sup- ervision during the service, the children, where there is more than one, should be kept from whisper- ing. The first step in their train- ing should be the example set by the parents. If they themselves re- frain from whispering or talking before the service begins, or dur- ing it, their conduct will be a power- ful influence in restraining the children. Then, if the children get careless, a gentle reminder will get them back into line again. Never should parents become so absorbed in the exercises that they lose sight of their children's activities and al- low them to whisper, make faces, or otherwise distract other people. It is a beautiful sight to see a family all sit together during the church service. The children should be taught that their proper place is in the family pew and not with someone else. Hold them together as long as possible — just as long as they can be kept together will- ingly. Of course, there comes a time when young men and women feel the desire to be independent. But the stronger the family tie, the better, provided that it is not a chain of dogmatic compulsion. I do feel, though, that more or less com- pulsion should be exerted until the child is well along in his teens. We ought to do all we can to maintain an attitude of worshipful quiet in our services. —Review and Herald 8 � MESSENGER 4114 1"g-a THE UNIONS � Reports From The Presidents Of The Unions Given At The Divisional Council November 9, 1957. Although the island of Jamaica is only 4,000 square miles in area we now have 286 churches and 13 companies which will, before long be organized into churches. From Montego Bay Elder H. H. Fletcher, the district pastor, relates the story of a lady who {attended the last baptism in September 1957 and is now in the baptismal class. She is a prominent person in the community and she says that two hours of Adventism have &lie more for her than 40 years in her form- er church. Elder Fletcher writes: "In the evangelistic effort just being con- cluded at Rogue Hill district on the outskirts of Montego Bay, the wife of the layreader in the larg- est church in the parish of a cer- Itain Protestant denomination was baptized. After accepting the truth of the Sabbath she said she would never think of accepting a second baptism, but she was the 'first can- didate to step into the water on the morning of September 29. When the call was made at the close of the baptism for those who would make a complete surrender, her husband, the layreader, was the first at the altar. Hej, is now preparing for baptism it i Decem- ber. After seeing a SeVenth-day Adventist communion service for the first time he visited his neigh- bors the rest of the day and said to them, "The Adventists have the truth. Come with me, I Will be in the next baptism." In making a comparison between the first three quarters of 1;956 and 1957, we find that we haVe made substantial gains in all lines. We are indeed grateful to God for His continued blessing. A. C. STOCKHAUSEN JANUARY 1958 � 40•1=1.0.11MM.M.1•11 ecteam6ia Venvateta Those of us working in the Co- lombia-Venezuela Union are deep- ly grateful to God for the many blessings bestowed upon us thus far during 1957. There have been problems and difficulties, but in a large degree the prayers of our brethren over the earth have been answered in that we at least have partial freedom. There are more and more notices in the papers that point to the fact that those in au- hority view freedom in a different light than it was viewed a year ago. You may recall that a couple of years ago the Division granted us a special appropriation to aid some of the refugees. � Among those helped were our brethren and sis- ters of Playarrica in the Upper Mag- dalena Mission. With part of these funds all of them were moved out into the lianas (plains). About three Sabbaths ago Elder Henneberg was there to celebrate a baptism of six new believers. In the area where these brethren settled we now have three groups with a membership of about sixty. In the village where the baptism of the six new mem- bers was held, there came one hun- dred and seventeen non-Adventists to witness the scene, and nearly all of them manifested their desire to prepare themselves for future bap- tisms. Elder Henneberg brought out 1,200 pesos in tithes from these faithful members. On his trio he had to pass near where the revol- utionaries are stationed with their troops — all armed and in uniform. Our baptisms for the first nine months of the year are 1,138. About one fifth of these are from the Bu- caramanga district. The future lies before us. We want you to join us in prayer for wisdom from on high to fulfill what God expects of us. His mesage will triumph. —E. T. BURLEY eati6fieatt 1•01.11••••••••ir � 41.4••••• � .11•••••0••=.0., Early in 1957, six 30' x 50' tents were purchased for use in our Eng- lish-speaking fields. About July 1 Elder W. W. Weithers pitched one in a thickly populated country dis- trict in Barbados where we already had a small church building. As a result of the meeting he has had to spend the closing months of the year finding a suitable place of worship for the increased member- ship. Elder Noel Bailey pitched a tent in Georgetown, Brtiish Guiana, about 150 feet away from the rear entrance of a Catholic church. At first great objection was raised by the priest, but after a personal visit or two with him some good public relations were established. He con- sented to allow the tent to remain on condition that it be removed by December 15 when he planned to have out-door Christmas festival in the area. Elder N. C. Gooding spent the first eight months in supervising the erection of a new church build- ing in Soufriere, St. Lucia. On the Sunday night following its dedica- tion on August 18 he began a strong evangelistic campaign. In spite of opposition he has won the favor of the police and they have seen to it that he was not molested. R. E. Osborne pitched a tent in a section of Port-of-Spain that has always been considered a difficult place. At this writing he expects to be able to baptize about twenty. In addition to other heavy duties, Elder S. L. Gadsby of the Union staff conducted a tent meeting near 9 � •••••••••••••••••••••" � ••••••••• Dr. Juan Cortez stands in front of the new medical dispensary opened in Mexicali, Mexico the 20th of June. Associated with Dr. Cortez in the dsipensary is Dr. Abraham Paez a d'ntist. The governor of Lower California cut the robbon at the inauguration ceremony, and several promin- ent doctors were present. The president of the Inter-American Division, Arthuir Roth, and the president of the Mexican Union, Harold House, also took part in the program. 10 San Fernando. It is hoped that a goodly number may be found in the village to add to the little nu- clus already there so that a church can be organized. Everywhere we are finding that much good will has been built up through the years by means of our medical, educational and even In- gathering work. We take courage as we witness the determination of many of our evangelists to over- come difficulties. We know that God is with us and working for us. We can see His prospering hand over our medical work. Our per- sonnel in these institutions are do- ing a marvelous work. � We are proud of our many schools where 4,678 of our youth are enrolled. The best days of the Caribbean Union are just before us. —F. S. THOMPSON � ...••••••••••=•• � Mexican, •••••••••••••••• � In 1953 Elder Zarandona, the pastor of the Narvarte church, in Mexico found an isolated sister who had known our work as it was fifty years ago, but for some strange reason had never been baptized. Then because of her ill- ness and loss of eyesight she again lost contact with our church. Elder Antonio Torres, the present pastor of the church, found this 80-year- old member again and began have studies with her. One day while he was visiting her she said, "Look, pastor, I have some diezmi- tes (little tithe money) I have been saving up and I want to give it to you for the Lord. I can't see any- more but I want those who are spiritually blind fo find the light and although I have been isolated for several years I have been sav- ing up my tithe for the Lord." Then she got up and fumbled around in her little wardrobe until she took out a little box that she had kept very securely. � To the pastor's amazement she took out with trem- bling hands the amount of two thousand one hundred and forty pesos ($178). Elder Torres turned the money into the mission treas- ury and took the dear old lady a receipt and she thanked God for sparing her life until she could get it into God's storehouse. Her son is a medical doctor and he has been very attentive to our pastor. He indicated his desire to be present at the next Bible study and apologized for having to go out to give a transfusion. His daugh- ter is about isxteen years of age and she takes care of her grand- mother. She asked the pastor what she could do since she is studying to be a professional singer. She said her grandmother had told her that she couldn't follow that car- eer and be an Adventist. Elder Torres told her about a television star that had become an Adventist and had given up her career to serve the Lord and he reminded the girl that she could sing in hea- ven and listen to the angels sing. The girl said she would change her career. The consecration and loyal- ty and devotion of that elderly lady may mean the salvation of that family. —H. F. HOUSE ....g•1111=nr. antittian -77 A brother in Cuba in possession of a gun, through an oversight failed to renew his license and was sent to jail. When the pastor knew this, he tried to get him out, for he was a good man with no crim- inal record. But he was not allowed to leave for ten days. During those ten days he did what all good Sev- enth-day Adventists do — he be- gan to tell others about the Bible truths. One of the most interested of his listeners was a criminal who was in jail because while in the army he had killed one of his com- panions and then a policeman. He was comdemned to a very long sentence — 20 years at hard labor. When he listened to the story of Jesus his heart was touched and in just ten days he decided to be a genuine Seventh-day Adventist. So when our brother left jail the crim- inal stayed on, no longer a crim- inal at heart, but a good Christian. Trouble, however, came the next Sabbath when he was taken out to do his hard labor in the rice field. He took along his Bible instead of his shovel. When he arrived at the place to work the guard told him to begin; but he opened his Bible and started to preach. The guard told him he had to do physical work for he was condemned to hard la- bor. "But it is the Sabbath of the Lord," he said, "I cannot work to- day". "Now you are in jail and you have to work today," was the answer. But as the prisoner talked about the Bible the guard became so interested that he let him spend the day preaching and reading the Bible to the other prisoners. So it went on, Sabbath after Sabbath. He preached, and read his Bible, MESSENGER � .AINMm••••igilimM•pr BAPTISMAL REPORT Inter-American Division, SDA Nine months, ending September 30, 1957 MISSION OR CONFERENCE Dominican East Cuba Puerto Rico West Cuba ANTILLIAN UNION Bahamas Cayman Islands East Jamaica West Jamaica BRITISH WEST INDIES UNION British Guiana Leeward Islands South Caribbean Surinam CARIBBEAN UNION British Honduras Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Salvador CENTRAL AMERICAN UNION Atlantic Colombia Colombian Islands East Venezuela Netherlands Antilles Pacific Colombia Upper Magdalena West -Venezuela COLOMBIA-VENEZUELA UNION Haitian French West Indies FRANCO-HAITIAN UNION Central Mexican Inter-Oceanic North Mexican Pacific Mexican South Mexican Southeast Mexican MEXICAN UNION INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION Baptized to Date Goal to Date % of Goal Reached 273 450 60.6 105 225 46.6 291 750 38.8 137 300 45.6 806 1,725 46.7 36 114 31.5 10 30 33.3 960 1,125 85.3 1,206 1,500 80.4 2,212 2,769 79.8 81 489 16.5 276 600 46.0 361 750 48.1 26 36 72.7 744 1,875 39.6 111 81 137.0 19 141 13.4 55 264 20.8 52 150 34.6 115 150 76.6 399 189 211.1 83 150 55.3 834 1,125 74.1 292 300 97.3 6 30 20.0 111 150 74.0 41 150 27.3 121 186 65.0 444 564 78.7 96 168 57.1 1,110 1,548 71.7 359 936 38.3 158 282 56.0 517 1,218 42.4 44 150 -- 29.3 129 30Q ,43.0 -203 300 67.6 198 1.-86 55.3 278 30Q. 92.6 202. 360 67.3 959 1,536 62.4 7,182 11,796 60.8 11 entertaining the prisoners until he gained some of them to ,the truth. During this time our good pas- tor and his wife continually visited the prison and took food to the formal criminal. Every week this good sister would take the prison- er's clothes home and return them freshly laundered. Finally one day the colonel in charge said, "How is it that you come down here bring- ing food and washing clothes for this man?" She said, "Welt, it's like this. We are all brothers and sisters. We believe in Jesus and `our Mas- ter told us to do unto others as we would wish others to do unto us." "This is beyond my compre- hension." he said. � "I tell you I never had any religion, nor ever had any religion, but if I ever want religion, I'm going to get the Sev- enth-day Adventist religioh." Last December our good man in the jail was paroled. Before he was able to go out permanently, he was permitted to leave with spec- ial permission in order to plant a rice crop on his -farm. He,was free from jail after having served just half of his term. So in Api-il of this year he began what we would ex- pect any good Adventist to do: he started canvassing. He is full of the love of Christ and you should see his smile as he says, "I'm go- ing to prepare myself to be a work- er for God. -R. L. JACOBS yenta-. aitian � 4 Pastor Jean-Elie, our worker in French Guiana, found there were many Protestants there and that they were interested in having some religious instruction given to their children in the high school. Catholic instruction was given every Thursday. Elder Jean-Elie was asked to act as the Protestant chap- lain and given instruction on an- other day. Then some of the Protestants went to him and said, "We don't have any pastor here to Preach to us. Would it be possible for you to hold a service for us on Sun- ,day?" He was willing, so he is the Protestant chaplain on Sunday snd holds his service for the Protestants in the colony. The government has been very much interested in the work of Seventh-day Adventists in the colony, and has voted a gift of 600,000 francs (about $1,700 at MESSENGER Around the Unions (Continued from page 11) that time) to help them start their welfare work in the soup kitchen which they operate for the poor. Many of the merchants have con- tributed food for this, and today Seventh-day Adventists are well known to the people of French Gui- ana. The assistant to the vice-presid- ent of the council came to Elder Jean-Elie and asked him if it would be possible to attend the services on Sabbath when they wre going to have a communion service. He said they had not had the privilege of partaking in a communion ser- vice since they had left France and come to that part of the world. Then the official asked if they might participate in the rite. Elder Jean- Elie didn't know whether a high- ranking official would care to take part in the ordinance of humility where he and his wife would be the only Europeans in the congre- gation, but he assured him that he would be very welcome. To the astonishment of all our members they saw that the official and his wife took part in the ordinance of humility and in the communion ser- vice with our members. —ORVILLE DUNN e,eattat amexicatt � 1.1.101••••••••...1•••••••. Our planning in the Central Amer- ican Union is largely concerned with the medical work today. In the Latin American countries the medical work can break down a great deal of prejudice. We have seen what it can do in the past and we know what it is doing now. Dr. Mc Cleary came as a self- supporting doctor and did very well in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. When he returned to the United States for a time ,the hospital came into the hands of the denomination as our first medical institution in Central America. But the location of the hospital was not a favourable one and it was seen that a move would be necessary. We wondered who would buy the hospital in which we had invested thousands of dollars, but a man came along and offered us exactly what we I ad invested in it. We have now se- cured property over on the Pan American highway in a place where we can grow and expand and where our nursing school can be a success. Dr. Fred B. Moor, Jr. .s in charge of the hospital. Dr. Mc Cleary returned and is lo- cated in Belize, British Honduras where he is doing a wonderful work. He was able to obtain a valu- able property on the coast at a very reasonable price. We believe that these medical institutions will prove a great bless- ing, and we ask for your pr3yors for their success. —K. W. WHITNEY 930tecoilie4, * We regret the death of Mrs. Gua- delupe Noyola Calderon, the wife of Elder A. J. Calderon, treasurer of the Central Mexican Mission on October 8, 1957. Since 1928, when she began to do Bible work, Mrs. Calderon has been an active Christ- ian and a faithful helper to her hus- band in his ministry. A tract of land containing 1,270 acres has recently been purchased in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, as a site for a new boarding school in the Mexican Union. A full report of this new project will appear in a later issue of the Messenger. The Antillian Union has called Elder D. J. von Pohle to serve as the Missionary Volunteer and Educa- tional Department Secretary of the union. Elder von Pohle was former- ly connected with the Inca Union in South America. * Colporteur deliveries in the French West Indian Mission for the first nine months of 1957 show a 76% gain over the same months last year. Elder and Mrs. B. L. Roberts have returned to the Colombia-Venezuela Union from furlough. The Roberts family will be located in Bogota, Colombia. INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER CLYDE 0. FRANZ, Editor � ARTHUR H. ROTH � Associate Editor BARBARA 0. WESTPHAL Associate Editor UNION SECRETARIES Antillian � Alberta Jacobs British West Indies Union..Mrs. W. A. Holgate Caribbean Union , � Joe Emmerson Central American Union � Dora Reed Colombia-Venezuela Union .... Tirso Escandon Mexican Union � E. C. Christie Published monthly as the Official Organ of the Inter-American Division of the General Con- ference of Seventh-day Adventists, Box 7132 Coral Gables, Miami, Fonda, i � U.S.A. Price: 50 cents a year Printed by the College Press, Caribbean Union College, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, B.W.I. All communications relating to editorial and circulation matters should be addressed to "The Messenger", Box 7132, Coral Gables, Miami, Florida, U.S.A. • * All articles bearing the credit line "Review and Herald" are reprinted from the Review and Herald, general church paper of Seventh- day Adventists. Newly completed church in Alajuela, Costa Rica, built un- der the direction ot Elder Peter Nygaat with much volunteer help from the church members. -12 ,M E,S S E N G1E R