celebrating 100 years of adventist world mission

32 Pages·2013·3.95 MB·English

A QUARTERLY REPORT OF WORLD MISSION JAN-MAR 1990
John I. Tay
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF ADVENTIST WORLD MISSION
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION, First Quarter 1990, Vol. 78, No. 1
MISSION (ISSN 0190-4108) Cover Picture: The Pitcairn,
is produced by the as it appeared in 1890.
Seventh-day Adventist
Church Ministries Department,
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
George E. Knowles, Director
Janet Kangas, Ph.D., Editor
Patricia Wegh, Layout Photo credit: Gordon Grant
CONTENTS LEADER'S PLANNER
(cid:9)
Leader's Planner 2
(cid:9) 1990—Year of Adventist World Mission
Make Missions Fun! 3 Nearly 100 years have passed since the Pitcairn was launched
Mission Goals for 1990— on October 20, 1890, to evangelize the Pacific Islands. October
(cid:9) 20 of this year, Adventist World Missions falls on a Sabbath. In
Year of World Mission 4
this quarter's junior MISSION is a three-part serial skit on the
Pitcairn which could be presented for the entire adult Sabbath
School program on that special Sabbath. A fourth Pitcairn
Weekly Reports presentation, "Pitcairn Cabin Boy," in junior MISSION is a
(cid:9) satellite story that can be added to the three-part serial if time
Missions Pay—and Cost 5 permits. If interested, ask your junior/earliteen leader to time the
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Inter-America on Parade! 7 presentations given in their department this quarter and to save the
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material to present again for the adults this fall.
Pioneer Panel 8
(cid:9) Please promote mission awareness this year. You may even
Welcome to Haiti 10 wish to plan a special fund-raising event or program for missions,
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Welcome to Mexico 11 for example, a film on the life of David Livingstone.
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Sewing for Souls 13 Thirteenth Sabbath Program
(cid:9)
See the junior edition of MISSION for a program that
Taco Stand Pulpit 14
(cid:9) includes all the lower divisions. Plan early, and incorporate the
The Singing Indian 16 presentations into your regular Sabbath School programs so that
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Teaching the Teachers 18 your young people will be well prepared. Small Sabbath Schools
(cid:9) will find a program designed especially for them that requires few
"I Will Build My Church" 19
(cid:9) people in this adult edition.
Visiting the Projects, I 21
(cid:9) Inter-American Division Territory
Visiting the Projects, II 23
The territory of the Inter-American Division includes: An-
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Caribbean Cruise 25 guilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,
Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala,
Alternate Reports
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Mont-
serrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico,
Mission Mandate: A Quiz(cid:9) 27
Saba, St. Eustatius, St.Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St.
Mission Mandate: Answers(cid:9) 28
Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the
Measure Your Growth Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, and
Venezuela.
as a World Adventist (cid:9) 29
On March 31, 1989 the Franco-Haitian Union was divided
Should We Give Less to Missions? 30 into two unions. The Haitian Union, with Asser Jean-Pierre as
president, is composed of the North Haiti and South Haiti
Missions, with a combined membership of 135,000. The Franco
Union, with Antoine Oculi as president, is composed of the
Editorial(cid:9)
31 Guadeloupe and Martinique conferences and the French Guiana
missions, with a combined membership of 20,000.
2
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Make Missions Fun!
The Editor
Plan a Mission Emphasis Sabbath Tortilla Cheese Casserole
Combine:
Plan with your pastor to coordinate Sabbath 1(cid:9) 16-ounce can tomato sauce
School, the worship hour, a fellowship mission 1/4(cid:9) cup water
dinner, and perhaps an afternoon meeting in a joint 3(cid:9) tablespoons mild green chilies, chopped
thrust for a Mission Emphasis Sabbath this quarter 5(cid:9) green onions with tops, chopped
to inaugurate 1990—Year of Adventist World Mis- 1(cid:9) cup sour cream
sion! 1/2 (cid:9) teaspoon garlic salt
You could begin Sabbath School with "Mission Other ingredients:
Mandate: A Quiz" found in Alternate Reports. 1(cid:9) 61/2-ounce bag of Old El Paso tortilla chips
Then feature your own mission pageant: dress 1(cid:9) 8-ounce can of vegetarian beans
10 children to represent each of the 10 world 1/2 (cid:9) pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
divisions: Africa-Indian Ocean, Eastern Africa, Arrange half the chips in a buttered casserole.
Euro-Africa, Far Eastern, Inter-American, North Cover with half the beans, then half the tomato
American, South American, South Pacific, sauce mixture, then half the cheese. Repeat, end-
Southern Asia, and Trans-European. For each di- ing with cheese. Dot with butter. Bake at 350° F
vision, find an appropriate paragraph in previous for 30 minutes.
editions of the adult MISSION giving a general If you have any Spanish members or Spanish
description of the work there and adapt them as a non-Adventist guests whom you could invite, wel-
script. come their assistance with the meal or ask them to
Have the Inter-American child collect the offer- provide some sacred music or slides from their
ing in a piñata or an upturned sombrero while the culture. Or your group might make a tape in the
rest sing the Spanish song "Beyond the Sun," afternoon to send to a missionary they know or
found on page 4 of the junior MISSION. tape mission stories for shut-ins.
Conclude with the challenging alternate report
Information About Inter-America
"Measure Your Growth as A World Adventist."
Ask your pastor to relate that Sabbath's sermon Write to the Mexican Tourist Office or Mexican
to the subject of world missions. The third alternate Embassy in your country. Tell them your church
report, "Should We Give Less to Missions?" in group is studying about Inter-America and would
this issue could serve to stimulate the pastor's ideas like information about their people, religion, agri-
along mission lines. He has probably received ma- culture, industry, climate, and holidays.
terial on concluding Harvest 90 this year. Also see In the United States, write to Embassy of Mex-
"Challenge of Reaching the Unreached," by Dr. ico, 2829 16th Street, NW., Washington, D.C.
Charles Taylor in the February 1990 issue of Min- 20009. A free information packet on Mexico may
istry. be obtained from Mexico Tourism by calling their
Let us know at MISSION how your day suc- toll-free number, 1-800-262-8900.
ceeded. A recent National Geographic article about Haiti
is "Haiti—Against All Odds," November 1987.
Celebrating
The last overview article describing Mexico ap-
Distribute copies of the following page of 1990 peared in May 1978: "Mexico: 'A Very Beautiful
goals to your members. Stress that 1990 is not a Challenge.' " Since then articles on Mexico were
year of fanfare and flair, but of plans and prayer. published in the August 1984 and June 1985 issues
but are not as general in nature.
Plan a Spanish/Mexican Fellowship Dinner
Help Improve Sabbath Schools
Top your church services on Mission Emphasis
Sabbath with a potluck fellowship meal featuring Sabbath School materials, such as felts and vi-
Inter-American dishes. Try chili, tacos or taco sual aids, are badly needed for childrens' divisions
salad, or the two recipes found in junior MISSION in Haiti where the branch Sabbath Schools are
—one for refried beans (great bean dip for chips) expanding rapidly. If you have items to donate
and Mexican wedding cakes, a dessert. Here is a please send them to: Mrs. Jean Saint-Pierre, Boite
Mexican main dish you might try: Postale 868, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, West Indies.
3
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
OF ADVENTIST WORLD MISSION
1890 - 1990
• Specific Mission Projects
A list of select special projects will be prepared by mission/field/section
presidents. Watch for further announcements.
• Volunteer for Mission Service
Details regarding special volunteer opportunities in the Adventist Youth Service
or Adventist Volunteer Service or task force programs of the church will be
provided.
• Set Personal Sacrificial Goals for Mission Giving
Recommended mission offering goals are: (1) to double your regular mission
offering giving and (2) to start a Sabbath School Investment project.
• Proclaim the Gospel to All You Meet
Each division is recommending various evangelistic tools to assist in effective
outreach activities. Personal goals could include inviting a specific friend to
Sabbath School and church, giving Adventist literature to five people per week,
sharing God's love with at least one person each day, and conducting or
participating in a weekly Bible study or Revelation Seminar meeting.
• Plan to Attend a Mission Festival
Colorful Adventist world mission rallies, congresses, and camp meetings will be
sponsored by schools, churches, conferences, and unions throughout each
division. Participants featured at some of the festivals will include both national
workers and missionaries from other divisions.
4
9
V(cid:9) 1 •:
(cid:9)
AND COST
Roger W. Coon, Ph.D.
January 6
Roger W. Coon, Associate Sec-
retary, Ellen G. White Estate
Those of us who have promoted missions in the themselves are unable to serve personally in mis-
churches have often declared, with as much truth sion lands but financially support others who are
as feeling, "Missions pay!" And of course, they will share equally in the "'spoils of victory"!
do.
Necessary costs
Lines from two songs come quickly to mind: "It
pays to serve Jesus. . . . It pays every step of the Missions pay. But they also cost. And some of
way." The other? "'Twas you who invited me the cost is the unavoidable direct result of soul-
here." One of the rewards will be heaven itself. winning success. I served in Nigeria, Africa's most
Not only will the redeemed, shouting "Heaven is populous nation, for 12 years; and since joining the
cheap enough," 1 cast their glittering crowns at the Ellen G. White Estate at General Conference head-
feet of Jesus,2 whose sacrifice made it all possible, quarters, I have returned to that continent repeat-
they will hear songs of gratitude from others sung edly, visiting all of its parts.
to them: The most pressing need in many parts of Africa
The redeemed will meet and recognize today is church buildings to house new congrega-
those whose attention they have directed to tions raised up by our evangelists, who today con-
the uplifted Saviour. What blessed con- tinue to enjoy unprecedented success. In Kenya,
verse they have with these souls! "I was a for example, a new sanctuary had to be constructed
sinner," it will be said, "without God and seating more than 1,000 to care for converts bap-
without hope in the world, and you came tized in a single campaign!
to me, and drew my attention to the pre- There are other costs as well. The expense of
cious Saviour as my only hope. And I transportation alone comes to millions of dollars
believed in Him. I repented of my sins, each year: sending missionary families with their
and was made to sit together with His household goods and personal effects to fields in
saints in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." distant lands, periodic furlough travel, and travel
Others will say: "I was a heathen in of church leaders to visit foreign shores for coun-
heathen lands. You left your friends and sel, encouragement, inspection, and reporting pur-
comfortable home, and came to teach me poses requires no inconsiderable sum.
how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the You will be happy to learn that the General
only true God. I demolished my idols and Conference corporate travel office (TRIPS) has
worshiped God, and now I see Him face to successfully negotiated special fares with about a
face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to dozen domestic and international airlines serving
behold Him whom I love. I then saw Him all six continents in an effort to keep the expense
only with the eye of faith, but now I see for official church travel at a minimum.
Him as He is. I can now express my grat-
Greater costs
itude for His redeeming mercy to Him who
loved me and washed me from my sins in Missions cost. But the greatest cost may be a
His own blood." 3 personal and sometimes highly traumatic one. Just
There is an Old Testament principle that makes yesterday a departmental director from one of the
it clear that those who play supporting roles on the divisions of the world field sat in my office, telling
sidelines or in the rear of battle receive the same me of his son who had died a year ago in Papua
reward as the soldier fighting on the front lines: New Guinea, far from home.
"As his part is that goeth down to the battle, so Missionaries still perish in distant lands. And
shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall sometimes it isn't from natural causes. My mind
part alike" (1 Sam. 30:24). And Christians who goes back to two cemeteries, half a world apart
5
from each other, in which I stood with head bowed the headstones provide a running panorama of the
in respect to fellow workers who had paid the history of our church in that part of the African
supreme price. continent. But the two newest graves tell the most
In a little jungle clearing at Honiara, Solomon tragic story.
Islands, is the grave of Brian M. Dunn. An En- Donald and Ann Lale of England were teaching
glishman by birth but Australian by adoption, 25- at Inyazura Secondary School in their sixth year of
year-old Brian took his bride, Valmae, to help service in 1981. Located 95 miles (152 kilometers)
open a new 60-bed hospital on the island of southeast of Harare, their school was in an isolated
Malaita in 1965. Only 11 days after they arrived area.
(and only 13 days short of their first wedding On the night of February 3, two guerrilla ban-
anniversary), Brian was speared by an eight-foot dits, in retaliation for a White South African com-
steel reinforcing rod about 10:30 one night on the mando raid against Maputo, Mozambique, several
front doorstep of his home as he responded to a days earlier, entered the campus at 8:00 p.m. At
villager's urgent appeal for emergency medical gunpoint they forced an African to take them to the
assistance.4 missionary residence. Ann, a home economics
The part of the spear protruding from his chest teacher, was shot and beaten in their home. Don-
was cut off with a hacksaw. He then endured a ald, a history teacher, escaped and ran to the
15-hour voyage by mission launch, a one-hour school for help. But he was captured and beaten to
emergency air charter flight, and a seven-mile am- death in the headmaster's office while the African
bulance ride over extremely rough roads, only to staff was forced, helplessly, to watch the brutal
die shortly after three hours of surgery. execution. And their two sons, Timothy, 16, and
Ironically, Brian Dunn was reported to have Andrew, 14, were instantly orphaned.6
been "the first expatriate Seventh-day Adventist to
die violently in the South Pacific." Do you catch
Appeal
the implication of that statement? Despite all the
Missions pay—and cost. The only cost to you
efforts of cannibals and headhunters to hold back
during the coming quarter will probably be to part
the advance of Christian missions in that volatile
with a few dollars in Sabbath School and other
part of the world during early pioneer missionary
mission offerings. I hope you will give generous-
development in the last half of the nineteenth cen-
ly—because others have given more.
tury, it was not until the final third of the twentieth
century that they claimed their first Adventist mis-
sionary martyr! ENDNOTES
Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 67; cf. Ellen G. White, Testimonies,
vol. 2, p. 73; vol. 3, p. 338; vol. 4, p. 218.
Cost strikes again 2 Eleven different EGW books refer to this. Typical is Early Writings, p.
289.
Halfway around the world there is another mis- 3 White, Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 311.
4 See Ernest H. I. Steed, Impaled (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press
sionary cemetery, on the campus of Solusi Col- Pub. Assn., 1970).
5 SDA Encyclopedia, p. 403.
lege, near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The names on 6 "Two Workers Murdered in Africa," Adventist Review, Feb. 19, 1981.
Did you know?
* The first missionary to Spanish-speaking lands of Inter-America was F. J. Hutchins.
* Adventism's first foothold in Inter-America was Guyana.
* Inter-America's most critical need for church buildings, judged by the number of members per church, is
in Haiti.
* The church headquarters for the Inter-America Division is located in Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
* Adventists operate 63 high schools and colleges in Inter-America.
6
(cid:9)
Inter-America on Parade
Sergio Moctezuma and Janet Kangas
January 13
Youngsters attend and partici-
pate in the laymen's training
programs, which are the key to
the successful growth of the
church in Inter-America.
The Inter-American Division is the largest are in progress. At least 250,000 (that's a quarter of
Seventh-day Adventist division in the world! It a million!) laymen in Inter-America have attended
comprises 11 unions, reaching southward from the these courses and are out winning souls. In 1988
headquarters in Miami to the borders of Brazil and laymen conducted 40,000 evangelistic series!
Equador. The population of the Inter-American Di- The training given the laymembers is compre-
vision is approximately 216 million. hensive; it covers the following areas: Bible doc-
It is the first division to reach 1 million members trines, methods of evangelism, Christian leader-
—reaching that mark on June 30, 1987! Its present ship, denominational history, homiletics, art of
membership is 1,085,539. The overall ratio of Ad- communication, how to get decisions, and more.
ventists to non-Adventists in Inter-America is Accordingly, when the laymembers go out to
work they possess a thorough background in the
1:197.
history and doctrines of the church. They are
Inter-America is on the march! Dedicated lead-
taught by qualified leaders: church ministries lead-
ership, lay preachers, and talented young people
ers from all levels, pastors to lay Bible instructors.
combined with a zealous love for souls make a
The lay Bible instructors are not only soul winners,
winning combination in the Inter-American Divi-
but have been trained to teach others how to win
sion. The IAD president, Elder George Brown, is
converts as well.
committed to finishing—not just continuing—the
To demonstrate the enthusiasm of the laymem-
gospel in this generation!
bers, here are a few vignettes:
Reports * A layman had an accident; a man stopped to
help him. He witnessed and brought the man to
The 1988 year-end reports thrilled the hearts of
church!
everyone: The union presidents reported 83,321
* One of our brothers was put in jail—by mis-
baptisms through the end of October, which repre-
take. He started a new church in jail!
sented 93 percent of the annual goal; and projected
* A lady started to preach under a light pole, and
102,728 souls to be won by the end of the year.
in a few weeks organized a company that is now a
The goal of 89,600 converts in 1988 was
church!
reached by November. The new goal set for 1988
* Another young lady went Ingathering in a poor
was 94,070 new members! Pressing on, the goal
district and in two weeks collected 1,000,900 pe-
set for 1989 was 120,000! sos (almost US$500).
Some growth statistics: the average number of * A lay preacher gave Bible studies to 40 peo-
new members a day is 280! The average number ple-22 were baptized. He ingathers 2.5 million
baptized every Sabbath is 1,938! Seventy-five new pesos (US$1,521).
churches every month are needed to house the new
Survey of institutions
members!
The best part is that the members are not only The Inter-American Division operates 10 hospi-
coming in, but that they are staying in! Of those tals, 9 colleges, 74 academies, and 444 elementary
who are baptized, the attrition rate is only 7 per- schools. Its 11 unions contain about 10,100 church
cent. companies and countless Branch Sabbath Schools.
It is difficult to tabulate the Branch Sabbath
Laymen are the secret
Schools because new ones are forming every Sab-
The secret of success in Inter-America is the par- bath!
ticipation of the laymembers in evangelism. At any The membership explosion demands more
given time approximately 2,500 lay training sessions schools in which to train our young people. Linda
7
Vista Academy in Chiapas, Mexico, annually re- And this, in spite of the fact that their own needs
ceives more than 900 applications, but has the are the greatest in their division!
capacity for less than half that many. Imagine more
Appeal
than 450 young people turned away!
Each Sabbath this quarter as you listen to the
Haiti
reports from the Inter-American field, its members
In Haiti, where some estimates of the literacy will be praying that your hearts will be softened
level are as low as 20 percent, many elementary with the grace of giving. If you long for the work
schools are called for if our new young members to spread more rapidly in your own division, you
are going to be educated to read their Sabbath are invited to share in the joy of the division that is
School lessons for themselves. Presently most Hai- the fastest growing. So fast that they cannot possi-
tian adult members are meeting as groups on a bly keep up with the explosive growth alone. If
daily basis to have their Sabbath School lesson read
your division were experiencing the same phenom-
to them.
enal growth you would be desperately looking to
Haiti also has the lowest per capita income level,
the world field for help, while at the same time
US$300 a year. But, can you believe, their per
praising the Lord for the growth. Let us follow the
capita giving record is the highest within the divi-
counsel of the Lord and love our neighbor divisions
sion! What they have, they give, because they are
as ourselves. You may be loving the neighbor you
storing up all their treasure for the life hereafter
will have next door in heaven!
rather than in this transitory, discouraging life.
(cid:9)
Pioneer Panel
Dorothy Eaton Watts
January 20
Hermelinda de Cruz, a charter
member of the Pichucalco
church in Chiapas, Mexico,
was converted through the ef-
forts of early literature evange-
lists.
Instructions: Seat panel of five around a table. If boat called the Herald. I studied for the ministry,
possible, have men dressed in clothing of the became a self-taught dentist, and also sold books
1890s. Beards would be great! wherever we landed. My nickname was the
"Storm King" because of some of the experiences
Moderator: With me today are four pioneer we had in those hurricane-ridden seas.
literature evangelists, or colporteurs, as they were
Arnold: My name is William Arnold. I worked
called in pioneer days. All sold books in Inter-
in the West Indies in 1890—exactly 100 years ago.
America. To them and to others like them, we owe
I was stationed in London, but made five trips to
much, for literature was the entering wedge in
the West Indies, canvassing on many of the islands
almost every country of this division.
and in British Guiana.
Gentlemen, please introduce yourselves. Tell us
your name and where you worked in Inter- Marchisio: My name is Marchisio. I am an
America. Italian-American tailor who went to Mexico City in
1891 to sell the English edition of The Great Con-
King: My name is George Albert King. I
troversy. It sold very well!
worked in Guyana in 1887, and sold about a thou-
sand dollars worth of books. Moderator: Brother Marchisio, it sounds like
you were the first to take Adventist literature to
Hutchins: I am Frank Hutchins. My wife and I
Mexico.
pioneered the work along the Central America
coast beginning in 1891. We traveled in a mission Marchisio: That is right.
8
Moderator: What about the rest of you? Were William Ings sent a box of books from Southhamp-
you also the first to introduce the message where ton, England, to Cap Haitien. Since the books were
you went? not addressed to anyone specifically, the steamship
company delivered the box to the Episcopal mis-
King: Not I. It was actually W. J. Boynton, a
sionary who shared them with other Protestant mis-
worker at the International Tract Society office in
sions nearby. A Baptist missionary shared his with
New York who did it without even setting foot in
his congregation. Two of his members, Mr. and
the country. In 1883 he gave a bundle of Seventh-
Mrs. Henry Williams, read the tracts and accepted
day Adventist papers to the captain of a ship bound
the Sabbath truth. It was more than 10 years before
for Georgetown, requesting him to distribute them
an Adventist missionary arrived to baptize them.
when he arrived there. Upon reaching the port, the
captain tossed the bundle onto the wharf, saying, Arnold: There is another thrilling story from
"I have fulfilled my promise." Haiti. About this same time, Michel Nord Isaac, a
An old man loitering there picked up a Signs of Methodist preacher and teacher, began to pray for
the Times and took it home. He gave it to an more spiritual light. One day he knelt in the corner
interested neighbor, who read it and became con- of his office and pled with the Lord to help him find
vinced about the Sabbath. She sent it to her sister the truth. While he was still in prayer, someone
in Barbados, who shared it with her friends. Soon knocked on the door. It was one of his pupils, who
there was a group of Sabbathkeepers in both said, "Teacher, I have found among my father's
places. They wrote to the tract society asking for books at home one entitled The History of the Sab-
more literature. T. E. Amsterdam was sent to sell bath. Would you like to read it?" He accepted the
books. I followed a year later. book as the answer to his prayer and immediately
began to preach his new beliefs. There resulted sev-
Arnold: And I followed your tracks in 1890. I
eral groups of Sabbath keepers on the island by the
sold more than 5,000 books in the West Indies.
time the first evangelist arrived in 1905.
Moderator: Did you ever hear of anyone ac- Moderator: It seems a lot of unaddressed parcels
cepting the message because of a book you sold? of books got shipped to the Caribbean! The first
Adventist literature reached Venezuela the same
Arnold: Yes, I did. On the island of Antigua I
way. But we haven't heard any stories from you,
sold a book to a man who sent it to his son, James
Brother Hutchins. Were you the first to penetrate the
Palmer, in Kingston, Jamaica. James Palmer was
Central American countries that you visited?
impressed and wrote to the International Tract So-
ciety for more literature, which he distributed all Hutchins: That is true of Costa Rica, Nicara-
over the city. gua, and Panama. In Belize and Honduras, how-
Some of these tracts he gave to a doctor who ever, a woman had been there before me. Her
wasn't interested. He passed them on to an English name was Mrs. E. Gauterau. She had joined the
lady, Mrs. Harrison, who visited patients regu- Adventist Church in California and when she re-
larly. Through them she began to keep the Sab- turned to her home in the Bay Islands she brought a
bath. And she also wrote to the tract society asking number of Seventh-day Adventist publications with
for more material. The first company of Sabbath her, which she shared with her neighbors. This
keepers began to meet in her home. Among them resulted in 20 people keeping the Sabbath by the
was James Palmer and several of his friends. Isn't time I arrived.
it amazing how the Lord watches over His word She was also responsible for taking the first
and causes it to bear fruit in the most unique ways? literature into Belize. These books also resulted in
several baptisms.
Marchisio: I never heard any results from my sale
of The Great Controversy, but I'm sure it bore fruit.
Moderator: One hundred years ago we had no
I'm looking forward to the stories I'll hear of those
baptized members in Inter-America. Today we
books when we get to heaven! However, I did hear
have more than a million members! What a won-
about a copy of Patriarchs and Prophets that was
derful harvest from so small a beginning! We could
sold in a different island and ended up in Trinidad!
tell stories of Columbia, Cuba, the Dominican Re-
Through it several people began keeping the Sab-
public, El Salvador, and many other places, but
bath. Maybe one of you brethren sold that book!
our time is gone.
King: Could be. One never knows! I heard an- Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us for this
other interesting story about how the work started special presentation for "1990—Year of Adventist
in Haiti. In 1879 John N. Loughborough and World Mission."
9
(cid:9)
Welcome to Haiti
Napoleon Grunder
11.111111:1111111111 January 27
Karen Yves-Pierre, in front of
the new Haitian Union office
under construction, where her
father serves as ministerial sec-
retary, welcomes you to Haiti.
Interviewer: As we glance over the map of the learned the Sabbath message in 1905. This enthusi-
Caribbean we spot the islands of the Greater An- astic preacher from the Methodist Church became
tilles. The second-largest island-29,418 square the lightbearer of the message that set all Haiti
miles—is Hispaniola, home of the Republic of Haiti. ablaze.
Haiti, which means "mountainous land," is the
Interviewer: More recently, how has the work
right name for this country. Like other Caribbean
been progressing?
islands, its sky is almost always blue and its white-
Grunder: During the past 30 years the Advent-
sand beaches are lined with tall coconut trees.
ist message has entered every strata of the popula-
With us this morning is Elder Napoleon
tion. The membership has more than doubled every
Grunder, who served as president of the Franco-
10 years.
Haitian Union until last March, when the union
Thanks to the miraculous intervention of the
divided. Elder Grunder, what can you tell us about
Holy Spirit, laymen and pastors have been inspired
the Haitian people?
to demonstrate great missionary zeal and remove
Grunder: Greetings from the 125,000 members
obstacles. Entire churches belonging to other Prot-
in Haiti, who live among more than 6 million
estant denominations have accepted the Adventist
people there! All shades of skin can be found in
message. The work still is growing rapidly.
Haiti, with the majority originally from West Af-
Interviewer: This progress has not been without
rica. The two official languages are French and
its problems, has it?
Creole. The income per capita is the lowest of the
Western hemisphere, and social inequalities are Grunder: All our churches are overflowing to
very evident. the point that several in the capital city and main
The predominant religions are Catholicism and areas must hold two services. In some places,
voodooism. The gospel, however, has rapidly ad- many of our congregations have to meet on Sab-
vanced, and presently there are about 2 million baths under makeshift shelters covered with palms.
Protestants—one third of the population. During the worship hour the heat is intolerable and
when it rains, the members are soaked. It is not
Interviewer: Thank you, Elder Grunder. Now I
uncommon to find congregations meeting under
understand that Haiti had the honor of being the
trees. The North Haiti and South Haiti Mission
opening door for the Adventist message in Inter-
officers are overburdened with the expanding need
America. Would you capsulize a little of that his-
and have exhausted all available resources from
tory for us?
their low budgets.
Grunder: Certainly. In 1879, J. N. Loughbor-
Interviewer: How, then, are the members cop-
ough and William Ings sent a case of books and
ing?
tracts from Southampton, England to Cap Haitien.
Since the material was not addressed to anyone Grunder: The members used to believe that it
specific in Haiti, the custom agent gave it to the was the mission's duty to find the necessary funds
Episcopal missionary of the city. When he saw that to build churches. Consequently they met in old
it was religious literature, he distributed it to the and cramped places that were a disgrace to the
other Protestant missions. Creator. The worsening situation climaxed with the
A young Jamaican, Henry Williams, read the ma- evangelistic explosion of the past decades when
terial with much interest. Williams and his wife size became a factor as well.
decided to keep the Ten Commandments of the Because the membership has been forced to face
Lord. For 26 years the Williams were the only Ad- the limitations of the mission's administrative
ventists on the island until Michel Nord Isaac funds, the lay members have developed a new
10