EVANGEL IST IC D E PAR TM EN T REVIEW OF THE MONTH’S ACTIVITIES By Bible Institute Workers m T i l i n g s T h a t Grip* PRACTICAL PERS@MJI.I3 WORK aiad SOOT* SAVIM© ■ ------------ WORK IN PACIFIC COAST HARBORS
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Oscar Zimmermann, Supt.
P ERHAPS the outstanding occurrence of the month was the arrival of three Russian steamers, one following the other at intervals, o f a few-days: They were the first,/¡vessels,' flying the Russian flag and fully farmed .with Russian soldiers, to enter San Francisco Harbor for years, and it was a nety*Experience to the worker, as it was uncertain how! these men from Russia would receive the Word and the worker.' How ever, ’’a good reception was given us, and reahTjoy was kindled in our heart to see' how .readily the printed page was received, and find that, while no one could preach to them‘in their own language, yet a goodly numberj could be dealt with personally as the ¡officers, especially, spoke English- On-. one; "o r the' vessels three men asked for •liiblifS, an,d another-brought his wotn fam ily Bible to the worker to, have, it rebound, as it, was falling to pieces. On another vessel the chief officer was brought under dotiviction and promised to. read the Gospel as well as “ The Empty Tomb.” His was a story common to many, first:saying he had no use for the Scrip tures and that he knew nothing o f God,- and then,’ becoming interested, God spoke to him through H is Word. Although this man, a professoi of-science and a learned man (bis health having caused him to for sake his former calling to follow the sea), had . said he did not know God, he was brought to see that while ,he wa,s unac
quainted with God as a personal Saviour, yet the worker could claim an acquaintance with Him, and that his great mistake had been in leaving God out of his life and plans and future. Every man, with one exception, in all our dealings for over a year, has accepted a portion of the Scriptures in his own tongue on the foreign vessels. Here follows the experience of a man whom we met on the third Russian boat. He priginally came from Russia, living in the United States i.-for twelve years, where he came in con tact with the Word which he read but did not bèllevé.' He returned to Russia and went through the'horrors of the war and lay sick for months in Siberia, a refugee and hear starvation. Finally escaping to Japan, he tried to reach the United States. His sickness, hindered him from work but caused'the sailors on this Russian vessel to take pity on him, and they were per mitted to take him on board in Japan, giv-r ing him an extra bed and dividing their food with him. He lay deathly sick, a great big fellow with the heart of a child, . expecting'to be removed to the hospital the next day. ■He knew not where his wife was, except “somewhere in California,” but " he told the worker how, during the months of agony and suffering, thinking and re membering the Gpspel •story, Christ was speaking to him, and that he believed on ' Christ as his Sin-bearer. He did not know
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