122 Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists
At this place is one of the oldest companies of Sabbath-keepers
in Sweden. They number about fifty. Here there was the greatest
[195]
interest in the meetings. Our people hold their meetings in a union
house built by dissenters, and open to all denominations. Here a plan
quite common in Sweden, but new to us, was adopted to supply the
lack of an organ. A lady who occupied a room adjoining the meeting-
hall, and who had charge of the building, was a skillful player on the
guitar, and possessed a sweet, musical voice; at public worship she
was accustomed to supply the place of both choir and instrument. At
our request she played and sung at the opening of our meetings.
Our people here are considerably scattered, but on the Sabbath they
came in from all the surrounding country. The ground was covered
with snow, and one brother came thirty miles in a sleigh, while others,
both men and women, walked from six to twenty miles. Eld. Matteson
preached in the morning, and when all had had time to come in from
a distance, I followed, speaking from
Philippians 4:4-7
: “Rejoice in
the Lord always.” I dwelt upon the importance of exercising faith in
God, so that we can rejoice in him even in the midst of trials and
persecutions, and of laboring in the spirit of Christ to win others to the
truth.
We saw in this company several brethren, who, we believe, could
do good work as canvassers and colporteurs. The importance of this
work was set before them, and the brethren agreed to meet together
and study the Bible, preparatory to engaging in missionary labor. As
we passed out of the house at the close of the meeting, many crowded
around to shake hands with me. They could not express their feelings
in words, but they pressed my hand, and with the tears coursing down
their cheeks silently pointed upward. We hope to meet these dear
friends among the saved, when we shall all have one language, and
there will be no barriers to our communion with one another.