FROM a cheering letter by Abie Dunn, who is working in Formosa, come some encouraging experiences on how she and Thelma Smith are training native women to teach the Bible in their mission field. We quote the following from her letter: "Do you remember the material handed out while I was with you at the Seminary—the 'Facts of Faith' listings of twelve Bible texts for each doctrine we teach the interested? On returning to Formosa from the States, these became the 'textbook' for a Bible instructor's training class in my home four mornings a week. Three young women and two young men faithfully applied themselves to the study of our doctrines and learned to give Bible studies. We emphasized the proper questions for each text, the class evaluating which of the submitted questions were the more logical and to the point.
"For the following class an assignment of these properly organized questions with their textual answers was a requirement. A member of the class then gave the Bible study to the others. Of this group Mrs. Chen became a most successful Bible instructor for Taiwan.
"Later I had an efficient Bible instructor working with me in Kao Hsiung. She had been a primary public school teacher before becoming an Adventist. She with Alice and others attended a special training class at our school in Taipei. Both are very faithful workers. Mrs. Thelma Smith has been training Miss Liu for Bible work. We feel happy that our field now has six full-time Bible instructors."
A Worldwide Bible Instructor Movement
Similar letters keep coming to us at headquarters. God is helping our missionaries teach our doctrines to the people for whom they labor, and then to select for the Bible work those who indicate special ability. In this training our Theological Seminary has had an important part. Missionaries on furlough, in advancing their education at the Seminary, learned many methods of bringing our message in an interesting way before the public. Classes in practical theology provide excellent materil] that our overseas workers are now using in many fields.
Good personal workers are the primary need in every country of the world. There has always been a dearth of college-trained Bible instructors, and Abbie Dunn's method of training a small group is the best plan that we might recommend for her field. Thelma Smith and many others in the Far East, both women and men, continue to perfect this personal training method in their fields.
Inter-America and South America are examples of this personal-work training. The Middle East, too, has made a good beginning. Africa has long adapted such a training program to meet its need for African personnel, using young men especially but more recently educating young women for this phase of God's work. In Northern Europe some of our sisters have become productive evangelists in their own right. And so the hosts of devoted personal workers is increasing year by year.
Our Greatest Training Potential
Another encouraging phase of this training is the consecration of our laywomen who give free part-time service to the Bible work. They realize that the opportunities of today may not be with us next year. Every Bible instructor, man or woman, has the responsibility of training helpers for the proclamation of the message. Let every personal worker now raise up monuments to the Bible work. Only he who trains a helper or a successor for this work has fulfilled his commission to instruct others in these Heaven-ordained skills for teaching God's last warning message. Bible instructors, are you meeting this challenge by selecting and training young people for personal evangelism?
The fields are white to harvest and gospel workers are few. Many with talents for personal evangelism now need to be introduced to this lifework of the greatest magnitude. An army of consecrated workers for visiting homes in a personal way is one of our greatest needs. Let us fill this need while there is opportunity.
Many denominations are endeavoring to use latent talent overseas. Simultaneously, the world's home bases for missions are training workers for their home fields. Seventh-day Adventists must now keep step with a fast-advancing gospel. It may be later than we think!
