Light by the China Sea

"CHINA! CHINA! I can­not get away from the burden!" It was the voice of an old man, Abram La Rue, former gold miner, seaman, shepherd, and colpor­teur. His simple, un­swerving faith led him at an advanced age to light the torch of truth by the China Sea in Hong Kong. He arrived in 1888, a lone fisherman for souls; but his self-supporting ministry as our first missionary to the Far East has made his experience an inspira­tion to those faced with the gigantic chal­lenge of evangelizing China with a popula­tion approaching one fourth of humanity.

Abram La Rue boarded ships bound for the ends of the earth and scattered litera­ture among men whose hearts were often as troubled as the seas upon which they spent their lives. Amid the darkness of heathenism he labored to hasten the return of the Lord whom he followed in a life of sacrificial service. His five years of solitary labor were eloquently brought before the assembled General Conference in 1893. A giant of faith was pleading his cause. Stephen N. Haskell, Bible scholar, "father of the tract and missionary society," pio­neer, and promoter of missions extraordi­nary, was speaking: "Let me speak in be­half of China. . . How many missionaries have we in China? We have one old man about eighty years old, Brother La Rue.. .. Do you not think God is opening the way for work in China?"—General Conference Bulletin, Feb. 20, 1893, pp. 294-296.

The question must be asked again to­day as we face doors that are locked to mis­sionary evangelism in China. But today's witness for truth in Hong Kong is not one old pioneer in a tropical helmet boarding visiting boats from his sampan in the har­bor. Now in the little colony there are more than 2,500 students in Adventist schools with an enthusiasm and evangelistic energy of unlimited potential. South China Un­ion College at scenic Clearwater Bay is de­veloping into the Chinese training center of Asia. In the pattern of the pioneer mis­sionary to the Orient and of Christ the master fisherman, the department of reli­gion of the college has sponsored an ad­venture in evangelism, Operation Sea-Light.

It has been found that youth evangelism should include: (1) A plan which fits into the student life, giving proper considera­tion to class and school obligations; (2) a program with activities which challenge the faith and imagination of Missionary Volunteers; (3) a location appropriate for young workers of limited experience, where the gospel "fishing" is quite easy. Operation Sea-Light, with weekend and afternoon evangelistic adventure in vil­lages near the college campus and aboard boats in the Hong Kong bays, has pro­vided students with outstanding opportu­nities to witness for Christ.

To begin the program missionary doc­tors were invited to accompany students and teachers on friendly medical mission­ary calls to neighboring villages. The regu­lar clinics generously provided by the doc­tors during their free time were followed up with literature visitation and branch Sabbath school work. As the students de­veloped in the work they were given train­ing in child evangelism and assisted in pre­paring for and the taking of evening meetings in places where the interest was good.

The challenge of isolated coastal com­munities and Hong Kong's 150,000 boat dwellers made the need for a boat for evangelism a subject of prayer which God answered in a most interesting way. On the other side of the Pacific, Dr. Arthur Nelson took time from his medical practice to attend the funeral of a Catholic patient who was a victim of cancer. The widow of the patient, impressed by her Adventist doctor's sympathy, offered him the nearly completed cabin cruiser her husband had built. The doctor replied that he did not feel in a position to purchase a boat. "I don't want to sell you the boat; I want to give it to you!" the lady explained. The doctor answered that he could not per­sonally accept the gift, but mentioned that his missionary son in Hong Kong was in need of a boat and he would be willing to accept it on his behalf, sell it, and forward the funds for a mission boat if she wished. Pleased with the suggestion, the widow agreed and Operation Sea-Light soon had its first boat. Today the student evange­lism "fleet" in Hong Kong includes: a sturdy Diesel-powered 27-foot Chinese junk, Sea-Light I, which regularly carries students to branch Sabbath schools and church services they are conducting; Sea-Light II, a 15-foot outboard powered sail­ing sampan for short trips and visitation work; and the flagship, a unique 37 by 17-foot floating chapel-clinic and sea-evange­lism center, the Roberts Sea-Light, named for donors—friends of the college—the Gil­bert Roberts family. The chapel boat an­chored in a busy fishing-village bay will seat 75 (but has had as many as 300 aboard during student evangelism programs) and has two doctors' offices where as many as 75 to 100 patients are seen during the free Sunday clinics held by missionary doctors Heald, Young, and Bruske, of the Advent­ist sanitarium. Boat children enjoy gath­ering on the spacious top deck for stories, songs, and pictures presented by the stu­dents as parents listen to other youth evan­gelists in the chapel below. Picture pro­grams on the deck have transformed wa­ters near the Sea-Light into a boat "drive-in theater."

The college was privileged to have visit­ing evangelist H. M. S. Richards address the large audience which came for the ded­ication service of the chapel-clinic boat on the beach near the campus. As he spoke from a rock pulpit on the shore, students were inspired and challenged by the fam­iliar "Voice": "Christianity itself began by the sea. Jesus Christ was the first great preacher by the sea. It is very appropriate that sea evangelism should be carried on here in Hong Kong."

Now jointly supported by the college, the mission, and the Adventist sanitarium, Operation Sea-Light is an adventure in fellowship and team evangelism fulfilling again the ancient prophecy: "By the way of the sea .. . the people which sat in darkness saw great light" (Matt. 4:15, 16).