Serendipity

Several months ago I heard the word serendipity and its meaning for the first time. It was coined by Horace Walpole after his tale of "The Three Princes of Serendip." Evidently these princes had the ability to accidentally make fortunate dis­coveries in their travels. Thus we get the concept of having delightful experiences and discovering blessings that come with­out looking or asking for them.

This was my experience on a recent trip through the Southern European Division. I constantly discovered people, experiences, and scenes that brought unsought-for bless­ings and joy to my soul. The routine pro­gram of conducting workers' meetings and fulfilling speaking engagements over a six-week period was greatly enhanced by this experience of serendipity.

Men Make the Movement

Perhaps my most fortunate discovery was Giuseppe Cupertino, Ministerial Associa­tion secretary for the Southern European Division. You would never suspect that he is approaching retirement age. His endless supply of energy kept our heavy program moving swiftly and efficiently. We had never met officially before, but it took only a few hours to knit us together in a bond stronger than blood. His knowledge of his­tory, geography, religion, and politics made our trip far superior to a Cook's tour.

Emotional experiences such as praying together in Paul's Mamertine Prison cell, or in the Church of the Cave in the Wal­densian Valley, rivet to the soul memories that one would never want to forget. Pointed illustrations and proverbs were ap­propriately brought forth. Once after re­ceiving a compliment he exclaimed, "Com­pliments are like perfume. They are to be smelled but not swallowed!" Such a man inspires confidence in God and His move­ment.

Communion Embraces

The warmth and enthusiasm of our Ital­ian workers melt the heart. The art of greeting one another with a holy kiss has not been forgotten in Italy. I wish it could be restored round the world. Our meetings in Italy climaxed with a communion serv­ice. The foot-washing experience followed by a holy kiss on both cheeks was a sweet simple testimony of the Christian love cradled in their hearts. I could not under­stand their language. I didn't have to. Truth came through loud and clear in a service such as this.

Spiritual Democracy

A secluded spot near Paris was the loca­tion for the meeting held for the French workers. Sheltered from man-made noise and confusion, our souls were opened to the inspection of God's Holy Spirit. Speak­ing, praying, discussing, and singing to­gether brought us a refreshing revival.

One unique feature which I am confident will produce results was the brain-storm sessions. Small discussion groups made numerous suggestions as to what could be done to win more souls. A secretary from each group reported to the entire body. The suggestions made were the finest I have ever heard. Permitting these men to express themselves freely did much to make them realize that they were an integral part of the French working force. Frank­ness combined with Christian kindness and courtesy was the rule. Disagreement without disloyalty, conviction without caviling, was the order of the day. To me this was con­crete evidence of Christian maturity.

Sweet Fellowship

The beauty of Austria and Switzerland was surpassed only by the beauty of the Christian fellowship of workers and laity. The eagerness exhibited by these workers to grasp any new ideas or suggestions that would help them in their evangelistic pro­gram was gratifying. Each field faces its peculiar difficulties, but dedicated men constantly struggle to achieve a foothold in enemy territory. It was encouraging to talk with these men and to get their indi­vidual reports on what they were doing to win souls.

Saragossa—Catholic Mecca

Barcelona, Saragossa, and Madrid were three centers visited on our trip through Spain. Religious liberty is gradually coming to this country that formerly oppressed anyone outside the bounds of Roman Catholicism. Perhaps the ever-increasing flood of tourists has helped to mitigate op­pressive religious actions.

For instance, the government has pre­pared an attractive brochure for tourists visiting the city of Saragossa. This large, beautiful metropolis is the Mecca of Ca­tholicism in Spain, yet for the first time in the history of our work our two churches are listed in the brochure. This is remark­able when you consider that we do not legally exist,- that individuals are admitted through church doors only after being rec­ognized by a deacon gazing through a peep­hole, and that identifying signs are totally eliminated from any Protestant church building. This seemingly small act was a source of enthusiastic jubilation among the workers.

Reverence Unlimited

Four to five hundred members and friends crammed the church auditorium in Saragossa on a Wednesday evening. Long before the 9:00 P.M. deadline when the meeting was to begin, scores filed in silently and took their places. I watched them enter and quietly walk to their seats. Reverently each one bowed his head in silent prayer. There was no talking, no con­fusion—only total reverence. Never have I witnessed such respect and decorum on the part of any church group. To preach to them was not only a privilege but a most rewarding experience. One sensed that ev­ery word one said was meaningful. A study of the Scriptures was no commonplace function. They were thankful for every minute they were permitted to worship God in this auditorium. Perhaps we would feel the same way if we had to maintain allegiance to the Adventist Church under the same circumstances as these folk. To have a translator standing beside me who had been in prison thirty-eight times for his faith was spiritually stimulating. They know what it means to "rejoice and be ex­ceeding glad" when persecuted for the Mas­ter's sake. A liberal dose of a similar ex­perience wouldn't hurt any of us.

Our Cover Picture

Our cover picture is not primarily a work of art. Its graceful arches and ancient stones are monuments to fulfilled proph­ecy. November 1, 1755, found the churches of Lisbon, Portugal, crowded with people, for it was All Saints' Day. Suddenly a gi­gantic shock that affected a tremendous area of the earth's surface seemed to focus on this unfortunate city. One source claims that nearly thirty thousand souls of the city's quarter of a million inhabitants were killed in the most terrible earthquake ever recorded up to that time.

Some may doubt the relationship of this earthquake to the fulfillment of Revela­tion 6:12, referring to a specific sign of Christ's second coming and stating "there was a great earthquake," yet those who went through this experience and lived to talk about it were gripped with the awful thought that the end of the world had come. One ship's captain described the scene in vivid terms to the owners of his vessel. With reference to the fears of the people he said, "The Fear, the Sorrow, the Cries and Lamentations of the poor In­habitants are inexpressible; every one beg­ging Pardon, and embracing each other; crying, forgive me Friend, Brother, Sister! Oh! what will become of us! neither Water or Land will protect us, and the Third Ele­ment, Fire, seems now to threaten our total Destruction!"—SDA Bible Students' Source Book, p. 357.

A visit to Lisbon today reveals very little of this awful incident, now more than two hundred years old. The most famous monu­ment to this sign of the times is the Carmo Convent Ruins (see cover picture). The present floor is a carpet of grass and shrub­bery. Its only roof is the sky. Strange, yet not so strange, that the ruins of a religious structure have been selected by man to re­main as a memorial to this appalling event. To stand within the abandoned walls of this edifice is a solemn experience—solemn, not because it is a church but rather be­cause one senses the nearness of the soon coming of Christ. This most famous of all earthquakes should be known not for its horrible destruction, but rather for its ful­fillment of prophecy. There need be no reticence on the part of any Adventist min­ister to use the Lisbon earthquake as a definite fulfillment of God's Word and a prominent sign of the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

No Schools

The work in Portugal is steadily march­ing forward, along with the work in the rest of the Southern European Division. We met in the commodious Lisbon church, which was considered far too large when it was built, but has now proved to be too small! Our educational program ground to a halt several years ago when the gov­ernment closed our schools on some flimsy pretext. In spite of this, special classes are being conducted for consecrated young men and women who desire to become gospel workers. These students met with us during the entire workers' meetings.

Altar Calls and Testimonies

In each country we climaxed the work­ers' meetings with an altar call. The re­sponse was unanimous, not because of em­ulation but rather of personal conviction.

As we stood together, hand clasping hand, fervent testimonies and prayers were ut­tered. The depth of sincerity could be measured not only by tear-filled voices but by the silent workings of God's Spirit on every heart. All were in earnest as we sought to come in closer contact with our Maker.

My visit to the Southern European Di­vision placed an additional burden on my own heart which causes me to pray more intelligently for my fellow ministers in this area. Best of all, additional joys will forever be mine as I look back on the precious association with those of like faith. Since this trip "serendipity" has be­come a very real part of my vocabulary!

J. R. SPANGLER