ISLANDS MISSION WORK

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 20 February 1932, Page 7

ISLANDS MISSION WORK

CRUSADE IN SOUTH SEAS. LECTURE AT HAWERA. Almost every seat in the Grand Theatre, Hawera, was occupied last night when Pastor A. G. Stewart, vice-president of the Australasia.', Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists with headquarters in Sydney, delivered an address illustrated with coloured slides and 3000 feet of motion pictures. Pastor L. R. Harvey, of Hawera, introduced the speaker, stating that Mr. and Mrs. Stewart had spent over 20 rears in the mission fields and had lived and laboured among some of the most savage people in the South Sea Islands, if not in the world. The experiences to be related by Pastor Stewart, he tsaid, were first-hand and personal, making them all the more interesting. Pastor Stewart stated that 25 years ago he went to Fiji, where, with Ins wife, he was engaged in mission work for twelve years. They were then appointed, to Malekula, New Hebrides to work among some of tile most primitive and "truculent tribes in those' islands. Mr. Stewart said lie had personally visited heathen villages where the natives were*' engaged in cannibal feasts, roasting parts of human bodies wrapped up in green leaves and then passing these parcels of roast flesh round'to other tribes. In speaking of the Seventh Day Adventist movement as a missionary society, Pastor Stewart said its missionaries were working in over 130 countries and using in their work over 440 languages or dialects. The movement had sent out to the mission fields ah average of 175 missionaries every year for at least the last fen years. In their medical missionary work, Mr. Stewart said Seventh Day Adventists were being highly commended. Views of the institutions were- depicted on the : Screen and in these were engaged 5000 nurses and doctors entirely supported by the denomination. | The scenes of the South Sea Island missions featured the activities of the missionaries of the denomination in their work among primitive; and needy people. Thousands of natives; it was stated, were being treated annually for all kinds of native diseases and sores,: the most common and'worst disease •unong the children being yaws, now being treated with good results. The motion pictures presented showed native life in many of 'its varied and interesting aspects. Native dances or games - occupy a great deal cf their valueless time in their heathen life, hilt it was indicated that among the young people to-day there- is a great demand for’education. After visiting Wanganui. New Plymouth and Auckland Pastor Stewart returns to Sydney on Friday next. During the winter months he expects to visit the Mandated Territory of New Guinea.