A Work Of Sacrifice

Those who say such things, because of seeing institutions planted in various parts, little realize, generally, the toil and sacrifice and labor and travail a truly health-missionary plant entails. It has meant money sacrifice by believers to build it or purchase it, it has meant missionary sacrifice on the part of physicians, nurses, and workers to conduct it. No one knowing the history would ever conceive of such an enterprise as a commercial venture. It has all developed as a part of gospel work, to help the suffering, to teach the better way of physical life, and to prepare men for the life to come.SPIAM 84.4

How has it come about? Many gifts have been devoted to this work. And in it all, largely out of sight of the general public, appears the working of the gift of the Spirit of prophecy, a major factor in building up this as well as other departments of the movement.SPIAM 84.5

Years ago, on a journey from Manila, in the Philippines, to Shanghai, China, a lady sitting at my table in the ship dining room was talking of the health work of Seventh-day Adventists, which she had found represented in many places over the Orient. She was a keen businesswoman, who had before spent many years in missionary service with one of the great societies. “How is it,” she asked, “that Seventh-day Adventists, of all the denominations, have made so prominent this kind of work? How does it come about that they are in this thing?”SPIAM 84.6

At the crowded table the only reply practicable in a few moments was to explain that the Lord’s providence had led this church to engage in this kind of work from their earliest history; that they considered that even as Jesus ministered to the sick while teaching the gospel, even so the church is called to do, following in His steps; and that this people consider it a part of the gospel commission to teach men how to glorify God in their bodies and in their spirits which are God’s.SPIAM 85.1