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Greetings of Bible Society mid Conference 171
to take back the New Testament." "Well, that is not right," he said.
"You go, and tell the man who told him he would be like the crazy
people if he reads the book, that if he is the head of a family and sits
down to the dinner table to eat his food, he is not satisfied if he has
no food, and tell him, just so a Russian Christian ought to have and
must have his New Testament."
REV. JOHN BOKMELDER,
Dean of the Russian Baptist Bible Institution, New York
I am glad that the American people are so interested in the evan-
gelization of Russia. Our school was opened January 8, 1917, with
Pastor Fetler as the Dean. I was with him as associate teacher in
the school. After Mr. Fetler went to Philadelphia I continued as
Dean. Last year we had twenty-four students, representing five
nationalities. This school is supported by the American Baptist Home
Mission Society. The cost of board for each student is about eleven
dollars a month. The Home Mission Society takes care of the rest
of our expenses. We teach educational subjects and also from a very
good text book,—the Bible. We believe the Bible, stand for all it
teaches, and we believe that from cover to cover it is the inspired
Word of God. We believe that Jesus Christ died, and that He is the
Saviour who will come again to take us to Him. I cannot forget the
meetings we had in North Dakota last December. The Russian people
there would start their meetings at six o’clock in the evening, and
continue until twelve o’clock at night. Even after that they were not
willing to go home, but wanted to stay and hear more of the Gospel.
We need your prayers and support, and of course I believe that you
are praying that the Lord will use the Russian brethren and prepare
them for His service. We have great need of Russian pastors and
Christian workers in America, and do not have them. Pray the Lord
to send them forth.
Now just a w^ord about how the Lord brought me to Himself. I was
converted when I was about twelve years of age. It was my mother
who prayed for me; and the Lord worked by His Holy Spirit in my
heart at that early age. I saw myself as a great sinner before God,
and He forgave my sins, and made me happy. It was not permitted
that I should be baptized then, for there was no freedom in Russia,
but my mother prayed that the Lord would give freedom, and she
said to me that she was convinced, in her heart, that the Lord would
give religious freedom in Russia. In 1905 a religious freedom was
given and I was baptized that year. I shall never forget the night
when I was baptized together with three converts. It was a country
place. There was a revolution at the time, and so the pastor said,
"Let us go in the night time." And at one o’clock in the morning we
went to the lake and were baptized.
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