Ecuador by J. W. WESTPHAL

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 15, 1909

Ecuador

By J. W. WESTPHAL

BOTH on entering Ecuador and on leaving, we made our stay in Guayaquil as brief as possible, on account of the yellow fever. There were upward of twenty new cases daily, and there was also bubonic plague. On account of a landslide, we were obliged to remain in the train overnight on our way to Ambato. On our arrival, Brethren W. W. Wheeler and Octavio Navarette were at the station to meet us. While in Ambato, we held four public meetings in the homes of our brethren, the attendance and interest growing with each successive meeting. This work will be followed up by several meetings a week. Two professed to keep the Sabbath. Two are also keeping the Sabbath at Machala, on the coast, and desire baptism. These, together with another brother, constitute our native brethren in this republic. Four of these are still only just beginners, with little instruction. We are glad for this beginning. Ecuador is a difficult field. The repeated changing of laborers has retarded the progress of the work.

We were most glad to meet Elder and Sister Wheeler, and we enjoyed a pleasant time with them. They are of good courage in the Lord. He is looking forward toward doing aggressive work for the third angel's message in that field. For some months Brother Navarette has had but little results in his canvassing work. Twice while canvassing in out-of-the-way places, he had to flee for his life. In many places the people are very fanatical. Yet there are evidences that the leaven of liberty is making itself felt in removing these hindrances to the evangelical worker. An international exposition, to be held at Quito beginning August 10, would furnish a most excellent opportunity to sow the seeds of truth by distributing small tracts on a liberal scale among the many who will attend the exposition. A shortage of money is the only thing that hinders a definite plan to this end.

We spent two days at Quito. It is nicely situated, at an elevation of over nine thousand feet, in a fertile district having an abundant rainfall. It is a contrast to nearly all we had seen of this high plateau. It is supposed to be the oldest city of the New World, having been the capital of a powerful Indian nation conquered by the Incas a generation or two before the latter were conquered by the Spaniards. It is larger than Guayaquil, and in every way a cleaner and more healthful city. Scarcely a beginning has been made by Protestants in this place. It seems desirable that the headquarters of our work for Ecuador be located here.

Brother Wheeler is desirous of having further help. He suggested that a physician would be able to open up successful work, and he believed that there would be no difficulty in securing recognition by the government. Any physician thinking favorably of such a work would do well to correspond with Elder W. W. Wheeler, Apartado 3, Ambato, Ecuador.

We had planned on taking a steamer from Guayaquil for Panama on April 22. At the last moment we changed our plan, and took a boat a day earlier. On this boat eight days, instead of four, were required to make the voyage; but we escaped two days' quarantine. We chose wiser than we knew. Two cases of yellow fever developed on the other boat, and the passengers were still destined to spend three days in quarantine after we landed. In many ways we have had evidences that the Lord has providentially led us on this trip.

We were permitted to spend a few pleasant days with our brethren at Cristobal, Canal Zone, Panama. On Sunday eight were baptized; and the previous day the church at Mt. Hope was well filled with earnest listeners to the truth spoken by the writer, and the following day Elder E. Thomann spoke twice, once in Spanish and once in English. At Cristobal the work is well situated. A meeting-room will soon be finished, a printing-office is well equipped to do good work, and the brethren have pleasant rooms in which to live, a most necessary thing in this climate.

On the whole trip from Cochabamba to this place, Elder Thomann has been a good helper. He has taken forty-eight subscriptions, and his direct sales were much more.

J. W. WESTPHAL.