Our boat cast anchor, Nov. 18, 1914, in the harbor of Port of Spain. We had enjoyed a most delightful voyage, but were pleased to come in sight of land once more. Elder N. H. Pool met us, and saw to getting our baggage through the customs. How glad we were to see the faces of Brother Pool’s and Brother F. C. Hutchinson’s families, whom we knew in the States. Every other face was strange, and for once we felt the truth of the old song, “I am a stranger here, within a foreign land.”
Everything is so different from the homeland that we seemed to have dropped into another world. Near here is the famous asphalt pitch lake, and this city takes pride in its beautifully paved streets, serving for cab and foot passengers alike, as you find few sidewalks. The streets are not so wide as at home, and each house is fenced in by a hedge or high fence. Most of the yards are graveled, instead of having a green lawn, and are laid out in flower beds. Nature has provided lovely locations for homes in the valleys and on the hills, and, surrounded by palms, lime, orange, banana, and mango trees, native flowers, and roses, it is a veritable garden of Eden. There are many beautiful homes, belonging to English, Scotch, Germans, and a few Americans.
But alongside all this wealth is found extreme poverty. Families of from three to seven live in one room, many of them hungry so much of the time that hunger becomes second nature.
We have a nice church here, and they gave us a hearty welcome. In January we began a series of meetings, continuing seven weeks. During this time the members distributed 20,000 bills for advertising. We never worked where the members took hold more willingly than here. The average attendance was from three hundred and fifty to four hundred. Cards were passed in the congregation for those to sign who desired reading matter, and three hundred and fifty names were handed in. This was too much for the workers alone to do, and the members responded readily to the work of putting literature into the homes. In this way we came in touch with many nice persons. The last week of the effort Elder S. A. Oberg, of Venezuela, rendered valuable help.
CHURCH IN PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES
Nearly all the expense of the meetings was met by the collections. Though many of the people are poor, we find them ever ready to sacrifice for the cause of God. These meetings resulted in two baptismal classes, and seventy-three precious souls have been buried with their Lord in baptism and united with the church. This is Catholic soil, and many of these new believers are meeting severe persecution, some from their own families and some from pretended friends. To be stamped a Seventh-day Adventist in this country means very little sympathy from the people, and few chances of obtaining work. But in spite of persecution, they who accept this truth are happy, and they thank God from the depths of their hearts for it.
We have a nice company of young people here who are good home missionaries. Oftentimes we think they would be a beautiful example to our young people in the homeland who are not improving their opportunities.
We hope that as your prayers ascend to the throne of God you will remember the work and workers in Trinidad, that when the harvest is gathered we may all be found among the redeemed and join with them in singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.
