San Fernando, Trinidad
By M. B. BUTTERFIELD
SINCE our last report of the work in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the conference thought best for us to spend some time in carrying on an evangelistic tent effort in San Fernando, Trinidad. San Fernando is a city of about nine thousand inhabitants, and is beautifully located on the sea coast. Its people are depressed by an environment not altogether of their own making. Satan, the originator of all evil, has certainly done his best to bind them with every debasing sin, until it seems almost impossible for the gospel message to make an impression on them. It is a very common thing to see women and girls smoking and drinking. There are large Roman Catholic, Anglican, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, and even Mohammedan churches here, and we have encountered strong opposition. The greater part of the people are poverty-stricken, work is scarce, and many are on the point of starvation. Under such conditions it is hard to bring out a people to serve God. But there are diamonds here, though in the rough, and we thank God that through earnest prayer and faithful work some are being led to accept the truth. It would do you good to spend a Sabbath with the San Fernando church, and see the interest its members show in this precious truth. If one were to close his eyes and listen to the songs, prayers, and testimonies, he might think he was in some church at home. We pitched a new tent from the States in the heart of the city, and made the best of preparation in decorating and seating, installing two hundred chairs and enough benches so that four hundred or more persons might be seated. We continued this effort nine weeks, beginning the middle of February. About forty dollars was spent in advertising. This expense was more than met by the collections, which amounted to $110.33. The interest was excellent, about one thousand people attending the opening service; and for the first five weeks we had five hundred or more in attendance every evening, until the Sabbath question was presented. It seems that the time has surely come for a great work to be done. People are dissatisfied. The terrible war in Europe is troubling their minds, and many are thinking that we are in the last days. We are now forming a good-sized baptismal class as the result of these meetings. The first woman to accept the truth was a trained nurse of middle age. We feel that the Lord has blessed the effort, and we look for a rich harvest of souls. Several thousand have had the chance to hear at least a portion of the third angel's message. We are of good courage in the Lord, and trust that the God of the harvest may continue to bless all in his great mission field, and hasten that glad day when our work shall be completed, and we shall be saved in his kingdom.