British West Indies by W. A. Sweaney

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Sep 1, 1904

British West Indies

By W. A. Sweaney

ARIMA, TRINIDAD.—After our good conference in Barbados, I spent two weeks at home, developing the work begun in the tent-meetings. I then accompanied Elder Haysmer to British Guiana, to assist in a counsel meeting with the laborers there, as they were hindered from attending the conference. We found them engaged in a tent-meeting at New Amsterdam, with a large attendance and deep interest.

British Guiana is a large, important, and promising field, and under proper effort in the book and paper work, should be a very fruitful and, ere long, self-supporting field. We spent a week there, in counsel with the workers. The Royal Mail boats stop at Barbados from Sabbath morning till Monday night; this gave me the privilege of spending a Sabbath and Sunday there, both going and coming. The interest in the message in Barbados is deep, and the work is onward. The church is too small to accommodate the increased interest resulting from the conference, so the hall in which the conference evening services were held has been secured for Sunday afternoon and evening each week. The conference and tract society headquarters have been established in a convenient location in the business part of Bridgetown. A stock of health foods, for which there is a growing demand, will also be added soon. We greatly rejoice in the prosperity of the cause in Barbados. To God be all the praise.

I now hope to remain in Arima long enough to develop and bind off the work here, which has been very much broken into by calls elsewhere. We are now face to face with the imperative necessity of a church building here. Our people are poor, and our own means limited, but the Lord, who has so wonderfully opened the way and led us hitherto, will also help us to accomplish this work. We shall unhesitatingly give to this enterprise, as we have to many others from time to time, all of our means and muscle, and we know God will make up to us, from some other source, what we lack.

With keenest interest we watch the work in other lands, especially that “most important” interest in Washington. We even manage, with all our needs here, to help each new or needy general enterprise a little, so that we may have an interest and a share in the results of all. We would not divert one dollar from greater enterprises or more needy fields, but if any, after doing his duty by other enterprises, feels able and disposed to scatter a few crumbs this way, we shall greatly appreciate it, and invest it in a needy and fruitful field. There are in Trinidad eight churches and companies (all greatly in need of labor just now), four unfinished buildings, besides the one we hope to build here; and nearly the whole island yet to be evangelized.

Elder Haysmer has been assigned to Barbados, and Brother Spencer to Tobago, leaving only Brother S. A. Wellman and myself here, and he is almost wholly confined to the office and Port of Spain. However, great as is our need, it is not so great as that of Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. We thank God for almost perfect health, and we hope by his grace, to complete the work here by the time it is done elsewhere. Any one wishing to help us, may send means to the Mission Board, or directly to us by draft on New York, Chicago, or London, or by International postal order.

W. A. SWEANEY.

9 St. Joseph St., Arima, Trinidad.