Successful Year in Cuba by H. A. Robinson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 20, 1913

Successful Year in Cuba

By H. A. Robinson

THE year 1912 was a very prosperous one for the canvassers in Cuba. In January there was but one canvasser at work, and at the end of the year there were six canvassers. During the summer months as many as sixteen were in the field, and God gave us good success in placing the health books among the people. In the month of February, the two canvassers who were then working set a goal of $10,000 worth of orders for the year. This the Lord helped us to accomplish, as the orders taken amounted to $13,604. The largest amount of orders taken in a single day of seven hours' work was $91, and $289 in a week of twenty-six hours. At our institute in September, it was thought that $10,000 worth of deliveries would be a better prize to strive for. The amount delivered was only $7,694, as some of the workers were obliged to leave the field before the year closed. However, we are not discouraged. We hope to work harder for the Master, and pray for more of his grace, so as to be able to accomplish

more in his vineyard during the present year.

We are just now closing up our work in the old historic city of Santiago de Cuba. The Lord has blessed us with over $1,900 worth of orders already. The majority of the best families have a copy of our book Spanish “Home and Health.” The influence of the long list of good names we now have helps us to get many orders easily where otherwise it would be hard to get them.

Our good experiences have been many and varied. Our Cuban brother has probably had the best one, which I will relate. He visited a home in which he found a minister of the Christian Church. In the conversation that followed, our brother told that he was a Seventh-day Adventist. He was recommended to visit a man who was interested in the Sabbath. He found the man and his family, who said that while studying the Bible they discovered that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, and so began to keep it. They were persecuted, but remained firm to their convictions. Later, many of this man's neighbors accepted the new light. He worshiped with them in his home, and also conducted a Sabbath-school for the children, whose membership at one time ran up to about fifty.

About two years ago he had to remove to his farm, and so the company was broken up. For twelve years he has been keeping the Sabbath without knowing a single Adventist. He is again located in this city, and rejoices that he has met us and has learned that there are many thousands of like faith. He is helping get his old friends interested again, and we are doing what we can to keep up the interest until pastoral help can be sent. We trust we may yet see a large company raised up here.

H. A. ROBINSON.