p. 16 | Further Report From Mexico by G. W. Caviness

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 16, 1909

Further Report From Mexico

By G. W. Caviness

At the urgent request of Brother S. Marchisio I visited the place where he has been laboring for a few months. Some years ago a canvasser took subscriptions for our Spanish paper in Matehuala and vicinity. One man has been a constant subscriber since that time, and has also worked among his neighbors with the paper, thus creating an interest. At his repeated requests, Brother Marchisio was asked to visit the place. In a short time quite a number signified their desire to be baptized. After spending a week in giving them instruction, I had the pleasure of burying ten of them with their Lord in baptism.

This place is only a ranch, about twenty miles from Matehuala. There is no post-office or public school in the place as yet. The brethren are poor, and labor under great difficulties. But little rain falls in this part of the country, and crops are exceedingly short almost every year. I had also the privilege here of sleeping in a mud hut on boards laid across some benches with a rather thin mattress for a bed, but after a twenty-mile ride on a burro through a dry and dusty country beneath a rather warm sun, I was able to sleep very well indeed.

A gentleman who has been a reader of our paper for some time met me at the station in Matehuala, took me to his house, and kept me overnight, and he and his wife accompanied me to Visnaga. They took some bread and chocolate with them, so I had chocolate and bread as long as the supply lasted, in addition to corn cakes and beans. I was also treated once or twice to corn roasted in ashes, genuine roasting ears.

The meetings were held in a Mexican kitchen and bedroom combined, the congregation on the outside being at times nearly as large as the one inside. They must have a place for worship. One hundred fifty dollars United States currency will provide a house that will do for meetings, a school, and a room for the minister's use when he visits them.

The place where Brother Marchisio and I stayed was an adobe hut about eight by ten, and so low that I had to stoop quite a good deal to enter.

Although poor, and living in primitive style, the people are intelligent and capable of understanding and loving the truth. Some of them are innocent of books, but they have good minds. There being no school at all in the whole neighborhood, we decided to start one. One of the Sabbath-keepers, who has sufficient education to teach the “three R’s,” offered to teach the children of our people for fifteen pesos (about $7.50) a month. We felt safe in believing that this amount could be raised in order that the bright children of these poor Sabbath-keepers might at least learn enough to read the Word of God.

While only ten were baptized in this place, about as many more said they were going to keep the Sabbath and be ready for baptism at my next visit. There is an interest still in this vicinity, and Brother Marchisio will stay and follow up the work. At present there are quite a number of places where the seed sown in the past is springing up, and the Lord is blessing the efforts of our workers. The Mexican field calls for reapers,—reapers who can wield Spanish sickles. There are still more interesting reports from Mexico yet to follow.

G. W. CAVINESS.

Tacubaya, D. F.