British West Indies by W. A. Sweany

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 30, 1906

British West Indies

By W. A. Sweany

GRENADA.—Sabbath, June 9, was a happy and eventful day for the believers in St. Patricks, Grenada. After Sabbath-school, a service for final instruction and exhortation was held, and then we repaired to a pool in a near-by mountain stream, where, beneath the leafy canopy of the overhanging cocoa trees, twenty willing souls, all adults, followed our Lord in the significant and sacred ordinance of baptism. A large audience watched the ceremony with the deepest interest, some being moved to tears. Probably none present had ever seen Bible baptism administered. Prayer, appropriate songs, Scripture readings, and remarks constituted a service that will not-soon be forgotten by those present. Even those who came to scoff were deeply and solemnly impressed. A crowd of the baser sort, bent on mischief, misunderstood the location, and went to another place and waited long for us, while we held our service in peace and quiet.

Later in the day a church of twenty-three members was organized, and the ordinance of humility and the sacramental rite solemnized. This was also a

most blessed occasion, being the first for all except the missionaries. My wife and I transferred our membership here, and a sister whom I baptized some months ago was admitted. We three are the only white persons in the church, but the color of the skin is as far as the “color-line” goes in this little company, “for we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Four are East Indians, while the rest are of African descent. Every one of this company pays tithes and offerings, and loves and obeys the entire message as well as any company I have ever known anywhere. They sent two delegates to the conference, and paid half their expenses. We also attended the conference, which has, of course, been fully reported by others, so I need not write of that further than to say that it was a good meeting, and marked an epoch in our work in the West Indies.

While at the conference we pledged to sell fifty copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” for the benefit of our school in Jamaica. We hoped, by hard work, to sell them by the end of the year in connection with our other work, but the Lord enabled us to dispose of them all in less than three days, so we have ordered fifty more. My wife sold twenty-one in one day, to the leading people of St. George. I have never seen anything appeal to the people so powerfully as that book and the cause it represents. Nearly all realize that a practical industrial training is sadly lacking in the popular system of education. We are hoping and praying that the West India Training-school may be a beacon light for this great, needy field, and a recruiting ground and training-school for workers. One young man in the church here sold four of the books, and others sold one or two. We hope some of our young people may be able to attend the Jamaica school.

After returning from the conference, we spent three weeks in looking for a house, as we have been notified to move before August 1. Religious prejudice and real scarcity of houses make it very difficult to get a suitable place here. It began to look as if we should have to retreat to St. George, or camp out; but we finally found a place, and were moved just one day before our time was up. Moving is a great undertaking in this mountainous country. We moved a mile and a half this time. I moved five loads with my horse and trap, and our brethren and sisters and their children moved the rest on their heads and in two donkey carts. The loads they carry on their heads are something astonishing. We have rooms up-stairs in a large cocoa house, twenty-five by fifty-two feet. The entire lower story is one large room, and in it we now hold our services, and next Monday Mrs. Sweany will start a school, which has long been the greatest need of our people here. A number of our young people will attend, and we hope to train one or two of them as teachers, so that the school will not stop when we leave.

We have a beautiful lot given us for a church, just across the road from our present quarters. We hope soon to be able to erect a neat, plain church and school building combined. We are giving our all, as we have done on other occasions, and as it always seems necessary for the missionaries to do in this field. Our people will do all they can, but most of them are poor, so we shall need some help from elsewhere, and are asking the Lord to send it to us. Who will help answer our prayers? The building will be either mud or concrete walls in wood frame, with cement floor and iron roof. We shall do the work ourselves, but lumber is forty-five dollars a thousand, and other materials in proportion, such as nails, hinges, lime, cement, etc. Money may be sent directly to us by foreign post-office money-order, or to the Mission Board. We want to begin not later than October 1, and finish before going to our union conference meeting in Jamaica in January. So this matter, like the rest of the King’s business, requires haste. We have received some small donations from friends in the States, for which we are very grateful, but we do not wish to begin until we are sure we can finish. Our seats at present consist of boards laid on soap boxes, so naturally we are anxious to get our church and school building completed and furnished. We have a beautiful location, overlooking a wide scope of picturesque scenery, including mountains, valleys, and sea, with several beautiful little islands.

Our work here is still making progress, despite hard opposition of various kinds. Several of our brethren are being discharged from the big estate where they have labored all their lives, and are being evicted from their humble homes, with nowhere to go, and nothing to do. But not one of them has faltered yet, and others are taking their stand for God and the truth, being encouraged by the example of our faithful brethren. Interference and immorality prevail, without even a remonstrance, but let a man forsake those things, as in the case of our persecuted brethren, and immediately he is made to feel the hand of prejudice, bigotry, and oppression.

Another class is in preparation for baptism. In fact, there is reason to hope that our membership will soon be doubled. The Sabbath-school numbers about fifty, and the young people’s and the missionary meetings are well attended, as are also the Sunday night preaching services.

Other localities are ready and waiting for the message, but we have not the time or strength to open up and prosecute any further work, till this is bound off. Of course we still tour the island each month with the Caribbean Watchman and the English Good Health, and this seed sowing is already giving promise of a harvest a little later. The church is assisting us more and more in this work. Conducting the school and building the church, will greatly add to the burden we are already carrying. However, we are eager to be at it. In fact, our meager fund of mental and physical strength and ability, is the only limit to our zeal, ambition, and effort. My wife is now away alone on a three days’ canvassing tour, as I was not able to accompany her so far from home. The overexertion of our recent move brought on a sharp attack of fever and dysentery. However, prompt treatment checked it, so to-day, though still weak. I was able to travel sixteen miles in a trap, and I sold thirty-five papers and two copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons.” I hope to be able to make another similar trip to-morrow. We are of good courage and are rejoicing in the progress of the message.

W. A. SWEANY.