When we arrived in Jamaica seven years ago, we found a small company of believers who had been brought into the truth by reading our literature. On looking the field over it was apparent to us that it would require years to carry the message to all parts of the island, by preaching alone, so we decided to make a thorough canvass of it, and get our literature into every home.
The island has now been canvassed for nearly all our books, and God has blessed this branch of his work. Papers and tracts have been scattered everywhere. About ten thousand “Steps to Christ,” and thousands of “His Glorious Appearing,” “Gospel Primer,” “Eden to Eden,” etc., have been sold. This is not all. The majority of the Sabbath keepers in the island, and they now number nearly one thousand, owe their knowledge of the truth to this reading matter. The work of the minister here has been to follow up the canvasser, instructing the people in the faith, and organizing the work.
OUR CANVASSING SCHOOL IN JAMAICA.
On my return from the last General Conference we held two canvassers’ institutes, Pastor W. W. Eastman assisting in the one at the West end, and Brother J. J. Evans, the general agent, in the one at the northeast section of the island. More than twenty entered the field, with a greater sense of the sacredness of their calling, and with a determination to do better work in scattering the printed page than ever before.
Last September I went to Trinidad to assist Elder E. W. Webster in an institute. Two of our canvassers from Jamaica accompanied me, and from there proceeded to Tobago, where the present truth was unknown. We get encouraging reports from them. The Lord is blessing their efforts. The work in Trinidad has had its discouraging features, but we believe better days are before our agents, and the work is being systematically organized.
Our next visit was to the island of Barbados. This has now been thoroughly canvassed, and notwithstanding the smallness of the island, and the poverty-stricken condition of the people, many books have been sold.
Our self-sacrificing agents in this mission field have done nobly, and have not given up the work, when in some places they could not earn enough by hard work to buy the food that their worn-out systems required; but their hearts are cheered as they see precious souls accepting the truth.
I read a letter the other day from one of these faithful workers, which contained his tithe and an offering amounting to more than all his earthly possessions with this statement: “I am so rejoiced to know that one spark of God’s grace is worth more than all this world can give. I can not express my joy in returning the tithe to the Lord. My soul is greatly blessed when I do this. I also send my offering.”
We now have canvassers in the island of Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas, besides Central and South America.
The Lord says the islands are waiting for his law. We find it true here, and may the Lord bless our faithful missionary canvassers, who are sacrificing more than any other class to carry the precious truth in these needy fields. A. J. HAYSMER.
