Here and There in Mexico by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 10, 1907

Here and There in Mexico

By William Ambrose Spicer

AFTER the Mexican general meeting I visited a day with Dr. A. A. John and his family in Cuautla, five hours’ ride south of Mexico City. In this pretty valley the doctor is working up a practise, and his desire is to make the work one of breaking down barriers in an intensely Catholic community.

In this short trip one passes from wheat-fields, in the higher valleys, through a corn belt at a lower altitude, and then into sugar-cane fields. Mexico has a remarkable range of climate.

The latter part of the week of prayer I spent with the company at Guadalajara, where our work in Mexico began. There is a little band in this second city of Mexico which will earnestly work and pray for the extension of the truth in this district. Here is where the sanitarium work began, at first with hopeful prospects. But it has had an unfortunate history, and few workers have remained with it for any length of time. The institution belonged to the Medical Missionary Association, but just before that association went into liquidation, as most of our readers know, the Guadalajara real estate was taken over by the Michigan Sanitarium Association. The attorney of that corporation is now in Guadalajara disposing of the property. It is closed as a sanitarium, and a portion

of the property has already been sold.

The Mexican people in the community have come to understand that our denomination is not responsible for the management of affairs. This is a helpful feature, as plans are discussed for renewing evangelistic effort in Guadalajara, where much ought to be done with the circulation of literature and simple lines of gospel medical missionary work on the denominational basis. That is the work that counts for the building up of this cause everywhere.

On the portion of the sanitarium property that has been sold, was located small buildings in which the local company meet, and in which a medical mission was carried on. These buildings are now rented of the purchaser, though our people hope soon to secure a better location. The equipment of the medical mission was sold along with the property, but the Roman Catholic purchaser, when he learned the situation, kindly gave the outfit back to our people, so that the mission work might not stop. Dr. Myers is continuing the work, endeavoring to make it self-supporting.

Through these years in Guadalajara the influence of the work of the Drs. Swayze has been a strong missionary factor—she in the homes of the Mexican people as a physician, he in real estate business. They were among the earliest laborers who went to Mexico, and were for a time in the sanitarium work.

On the homeward journey I stopped off for a look at San Luis Potosi, where there is an encouraging work coming up. Brother Julius Paulson has developed a good bakery business there, and now, as colporteur and Bible work has been done, a little company of Mexicans has begun to keep the Sabbath. At the Mexico general meeting Dr. U. C. Fattebert and his wife were counseled to remove from Celaya to San Luis Potosi, where it seemed there were more favorable prospects for developing a strong and vigorous work. He has secured a very good place for his work, near the central plaza and but a few doors from the government house.

We long to see these leading and growing centers of population and business in Mexico, training centers in our work. We must join the believers and workers in Mexico in praying for this and in helping in every way possible. It is a hard field, as all intensely Catholic fields are hard. But there is the promise of the more grace the greater the need. Already there is evidence that we shall have fruitage in Mexico as the message is carried to the people.

It will be a help to Mexico if those in the United States who have Spanish-speaking communities within their reach will send for and circulate the Mexican paper. The problem of publishing in these mission fields is a difficult one, and every effort to unite in giving the literature published as wide a circulation as possible helps decidedly. The Mexican paper can be sent into the States at pound rates, so that the way is open to make use of it as a missionary journal for Spanish people in this country.

W. A. S.