Grand Cayman by F. Hall

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · May 10, 1906

Grand Cayman

By F. Hall

F. HALL

The Cayman Islands are three in number, namely, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Grand Cayman is the largest, and measures seventeen miles in length, four miles in width at the east end, and seven miles at the west end; with a population of about six thousand, of which one half are white, and the other half brown and black. Its name is derived from Caiman, “the alligator,” which animal it resembles in approaching the east end. It was discovered by Columbus on his return voyage from Porto Bello to Hayti, who named it Las Tortugas, “land of turtles.”

This island, it is said, was the home of ancient buccaneers who preyed upon passing ships, which they boarded at night far from the shore in large armed boats. These marauders protected themselves against attack by means of heavy guns, mounted upon the rocky shore within the coral reef, where they could only be approached in boats. On finding the island untenable, owing to the occasional presence of ships of war, the buccaneers escaped to the shores of the Mississippi, in America.

The education of the people has been much neglected, but under a recently passed educational law, improvement is expected.

The capital is Georgetown. Bodden Town, Prospect, East-end, and West-end are other places of less importance, but are thickly populated. In each of these towns there is a Presbyterian place of worship, hence all the people are followers of that body, with the exception of a few Holiness people, and one man living at East-end who embraced the truth at Honduras under the labors of Elder Hutchins. Of those who embraced the truth under the preaching of Elder Eastman, some have given it up, and others have left the island for other parts of the Lord’s vineyard. Faithful work was done here by Elder Eastman, and the seed is still alive, and will germinate by careful attention and good instruction.

Directed by the Spirit of God and the request of the Jamaica Conference, we—my wife, two children, my sister, and I—gladly responded to the call to leave our native land for this little island, to preach the everlasting gospel. We landed here last November in good spirits. After getting settled, we started open-air meetings, until the Lord saw fit to open other channels. As the way opened, we embraced the opportunity to transfer the meetings to the homes of the people. This led to bitter feeling on the part of the ministers, church leaders, and many of the people.

As a result of these cottage meetings one young woman has kept two Sabbaths with us, and about ten others are interested, but have not the faith to obey as yet. The fear of their ministers and church elders is a great hindrance to the spiritual growth of this people.

The first woman who asked us to hold cottage meetings at her home, whose husband is blind, has dismissed us from her premises by the counsel of her husband and his minister. Being in trouble about the truth, he went to his minister and asked him about the matter. The minister replied that the seventh day is Saturday, but we keep the first day in honor of Christ’s resurrection, and in not keeping Sunday the Seventh-day Adventists are trampling on the resurrection of Christ. This statement settled the whole matter for him. These people have lost sight of Jesus Christ as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the fact that he was the one who rested with his Father the first Sabbath of creation.

The whole town is stirred, and ministers and church leaders are barricading their people from hearing the truth. All the defense they are putting up against the third angel’s message will be broken by the Word of God. Although the battle is on, we are of good courage, for we know that Prince Emmanuel is at the front, and to him be the praise and honor.

Georgetown, British Guiana.