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April 2004
100 Years in Cuba
By Katie Terrell
On January 3, 1904, Emma Phillips Martinez, and her husband, Juan Francisco Martinez, began evangelizing in Puerto Padre, Cuba. On January 5, they were joined by Eva Terrell of Wilmington Yearly Meeting, and six days after that opened a school with 18 pupils. Emma Martinez focused her energy on evangelizing while Juan Martinez and Eva Terrell taught the school children. Meetings for both the school and church were held in a small, nearby home.
In 1907, Eva was joined by her brother, Clayton Terrell, who supervised the construction of a meetinghouse and adjoining school. The Wilmington School opened on January 7, 1908 and the meetinghouse was completed in 1910.
In January 2004, 100 years after the evangelizing began, 13 Friends from Wilmington Yearly Meeting and six from New England joined Cuban Friends in a week-long celebration. My father, Tom, and I had a vested interest in this commemoration.
As introductions were being made at one of many banquets held that week, I related in my broken Spanish to the congregation that Eva Terrell was my father’s great-aunt and Clayton was his grandfather. A hush of admiration befell them as they nodded to us their deepest respect. Gazing at the ceiling my great-grandfather helped construct, a man I never had the honor to meet, it was impossible not to become sentimental.
The Cuban Friends must have been reading 1 Corinthians while awaiting our arrival on December 27—“All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (16:20) That was exactly how we were greeted: with a holy kiss upon our cheek from a large gathering of Friends, despite the fact it was quickly approaching midnight. Each morning, afternoon, evening and in random passing on the street, Cuban Friends adorned us with kisses, smiles and beaming brown eyes. We were welcomed with open hearts and homes, as brothers and sisters, as Friends.
A schedule was placed before us after our first night’s rest, laden with dialogues, histories, meetings and music, but we hardly noticed for the bounty of food that overflowed our plates. Where were the beans and rice we had been warned about? The small, unfulfilling portions that motivated us to fill our purses with granola bars and Oreos? What lay before us was a super-sized, all-you-can-eat buffet! Bananas, oranges, papaya, bread, cheese, eggs, coffee, hot cocoa and treated water for the “Americanos.” This was only the beginning of the spectacular treatment and outpouring of love bestowed upon us.
The theme for Centennial week was 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Mantente despierto y firme, hazlo todo con amor.” (Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.) In other words, be alert to the world around you, prepared for your faith to be challenged as well as for opportunities in which to share God’s love.
This verse led to many interesting discussions throughout the week, one of which sparked from this question, “How do we increase relations between Cuban Friends, Wilmington and New England?” Ideas ranged from writing a song together, establishing pen pals for the children and increasing visitation between our meetings. At this time, the meeting in Delicias is in special need of a work team to rebuild its walls before the government seizes the land.
Later in the week, memories of the Wilmington School (mostly in regards to the strict discipline enforced by Emma Martinez) inspired a discussion as to the effectiveness of the school. A former student remembered the school was open to everyone: black, white, brown, rich, poor, Quaker, Catholic or otherwise. Was the school less successful, then, because it did not actively preach Quakerism?
A young, Cuban friend declared, “Isn’t that what Quakers stand for? Loving all?” Others agreed. Teaching by the way we live our lives as well as through the simplicity and silence that our faith calls for is evangelism. Ramon Gonzalez, the current pastor of Puerto Padre Friends Church, said the school wasn’t designed for evangelism but that it was relied upon too heavily to teach the faith. “If there was a problem,” he said, “it wasn’t in the school. It was in the church.”
A spruce tree was planted in memory of Clayton Terrell, my great-grandfather, at his meeting in Ohio. My father and I carried with us a wooden bowl carved from that tree with a plaque dedicating it to Cuban Friends at their Centennial celebration. The bowl was presented at the Centennial service, along with several other gifts from both Wilmington and New England, in recognition of our support for the efforts of all who have contributed to the 100-year legacy of Friends in Cuba.
In addition to our support, we also expressed our humblest gratitude for the
kindness bestowed upon us during our stay in Cuba. My father and I were
deeply impressed, being able to share in the celebration of what began as
the joining of our ancestors. We said a special thanks to our new friends
for welcoming our family into theirs for the past 100 years and with the
hope of many more to come.
Katie Terrell is a member of Fairview Friends Meeting, Ohio. This month, she is marrying her high school sweetheart, Matt Hodge.
Copyright (c) 2004 Friends United Meeting
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