Your ShelfYour Projects

Rhodesia, B. C. Africa

17%

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Jul 23, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 30.

Read the full edition

Rhodesia, B. C. Africa

By M. C. STURDEVANT; M. J. STURDEVANT

SOLUSI MISSION.—To the glory of God we can report the work onward at this place. Another year has rolled around, and now we have fully entered our winter. Frost has caused the leaves to turn yellow, and many are falling. Yet you would not call this winter in the home land. The days are hot, but the evenings and nights are cool, and a fire is very desirable, to drive off the chill. Our harvesting is done, and we are now shelling and putting into bags, the accustomed way of getting ready for market here. Each bag of shelled grain is to weigh two hundred pounds. We count our crops light, and yet we have much more than many around us. Many of the natives will have to buy grain before the next crop comes. I am sure we will not have to buy any, and will have enough to sell to supply the needs of our mission. We do praise God for his blessings upon our fields the years we have been here. In the beginning of planting the locusts lay all around us as the sand of the sea. But the government furnished all the farmers spray pumps and poison needed to destroy them. The boys and I went to work at it, and we destroyed twenty-seven swarms—twelve swarms more than any around us. The result was we have had no more locusts to bother us up to the present.
We are reaping between seven and eight hundred bags of corn, fifty-eight bags of peanuts, and nineteen bags of Kafir peas. Pumpkins and small stuff were a failure this year, because of the drought.
Our school work is truly onward, mostly in charge of Victor Wilson, with our native help. I teach only three classes a day. This has given me more time to look after our four outstations, taught by seven native teachers. The number of students is not large, but I can see the boys are trying to do faithful work. It is very evident that our schools must have more of our care, if we expect them to be fruitful in the right kind of results.
April 4 we baptized eighteen more precious souls. It was said by one present that this was “the most enlightened class we have baptized.” For many weeks we had a special study with them on this question before baptizing them. We have felt that we should go very carefully in this matter. We are encouraged by the word that we are to have more help soon to connect with us here. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” We are still of good courage. Pray for us.
M. C. STURDEVANT, M. J. STURDEVANT.