The Matabele Mission by M. C. Sturdevant

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Dec 15, 1904

The Matabele Mission

By M. C. Sturdevant

Brief Report for Three Months Ending May 31, 1904

Our church-membership is now fifty-six. Because of failure to walk in the commandments of God, we felt it necessary to drop some from the record. However, with few exceptions, those remaining seem to be faithful and true. Regular services are held at the church each week, also prayer and social meetings at the beginning of the Sabbath.

Every Sabbath afternoon, the boys and I go to ten or twelve kraals to hold Bible studies with the people in their homes, the boys having studied with me the thoughts presented the previous Friday afternoon. In this way we give the word to about two or three hundred who would not otherwise hear it. We hope soon to see fruit of this work, as we already see the effects of it on some hearts. Our Sabbath-school opens at ten o'clock. The average attendance is ninety, and the enrolment is seventy-seven. We enter on the record books only those who attend regularly. The school has about thirty visitors each week, Mrs. Sturdevant has the oversight of the school, with native officers and teachers.

School Work

Through March and April our school was carried on much as it always has been, taught by native teachers and myself. Seven of our older boys were out teaching in four native kraals. The last of April, Elder Hyatt and his wife having come to help us for a few months, we called in all our teachers, and May 1, we began a special term which we hope to continue for seven months. In this way we give all a more thorough preparation before sending them out again.

Our school now has an enrolment of ninety. Sixty live at the mission; thirty come from the kraals. We are teaching Zulu Bible, arithmetic, geography, and English. We are making special work of the English, hoping to teach our boys to read our English books, which we know can not be had in their own language for some time to come, feeling that they should have the benefit of the things in these books. They are advancing rapidly.

Industrial Work

Outside of school work, every boy and girl has certain hours of labor in the home and on the farm. The girls, under Mrs. Sturdevant's direction, care for the home, cooking, etc. The boys, under my supervision, care for the store, stock, farm, and garden. This year we have cultivated about eighty acres of land, of which thirty-five were in mealies (corn), twenty-two in peanuts, ten in Kaffir corn and nyauti, ten in sweet potatoes, and the remainder in garden stuff—pumpkins, beans, watermelons, Irish potatoes, tomatoes, etc.

For a while our crops looked fine, and we expected a big harvest; but just at the wrong time the drought struck us, cutting everything short fully one half. Nevertheless I am sure we have raised all our school will consume in food for one year. For this we praise our Heavenly Father.

Our crops are all gathered, except the peanuts. But the Kaffir corn and nyauti are not in the bags; however, I expect ten bags of each. Mealies yielded 149 bags (two hundred pounds in each), pumpkins 275, little squash 700. Value of Irish potatoes, £4, 11s. 6d.; tomatoes, £7, 3s.; watermelons £2, 6s. 6d.; all estimated at market price.

We are beginning to gather the sweet potatoes. We gather them only as we eat them, and the crop will not be finished till the next planting season. They are yielding only fair. We hope to have between one hundred and two hundred bags of peanuts in the shell. However, they are very light this year, not having filled well. The drought injured them very much. The winter months will be spent in repairing buildings, making bricks, and preparing for next year's crop, etc.

Finances

The Lord has truly blessed our mission in the matter of finances. By the crop from the farm and sales from the store we have been able to meet all our obligations and pay our native helpers, with little exception. Grain brings only half the price it did during the last two years, and because of this we are doing but very little in the store. The natives have brought in very little grain, and buy very little from the store. Till this month our butter and eggs brought in quite a little, but just now our milk is short. We are determined to be as nearly self-supporting as possible. We are striving to this end, and wait for the blessing of God, without which we can do nothing.

Health of the Mission

The health of all has been good, with few exceptions. While we have had

fever in our midst, sometimes four or five down at a time, yet it has not been of a serious nature. I have had two attacks, but by the blessing of God and careful treatment, have been able to rise above it. My wife's health has been the very best ever since our arrival here. We do praise God that he has given us the lives of all this season. Our courage was never better, and we feel like pressing the battle to the very gates.

M. C. STURDEVANT.