Africa by William H. Anderson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 5, 1906

Africa

By William H. Anderson

BAROTSELAND.—We have no organized church here. There are six members of the Buluwayo church here, and twelve of the boys have expressed a desire to serve the Lord. We are trying to do the best we can for them, instructing them so that when they come into the church, they may know, as fully as it is possible for them to comprehend, what the step means. Our church services every Sabbath are much the same as at the other stations. Our Friday evening prayer and social meeting is attended only by those at the station. The natives do not often attend evening meetings unless they can stay all night, and we have no accommodations for that.

The attendance from the kraals is very irregular. Sometimes we have as many as sixty at the forenoon service on Sabbath, and again we may not have more than five. It depends much on the weather. Here the women attend service much more than the men. Very few of the young men attend.

Our Sabbath-school is well attended, the regular attendance being about forty. Then there are almost as many visitors many times. We have five regular classes, and when the attendance is large, we form more. These are taught by the native boys and girls from the Matabele station. Once a month we take the collection, and thus far it has been from six to eight shillings. Two weeks ago some of the boys in the school asked what we were doing when we took the collection, and it gave the opportunity to explain the matter. They said they wanted to have a part in it, but did not see how they could, as they had no money, and no opportunity of earning any. I suggested that they donate part of each Friday afternoon to the cultivation of some land. This was agreed to by all, and we have set apart some ground, half of the proceeds from the products to go to the Sabbath-school, and half to a fund to bear the expense of looking out a new mission to the north.

You see that we here, as others elsewhere, are looking on the fields, and, although needy ourselves, we are anxious that the truth be pushed to the north when the opportune time comes.

The progress in our school has been a marvel to me. Truly, the Lord has gone before us, and prepared the way, and we have found souls anxious to be taught. Our school opened about the middle of September, with nine pupils. It has grown until we now have a regular attendance of thirty-two. We have had to turn some away, as we had no food for them. I asked them to wait until the first of May, and then we should know how much grain we had raised, and how many we should be able to accommodate next year.

Those who are in the school have done good work, and have made good progress. Last week our first boy finished his small book, and began to read in his Bible. It was a day of joy to us here to see the time when we could place the first copy of God's Word in the hands of this people, and one be able to read it. As far as I know, he is the only boy of this tribe who has learned to read sufficiently to read the Bible. I have two more who will begin next week, and seven more who will be ready by the first of March. How is that for six months out of heathenism?

Our accommodations are very limited. We have a house twelve by twenty-four feet. It serves as church, schoolhouse, dining-room, and bedroom for thirty students. It is the best we can do, as we could get no more grass when we came last year, and we shall have to wait until it grows and ripens, before we can build again. I asked one of the boys, a few days ago, what we would do if any more wanted to come. He replied that the floor was not quite full yet, and no one slept on the table, so there was still some room.

We are thankful to the Lord for the way in which he has blessed us, and we pray that we may be able to help this people to see the truth for this time.

I think by one year from the time we left New York, our school will be filled to its utmost capacity. I feel that we can not care for more than fifty boys on this one station. I have asked that they release Jim from the old Matabeleland station, to come to our help, and open an out-station thirty miles to the west of us, as an overflow station from here. Jim is a native of this country, and was carried away as a slave by the Matabeles when a child. I have found his father and mother here, and he is very anxious to come and give them the truth. We need him very much. He could do more than three white men here.

I notice from some letters that I have received from America, that it has been suggested that some one be sent to assist me in this field. I have had no official word about this, but let me say that there are too many places in need here in Africa for us to place too many workers in one place. I have contended for some time that as we now have some of the natives here who are converted, they should be trained to bear burdens, and set to work.

Here at this station I am carrying on the farm work and caring for the stock entirely with native help. The boys do the plowing, planting, and cultivating. They also do their own building, and practically all the work connected with the farm and caring for themselves. This leaves me free to devote all my time to the school and the evangelical work, which greatly lessens the cost of operating the mission. I have three native boys who are carrying these burdens. Altogether they do a little more than one white man in overseeing things, and they must have counsel at least once a week about their work. I pay these three boys one hundred and eighty dollars a year for their work. If we had a white man to do this work, it would cost at least seven hundred and fifty dollars, and his transportation besides. I think that amount is worth saving, when the cause needs the money so much. Then it is a good experience for the boys, and they are learning to bear burdens and carry responsibilities that will work wonders in the development of their characters.

We have had few farm tools, and the rains came very late, so we were not able to plant much this year. We have about thirty acres planted, and the present prospect is good for a crop. But you know how uncertain the rains are in this country, so we are sure of nothing until we have it in the bag. We have had to harrow our ground with a thorn-bush, and do all our cultivating with a hoe. That makes slow work of it. But as we had no money to buy tools, we have done the best we could.

We have had plenty of water in the spring, and I hope to irrigate some in the dry season. I have planted over thirty fruit-trees, and a few ornamental trees. We hope to raise some fruit here.

We have all had some fever this month, but we are all able to be around at present. W. H. ANDERSON.