A CHEERING REPORT FROM THE MALAMULO MISSION by W. C. Dunscombe, M. D.

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 6, 1916

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 43, No. 23.

A CHEERING REPORT FROM THE MALAMULO MISSION

By W. C. Dunscombe, M. D.

Jottings from a Tour of Our Mission Stations in Africa

A FIVE hours' ride on the train took us from Port Herald, at the head of the navigable portion of the Shire River, to Luchenza, which is the station nearest to the Malamulo Mission. Here Brother Robinson was waiting for us with a ricksha, and eight native boys to push it, and others to carry our baggage. We soon found that eight boys were none too many for the ricksha, for the country is very hilly, and four boys relieved the other four at frequent intervals. In this way, we traveled the twenty-five miles to the mission, walking up all the hills, as we felt very uncomfortable at the idea of human beings puffing and blowing to push us up hills. We arrived at the mission station about eight o'clock at night.

Brother and Sister Rogers have gone far north, to establish a new station in the northernmost part of Rhodesia, near the Kongo.

From the time we left the river, we had been gradually ascending, until at the mission the altitude was nearly four thousand feet, and the evenings were so cool that a fire in the fireplace felt very good. When we awoke the next morning, we were enchanted with the view from the front veranda. We were surrounded with beautiful wooded hills and green valleys, and in the distance the mountain M'Lange.

Successful School Work

THE mission station consists of two thousand acres and several well constructed buildings, — two dwelling houses, a church and school building capable of holding three hundred people, a building containing extra classrooms and store, boys' dormitory and dining room, a stable for the mules, and cattle sheds and kraals.

A hospital building is planned, and will probably be erected soon. This mission is perhaps the best equipped, as far as buildings are concerned, of any of our stations. Yet, because of the conditions here, they have cost very little. The hospital building and the dispensary will cost only $150, as the bricks are all made on the place, the labor costing only about $50. There is plenty of wood on the mission land for shingles, doors, door frames, and furniture. This, with cheap labor, makes the problem of building a light one.

The farming operations here consist in merely raising enough to supply the needs of the mission family. To do more than this would be waste, for there is no market for grain or other produce. They have about two hundred head of cattle, however, and the income from butter making is an appreciable help to the mission finances. But the outstanding feature of this station is the very successful school work that is prosecuted here.

120 in the Baptismal Class

THERE are over two hundred native boys and girls in the school, and about one hundred twenty in the baptismal class. Twenty-four were baptized during our visit; and in the course of a few months, the remainder will be ready for baptism. Besides the school work at this, the central station, nearly forty out schools are taught by natives who have been trained at Malamulo. With all these out schools, a goodly number of students for the future seems assured.

While the study of the Bible forms a large part of the curriculum, the students are carried as far as the fourth grade standard. In addition to this, the teachers come in from the out schools at the close of every term, for a further course of instruction. It is planned this year to send out some of the most experienced boys as evangelists.

Only a small area around the mission can be covered by our out schools, as the territory beyond is occupied by other missionary societies. But the news of Christ's soon coming must be carried to every part of Nyasaland; and we look forward with confident expectancy to the time when we shall be able to send out more and more evangelists from this school until the glad news shall be heard in every part of this section of the Dark Continent.

As we met in our council meetings, the ideal continually held before us was, how to plan our work so as to make this an efficient training school for evangelists. It was voted to ask for a small printing plant, to be used in getting out small books for the various school classes, and especially to get out, in this language (N'yamja), literature dealing with different Bible topics. When this plant is installed, we shall be able to supply the evangelists with literature to carry from village to village. The boys throughout Nyasaland are being taught to read and write, and thus in God's providence they are being prepared for the everlasting gospel, which shall be preached in all the world.

The social service on Sabbath morning was conducted by Pastor White, and the working of God's Spirit was markedly manifested. Many consecrated their lives to God's service, and several gave their hearts to God for the first time. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to the Master for the work that has been so well begun here.

Brother and Sister Rogers, in their years of faithful labor, built strongly and well; and Brother Robinson, and Brother and Sister Ellingworth, and Sister Eadie are laboring efficiently to carry on the work so well begun. Brother and Sister Rogers have gone far north, to establish a new station in the northernmost part of Rhodesia, near the Kongo. Brother and Sister Konigmacher, after laboring faithfully for some years at Mantandane, a large out station about one hundred miles from Malamulo, are about to go to Rhodesia to relieve Brother Anderson.

When the hospital is built, a nurse with a dispensary training is to be called to take charge of it. This will greatly increase the efficiency of the work here, and will enable the native boys in the school to get a medical missionary training along with their evangelical training.