My dear Mr. Beaton,—Although I have been so long in writing you, I have not forgotten you nor the happy days I spent at Oban last winter. In the mission field, such a multitude of things force themselves upon one’s attention day by day, that I, at least, find myself without either the time or the energy to keep up a correspondence† with many a friend who is well worthy of remembrance in this way.
I trust that Mrs. Beaton keeps better than she was last winter and that you, both as pastor and tutor, experience daily a realisation of the precious promise, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
My wife, child and self arrived in Rhodesia on the 20th of September last year and, owing to our temporary house at Shangani being incomplete, were obliged to spend exactly four months at Ingwenya, where we occupied
* Welsh for “Thanks unto Him for ever.”
†Mr. Fraser’s correct address is given on the cover of this issue of the Magazine.—Editor.
the larger of the two guest huts. While at Ingwenya, I was able to help Dr. Macdonald with his Kraal school visitation and Miss MacKay in the Boarding School.
On the 20th of January we removed to Shangani and we are now in process of settling down at Zenka, which is to be our headquarters for at least a year or two. Our house, though by no means a mansion, is fairly comfortable and will serve very well as a base for operations in the Shangani Reserve. It has two fair-sized rooms at the front and two small ones at the back. There is also a pole and mud kitchen at the rear of the house and separate from it. Our dwelling is right in the heart of the forest on a site where trees flourished this time last year, but we are not without company for Paul Hlazo’s house is not more than eighty yards distant and the Rev. Edwin’s is just about one hundred yards. The nearest white man’s dwelling is nearly twelve miles from here. Our chief difficulties are transport and means of communication with the outside world, but these will, no doubt, right themselves as the Reserve is opened up.
There are now over twenty Kraal schools belonging to our missions in Shangani, and as some of these are over fifty miles from headquarters, their supervision means much travelling. My wife is kept quite busy dispensing medicine to the sick.
As a result of last year’s drought, there is great poverty among our people and many have almost reached starvation level. We are not yet sure how this season will turn out, for although December brought abundant rains, this month has been very dry and unless rain comes soon we shall have every cause for alarm.
Will you please insert our new address in the magazine? P.B. stands for Private Bag and T.198 is the number of said bag. Owing to their being inadequately addressed, the letters of some friends in Scotland have wandered far and wide before eventually reaching us. I trust you still remember us in your prayers. Remember me very warmly to Mrs. Beaton and to all the Oban friends, also your students. With kindest regards, Yours very sincerely, J. S. Fraser.