Zimbabwe
THE Rev. Mr Mzamo from Mbuma is recovering, we are glad to report. “He had to be sent,” says Mr van Praag in a newsletter, “to Johannesburg, to the hospital there, for treatment. At first we were afraid he would need to have an operation, for two blockages were diagnosed, but thankfully angioplasty treatment was successful and he is now resting at his sons home in South Africa.” Another report has come from Mr Benschop who says, “Mr Mzamo is treated successfully, and he hopes to fly back to the country soon. We hope he will have another period of service here. We need him so much.”
Mr Benschop adds, “Translation work is getting on all right. Miss MacAulay has gone through the whole of the New Testament in Ndebele, and has corrected lots of mistakes. I, myself, am learning the language, and putting the Ndebele Bible into the computer. We hope the Lord will bless this work.”
Mr van Praag also reports that a new ultrasound scanner and a diathermy machine, purchased in South Africa with money donated by friends in Holland, have been installed at Mbuma Mission hospital.
He adds, “At John Tallach Secondary School the teachers, after a well earned rest, are back in harness. During term there is little rest for them, as they also attend to sick and injured students. . . Toward the end of last term many students had temperatures so Norma and Sheena were up during the night to give medical attention and were expected back in class by 6.45 am. On Saturdays they have to supervise all those that were given punishment duties by any of the other teachers. On Sabbath, before the services, they take the catechism classes. . . The sad news from the school is that Marion Graham, the headmistress, is retiring in June it is hard to imagine the Mission without her. She has certainly been a driving force here and all the staff will miss her very much while wishing her well and much of the Lords blessing in her retirement.”
With regard to the political situation he says, “While it is very sad that the white farmers are used for a political purpose and that some have lost their lives, we here are in no apparent danger but we continue to plead for your prayers for protection; and again I would say, Brethren pray for us.”
Kenya
The acting administrator of the Mission at Sengera, Mr Hugh Mackenzie, reports that about 200 souls continue to gather each Sabbath. “Many travel great distances and therefore attend only one service,” he says. “There is a great need for a settled pastor in this corner of the vineyard. May our prayers for a chosen labourer be answered. The emphasis must be on the ecclesiastical. The temporal affairs of the mission should take a less prominent place in the hearts and minds of those in the Sengera community.”
He adds that the Outpatients Clinic is not very busy, but that they expect that when the malaria season comes soon there will be a steady increase in the number of patients over the next two months.
Return to Table of Contents for The Free Presbyterian Magazine – June 2000