THE following is the interesting letter from Mr. Radasi, received on 22nd October, and read by the Rev. Neil Cameron at the Meeting of Synod as part of Foreign Mission Report:—
C/O NATIVE COMMISSIONER, BEMBESI,
MATABELELAND, SOUTH AFRICA, 1st October, 1909.
MY DEAR MR. CAMERON,—I have received your letter of the 24th of August, and was very glad to hear from you again. I have also received the Bibles you ordered—£3 worth of Kaffir Bibles, and £2 worth of Zulu Bibles and Testaments; they were sent from Johannesburg. I was very pleased to get them indeed.
I believe very much in natives having Bibles, so that they may read the Word of God themselves, as the Shorter Catechism says: “The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching, of the Word an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.” I am still continuing the practice of giving Bibles to all the scholars who can read; may it be our prayer that the Holy Ghost might graciously mix it with faith in their hearts, and that my congregation may be taught and saved of God. Pray for me that I may be faithful in declaring the whole counsel of God, and look only to the grace and power of God for success in my labours. We have altogether three preaching places, where services are held every Sabbath; the other two are out-stations, which I visit occasionally.
I am glad to say that the services are much better attended, and that the people seem to be anxious to hear the Word of God, and those that can read, to have Bibles. Some come from long distances, and yet regularly attend the places of worship. But some are being persecuted by their friends for attending the services—fathers forbidding their children to go, and husbands their wives. I may mention the case of one of our Matabele women for an instance. She was so ill-treated by her husband that she was obliged to leave him and return to her parents. Her husband used to beat her very cruelly for going to Church, but the woman would continue to go. She would say: “I would obey you in everything, but not in this.” And on Sabbath he would tell her to go and work in the fields. But she would refuse to go and work in the fields on the Sabbath day, but would go to Church with her little girl, and when she returned she would get a beating. The last time she was at Church she had her front teeth knocked out by her cruel husband. Her parents heard about her ill-treatment, and came to fetch her. She has now left the district altogether, and is staying with her parents. We miss her in Church, as she was a regular attendant, with her little daughter, who is also one of my scholars. She was never absent from
Church, with her little girl, unless ill, in spite of all her husband’s threats and persecution. She used to say, “I always pray, and teach my little girl to pray too; but I have such a bad heart, which says to me, ‘No, you must not always pray.’ I like that heart which says I ‘must always pray,’ and I hate that heart that says I ‘must not pray.’ Pray for me that God might take away my bad heart.”
Ndabana Ngege has returned to school again. He says: “I have returned because I see that my father was not pleased with me because I left school and went to work. Whenever I visit home he always scolds me for having left school. My father’s wish is that I should not go to work at present, but remain in the Mission and learn.” I am very sorry to inform you that Chief Ngege, Ndabana’s father, died on Friday, 24th September, after a very short illness. We had seen him just a fortnight before he died, and he seemed to be in the best of health, and we told him about the coming of the Rev. J. R. Mackay, and he was very glad to hear of it. He said, “I will come and see him when he comes, and stay the night over, and return the following day.” Shortly after that he was taken ill with fever, and on Wednesday, 22nd September, I sent Ndabana to see how he was. He returned and said that his father was much better, and was able to get up by himself and walk. He must have had a relapse, as he died on the 24th September. We are all very sorry about Chief Ngege’s death, as he was very friendly to our Mission.
We are all very glad about the coming of Mr. Mackay, and it is to be hoped that his visit will be made a great blessing to us all. With kindest regards to you and to Mrs. Cameron and your sister, and to all the friends there—Mrs. Radasi joining.—Yours very sincerely,
JOHN B. RADASI.