by Rev. D. B. Macleod
On Monday 3rd August, accompanied by my wife and Mr Donald MacDonald, I set out for a visit to Kenya and Malawi. Rev. A. Ndebele joined us two days later for the Kenyan visit. Although the time was short yet it gave us time to visit several of the stations and deal with some pressing problems. It also gave an opportunity to assess the situation in both countries.
In Kenya they look forward to having Mr and Mrs MacDonald settled among them and we are sure they will get a warm welcome when they go to start work in the Kisii Province of the country. There is a population in that part of the country of 2 or 3 millions who speak the Kisii language. That there is much work to be done is known to all who have visited the Mission there. Not only have preaching stations been established but also schools have been erected in several places. In these schools several hundred pupils receive primary education and are taught Scripture and Catechism. The schools and churches have been erected, mostly by the labour of the people, but also with some assistance from the Church at home. Before long, with the arrival of a doctor, medical work will begin at the main station at Sengera, and at clinics in other places. Above everything else it is the gospel that is needed most of all. Those who are at present endeavouring to minister to the spiritual needs of their fellow-countrymen have need themselves of further instruction in the things of God. For this work ministers of the gospel are needed in both lands. May we plead for such to be raised up and sent forth. It may seem impossible to us in our present situation as a Church, but with God nothing shall be impossible.
It is heartening to see the efforts that have been made by the people in both countries to build churches and schools. In Malawi we again visited the Mozambique refugee camp where a Free Presbyterian Church was erected and services begun some years ago. There we discovered that some of the refugees had moved to another camp a long distance away. We were able to visit them and found a second Free Presbyterian Church erected there among the refugees. This had been done solely by their own efforts. To give some idea of the extensiveness of the work in Malawi the stations furthest apart are more than six hours drive from each other. The number of the people attending Free Presbyterian places of worship amount to 2000. Mr Ephraim Tembo who was recently received as a student of the Church, has no less than 12 places to look after and the total number of people under his care amount to 1,111. Truly the harvest is great but the labourers are few.
After four weeks of intensive work and almost constant travelling we left Nairobi on the morning of the 28th August and returned to Edinburgh that evening. We left Mr Donald MacDonald in Nairobi ready to begin his language study. His wife was to join him before the end of August. We have reason to acknowledge the Lord’s goodness to us during the time we spent in Africa. It is our prayer and desire that the Lord will be pleased to bless the work in both countries and that labourers will be raised up by the Lord to work in that part of His vineyard.