Zimbabwe
AT Mbuma, after the epidemic of malaria there and the tremendous strain the staff endured with 200 new patients every day, one and another of the European staff has been able to go on furlough overseas. This is possible because of the arrival of Miss Anne Zekveld from Canada, who expects to remain on duty until February, and the welcome assistance of Miss Jessie Coote who has come from Kenya to add her valued experience for a period of six to eight weeks, or longer if possible.
Miss Margaret Macaskill is at home until February. Miss Louise Leiper is also in this country, having arrived in Glasgow at the end of November.
It has been reported that one reason for the severity of the malarial epidemic was the fact that the countryside has not been sprayed from the air as in previous years to destroy the incipient mosquito plague.
(Locust plagues were common in the thirties and early forties, when every blade of green grass and every green leaf was devoured, unless the local community joined to scatter the locusts. On the other hand they were a welcome source of food, and as the classrooms darkened with the clouds of locusts descending on the fields around, the girl pupils were longing for the school bell, so that they could go out and collect as many as possible of the locusts in their pinafores, and fry them at lunch time. These were the hungry times when food was very scarce. In some of the kitchens one would see tubs full of preserved locusts. Of course, we read of John the Baptist living on locusts and wild honey. However, the spraying of the lands further north brought an end to the locust plagues and locusts became a rarity. On the other hand a menace to the crops was removed).
We hear with thankfulness that Rev. A.B. Ndebele is at home at Ingwenya. He is not strong enough to preach, but we trust in time he will be able to do so.
Miss Katie Macaulay arrived in Scotland early in December for a month’s well-earned holiday. We wish her a refreshing break. J.N.
Kenya
FROM Sengera Rev John Goldby writes, among other things, that “work goes on as usual here in the spiritual sphere with our usual services. The catechism classes are going well, and also the Sabbath school. The Monday night Bible study can be quite lively and enjoyable.
“The patients in the hospital seem to appreciate a visit and respond well. We are able to distribute a little literature… With the books sent out in the container we have started a small lending library for those who are able to profit by reading Christian books.
“We do four hours of language study a day every other week. I am sure that the time spent on this is well spent as it is good even to be able to speak a few words to the people in their own tongue. The Dutch nurses have made good progress in the language and can converse freely with the patients.
Mr Goldby concludes: “The Aids virus is going to kill hundreds of thousands here soon. As you know, the Mission is in Nyanza Province, and it was reported in the press that this province has more than double the number of HIV positive people than any other – 268,000 known cases, with the true figure much, much higher. It is awesome to think that most of these 268,000 are at present infecting who knows how many others. It is reported that 111 people die of Aids every day in Kenya. The medical staff are now realizing that this is going to be one of the major parts of their work in the very near future.”
Paul exhorted the Galatian believers, “Bear ye one another’s burdens.” One way of doing this is to constantly bring to the throne of grace in prayer those of our friends who work on the mission field. Let us be praying that their labours will be blessed by the Lord for the spiritual and temporal good of the people; and also that in the trying and stressful circumstances of mission life they will be constantly upheld by divine grace and be enabled to be workers together in harmony and unity for the extension of Christ’s kingdom in Africa. D.A.R.