South and South Central Africa: A record of fifteen years' missionary labors among primitive peoplesDavidson, Hannah Frances
History
South and South Central Africa: A record of fifteen years' missionary labors among primitive peoples
Davidson, Hannah Frances
Brethren in Christ Church -- Missions; Missions -- Rhodesia; Ndebele (African people); Tsonga (African people)
Let us visit some of the houses and see what changes have taken place.
Here first is the home of Matshuba. As he was first in the fold, he is
worthy of first notice. He lives in a small, neatly-built brick house,
with a well-swept yard inclosed by a fence. Inside the house are
homemade bedsteads, chairs and tables, and here is Matshuba the same as
of yore. He is older and has fought many battles since that first day
when, as a little boy, he came and watched the newcomers. He has found
the conflict severe and almost overpowering at times. It has left some
scars, but, praise God! he has come off victorious at last, and in a
more humble spirit he is following the meek and lowly Savior. He is
Elder Steigerwald's right-hand man and is capable of turning his hand to
almost any kind of work. He can take the blacksmith tools and mend the
large three-disc plow; he can make use of the small engine and grind the
meal for the native food, or do any other kind of work about the place.
Best of all, he can go out and tell the people about Jesus. He had hoped
that the elder's many-sided ability might be his, and he seems to have
had his wish. He could secure much larger pay as an engineer in the
mines, but he feels that his place is in the Lord's work. May he have
our prayers that he may always find God's grace sufficient.
[Illustration: Mtshabezi--Baptismal Scene.]
Here too is his wife, Makiwa. She was also educated at Matopo Mission,
where she learned not only in school, but also in the kitchen and
sewing-room, that she might know how to take care of her home and
family. A faithful helpmate she has been to her husband and a blessing
in the Church. Here are their little boy and girl, whom they are
bringing up in the fear of the Lord. This old woman, also neatly
dressed, is Matshuba's mother, long a slave to her old religion, her
superstitious ideas, her beer and her tobacco. Now she has accepted
Christ as her Savior and He has cleansed her and she is in the Church.
And this bright-looking girl is her daughter, Sixpence. She was only
about four or five years old when we came to Matopo. Now she is a tall,
fine-looking Christian woman and well taught. She has on a neat-looking
black dress which, Sister Steigerwald tells me, she cut and sewed
without any help from the missionaries. Yes, this is a Christian home,
from which we hope and pray that the evils of heathendom have flown
forever.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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