Through lands that were dark: Being a record of a year's missionary journey in Africa and MadagascarHawkins, F. H.
Religion
Through lands that were dark: Being a record of a year's missionary journey in Africa and Madagascar
Hawkins, F. H.
London Missionary Society -- History; Missions -- Madagascar; Missions -- South Africa; Missions -- Zambia
The following day, Sunday, will live in my memory. The service was
announced to begin at eleven o’clock, but at ten o’clock the evangelist
came to say that the chapel was already full, and forthwith the service
commenced. The building was crowded to its utmost capacity, and there
were large numbers of men, women and children sitting in the shade on
the ground outside. I spoke to the people from a side-door in order
that my words might be heard by the crowd inside and out. After the
service I was visited by a large number of deacons and workers from
the Churches for many miles round. Afterwards I went to see an old
woman named Dipepeng in her kraal near by. She is over eighty years
of age, and for a long time has not had the use of her legs. She sat
in the entrance to her hut in the shadow of the over-hanging eaves,
reading her Sechuana Bible. She told me she had been a servant to Dr.
and Mrs. Moffat at Kuruman, and remembered David Livingstone courting
Mary Moffat under the historic almond tree, and was present at their
wedding. She described them, and spoke of an arbour in the garden where
they used to sit. The old woman has been a Christian for sixty years,
and is deeply interested in the Church at Ganyesa.
I visited the only European in the place, he being a store-keeper. In
the afternoon there was a baptismal service, Sunday School, a sermon,
and a crowded Communion Service conducted with great reverence. At
the close the people all rose and sang, “God be with you till we meet
again.” At day-break on the following morning there was a prayer
meeting. This was followed by the wedding of five couples, and a visit
to the school. Later in the morning Mr. Wookey and I started on our
return journey to Vryburg in the Cape cart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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