Newsletters from a Salvation Army woman officer in Rhodesia (6): 1967-69
3 Forbes Avenue,
BULAWAYO. November 1967.
Once more we wish to send our best wishes…
If anything we have had a busier time than usual this year. I have
no African servant now, as we can’t afford one, so I do all my own housework,
but I must say my family are most helpful. At the beginning of the year I had
an unusual experience of being in charge of the Men’s Hostel while the Officers
were away. This was something new for me, and I learned a lot in that month.
One thing to which I could not get hardened was to see police taking off young
fellows who were staying at the Hostel.
I am still Chairman of the Women’s World Day of Prayer Committee,
and of the Women’s Group Liaison which takes a good deal of my time, especially
the W.G.L. which includes arranging united Training Courses, attendance at
Working Party meetings in Salisbury, as well as Committee meetings. At our
Annual General Meeting I tried to resign from Chairmanship, as I felt it was
making too many demands on my time, but so far we have been unable to find
anyone who will take it on, so everything still comes to me. Then I still run
the Nurses Fellowship with monthly meetings at our house for the nurses of this
district. Keith also has been kept very busy, as we had no Manager of Schools
until this last term, and this means a tremendous amount of work. We are
thankful that an African Manager has been appointed… so Keith has only to inspect
3 schools, although he has to take the Manager round all the schools, but at
least he can do Army work… As I was unable to go with them the last time, Keith
also cooked all meals for the African Manager and himself! …
There continues to be much joy in the Lord’s work in this country,
although there are disappointments and frustrations. …
This year I have been trying to get all women in the Home
League to work… and have been thrilled with the response in most places. At one
Home League in Nata… There were three old Grandmothers there who had never had
a needle in their hands before I taught them to sew, and when I went back to
mark their work, they had each completed the required work, one of them
perfectly. It must have taken her hours of painstaking effort… After the
meeting they all three came to me to rub their aching backs for them! Actually
as we go round the Reserves with First Aid and simple medicines we find there
is a vital need. One child was brought to us one night who had been gored by a
cow… His leg was an awful mess, but that small child did not murmur a sound
while I dressed his leg. Another day a month old baby was brought to us… and I
found all the tiny hand and fingers were badly burned. I gave the Mother a real
good lecturing about allowing a tiny baby like that to fall on the fire. So
many children are brought to us with bad burns, falling on the open fire.
The village meetings always thrill us, especially to see the eager
faces round a huge log fire at night, then to see them kneeling at the drum.
...
We had three Congress weekends which were very well attended, but
were unable to hold the fourth owing to terrorist activity[1] in
the district which was disappointing for our people. …
For the first time, we held a Youth Councils weekend in Bulawayo
which was a real inspiration. … The Headmaster also brought the 14 Corps Cadets
from Nata, and these youngsters had never been away from their own villages,
and their faces were a picture as they listened eagerly to everything.
Last weekend Keith and I were at Wankie Colliery, not far from
Victoria Falls, where a newly commissioned Lieut. and his wife have just been
appointed. This Lieut. is a trained teacher whom we sent into training, and he
is already making his impression on that place. … We had a grand weekend with a
number of seekers. We have just received a letter from him about the weekend,
and the thing that pleased us more than anything was that he started his letter
– “Dear Parents”. If we can be Father and Mother to our Officers, that is what
we want to be.[2]
Allan and Carol continue to bring us much joy. Allan finishes
school next week, and is now in the middle of sitting G.C.E “A” level, and in January
will start working in the Law Courts here in Bulawayo, and will have to take
law exams as he works. He received a very fine testimonial from his Headmaster.
Carol was enrolled as a Senior Soldier in August, and is used a great deal in
singing solos being blessed with a good voice. We are so grateful that both of them are
committed Christians. The Youth for Christ movement has helped them both a great
deal, and Allan is on the Y.F.C. Committee, also has been Chairman of his
school Scripture Union. He went to speak at a Girls’ High School last week! We
are all hoping to go down to the Cape for the month of December for our coastal
furlough, and will camp at Fish Hoek. We are going by road, Keith and Allan sharing
the driving. We are all needing sea air, and will be glad of the change before
we start the responsibilities of another year.
NOTE: There is a 19 month gap in the letters before this one. One of the most significant events in the family was that I was baptised in a Pentecostal church in November 1968 and was becoming increasingly fundamentalist. In January 1969 I entered Llewellyn Barracks near Bulawayo for basic military training, after six weeks moving to Brady Barracks in Bulawayo to train as a radio operator (signaller).
33, 20th Avenue,
Famona, Bulawayo.
June 1969.
You will notice that we have moved to a new address although still
in Bulawayo. The old house at Forbes Avenue which the Army has had for so long
is being sold, and we have moved into another more modern Army quarters the
south side of the city. We are a bit cramped for space because Major D. Moyo
our Divisional Officer has to work here until such time as the new D.H.Q. is built
in the Barbourfields African Township. The plans are in the hands of the Town
Council, and we hope that they hurry up so that the builder can start.
Our work is slightly different this year, as we now have two African
Divisional Officers whom we have to train so that they can take over complete
responsibility when we leave for Homeland furlough next June. … We have two
very fine couples with whom we work very happily.
…
This year in Rhodesia is the Year of Evangelism, and we have had some
very blessed times in contact with other Church people. Bulawayo has an
Executive of which Keith is the Secretary, and I am a member. This week we have planned for a Convention …
with special speakers each day, the theme being “The Holy Spirit”. This is
planned particularly for church people as a preparation for evangelism, as we
feel the Christians must be revived and stirred up first before they can take
part in effective evangelism. It has been good also to have some co-ordination
between the various denominations. …
…
On January 9th Allan had to go into the Forces for his
9 months Territorial training, and having finished his initial training is now
up at Victoria Falls as a Signaller. Last week he was presented with a lovely
plaque by his C.O. [Commanding Officer]
being the top student of his Course at the School of Signals. As you may
imagine life in the Forces has been a challenge to him, but we thank God he has
maintained his witness and has been used to influence others. The few Christians
met together for prayer when they could. …
Carol is in her last year at school, and is working for G.C.E. in
November, then will come to England with us next year before starting as a
nurse in Salisbury.
33, 20th Avenue, Famona,
Bulawayo.
November 1969.
Once more it is time to send Christmas greetings to all our
friends… It does not seem like 4½ years since we returned to Rhodesia from furlough,
but we are due to sail from Capetown again on June 3rd, 1970. Life
has been so busy since we came to Matabeleland that the time has absolutely flown
by. We shall be extremely sorry to leave our people of Matabeleland, as we have
come to really love them, and although the work has been hard, we thank God for
the signs of progress that we can see now.
We have had very fine Congresses since last I wrote, and it was
good to see more people than usual, and more uniform in evidence. …
We have just recently had a Home League Leaders’ Training Course
for three days… The women responded so well and everything went so happily. …
This year has been the Year of Evangelism in Rhodesia, and the
Army has taken part. … we are praying for revival in Bulawayo. We hold weekly
lunch hour united prayer meetings in the Army hall.
We were able to have three weeks’ furlough in Beira in Mozambique
in September, and it was most relaxing to be at the sea again. We were able to
borrow my brother in law’s caravan, and had a really lazy three weeks which we
both needed and feel better for it.
Allan has now finished his nine months’ military training, and is
present in Salisbury doing a special six week’s course in Law. We are hoping
that he will pass his exams at the end of it, although he is not very hopeful, having
been away from the Magistrates’ Dept. all this year on military service. Carol
is writing her ‘O’ Level this month, and we hope she will get her five ‘O’
levels which will enable her to start nursing training which she has wanted to
do all her life.
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