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THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

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THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

REPORT FROM THE FREEMANS

Dear friends in Christ at Englewood; We would like to give you some sta tistics of our work in Gwelo during
the first six months of 1963.

FREEMAN REPORT
July 17, 1963 Dear Friends in Christ at Englewood,

MISSION REPORT
Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia September 15, 1963

Dear friends in Christ at Englewood:

This past month has been filled with
events. Between four and five hun

This past weekend I had the privi

lege
name

of
is

marrying
evangelist

young
at

African
His

Baptisms: Buhera 5; Central Eistates 2; Gwelo 6; Iron Mine Hill

2: Mhondoro 10; .Selukwe 2;

Christian

Buhera.

dred

people

(African

Christians

and "The and

im

Simplisio

Machingura,

and

missionaries) attended sessions at Dadaya Conference Indigenous

discussion

Total 27; Transfer: Umvuma 1; School applications: Silobela 1 and Mhondoro 1, for 1965 school year. When I am out on bush trips, I try to show film strips each evening. One of the most popular series with the Africans has been Jungle Doctor Tales {from Tanganyika). Each of the four
films dea^ with some aspects of sin,

his bride, Julia, is also a Christian. Simplisio is working with Zlden Nutt
for
John

the theme, Messages

the stressed

Churoh."
periods

Chidamoyo
Pemberton

Mission
came

near
to

Karoi.

Buhera to

portance of African leadership and ac tive participation in all realms of the

growth and development of the Afri
can churoh.

attend the wedding and to talk with

Chief Gwebu about having a Chris tian school at his home. John preach

ed

the

morning

message

at

Buhera

In there

trip were

to five

Silobela

this

month two

Church of Christ to a

crowd of sixty-

baptisms,

and

five people who met in the open for

services.

backsliding members repented. I show ed filmstrtps to a crowd of 100 people one night at Malisa Store. One of the church leaders (has been taught how to baptize, and the other churoh lead
ers are to learn from him. Before this

and each story is told in an African

setting. The titles are: "The Great Wall", "Safe as Poison", "Little Leo pards Become Big Leopards", and "Why God Sent Jesus". It was during the showing of these film strips at
Mhondoro
Christ.

The wedding was

the church service.

held right after

Weddings in

Southern Rhodesia are usually pe^

formed after banns are announce^Mn

that

ten

people

accepted

churoh for three weeks. WJ>^ an

African couple marrlesV by/Christian

time, they have waited on my coming to baptize people, which I do not feel
Is best.

I am serving this year as secretaiy at the quarterly meetings of Southern Rhodesian Mission. I also handle the funds for the radio broadcast that is
beamed from Lorenco Marques. Re

rites, they cannot mafa^ any other

person while their partner is living. Polygamy is still very much alive among the Africans in Southern Rho desia, but is decreasing.
The wedding feast (following the wedding was a big affair. There were around 300 present for the celebra
tion. The fatfher of the bride had

Four more people have been added to the Lord at Mhondoro since my last report of the work there. We have a

very good chance for a school just a

few miles south of the churoh.

cently Dr .A. C. Walters completed a series of 13 messages on church his tory for this program, and I was an
nouncer. With all this widespread

Beni Nyekete is now settled at Bu

hera With Clarissa, his bride of a few weeks. (Watch for an account of their

work, there is never a dull moment, and the past six months have really flown by. We give thanks to God for what He has enabled us to do, and we pray that we shall become more effect
ive for future work. Yours in Christ, The Wendell Freemans

wedding soon

in

Rhodesian

Story).

slaughtered
served

cow.

This

meat

was

Beni is taking two of his sisters' chil dren (little girls Gladys and Maude)
to raise. This is In accordance with

with bread, sadza,

rice, Afri

can sweet beer (non-intoxicating bev

erage), and tea. There was also a "wedding cake". Since the wedding
was a Christian one, there was no

African custom. For the present, Beni

will remain at Buhera to lead in the

work there. With our help he is hop ing to purchase a

the bike will

drunkenness, but there was much loud

celebration singing, African danc

motor bike. Having

him to minister

enable

ing, and much hilarious talk. I was kept awake for two nights from the
noise of the wedding celebration.
In the last few months, we have

to several other congregations in ad

dition to Buhera and to do more widespread evangelistic work.

Continue to pray for us. started a As

a

Bible class for school-aged forty

Friday

Yours In Christ,
w'

.""-" Wendell

Freeman

Coloured (mulatto) children in Gwelo. many as

home on

meet together
evening and

in
the

interest and enthusiasm are high. We

are "kept busy with our regular teach ing and
srk

preaching.
in

This

Saturday I opening of

will be

investigating the

GatoorrRiT-^iorth of here.

Sincerely,
Wendell Freeman

P.S. Be--^5weJo_watch for the_A^g(st

issue of the 'flhodesiaaStoTyT
Gwelo work will be featured.

Our