V.

-,

NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS

Vol. 14

No. 1

"

January, 1973

Dear Christian Friends,

We hope that all of you had as enjoyable a Christmas as we have had.

Our daughter,

Sandra, her husband, Dick and daughter, -Valerie arrived at Jan Smuts airport in Johannes
burg on the 16th of December. It had been almost three years since we had bid them
"goodbye" in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They left South Africa for the States on the 13th
of January.

Sandra, having gone to school and graduated from Port Shepstone High School, had
friends both to visit and who visited her, so the days were full. But they also found
some time to enjoy the sun and sea,

which was a great change from the cold and snow of

Minnesota.

Just after"Christmas, James received the"results of his November MatriC exams.

He"

had passed all of the classes and received a Matric Exemption, which meant that he could
go on to University. The 11th of January, he flew from Johannesburg aboard a Sabena air
plane. He will be visiting his brother for a while and then will go to Rochester, Minn
esota, to seek work and prepare for entering Minnesota Bible College for the last term of
this year.

With James' going it means that ther are now no more children at home.

Like all

parents we have not looked forward to this time, but we thank God for the joys and
blessing our children have brought to us.
On December 10th, we had the ground breaking ceremony for the Enyanisweni Church

of Christ.

Ben Songo, the father of Barnabas Songo together with the people of the area

built a school building on ground provided by the local Chief many years ago.

The

agreement was that the building would be used for church services and so it has been.
In
later years the needs of the schools has increased so much that the Government has taken

over and this was good for the churches could not cope with their needs. In each case,
the church was then given another site and we have just received ours, a very nice hill
top not far from the school and close to the main road.

After the children left for America we stayed on for a few days to visit in
Johannesburg. The church at Benoni has found a very fine church building which they
are using now with the option to buy it. Please pray for the brethem .as they work to

build up the congregation there. ITie work is being led by Wally Parmham^'and Jerrard
D'Alton.- ' Brother D'Alton is a South African who has been to-..JLouis Christian'College.
His home language is Afrikaans and this will be a great help for many of the people of tl^is
area are Afrikaans speaking,

I had not planned to go to the Kimberly area until February but a need has
so Vemita and I shall be going there for about 5 days.

arisen

We also want to meet with the

folks at Warrenton and see if a start can be made shortly on the Minister's home.

We will

bring back two stjidents for the Bible Training School.

^Brian and Deanna Guy are'expected in Johannesburg, the 20th. The Lynn Stanleys are
meeting'them and bringing them back to Port Shepstone. Brian's mother lives here at Port
Shepstone.

Christmas time found a larger than usual number gathered at our homes, for the

Stanleys had as guest their son, Darrell, and his wife, and her parents and brother from
America. Chris tmas Eve they were all present at our home and Christmas Day, we were their
guests.

On January 26th, we will have a youth meeting with the people of the Invutshini
Church. At present, we will only be able to be with them once a month, but hope that
these meeings will help encourage them in this work and that perhaps it can be done on
other areas.

Vemita and I are making plans to come home at the end of this year.
not know when it will be, but certainly not before the end of October.

Thank you so much for your gifts and prayers.

As yet we do

May God richly bless and keep you,

Sincerely in Christ,
Alvin Vemita Nicholson

FORWARDING AGENT:
Mrs. Richard Hanson
16642 Gannon Ave. W.

Rosemount, Minn.

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NEWS

Vol. 14

WITH

THE

NICHOLSONS

No. 2

May, 1973

Dear Brethern,
m

We are at home waiting for company to come.

The Farnhams from Johannesburg have

promised us that they will take a holiday at the coast.

Bill Hall and his family from Alberton on the Reef were at the Stanleys for just
over a week, while Bill gave ten lectures at the Bible Training School.
Last month, we traveled back to the Northern Cape for meeting with some of the
churches in that area. Hopeto\>n[i is making plans to build a minister's home so that
they can have a resident minister. Jacob VanWyk, who spent a year in school, is
planning to come back and complete his work next year.
We visited with Abraham Leuw of Kimberly and his new bride.

He married Lena

p,Stemela of-Midde^lburg,Cape, who has alsa^spent tirae-at school.Abraham has gotten

permission to live in the minister's home, so he is right at his work and has been
busy teaching the people in other classes.
Postmasburg also desires to get a church building. The services while we were
present were held in a room at the local school. Ben Moroe, minister at Postmasburg,
returned with us so that he could get more work at school.
The last week end of March, we were present with Enock Zobolo and his circuit.
They have been busy raising the money for the coming conference. They have asked that

we keep the money for them in the bank.

were not yet present.

They baptized nine on Sunday morning, but we

The letter he had sent to me took five days and only came here

on Monday after traveling 25 miles. Brother Zobolo's work is growing and they are
continually haveing baptisms. He said this was not because he was working harder but
because Christians were bringing many of these people. They have baptized many young
men amongst the 20 to 35 years of age group and this is a group that has been harder
r*,

to reach. Brother Zobolo and his wife are hard workers and labor in such a way that
the brethren love them and they are greatly respected by those outside the church.
Plans are about all set for the Ministers' Week to be held at Umtata from the evening
of the 15th of May until the 20th. Brother Nic Qwemesha at school will be teaching
one of the shorter books in the New Testament.

Bill Hall of Alberton on New Testament

Bible Studies. Floyd Stamm of Durban will be bringing our morning devotional message.
Then we will have an open period for the questions and needs of the ministers. Part
of this time will be given to method of carrying on business meetings. The evening
services will be conducted by the African ministers themselves. They will also be
doing afternoon calling in the local location. We are sorry that Brother Sibinda,
minister here has been in the hospital, but he says that he is feeling better now.

Vemita is typing out the questions on the book Genesis so that we can duplicate
them and have them ready to pass on to the ministers at that time. WE hope that will
encourage them in teaching.
Yes, we have some other news which is good news to us.

Cheri, have a new baby girl.

Our son John and his wife,

They live and minister at Reads town ,"'lvisc.

1 guess our plans are now quite definite that we shall begin our furlough about the

^st of

Please pray for us in our preparation for camp.

children is very short.
at Whittlesea.

The school holidays for the primary

Vernita and 1 are planning to go to Pondoland and to Sada Location

May God richly bless and keep you all^

Sincerely in Christ,
Alvin

Vemita

FORWARDING AGENT:
Mrs. Richard Hanson
16642 Gannon Ave. W.

Rosemount, Minn.

55068

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NEWS WITH THE NIGHOLSONS

Vol. 14

No.

a VS
June, 1973

Dear Brethren:

Greetings in Christ, our Saviour. On the 26th of April, John Sibinda, minister at
Umtata, passed away. Since we were planning minister's week there for the 15th to the
20th of May, it meant that we had to seek another place for the phurch is not so strong
n

there. When I had asked to meet with them about plans for the week, he said no, the^

were busy in another place, so I do not know what arrangements he had made with his own.
The meeting will be at Cradock on the same dates.

Friday, the 4th, Lynn Stanley, Nic Qwemesha and one of the students fr(Hn school and

I went to Umtata to be ready for the funeral at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Saturday, morning,
I was going to the location when they stopped me at the Funpral Home; they had come to
bring the body and those who came viewed it first there. Then the body was taken to the
home where we had a word of prayer; then it was put into a pickup and taken to a church.
There were 17 parts to the program thpy had prepared. Brother Qwemesha was the Master
of Ceremonies. Two of the items on the program were left out. I finished my sermon

shortly after 12 noon but then found out that they were not expecting the funeral car
to come back until 2 p.m. and so they could not finish before that time.

For the next

two hours there was singing and those who desire to spoke. When we had finished at the
cemetary, we returned to the home where a tub of water was placed outside the gate and
each as he arrived washed his hands. Then a meal was served for all. The two young men
at Umtata had cared very well for providing for all that needed to be done. They are to
have a meeting of all the circuits in June and have asked that I pome at that time.

"

Today, I went with Vemita to Gcilima for her sewing class for the women. Shortly
after we arrived they began to look at the fire coming from a house on another hill.
Brother Zobolo and I went there, but everything in the house had been destroyed. The man
was away at work and the wife had taken the youngest child to the Doctor.

Other childrei)

preparing their noon day meal, had let the fire get into the dried beans that had been

gathered from the field but not yet beaten out.

IVhen the fire got into this it was not

long until the thatched roof was on fire and there was no hope.

But the church was already

planning what they could do to give a helping hand to this family as they are members of
the church.

Not all the women at church were spwing.

There were a pumber present who were making

mud blocks from which rondovels sha^l be made for use at conferenpe time and when they

are, needed. They have just dug up the ground and worked it up well, then added a little ^
cement, mixed well and then added water to make mud.

This wps placed into two molds.

Both were the same width and height, but one had one end cut on a slant.

These are used

to help in making the houses round.

When thd buildings are completed they will be

plastered both withip

More and more people are doing fhis and of course

and without.

it makes buildings that will last a far longer time.

The little neighbor boy came from Sunday School. They asked him what he had
learned. He said they had talked about Abraham, Isaac and tobacco. Well after some

thinking they asked him if he did not mean Rebecca and he did.

We had the privilege of

baptizing this young boy's father in the Umtentewni river last month.

Many

weekend.

good reports have come in from the ministers of their services over Easter

Most all start on Friday and end on Sunday. We spoke for Songo and Qwemesha

as they used the tent at number 5 on Friday night.

Then went to Durban where we: were

^h,g^sts of Mr. Mrs. Floyd Stamm, now working in Durban. We had part in the services

of Mazibuko and Nzuza on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Thank you all.for your continued prayer and financial support.

Yours in Christ,
Alvin Vernita

FORWARDING AGENT:
Mrs. Richard Hanson
16642 Gannon Ave. W.

Rosemount, Minn.

55068

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NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS

Vol. 14

MV

No. 4

,nTlo

June, 1973

Dear Christian Brethren,

Our Minister's Week at Cradock was a very good meeting. There were 26 ministers
present with 6 of the missionaries. Some others had planned to come but were hindered
by sickness.

Classes were taught by Nic Qwemesha, Floyd Stamm and Bill Hall.

There was a

period given to prayer each morning and then a period for questions and discussion.
The men took a better part in the sessions than they ever have before.

One question ^'ame up that the missionaries were not aware of. Some had been saying
that the young'men had no right to be ministers because they had never been elders in
the church. The brethren answered this question very quickly and very positively. How
much better that they should answer it than a missionary. I think this is one of the
strong points of this meeting in that it gives the brethren a chance to discuss their
problems, questions and needs"as they have af~lio~o'fhef time.

The annual Conference has been moved forward to the 12th thru the 16th of September.
In the past the South African Railways have granted concession tickets to those coming
to this meeting. This has now been done away with. But between the school holidays

the railway does have a lower fare for those making a round trip within-that period.
So we have moved the meeting forward to help the brethren take advantage of this. Even
so they are going to have to pay much more for all rail fares have been increased in the
last year.

We got another surprise the first of this month when South Africa revalued their money
upward and now it takes $1.49+ where it was taking $1;42+.
The Gcilima church has already raised about $175.00 for the coming meeting of the
churches. They are repainting their church building and building two rondovels to be
used at that time. They are using mud with some cement mixed in it for the blocks and
will plaster the buildings on .tir outside and inside when they are done.
The camp in Lusikisiki in Pondoland has been set for the 2nd to the 7th of July.
The one at Sada near Wittlesea for the 9th thru the 14th. Vemita and I hope to be
present for both of these. The camp here at Port Shepstone will also meet the first
week of July at the Umzumbe Bible School. Not only are they expecting to have more of
their own young people present, but the brethren from Durban will also be present with
campers.

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and the Brethren set the tent up this time at
Paddock. I took the tent out on Saturday afternoon for them. They asked if they could

have a film.

I knew one was being used on Sunday evening here at Port Shepstone and

they let me use it. But when we went to show it we could not get sound from the pro
jector. However, we showed it anyway and they were still greatly interested in it. I
finished my work and got back home that night at midnight.

Our tent it really showing its age and we keep having

to get it sewed up here and

there. We priced a new one which would be a little larger than this and of a new water
proof material so it will not be wet after a rain. It will cost $3,000. We will have
used it twice for the church this month as well as it being used for a wedding and a

funeral by members of

the church here and it will be used in both^^the camps that we attend.

So its use is growing more all the time.

We were hoping to use it for a meeting in this

area, but we have so many tasks before us that we do not see how we will fit it in.

The past week I have been working to get the wiring in the new building at school so
that they can finish the work on it.

Ron Elerick, a student from Midwest Christian College and in Johannesburg for the
summer months, can down and spent three days and two nights with us. We were glad for
his fellowship and our work was so schduled that he got to see and take part in many
different things.

Michael and Caryl Stanley had a little baby girl on Monday the 4th of June. This is
the first grandchild for Lynn and Lucille Stnaley, so all are felling very good at this
time.

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Yours in His Service,
Alvin Vemita

FORWARDING AGENT;
Mrs. Richard Hanson
16642 Gannon Ave. W.

Rosemount, Minn.

55068

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NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS

Vol. 14

^ v

No. 5

July, 1973

Dear Bretheir.:

It is almost like count down here as we tiy to get all things in order for camp. The
Port Shepstone area camp will be at L'mzunibe beginning on the 2nd of July. But Vemita
and I will not be present for that because we are going to Lusikisiki in Pondoland. Be
cause food is much cheaper in our area they have sent a list of supplies for us to bring
with us as well as the mission tent. Tnis camp is also the week of the 2nd.
Then on the 9th of July we will be going to Sada at IVhittlesea, which is 20 miles from
Queenstown. We are sure that this will be the largest of all the camps. We only have
to take the tent with us for this campWe do have one slight problem. We do not as yet know which classes we shall be
teaching. Not that we go totally unprepared, but I am sure that some of the classes we

have prepared someone else will want to teach.

Our African mihi'sters afe~ hot always the

best planners. But still we see them gaining in ability every year. IVhile v/e were at
Xopozo in Pondoland a few weeks ago with Columbus Ncanazo, Brother Elias Sogoni came by

on Sunday morning and they made plans to see the ov/ner of one of the buses so that the bus
could pick up their children and take them to camp, They have already seen the man be
fore so this was just to make final arrangements.

This last Saturday in June, we took the tent out for Zobolo to use. He asked that we
come right after noon on Saturday as they would not use the tent at the place which the
car could reach. Sunday we went back for services and to bring the tent with us. When we
saw where they had to take the tent we wondered liov; they got it there with oxen sled.
The place is certainly filled with big rocks. We walked the mile around, over and be
tween rock of all sizes. They took the tent dovm before we arrived so they could take it

back to tlie pickup and thus be free to go home when the afternoon services were completed.
I do not know what the portable light plant weighs but I know it is very heavy. When the
men took it to the meeting place two of them carried it by means of a rope tied to it.
But one woman carried it back sitting on a piece of coiled cloth on her head. It is
truly amazing how much they will carry on their heads and not seem to notice it. Going
on Saturday, we picked up some of the church folks who had to walk about 10 miles to the
services.

But I

think some must have come further than that.

4 hours to walk i^either way.

It took Mrs. Zobolo over

We were in Pondoland with the Xopozo church one weekend. We had taken some things for
their new building and held the first services in it while we were there. They have made
plans for Dedication on the last weekend in October. This is just before we start home.
Gcilima church is busy getting their money together for Conference as well as painting
and fixing up their building. Tliey are also building two rondovels to be used at that
time.

We have been able to get a tent which is about 60 feet in diameter for this meet

ing.

Vemita has been having very good success with her sewing classes and some of the
little dresses they have made look very nice.

We have not had any rain since early April and the grass is as yellow as if we lived
in the areas there i t frosts.

Living on a hill side, we have always had trouble with tlie water vi^ashing the driveway.
Some years ago we put in the concrete strips part way up the drive, but that was not
the total answer. Now we have been black, topping or sand sealing it. First we work to
get a good base, then we put on a thin layer of sand. Then the tar is poured on this

and covered again with sand. It looks very nice, but we can tell better after we have a
rain and the rest will have to wait until after the camp season now.

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

we work with the African people.

We are most grateful for your continued help as

Yours in Christ,
Alvin Vemita Nicholson

2 3 1973
(Editors Note:

Word was received that Darrel Stanley was killed in a car wreck on Monday, ""

July 9th. His wife Anne, who was riding with him, was hospitalized with 2 broken legs.
Darrel is the son of Mr. Mrs. Lynn Stanley, who work with the Nicholsons. The home

address of Mrs. Anne Stanley is 140 Ringwood Dr., Pinelands, Cape, South Africa.
this family in your prayers.)

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Mrs. Richard Hanson
16642 Gannon Ave. W.

Rosemount, Minn.

S5068

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