Download - Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
1/16
NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS
We do hope that a ll
of
you have had a most happy
Christmas
time and that
this
New Year
shal l
be a
wonderful year
in
th e
work
of
th e
Lord. We
received
so many
nice le t ters , cards
and
presents
that
ou r
h ea rt s a re
so
ull
As we
enter
this
New Year
we feel
that there
are so many
opportunities
in
the Lord's
work here.
In
th e
f i r s t
part of the year much more time shall be spent visi t ing the churches.
The Stanley family came to have Christmas dinner with us.
After
Christmas we drove to East London
where
we visi ted
th e John
Kernans. We
helped
them
g et th in gs packed for their
vis i t
to the States.
We
brought
home
with
us
several hundred copies of Concerning t he D isc ip le s in
Xhosa as well as
ou r
Xhosa
Hymnal.
Amaculo Bandla l ik a K ri st u . These
we
sha l l
be
se l l ing as
we
v i s i t th e churches.
Representatives
from th e
Bantu Trust
visi ted th e school one day
to
se e i f
we
could prov ide another
room
or building to
be used by th e cl inic as an office fo r a
doctor.
I f we
can
do so , they will
give
us
a
doctor
and nurse two days a week and there
wil l
be a
nurse ' s aid
present on
th e
other days. Jus t how
important
i t can
be
was j u s t
shown,
when Beatr ice Nfenyana, who
has
been in school
for the l as t
two terms,
was b i t ten by a snake. I t was on Thursday, th e
day
th e nurse is present . When Beat ri ce a rr iv e d a t the
cl inic he r
le g was
already qui te swollen. But within three hours af te r get t ing th e injec t ion,
the
swell
ing was already going down. I f the nurs e had not been present, she would likely have had to be brought
to th e hospital here a t Port Shepstone and that would have been
a
half hour or
more before sh e would have
received treatment. Attendance naturally varies
at
th e
cl inic
from week
to
week, but
i t
is no t
unusual
fo r th e nurse to see from 45 to 60 people in th e one morning she is present.
Along with this , we can ge t high protein food
which
can be s old very ch ea ply from an organization
called Kupangani . I t gives the
folks
th e food that t he y ba dly need. The most popular in th e small
amo un t we received at f i r s t was peanut butter and plain sardines.
Fo r
quite some time we have been
sel l
in g more than 100
pounds
of
dried milk
each
month. This
is brought direc t from Nest les .
Early in December
I
took roofing to Pondoland
9 for the church at Ngwenyeni They were so happy for
*^ . I this
help
that
they
gave me
chickens
This
help
V fBH ed furnish part of our Christmas dinner. Even one
1 . V of the blanket women came and gave me 10 cents
th e money here
cen ts
s t u d e n t s
wi th
home
ta ug ht th e Sunday School
class
on
Sunday morning
and
W
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
2/16
Your prayers fo r the
new
year are
greatly
coveted. Pray for us to be prepared to
meet new opportunities and see open
doors Pray
fo r us as we seek
to
help th e
churches
in a greater evangelistic outlook. Pray for us as
seek to help with the building
p rog r am .
Sincerely in
Christ
.
The Nicho l s ons
A lv in , V e rn it a
a nd J am es
FORWARDING
AGENT:
Mrs. Ed Wid lund
1603 Morley Road
Albert Lea
Minnesota
56007
r ight The
African
woman
who gave th e money
fo r
th e
roof We
generally
speak
of these as blanket
na t i v e s .
A
WITH THE
NICHOLSONS
Mai
led by . . . .
First hristian
Chu r c h
Camp Poin t ,
I l l i no i s
Non profit Organizatio
U.S . POSTAGE
] 4 t
PAID
Camp
Point , I l l i no i s
Permit No. 7
R e tu rn R e au es te d
M i s si o n
Services
Box 96 8
Joliet
I l l i n o i s 60434
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
3/16
. NEWS WITH
TH E
NICHOLSONS
Vol. 8 No .
2
Fe b ru a ry , 1967
How
many
people should
one
ge t into
a
building
20 by 30 feet? When we
visited Middelburg,
Cape
they
estimated
there
were more than 200
people
inside. At
th e
close of the
service
when we came
outside
to
shake hands,
they made a
circle ins ide th e yard which
went around two
an d o n e
ha l f t imes
We came to th e
church a t
6:30 P .M . s o
t h a t
I
could
record some
songs
by th e
church c hoir . T his
was
followed
by
th e sermon,
an d
then we showed t h r e e
film st r ips
on th e
l i f e of
C h r i s t .
They completed
th e
of f e r ing f o r
us
they had begun th e n ig ht
b e f o r e
Ver nita, James
an d I
had b egun this t r ip
on Wednesday
t h e 18th,
when we
lef t
to go to
th e
Cape
Province.
By
leaving
one day before
we
w e r e to b e the re
we w e r e ab le
to
t r a ve l th e
roads
t h a t
t ake o ne
th e
closes t
t o
th e
south s i d e o f B as ut ol an d
Lusotho
today) . This
meant
that
we ha d r oa ds
that
a re j u s t d i r t an d in some p l a c e s t he y
are
no t much more than t r a c k s . We cr os s ed two pas s es , on e o f th e se
by a very
winding
road.
I
w as i n t e r e s t e d
to s ee th e
e f f e c t
o f Ca tho l i c i sm in
one
a r e a
Th e C a t h o l i c church i s s tr ong in B as u to lan d an d we saw on e
ar ea where
they ha d
a
number of
churches
an d s chools .
T h e i r homes
were painted
a
l i t t l e di f f e r e nt l y than here, bu t
made th e same way. They had
e re ct ed b ri ck work
where
th e dead were
buried
and t h i s was topped
with
a cross
or
s t a t u e . There a re no
c e m e t a r i e s t h e s e are
Jus t
bu i l t n ear t h e f a mi l y home.
While
a t
Middelburg, we drove to Noupoort
to see
th e new church tha t is
being bui l t
Work ha s
stop
ped because the r e was such a shortage
of
water . They have s inc e had some very heavy r a ins so th e work
should s h o r t l y be done. The Location
Super intendent
ha d r e c e n t l y moved
t h e r e from Durban.
He s a i d when
he came th e 1 st of December
the r e
were about 20
c h i l d r e n s
graves in th e cemetary an d now by the
t h i r d
week in Ja n u a ry , almost 100 more
graves have been added.
As we
were
talking,
a g ro u p w al ke d by
carrying
a l i t t l e
casket
on
their
s h o u l d e r s
Saturday
night
we
visi ted
Cradock.
Th e
church
gather ed
on th e
f a r sid e
of
th e loc a tion and then came
singing
and preaching
to
th e
church. One
always
knows
that
he w i l l
have
a good tur n ou t a t
C r a d o c k . On e young woman
made
th e Good C onf e s s i on h e r e .
Sunday
morning
we went to a
European white)
farm Afri k a a n s
s p eak in g .
Bu t
t he y
made
us
most w el co me a nd ha d
us
f o r lunch
a f t e r
th e s e r v i c e s . When
th e
Afri c a n s sa y
th e
people on
th e
farms would
l ike
to se e
us ,
I am
n ot
s ur e
i f
i t
is re ally
so or
i f
they jus t
want
to show us off
Bu t
thes e people w er e ha ppy fo r th e opportun
i ty to t a l k with
us and questioned us as
well.
The wife
belongs
to
a club
within th e Dutch
Reform
Church an d
through this sh e is a b l e
to
g et
tap e rec ord ing s of a complete s e r v i c e in Xhosa. This sh e
plays each
Sunday
f o r the i r workers an d fo r
others
who
wi l l
come.
I was interes ted
to learn o f
this
program so
asked
he r to c a r r y
on
as she n orm ally d id an d we would speak fo r a
s h o r t
time
a t th e
c l o s e
of th e s e r v i c e . The
tape
was w el l p re pa re d. We ha d on e more
farm
s e rv ic e th a t
af ter noon
an d th e
on e i n T a rk as ta d
location
t h a t
night.
Monday
morning
we loaded th e
bl oc k
making machine
that
ha d been used a t
T a r k a s t a d
an d
headed
home,
so James could
s t a r t h is
new school
y e a r
th e next
day. We ha d
a good
t r ip
an d very much enjoyed
i t
in
spi t e
o f
th e
fact tha t
we
ha d three f l a t
t i r e s
an d
on e
wheel wa s
r u in ed when th e n u ts
came l o o se .
We a r e happy
tha t ou r Afri c a n M in is te rs a re beginning to
get to
th e p la ce
where
they
can have
some
kind
o f
t r a n s p o r t a t i o n .
Preaching
in many
places ,
they
have
ha d
to jus t
count on
the i r
fee t
bicycle,
o r bu s
i f t he y ha d
th e
money.
On S un da y m or ni ng
some walk f o u r mi l e s b e fo re 10: 00
A.M.
so
t he y c ou ld re
tur n from th e Saturday evening
s e r v i c e
to tha t
f o r Sunday m or ni ng . G eo rg e
Fuphi,
m i n is t er a t
Cradock,
ha s
a new
motor bike. This
we feel
is t he w is es t,
fo r
e v er y on e c a nn o t
beg him
to
take them some place, and
yet
have
no money
to
h e l p
with g a s o l i n e .
Also
i t
c o s t much le s s i f i t b re a k s down. We d id h elp Barnabas
Songo
ge t
a
ca r
by
doing
some
work
on
th e on e
he bought,
so i t would
pass
th e p o l i c e
check.
We a r e
checking
over
a
s co ot er f or
Enock
Z ob olo so
i t
a l s o
may go
t o get
i t s road
worthy cer t i f i ca te
I
think
e s p e c i a l l y of th e work t h a t Fuphi di d
b ecau s e
he ha d h is motor
b i k e .
He
ha d
s e r v i c e s a t Cradock on Sa t
urday n i g h t . Th e t hr e e s er vi ce s a t
Ta rk a st a d on
Sunday
an d
said
he
would
s tay unt i l
Tuesday an d have o ne
more
s e r v i c e
on
th e
farm b e fo re going home.
Without h is motor
bike th i s is i mp o ssi b l e
unles s
someone
else
t ook
th e
ca r an d he l pe d
him.
SHAKING HANDS AFTER
SERVICES.
CHURCH AT
NOUPOORT
ROBERT
G L NHUYS h o l d i n g c o a t ) . HIS
WIFE IS WITH HI M .
Vernita
ha s
he r
booking to
leave Johannesburg on th e 9th of May and a r r i v e in New York
he w i l l be s ta r t ing
back
on th e 9 th o f August
an d ge t
h e re on t h e 12th.
o n t h e 1 2 t h
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
4/16
Interesting
visitors to our
home
during January was a Professor and his family from
the
University
of Natal at Pietermaritzburg.
They
spent a year at the University of Illinois.
We
hope to visit
them
again a t th eir home.
We were in Durban to visit John and
Heather
Kernan as they flew out fo r their few months in mer
ica
rom the end of February you should be able
to
order t he new set of slides which we have just
sent
to
Mission
Services.
We
hope
that
many
of
you
can
make
us e
of these.
We have a new tape
recorder
through
the help of one of
th e
classes at
Madison
Park
Church in Quincy I l l inois We have made
several
t ape reco rdings
fo r
churches
in
the States
and
would
be happy
i f
we
could
have the same contact
with
you.
A strong wind storm damaged th e
roof
of
th e church
at Hqanduli in
t he Transkei.
Shortly after i t was
buil t
in 1958 i t was struck by
l ightning and two
of the women of
th e church were ki l led .
Do
pray
fo r us as we witness fo r our Saviour i n t h i s land.
In Chr i s t i
an love
FORWARDING
AGENT:
Mrs Ed Wid lu n d
1603
Morley
Road
Alber t Lea Minnesota 56007
T h e N i c h o l s o n s
Alvin
Ve r n i t a
a nd Ja mes
GEORGE FUPHI M i n i s t e r
a t
Cradock
with
his
motor bike
EWS WITH
TH E
NICHOLSONS
Mailed b y
First hristianC h u r c h
Camp
Point I l l i no i s
N o n Pr o fi t O r g an iz a ti
U.S.
POST G
VM PAID
Camp
Poin t I l l i no i s
Return
Reques ted
M i s s i o n
S e r v i c e s
Box 9 68
J o l i s t I l l i n o i s 60434
P e r m i t No. 7
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
5/16
\
2115S7
Vol. 8. No 3 N WS WIT THE NICHOLSONS April, 1967
Travelling down
to Cradock and Graaf Reinet with Lynn
Stanley,
Enock Zobolo and Nick
Qwemesha
we
stopped at a roadside table near one of the
rivers.
They
saw
a
man
and wife who
are
apprentice witch
doctors coming from the nearby store. When
we finished
eating, I asked
Enock
if
he thought they would
le t
me
take their picture for six bananas. He went f irst and
t alked with
them and then
called me
to
come. I got
my
picture, but such a stink I have seldom smelled. Enock said i t was
the feet
of a legavan
which
they
had
t ied around their necks.
I don't
see
how
people could
even
stand to
come
near
them. I
hoped that perhaps
the
downpour of
rain th at
started
just
as I was
taking t he p ic tu re
would wash them of f
a littl
Brother
Qwemesha said the other day when I was talking to him
I have
lost two of
my
girls . I
asked what had happened and he
said
tha t young men had j u s t run off
with
them. Not that they had stolen
them away altogether without
t h e i r
consent,
bu t
they do take
the
g i r l s away r a t h e r than go through the
regular way of lobolo, and then, as is preferred - a Christian marriage.
When
he asked
one of
th e
mothers
i f
sh e l iked t h i s sh e said No, but
i f
I go and
bring
he r back home again,
they
wil l bewitch her
and then I
will
have much
t rouble .
Brother Qwemesha asked me. Just what am I
supposed
to do? As we
talked, I found th at there
are
problems - f i r s t there
are
few Christian young men
for
th e
young
g i r l s to
marry. There
is
also the
problem
that g i r l s and women do
no t
have a g r e a t
part
in any arrangement, ex
cep t by the g e n e r o s i t y
of
the men. I know
t h a t
many of our m i n i s t e r s
a r e worki ng h ar d
in
t r y i n g to g e t
t h e i r young peopl e mar ri ed by Christ ian r i t e s and married
before
th e g i r l s have become mothers of
one or
more
c h i l d r e n .
When Vernita and I v i s i t e d Durban, we took th e used clothing we had packed for th e two minis ters
there. One had
already gone
to an outstat ion
before ou r
l e t t e r arrived, so his people came
to
get
his.
The
other man
asked
me to
e xp la in t o
th e church about this g i f t . Not only
di d
he and his
wife
express
their
thanks,
but s ev era l o th er s a ls o
stood
up to thank us fo r this
g i f t .
I
wish that
many of you
that
have g iv en cou ld se e the real joy that
these
things
bring
to the people here.
Vernita
has been
going o ut each Tuesday to Invutshini to help Mrs. Songo
learn
to play th e pump
organ
that she has. Following this , th e
women
gather for a lesson. The turnout has been large according
to th e
m i n i s t e r s
wife. One day Vernita was l a t e because of some things
here a t
home and they were very
concerned, fo r they feared that something
might have happened
to her.
She
can only
go when I
am
home so
sh e may have th e pickup
to drive .
I know th e B ib le
says
do
not
covet,
bu t
Honda has jus t come out with a small l ight plant. I t i s
about a
foo t h igh,
a
foot
wide and
eighteen inches
long.
I t
is th e most portable one I
have eve r seen.
I t
will give 12 volts, 110 and 220 direct current. This would really make
i t
pos si bl e t o make much more
us e
of the
sl ides and film
st r i p s
for a
300
watt bulb would be much b e t t e r than th e 100s we must us e off
th e car battery.
The
cost i s a lways one of th e
things.
I t is
R140 which
is
196 in American money.
I f
t h e i r motors
work
as well on
t h i s
as
they
do in th e
motor
bikes,
i t
should work f ine.
By th e time you receive t h i s
i t
wil l be
l e s s than
two
months
and
Vernita w i l l
be in the
S t a l e s .
One church has j u s t raised nearly 100 to
help
with th e t ickets .
In March, I
s h a l l
be
gone from home
for
j u s t over a week v i s i t i n g a number of churches and at tending
the Conference Committee meeting, where plans
will
be laid for the coming Conference in
October.
Zulu
class
has been very interest ing. I find the ear is good, but the grammar rather rusty. Most
of the others in c l a s s have b een there
fo r
the
past three
years
and I have been away from Zulu
class for
10 years now. I t has taken a lo t o f re view. One hour is
spent
on grammar and one hour on reading and
t r a n s l a t i n g a Zulu novel. I find i t much
harder to
study
for
one night
class
a week, than when we had
to
study
for
a
class each
day.
There was a complete s h i f t of personnel
at
th e TB
hospital
a t
th e end of February. Vernita sha l l go
out alone t h i s time fo r I s h a l l be away.
Those
leaving were preparing a s ch ed ul e o f
what
we have
done
fo r those
who
shal l
be coming.
We have
j u s t read
a most
interest ing
l i t t l e book, Have We No
Right?
by Mabel
Williamson
and
printed
by
Moody Press.
I t
i s
about
missionaries, bu t
I
am sure that
you
will find i t
as
interest ing
as
we d i d .
May God
richly
bless and keep you a l l . Thank you so much fo r your continued support . Do l i f t us up
on th e
wings of prayer, for
without
the
guidance and help
of the
Lord, we could do nothing.
FORWARDING AGENT:
M r s .
Ed W i d l u n d
1603
Morley
Road
A l b e r t Lea,
Minnesota
56007
Yours
through Chris t ,
A l v i n a n d V e r n i t a N i c h o l s o n
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
6/16
NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS
May, 1967
ol. 8
No. 4
Vertp-t^^TfS
I^..ifTly
thank
God
and you, the wonderful
way
that you have given for Vernita s
return
t^i
Adieja'C ?^
845
has
heen received
oj^j>^r^-c^lready
and that is just a
few dollars
short
of pay
ing
for
thi-^und ti'tp-t-ioJt-e^sto^Nevt^JS^rtlTand.^iySck..
From
this I
sure
that yet
enough shall come
to
cover thj
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
7/16
Vol. 8
No . 5
NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS
June 1967
By th e time you receive this l e t t e r
Vernita
will be there in th e States f or S an dr a s wedding. She
had much packing to do to ge t ready for her
trip
not only fo r herself but fo r
a ll
of us. I am making a
trip through Zululand on
ray
way back from Johannesburg. James will go to stay with th e Stanleys. J a l i
must do
hi s own
cooking
while
we ar e away so provisions had
to
be se t a side for him. Once
again
may we
sa y
thanks
to th e
many
of
you who
have
made
t h i s
t r ip
possi bl e.
Last month I was away
to
Pondoland
fo r
f our days. Going down I took th e r e s t of th e timber
the roof of
th e
church
at
Ngwenyeni. I t
is
only th e door and
part
of th e roofing
irons
that remain.
f o r
After checking with the Magis trate at
Lusikisiki
I went on to Ntontela They had a good turn out
for the
two
days.
y
forgetfulness kept us
from
seeing the film
strips.
I
had
taken every thing except
th e
l i t t le piece that lets one show
th e
small pictures on
th e
regular
projector.
I t had fallen out
th e
las t time used and Vernita had
laid
i t in
th e
cupboard and I had not
gotten
i t
From Ntontela we went to Mseleni. This was new ter r itor y fo r me. The services were held
at th e
kraal
of one of
t he E ld er s.
They had worked to prepare the road
for the car.
F illing in in some places
and Just burning th e grass in others. The one riding with me to show me th e way would say stop and get
out to find a hole he knew was there and direct me around i t. When we arrived at th e meeting I asked
them for a horse to go back with that night and I would leave the ca r until
th e
next day. When I spoke
of going back I was invited to spend the night with
th e
Trader and his family at the Trading Station.
Sunday morning we had to move out into th e open b ec au se t he
building
was
far
too small.
I t is
much nicer
to do t ha t now t h a n
in the hea t
o f summer.
I hope some of
th e
pictures I have taken will help you to see some of th e people we meet. The one
with the women showing
their
hairstyles and
especially
th e one looking through her
hair. Even
th e Afri
cans h ere w o n d e r how s h e ca n
see
A
woman
came to th e school one day last week. She had broken off a needle in her hand while doing
some washing. I checked i t but it was too deep and t he nurs e was not present. She was taken to th e
hospital but because
i t was
a holiday they asked her to
come
back
the
next day fo r an
x-ray.
y that
night i t was hurting he r quite a bit.
Our trip to Johannesburg
th e
forepart of April was a very enjoyable one. It was good to enjoy the
nightly
messages and to have
fellowship with th e
b re th re n t he r e. Vernita and I came home
with
such hor
r i b l e
colds and s t i l l cough from them.
They were around
at
school a short time ago giving typhus shots
fo r we
have some here and some up
toward Durban. Further north
they
ar e having malaria
this
year.
James got to play soccer with th e A team from hi s school and felt proud of that. Their
first
game
ended with
neither
team making a goal so t he y both have a
perfect
record.
Enoch Zobolo and I
ar e
going to work on
translating some lessons
which we
feel
ar e very
much
needed
by th e churches. We have talked of th e great need fo r them but no one has g ot te n t he work done. So
now
we
a re
going to
q u i t t a l k i n g
an d
g et
on
with th e work.
Nick Qwemesha hea rd o ur portable phonograph
with
some of th e Zulu
records
that we have and wants one
for himself. e said this would really
draw
the people when they are going preaching from
home
to home
I have planned to us e t h i s one
bu t
as ye t have
no t
taken i t ou t with me.
Plans for
camp
in Pondoland have gone a
step
further. The date being set for the 10th through
th e
14th of
July.
Pray fo r ou r camps that we may have more
students
in school next term
- -
and
that
we
may be able to ge t
th e
portable l ig h t p la nt .
May
you
have
many
bl essi ngs from
th e hand
of th e Lord.
FORWARDING AGENT;
Mrs Ed Widlund
1603 Morley
Road
Alber t L e a M i n n e s o t a 56007
HERD BOYS
WATCHING CATTLE
AND S H E E P
MR. MRS.
ISAAC
NOMAZELE
MINISTERS A T N TO NT EL A
Sincerely in Chr is t
The Nicho l s ons
HEATHEN BLANKET
WOMEN
AND T H E I R
H A I R
S T Y L E S
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
8/16
NEWS WITH
THE NICHOLSONS
Vol. 8,
No. 6 June, 1967
Vernita
had a
very
good
t r ip
back
to
the States. She was in
Barcelona
from
noon of one day until the next morning and able to take a guided tour of the city.
We here are
now
anxiously waiting to get
the
news concerning the wedding. Pictures
and
tapes
should reach us before too long to give us a clearer
picture
of
all
that
happened,
Many
her e keep asking how
James
and I
are
getting on. We
are
managing
quite
well, but not quite as smoothly as
when
the
homemaker
is present, Jali got mar rie d
while I
was
away to Johannesburg
and
Zululand so his wife helps with the washing,
ironing
and cleaning up which takes
much
work off us .
n my
way
back
from
Johannesburg I visited Paulpietersburg two places at
Nongoma and
one
at
Ingwavuma.
This
was
our
first
trip to Paulpietersburg. We en
joyed the wooded
hills
of the other areas for great areas have been planted to
forests.
Then
in other areas
we
saw many of South Africa s large coal mines.
At
tendance was not as large as they
had
hoped for here because the minister
was gone
from
home
when my irs t le t ter
arrived.
I t was over two weeks before he re^
turned and knew I
was
planning to come, which cut short his time of getting word to
others outside
that
we
would be
there.
The
first
place
we visited
at Nongoma
saw
a very large
group
of people pres
ent. Khumalo has just moved his home and so had
no
large building to hold services
in.
But
they built a wall of
branches and
corn stalks on three sides
and
spread
grass on the
ground and
used this at night. In the day time
we
preached out on the
side of a hill. They
would
have liked for us to have stayed with them for four
days.
In all of the areas
we found
the people
busy
gathering in the corn crop.
The
people have to work together in a way to get this
done,
for the grass is beginning
to dry and
it
is difficult to keep the cattle from getting into the fields.
It is
better
if all
the
people
will
do
their reaping
then
they can
le t
the
cattle go
where
they
please.
At Nongoma we had
just
finished showing the film strips and I was walking
back
to the front
when
the piece holding the
mantle
in the pressure lantern
fell
right
off.
It no
longer
gave
light but
only fire.
I
had only bought
this piece
new
a
short
time
before. I have
now
gotten a bottle gas lantern to take
its
place. This
should be much easier and bet ter than the
other
ones.
We talk
about
the pearl
of
great price
in
the Bible. An
African in Lusutho
found a
diamond
the
other
day
that
was matchbox-size and 601 carat. The man did
not even have enough money
to ride
the bus when he took i t to be
sold.
He received
302,904.00 for the sto ne.
At
Port St.
Johns south along
th e
coast
in
the
Transkei
i t is at the south
edge of
Pondoland
a ship
has run aground.
All the
crew was saved
for the ship is
only
75
yards off the shore.
Heavy
seas have forced it further
upon
the rocks
and
daily are
doing
more damage to
it,
and within a short
time
will completely destroy
the ship. It has o ft en caused me to think of the
great damage done
to the
lives
of
men
when
they become shipwrecked in the sea of sin. I
wonder
if men really
appre
ci at e the
power
of sin to destroy
and
that
many
are
not
lost
because they
think
any
time they
like
they can
turn back...but
they never do.
We
visited
Durban fo r one day of the Natal Missionary Conference. One of
the
men
told of his impression at the
World
Conference held in Berlin
last
year.
e
posed
one
question
which
is
worthy
of
thought., Is our
present Missionary program
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
9/16
the result of the failure of the church to carry out the program that od gave to
the
early
church?
He
went on to say
we
are the best equipped best prepared and
best organized we
have
ever been yet the total number of ail people
who
become
Christians
does not keep up with the growth in total world population. He felt the
lack was in Christian witness
where
men and women fail to witness to
their
neigh
bors
and fellow workers and
win more
of
them
to Christ. I
know
that the hope of
the
mission
field
Is on
the
witness of
the
church
fo r
the missionaries minister
and even
elders
are
not adequate
to
the
task.
I wonder also how
true
is this paragraph in TH CHRISTIAN MINISTER a magazine
printed in South Africa: Today the preacher is a worker not a witness; a plod
der not
a
preacher;
a manager
not
a minister; an
administrator
rather than an
ambassador;
he
studies
methods
rather than the
Word
of
God; he
has
an
office rather
Hran a study.. . Well I am
not
sure that even
the
missionaries are excluded.
When I went to get iron roofing to take to Pondoland for
the
church there I
found that I could get
none
in either Port Shepsione or Duroan. But fortunately
one of the
stores
in Pondoland has enough so
we
can complete the building.
Pray
fo r
us: In
the
Bible
Schools
In the work of
the
Bib le Tra in ing School
In the work of Evangelism
In
our
Winter Camps
In Transla t ing new.
mater ia l
fo r
the
churches.
May the
wonderful peace
of God be
with
you
at
a l l
times.
Amen.
The N i c h o l s o n s
FORWARDING AGENT:
Mr s
Ed
Wi dl und
1603 Morley Road
Alber t Lea Minnesota
NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS
Mailed
b y
F i r s t
C h r i s t i a n
Church
Camp Poin t I l l i no i s
Return
Reques ted
56007
A l v i n and Ve r n i t a
M i s s i o n S e r v i c e s
Box 9 68
J o l i e t I l l i r i o i s
60434
Non-Profit Organiza
U S
POSTAGE
PAID
Camp Point
I l l i no i
P e r m i t
No.
7
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
10/16
V o l . 8
No . 6
N E W S W I T H T H E N I C H O L S O N S
J u l y 1967
e
have
had many
l e t ters t e l l i n g
of
S andra s wedding
and
have
received pic tur e s
showing
some of
th e
deta i l s
e a re s ure t h a t
i t was
as
n i c e as
a l l have s a id th at
i t
was.
ow we
a r e
wa i t i n g
f o r Mother
to come
home
to us
Th e
Y ou th Camp
in
Pondoland is now over. I t had i ts problems bu t we
feel
i t was a g rea t ste p
fo r
ward
an d w i l l
lead
to
a grea ter camp ne xt y ea r. 68
childr en
re c e i v e d
cer t i f ica tes an d ther e were
many
more people who visi ted th e c l a s s e s
a t d if fe re nt
times. Monday night
af ter we had a r r ive d and unloaded th e things fo r camp and
s e t
up
ou r
tent
I
ha d
to r e tu rn
back
about
25
miles
an d
pick
up some
childr en
waiting a t th e road. I
returned
them home when camp clos ed. I
di d
not co unt how many go t in th i s
time
an d when I u n l o a d e d found that
with
myself
we had been
carrying
22.
These people
have no conception
of
what a vehicle should c a r r y. If th ere is room
to
get in i t must
be a l l r ight an d
fo r
su re the y do no t
want to
be
l ef t
to
walk. Camp
was als o c u t
s hor t
by
on e day
b ec a us e p e rm i ss io n
to c ut gr as s
for
r oo fi ng t he homes had been given on Monday and
they
were
very
anxious
to
g e t
s t a r t ed
One
o f
th e
m i n i s t e r s
asked f or camp in h is a re a next
y e a r.
Th e date an d
e xa ct p la ce
w i l l
be
s e t la te r
Lynn
Stanley an d
I
s l e p t
in a
te n t at
th e Ep is co p al Ho sp i t a l be
hind
th e r e c t o r y . Th e f i r s t
n i g h t i t
r a i n e d .
Mr.
S t a n l e y
was
s ur e
there was f r o s t th e second night. Ou r
te nt
was so we t with dew i t
looked l i k e it h a d been r a i n ed on a n d ft r th e s u n
w e n t
down it f lt l i ke f ro st o u t s i d e
SOME
OF T HE C AM PE RS
Th e
camp
h er e
f or
ou r a re a
s h a l l
be held
from
th e
lOth
through
th e
14th.
ar e
wondering
how many
campers we
s h a l l
have. Enock Zoboio s b r o t h e r is to be married t h a t week and
tha t
means
tha t
f ro m two
of
his
s t a t i o n s
we
s h a l l
no t
have
many people. You may wonder why we
di d
no t make
allowance
fo r
t h i s bu t
the
f a mi l y
o f th e
br ide w a i t e d
unt i l
J une
23 to a rr an ge f or th e
date
an d camp ha d long been
pl a nne d
th en .
In
sp i t e o f t h i s we know camp
wil l be
a
blessing
to
a l l
who
ca n at tend
e ha d
planned
to us e th e
new
church building
when we
were
p re se n t a t
Ngwenyeni f or
camp bu t
th e
wa l l s
were
n ot y et even f i n i s h e d . The
la s t o f th e b r ic k s
only came when we
were near ly
through camp.
They
ha d
been
on
ord er f or
some t ime.
e
s e t a
t e n t
up i n s i d e
t he b ui ld in g
and i t was
used
by some o f
th e
people
fo r
e a ting.
There is such a building boom in t h i s land t h a t often i t is impossible to get bricks
an d c e m e n t A l s o
th ir
b u i l d e r
ha d to
be away f o r
a
w h il e b ec au se
o f th e
s i ck n es s
o f
one
o f h i s b ro
the r s
By th e
chi ldren
sl e e p i n g
in ne a rb y homes tliey g o t
a l ong
f i n e
I
h av e
r e c e i v e d a l tt r f rom
Simon M t s h y i s a
tha t
th ey
a re plan
ning
the i r
d ed ic at io n f or th e 12th
o f August when I s h a l l be in
Johannesburg to meet
Ve rn i t a .
People from h er e
s liall
be t rave l
l ing w ith us to
th e me e t i ng.
TH E
CAMP KITCHEN
CARRYING FOOD TO THE S ER VIN G P U C E
Magistrates concerning
church
s i tes
In on e
place
they would l i k e
to
o f
th e
C h r i s t i a n s In
t h e o th er a man who
h a d c l a i m e d
t o w o r k w i t h u s
one has
worked ou t - in
t he o th er
we were g iv en d i r e c t i o n s
as to what to
do . Bu t
each
to
se e
and things to do . so t r ips
tha t might
have taken
only
a few
hours
took a long
day.
Two t r i p s
were
made in to Po n
doland l a s t m o n t h
to
m e e t wi th
m o v e to an a r ea c l o s e r to t h e h o m e s
ha d picked up ou r paper. Th e l as t
t i m e
I
ha d m en
Th e people a r e anxious tha t we try
e va nge lis tic meetings
using a t e n t . The Women s Group from Mitch
el l South D ak ot a h av e
given
money
toward
th e
por ta ble generator
and Mrs.
Nicholson
ha s
also c olle c te d
money f or i t e a re a ls o working toward get t ing a t en t
Th e students
a t
th e
B ible
T raining
School
have
v i s i t e d s e v e r a l of
th e
churches and pu t on p ro gr am s a nd
have made a
very
good impression.
a re looking
fo r a much
l a r g e r
c l a s s when we open
la te r
t h i s month.
Pray
for the
school
and
i ts
students. Pray
t h a t
more students may come. Pray for the
churches
in
the i r o ut r eac h fo r th e
Lord.
Pray
fo r
us tha t we may have wisdom and understanding.
FORWARDING AGENT:
Mrs
Ed
Widlund
1603
Morley
Road
Alber t
Lea M i n n e s o t a 5 6 0 0 7
Sincerely in Clir ist
A l v i n
V e r n i t a an d J a m e s
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
11/16
Vol
No
8
NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS
August
1967
All
our
attention
just now is focused on
th e 12th
when Vernita should be
arriv
ing
back
in Johannesburg
James and
I along with Mr
and Mrs Zobolo and
a
young
man from Johannesburg staying at school will leave here on Thursday the 10th We
shall spend that
night in
Ladysmith and arrive
in Johannesburg
on
Friday Without
such a great rush
this
will give us opportunity to get our permits
and
see Mtshyisa
about the plans for the Dedication
We
were happy
for
a very
short
visit
from Harry
Schaefer the
f irs t
of
the
month
We met him on
the early
morning
plane
from
Johannesburg did
some shopping
and then showed
him
the Indian
market and
gave him an opportunity to
talk
with some
Indians in
Durban
They
took us
to see the
new
Indian
township
of Chatsworth which
is presently
being
built
When
completed
it
will
have 200 000
Indians living there
There are already enough living there to give a good idea of what i t shall be like
Brother Schaefer
was amazed
at the
number
of Indians in this area
and
the
opportun
ity
to witness amongst them On the way home
we
stopped at
Park
Rynie where we were
amazed to find a white man who could speak their language For
there
are so few who
can here in
this
land
e
spent
two days
v/ith
us
here before returning to
Durban
and then on to Kenya We would be most happy if he or someone else should come to
work with
the
Indians
here in South Africa
School has
started
again with ten students present
Emphasis
is
still
on
the
younger people with only three being
older men
This also means a group with a
higher standard of education However they are finding the
book
of Leviticus real
work as we seek
to get
each
sacrifice
and feast clear in
our
minds
There were 38
young
people present for our camp at Invutshini Brother
Lynn
Stanley
came
down
with
the flu
so
he
was
not able to take his class The young
people who were present for camp
were
older than those we generally have so I ffelt
we got our teaching across bet te r this year
You
could also clearly see those who
come
from
places
where
they have regular Sunday Schools
We had
some very cold days
since rain
put snow on all
the
mountains around us
and in
many
places
where
they
have not seen snow for 50 years The girls had to move to the church building be
cause the building they
were
in leaked This meant they
slept
on grass on a con
crete floor In the
day
time they piled the grass to
one
side
and
piled
up
their
things so we could use the building for classes But
never
once did I hear anyone
complain
and they
a l l seemed
to
have a
wonderful
time
Mrs
Nicholson has received more money toward the portable generator There
is
a tent on sale here at
the
auction which we want to check and
see
if
i t
will
not
serve for our area here We are
going
to
need
a tent
and any
offerings
toward its
purchase shall be most happily received
James spent four days in the hospital with infection in his leg Outside of
the
day they lanced i t i t
did not give
him
as
much
trouble as
being
used for a pin
cushion
e missed
two days of school
after he
returned home because this was part
of their winter holiday time
Many
of the
African
folks are
working on
their
plans
for
the
Annual Conference
to be held at
Cradock
the
first
of October Many things must be done as they get
their
rai lway concessions and prepare the
things
they will
take
with them
o
pray for us as
we
seek to help these people to
win their
people to
Christ
Thanks so
much
for your help
to
Mrs Nicholson
Sincere ly
in Christ
lv in
Verni ta
and Jam es Nicholson
FORWARDING AGENT:
Mrs
Ed
Widlund
1603
Morley Road
Alber t
Lea Minnesota
56007
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
12/16
NlEiWS
WITH
THE NICHOLSONS
Vol. 8 No.
8
Sep tember , 1 7
James and I were
waiting at
Jan Smuts
Airport fo r Vernita's return,
and
i t
was a happy reunion
when
she
made
he r
way from customs. Thanks
to
all of you
who
made he r stay and travels in America one filled
with pleasant memories.
The
dedication,
of th e church at
Natalsprui t
went very
well
and
tlie
church was
well f i l led
I t is
good to know that we have a building
there
today. Our need now is fo r a home fo r the minister. do
have
some money
on hand but need more. At th e present time, he is
living
in
part
of th e church and a
t
s hed
The
fore part
of September was
the
25th wedding anniversaries for both the Stanleys and us. Lynn
and Alvin witnessed each other's wedding just four days
apart).
So the
first
Monday of the
month
being a
holiday here, we
invited
friends to our home to
celebrate
th e day with us.
ynn
Stanley and I went to Pondoland to
the home
of
Elias
Sogoni on the 30th and
3Ist
of August fo r
a mee ting with al l th e
ministers.
The three m inis ters from
this
area
plus
two of the older s tudents
went
along. Just
before we were to leave, Ashwell Bukula
called
and asked me to go te l l hi s brother
that
th e
brother's
son had been
killed
by a tractor. He rode back with us and we had
to
go to the sugar mill
here
to
get ano ther
son. With this and
taking
them to
their home
we did not
ge t
to the meeting
place
for the afternoon meeting. While we had planned the meeting and messages fo r th e
ministers,
we found
many
people present
when we
arrived.
changed
our pla ns
and
Qwemesha
gave
his
message
on
Prayer
that
night.
Lynn tauglit on the Eldersh ip and I on the Jewish Feasts, th e next day. Al l six of th e ministers
fo r
Pondoland were present and one minister who
lives
beyond
also
came - so we managed
to get all
of
them
together.
While th e messages were deeper than the people
normally
get , they
were
very
happy
fo r
i t
Another meet ing was
n ot p la nn ed a t
th i s time, fo r Engwenyeni
would
l ike to have
the i r
church
dedication
in
January
and a l l will
want
to
be
pres
en t fo r t h a t
In our study of Numbers a t
school ,
when we came to the
d is he s of
the
tabernacle
carr ied by the
t r ibe of Kohath,
Xhosa
ha d
t r ans l a t ed snuf f
dish
with the word fo r sn uff in
Xhosa,
which
gave i t then an al together different meaning. Transla
tio ns in to
another
language brings many
dif f icu l t ies
Especi
al ly when
these
people had
few
of
th e things
whi ch wou ld be men
tioned in t he B ib le . One of th e church groups here is
having
many
discussions
on
which
word
they
will
use
for
redemption,
when
they
revise some of the
books
they
use. I t makes me wonder
how many
times
we p ass over words without knowing
they are no t
exactly l ike th e
or ig ina l
LYNN STANLEY WITH
AFRICAN
MINISTERS
I f th ere are any who would l ike to send money
to
h elp w ith
th e
Christmas t reats for the Sunday
School
children,
we would like to suggest that you do i t
short ly .
Vernita and I
are
tak ing t he
services
at Hibberdene th is coming
Sunday.
I t will
be
th e f i r s t time
she has
taught
since
before she went to the
States,
so has been
working
hard on her le ss on and th e Zulu to go
with
i t
di d
not
have even one
inch
of rain in August, so keep a close watch to see
if
there is
any
sign
that i t
might
come.
But
what a windy month August was Just seemed l ike the wind
blew
from one way one
day and turned around
another
way
to see i f i t c ou ld n ot
come back
faster th e nex t day.
Mrs. Wid lund
would
appreciate i t
i f
when you
send
in your checks, you would make them to
th e
Church
of
Christ Mission
or
to Alvin
Nicholson,
Missionary.
Do keep us
in
your
prayers. Pray for those who
study
for the minis try . Pray tha t more sha l l become
in terested in this work. Pray fo r the people as they
travel
to
and from the annual meet ing at Cradock in
Oc tobe r
Sincerely
in
Chr is t
Alv in an d Ve r n i t a Nicho l s on
FORWARDING AGENT;
Mrs.
Ed Widlund
1603 Morley Road
Albert Lea, Minnesota
56007
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
13/16
N E W S W I T H T H E N I C H O L S O N S
Vol. 8, No. 9
October ,
1967
We
ar e a ll in a
stew
getting
ready to
go
to
Cradock
fo r Conference.
Seems
right at th e
end of
th e
month we
have
been
extra busy. Two weddings,
closing of
th e third school term,
a tr ip to Durban, Pondo-
land
Saturday
and Sunday services have
a ll
crowded in on us
at the
end of
th e
month. Then
to
make
things
more
interest ing
we have had some
trouble with th e
pickup
-
bu t
we hope we
shall
reach
Cradock
a l l
in one
piece .
This
has
been a good
school
term and I have
enjoyed
leaching. The two gir ls ar e going home as well
as
two, perhaps
three of the men. Three are staying, two completing
one
full
year
and
th e
other
three
t e r m s .
Th e f i r s t wedding held was for Enoch
Zobolo s
s i s t e r . When
we arrived
at their
liome
at
11:00
A.M.
Enoch asked
if I
would
yji
take the bride to the church
Some
walked with
her
to the car, . ^ ^
then aliead of
th e car
while we went to
th e
c hurc h; th ey
sang
a l l
the
way. As soon as th e
bride
and groom took t l ieir
p la ce s, th e
service
began The wedding
itself
does not
take
long but
fill-
^ 4 ^
ing in
th e papers does.
The bride was in
white satin
and lace, ^
bridesmaids
in pink satin with flower girls in
green
The
maid
^/jL JljflKHH
of honour took her
dut ie s s e ri ou s ly
and kept busy keeping
th e
b r i d e s veil in place and seeing that a l l went well
for
th e i
bride. After the service, I
took
the
couple
back
to
her
^
mother s home Dinner was served, after ivhich they
set
tables 9I^S^B9SL 1
on th e
side
of
th e h i l l outs ide
for
receiving the g i f t s . The
.. . _
bride
and
groom came
out
preceded by several women who called AND
ALVIN STUDENTS
and
threw samp cracked
corn
before
them There
were
men
to
SCHOOL TERM
receive
th e g i f t s as they were brought. They unwra pped th em, i f
necessary, and called
ou t
th e name of th e giver and th e g i f t . We
were
among tlie f i r s t to present our
g i f t s as we had
to
leave and knew
they
would go on fo r hours. We
estimated tliat
they gave th e
bridal
c oupl e a bout 7 5.0 0.
Enoch s brother was to have been married in July b ut cou ld
no t
get o ff work. So En och had him come
now so
these could
be
completed. Being quite
a
distance
to
their
homes,
they
came to
our
home
for the
wedding
service. We served
them
te a
and
cookies afterwards (no cake,
as
i t
was
unexpected.)
The weekend following th e f i r s t wedding, I made a
trip
to Engwenyeni
with roofing
fo r their new
church as they
were
shor t
some
of
t h i s
material .
I
also
wanted
to
se e how they
were coming.
Travel l ing
with me were Enoch and others
with
g i f t s for
his s i s t e r
who had gone to Pondoland to l ive a f t e r
her
marriage. After leaving
them, we
were
sai l ing
merrily
down
th e
road when
with
a
very l i t t l e
noise, we no
longer had any power from
th e
motor to
th e
wheels r e a r ) . The
drive
shaft was gone
again.
I had to walk
most of th e
f ive miles
into town for few cars came
along.
About
f ive
hours
l a t e r ,
Lynn Stanley
arrived
to take over
my
load and carry us
to
ou r
destination.
After services on Sunday, we t ow ed th e
Puegot
back to
Port
Shepstone fo r repairs . A second hand
part
Iielped to cu t the cost
of repair
somewhat.
Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Zobolo and three chi ldren wil l be going with us
to
Conference
a t
Cradock. We
expect
to
be
th e f i r s t ones
there to
se e
i f
Fuph i n eeds any
help
with prepara t ions .
May God
richly
bless and keep you and thank you so much
for
your
continued help
and prayers.
Please
do no t forget
us ,
for l ike
the
cost
of
l iving and taxes i t seems as i f we always
need more .
^ Yours
in C h r i s t ,
DEDICATION SERVICES AT NATALSPRUIT
T h e N i c h o l s o n s
A l v i n , V e r n i t a an d James
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
14/16
NEWS
WIT H THE NICHOLSONS
Vol. 8. No.
10
November 1967
To
see
if
George Fuphi
might
need any
help in
preparation
for
Conference
Vernita
and I
with
th e
Zololos
arrived
on Monday th e 2nd o f O ct ob er . They told us
they
had jus t taken
tlie
minister to
th e
hospita l with a nose bleed.
When we
returned th e
next
morning
he was home bu t would no t
stay
in
bed.
A farmer had sold tliem a
cow for meat and had
sent
word to them by phone and through another par ty that lie was sending i t with a
driver but
i t had
no t
arr ived
in town and they did no t know
where
i t
was.
One of the
elders went with
me that we might try and learn where the problem
was.
Going by the di r t
road
we came a l l th e way to th e
farm
without see ing
anything.
were then told by
th e
farmer
that
he had
sent
i t
about halfway to a
railway
stop.
I t
had been
left
with
a
family
who
were members
of
the church. This
farmer had
many
good
words for the Christians who were working
for
him and often
gives
a
helping
hand to
the min is te r.
He
had
sold the cow fo r
about
one seventh
of i ts market
value. On the
return
tr ip
we
easily
found
th e
cow
but it
was
s t i l l far
from town I
suggested that
we
ea t
f irst ,
then bring others
to
help
us
with the
butchering
and carry
the
meat
back in th e pickup.
Brother
Fuphi
unfortunately
had to go back to
t he hospi ta l
on Tuesday
night
and was
there until
Friday.
He
is
s t i l l
not feeling too
well.
The attendance at Conference was the
largest
I have
ever
seen The spirit and the preaching was
excellent. The on ly complaint seemed to have
come
on the second day
when
the cooks misjudged and not
enough food was
cooked
and th e l as t to
eat
were shorted. On Saturday afternoon we had a time when th e
ministers
formed one group and the
men
another In this time they could ask questions I think
the
men
would have used a whole
half
day with no problem
It was
almost impossible to get them to stop asking
questions
even
when i t
was
past
the time fo r supper to be
served.
Next year we shall ask them to send
their questions ahead of t ime which we hope will
help
us to answer more questions in a shorter time
How
greatly
we
enjoyed th e visit of Brother
Paul
Holderman
both
at Conference
and in
ou r
home Our
facilities for sleeping at conference were not the best thought w
had
made arrangements early and
then found an organization
had
booked most of the rondovals ahead of us But
it
was much cheaper than a
hotel and gave us more freedom for
coffee get to gethers
and
discussions
in the evening However
some
of the missionaries did have to stay at a hotel in town
While
Brother Holderman was here he preached
Sunday morning at Invutshini Sunday evening at
Umzumbe
spoke for chapel at school and spent two class
periods talking
with the
students and answering
their questions.
The f i r s t
week en d of t h i s month Verni ta an d I
with
the
f ive
men
students at school
went to
Escourt
fo r
services
there. Friday
night the
services
were held in th e city location and in th e
rura l
area
on Saturday and Sunday. Three made th e Good Confession on Sat
urday night
and
three were baptized
on Sunday
There
should have
been one
other
who
did
not ge t
there
on Sunday The s tudents grea t
ly
enjoy
these
opportunities
and
th e
people enjoy
having them
vis i t .
In one
week
we have had more rain
than
we ha d ha d in th e
f ive
months
before.
Most
people
can
not
remember
this part of Natal
having
been so
dry
before.
For
August we
should ge t about
four
inches but we did
no t
even g e t o ne f ou rth inch.
I shal l be taking a ten day t r ip to the
Kimberly
area. I
have
plans for s ee ing the ministers at
Hopetown Warrenton and Douglas
THREE
YOUNG WOMEN
IN FRONT
WERE BAPTIZED
In December
th e
family
is planning
on
going to
Capetown
fo r
a re t rea t
that the Missionaries
there
are
planning.
shall take some of
the
students
home from school and stop to visit at Graaff Reinet
on tiie way down and
at least Port
Elizabeth on th e way
back.
December
will bring Christmas
t ime and
our meetings with the
Sunday
Schools
of
this area.
Several
churches have already remembered the children with gifts of money which shall be used for making
up
their
Chr i s tmas
t r e a t s .
Thank you so much
fo r
keeping us in your
prayers.
do
feel
that
God
has
lead
us
and
blessed
us in many ways pray
that yielded
to
Him
we shall
find
greater
areas
of
service
in
the
new year
to
come.
Yours t hr ou gh o ur great
Redeemer
Th e
Nicholsons
Alvin
Vernita.
an d J am es
OUR BOY S COUT
James
FORWARDING AGENT:
Mrs. Ed Widlund
1603
Morley
Road
Albe r t Lea Minnesota
56007
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
15/16
NEWS WITH THE NICHOLSONS
Vol. 8, No. 11 December,
1967
D e a r Chris t ian Friends
What
is your life? Today
we
buried a friend. had
planned on going
to an
African service together on
Saturday
and having a picnic
supper
afterward. Vernita
had supper in
their home
on
th e
16th and they were here
fo r
tea on
the
17th.
Just
over a
week l at er
she
was
dead. Our hearts ar e heavy for th e husband and two
l i t t le
children. But
their
loss is nothing
compared
to that of those outside of Jesus
Chr i s t
Week before last
when
I was in the
Kimberley
area I picked up an African hiking
along
the road. I asked him
if
he
was
a believer, for that is the way the question
is
framed
in
Zulu.
He said, Sorry
Boss,
but I have
not
time. I answered, Yes,
but you will have time to die, and then what? He
had
no answer and
was
not willing
to
t a l k
about t
But thank
God,
this month we have seen the other side of the picture as well -
men, women and boys and
gi r l s
coming to
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
to
be b ur ie d w it h Him
in Christian
baptism
to arise to
walk
in the
newness
of l ife.
For
the privilege of
preaching the
Gospel,
we g iv e t ha nk s
to
ou r God.
It
was raining on the 10th of November when I had planned to start forKimberley,
so I decided to stay and make an early start the next morning. This I did at 4:00
A M When
I
came
to Escourt
where
I
was
to
pick up one
of the
men so he could go
to
visit
his sick brother, I
found
that they
had been
waiting for me or Brother Zobolo
if he came with me) to preach to them the evening before.
arrived at
Kimberley
before
dark
to find
Brother Jackson
Johane with
many
of
the church folks at the church building. He was giving them instructions for the
week to come for he
would
be
going
to the farms
on
Sunday.
They
made arrangements
for
someone
to
go
with
me
as
interpreter.
Early
Sunday
morning
we
drove
to
Douglas
where we had
services both morning
and
afternoon in one of the rooms of the school.
After the afternoon services, we talked about some of their problems. Smith would
interpret into
Chuana
and
another into
Afrikaans.
If they asked a
question
of
me
Smith
would
interpret it into Xhosa
and
my
reply
would beinEnglish.
They
have been
two
years in the new location but have done almost nothing toward
their
new church
b u ild in g .
Tuesday night, I was with the
Kimberley
Location. After services,
we looked
at
plans and talked about a new parsonage fo r them. Jackson Johane must move from
where he is living as they are moving all out of that area. He can best
do
the work
by living in Kimberley. Friday night they
chose
a new plan,
made
for
us
by the
architect. The
next on the
l ist
is the money to build with. I just
wish
we
had
two
dozen
men
of Brother Jackson s character
and
ability.
Wednesday I was with th e church
at
Warrenton. The work is
better.
Brother
Sithumesho s
new
wife is a good leader without
being
a driver
and
the
work
is
growing.
Saturday
and Sunday,
I
was
at Hopetown. Brother Henry Jantjies has
found
the
work hard,
fo r
the
brethren
have not supported
him well.
Part of this is due to
th e
old minister who had been there many years
and
not done his work well. However, I m
sure Brother
Jantjies
and his wife new) are
going
to see a growing
work.
Their
faibh has been sorely
tried,
but thank
God
they have not become bitter and have
plans for keeping on. The people have told them that they didn t want them to work
-
8/10/2019 Nicholson Alvin Vernita 1967 SAfrica
16/16
and that they
would
pay them but
they
have no t done
so .
I told them then to work
i f
they wanted to until the people
started
paying them what would be average for work
ing men of
the
church.
ven
if he has borrowed a
bicycle
he has had to pay so
much
a mile for using i t This was to use i t for
the
v/ork of
the
church tOo.
nyone
want a job? e very badly need a family to
live
in Kimberley and help
with the work of that area.
I t
is hot, dry, dusty,
windy
and cold except this year
when
they
had
rain
on
17 days out of 20, a
great
exception).
One
coul d get by with
English but the second language of the land is Afrikaans, so this would be a great
help.
There
is
a
great
work
right
in Kimberley
i tself
with
the African
and Coloured
work...then round about many churches that need help and encouragement. Kimberley
was the first place to have mi ssio na ri es, had more than any other place, but for
many reasons
all
have moved to other areas and we have no one at
all
there today.
WITH
THE
NICHOLSONS
Mailed b y
irst
C h r i s t i a n
Church
Camp Poin t I l l i no i s
Dear
brethren
we do
pray that
you, one and
ai l
shall
have a most
joyful
Christmas.
e
pray
that
in 1968
you
shall
be
a great b less ing
to the Lord. How can
we
t hank yoiL
enough fo r what you have done fo r us
this
past year God
has wonderfully cared fo r us and much of
t ha t
care has come
through
you
the Children of God.
Pray
fo r
us. Pray with us
and
le t us
guidance
of the Holy
Spirit
and
the help
of
it
a
great
year f or C hris t
through
th e
L o r d
th
ma ke
r \
Yours
with Chris t ian love
The
Nichol sons
Alvin
Verni ta and
James
Non-Prof it Organ izat io
U S
POSTAGE
PAID
Camp Point I l l ino i s
P e r m i t
No. 7
B ox 9 6 3
J o l i o t I l l in o i s 60131