Mendi Mission — Good Hope Station

We have about a mile of land connected with this station. On this the natives have built a number of "fackies" in which they live. I noticed one afternoon, as I entered one of them, a man before the front entrance; and upon going to see what he was doing, my attention was attracted to a large piece of country cloth spread outside, and in front, of the door.

I asked the man what it was there for. He could speak English, but did not want to tell me; however, when he saw that I could not be put off, he said that it was there to keep away sickness and death from their facki; that they put their trust in it as their God. I said, "Would you like me to put you on the ground, walk on you myself, and let other people do the same, too? Would you think that I liked you very much?" He said "No." I said, "Now you say that you put your trust in this cloth to keep away sickness and death: if a person has anything, as silver or gold, which he values, he will keep it in a secure place, because he values it. Now you show how you value what you put trust in; you are walking on it yourself, and others are, too; the rains will soon come, which will cause it to rot, and then it will be thrown away."

The head woman of this facki now comes to our church every Sabbath, and on the first Sabbath, when she was dressed for church, she brought the cloth in her hand. The act of doing that showed that she gave up all. I was speaking that day on the long-suffering of God, and inviting sinners to accept Christ who was waiting to receive them... Many could not refrain from tears. I was much encouraged myself. I had almost given up, thinking I could not do anything, and that the Lord had not called me here.

While I cannot speak the language myself, I endeavor to avail myself of every opportunity of doing all the good I can. In many of the fackies I find some that can speak broken English, so I speak to these and ask them to tell the others what I say.