THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

MISSIONARY REPORT
Dear Friends in Christ at Englewood:
With the beginning of the new year,

REPORT FROM THE FREEMANS

Dear Friends at Englewood: Tills past week we have been to
Mashoko Mission. I delivered a series

Ruth total

and of

I and

are

studying

Shona per

on a

Tuesday

Thursday class-hours

evenings,

of five lectureships:
the Old Testament."

"I'reaching from
I tried to make

four

week.

Our teacher is Gibson Magaramombe.

He has studied the iStructure of Shona

it relevant for Mashona people. Ruth and the girls went along to enjoy the fellowship. We stayed with the Thom
as Thurman family. On Wednesday

and has helped other missionaries to learn the language successfully. This

is a more systematic study than what

we have done before. Our teacher

evening

preached

to

the

nursing,

teaching, and preaching students. The Church at Buhera is up to win dow height. I was up to visit them
April 4th and 5th. The building looks

tliinks we are progressing well so far.

Mtshrimaeal Mpofu has initiated

changes

for

the

Ascot

Church

of

Christ In

Gwelo. They are going to

good, and the people are giving to help supply the sand and gravel needed to complete
attended

organize their calling, Sunday School, and preaching plan for 1964. Since I
have last written you, one person has been baptised in the church's baptis try. Tlie church has as.sumed payment
of the Water bill. For some time the

the

building.

Fifty

people

services on the

Lord's Day.

Mr. Mpofu, John Nyekete, Beni Nyekete and I all preached.

We are now half finished with our

water had been shut off, but we are

Shona grammar. Already we are hear ing more spoken words and we are

glad to say the church has seen it's

duty.

understanding the words of the hymns

went

The twelfth of this month, I of Tontololo. About thirty

we

have

been

singing.

Our

teacher

to Silobela to worship with the people persons

says we will soon be "over the hump" of the hardest part of the grammar. relative pro This is encouraging news after study ing demonstratives and
nouns.

were present. At the invitation T ex tended two girls came forward. were
talked

One I

girl was waiting baptism, so all three baptised

with

in a

near-by

dam.

Ruth

now has her Southern Rhode

chief Mplnda about our

sia

driver's

liscense.

She

passed

her

application

for

school

site. I told

test the week before we went to Mash oko. Ruth will have our Opel station

him there was a good chance we would

get a school for 1965. He and his peo

wagon

to

drive to

town while I

am

ple have already worked hard for the building by burning 14,000 bricks, clearing the land, and hauling river
stone from the distant Gwelo River (20 miles).

away in the Landrover. We think this

will be a

Youi-8 In Christ,
\

Wendell Freeman.'

Pray for us that we shall be equal

to the tasks before us in 1964.

Yours in Christ, Wendell Freeman

REPORT FROM FREEMANS

May 29, 1964 Dear friends at Englewood:

This past month has been a

one!

busy

THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

had our quarterly missionary
Rho at Mumibwa, Northern

We

meeting

REPORT FROM FREEMANS

Dear Friends at Englewood:
June 25, 1964

desia, during May 1-3. Dr. Pruett spoke

at the dedication of Shakumbila School

which

Mr.

Randall

helped

build. It
progress year's

Decisions have been made during

this month that will have an import
ant bearing on the future of our Gwelo
work.

was encouraging to see the

time.

made up there in less than a

During May 10-17, we were in Bulawayo for a European D.V.B.S, and

We have hired Simbi Nyoni to be

an evangelist in Silohela. Mr. Nyoni

revival meeting. I did the missionary stories, and helped

handwork for

Ruth

with

the

has been preaching the gospel since 1919 and knows his people well. He

her Junior class of 26

has preached in Bulawayo during the

years 1941 to the present, his son suc

played the piano for revival. I led the singing two nights, and Ruth and I

ceeding him as minister in Old Doca-

sang a
total

duet on Friday evening. The

for the school was

enrollment

76,

and

previous

attendance

records

tion Church, Bulawayo. The people of Silobela have given Mr. Nyoni a won derful reception, and he promises to be a great blessing for the Lord there.

were broken during the revival. Two accepted Christ, and many valuable

We have also hired a young man,

Johnson Ndlovu, to help finish the

contacts were made. We gained inspir

ation from a wonderful week of fellow

Buhera church building and to help

evangelize his own people northwest

ship, and from hearing the sermons of

Dr. Dennis Pruett.

of Que Que. He was^formerljr employ

ed by the Watters and Nutts and has
proven to be a good carpenter and a willing preacher. I hope to train John

In our own area, the Buhera church

building is ready for the roof. We hope to have it done and dedicated in July.
Dr. and Mrs. Watters and I made

a trip to a store 26 miles from the Que Que where a family group is interested in the Church of Christ through the instrumentality of Johnson Ndhlovu,
the Walter's driver. Johnson's home is originally there, and he had been
for this new

Yours in Christ,
Wendell Freeman

preaching to his people. Please pray

son to preach more effectively. There is a new opening for us at a farm 22 miles southwest of Gwelo. A student at Dadaya Mission told the missionaries there about the need at his home at Somabula. In the last month Graham Whaley (a Dadaya missionary) and I made a trip to So mabula to meet with the people and to hold preaching services. My sermon topic was "What Is the Church of

Christ?" Graham gave a flannelgraph lesson. Forty-five children were pres

ent and about thirty-five adults. The

people are eager for us to supervise the farm school there. We will make application to manage the school, with the permission of the farm owner. We know that you are praying for us as a church and also many, many of you pray about our work individu ally. The Work is growing tremendousIj-. We ask especially for your prayers

that we may have the physical, spir itual, and financial resources to carry on the Gwelo work in its increasing
Tours in Christ, (S) Wendell Freeman
/

REPORT FROA FREEMANS

21. 1964_
D(\ir friends at Knulewood:

THE ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN

Om- Shona granimar study is comingto a close. We will be finished by the middle of .Xiigust. After that time, we

REPORT FROM FREEMANS

November 1, I'JCl Dear Christian Friends:

will begin the pruclieal speaking and

\. ntinK of Shona.

This month I have started leaching

Johnsnn Xrihlovii lessotis from New

The foundation of Tontololo School has risen above the ground. Door frames arc being put into place as the walls begin to rise. The people have

Training for Service by Siiari). He Is iloin},' well and asking intelllgont questions I'.bout the material we caver. We

helped our two builders greatly by carrying water to the site and mixing
mortar. Wlien the headman, Mpinda, saw my truck coming during the last

::r king one or two lessons per day. and Mr. Mpofu. a trained evangelist, is helping John.son with - any language difficnilties. I believe Johnson Is going
-lufike a gooti preni.-iiel'.

trip witli door frames and window frames, he said if he had wings, he
would fly because he wns so happy
to see the materials.

At

Somabtila,

we

now

have

two

The school committee is in the pro

Clirlstians. I preached from Acts, Mjujfii had tlie baptismal service; and then w.p;.haTu,n.indaba about tlie farm
s.-'hooi. The main problem was con-

cess of getting the names of the chil dren who will attend. There will be at least 80 children for the flrst and sec

corning-on^ of the teachers wlio..was not teaching the r children all they needed, to know to pass. Tiie problem was thorougldy aired, as most African
pi-ohiems usually are.

ond grades. We may be able to get permission to add a third grade class
this year ahso.

to

Besides our regular weekend trips outlying congregations and our

Himbi-Nyoni has gone to Uuhera to begin his work and build his liouse, I

ihrougli-the-week study groups here in Gwelo, wc have made two trips to Mashoko this month. The first was to take part in the annual African minis
ters' conference. Then last week the whole family went down to Mashoko and from there on to our new: Hippo

saw him off to the bus with his bulg

ing suitcase, blankets, and a box of Zulu itibles. He will stay with a ChrlsILin friend, Roja Sa.vi, for a few weeks

Valley Mission so that Dr. Jerry Smltli

could do some much needed dental
work for Ruth and me.

and go visiting tlie preaching points

that are already there.

(S) Wendell and Ruth

We arc presently in contact with a family that has shown interest in working With us here in the Gwelo

K.-.-.wiAjwnrBse*"'

Gody^ll guide their decision.

area. \^1 you join us in prayer that

^^here is so much to be done and our

f strength, and time, and funds seem so ' inadcQuatc for con tinue to prayj^r tls f^veh^tli'.
Christ,

^^etimes we get discouraged that

^^ne weeks fly by so Quickly and

^ t 1 ' i''

Wfiidell Freeman