NEWSLETTER

from

CHARLES AND MARY PRANCES BELL

Missionaries to Zambia
CENTRAL AFRICA MISSION

P. 0. Box 2733
Lusaka, Zambia
Africa

.'.

When did you last thank God for the

food
you
eatother than at meal
time?
Hunger can be beneficial when
found in the midst of plenty; i t may
make us consious
of
our dependence
upon God.

The pictures
show that
Zambia is
learning the lesson of putting in
store those
things
necessary for
physical life.

We all have a stock of groceries

in
our homes, for we know that we must
have sufficient

1"\ir ^

food

for more than

one day at a
t ime.
But, have we
learned to lay up treasure in hea
ven?

iK

Do

we

know

how

to do this?

We feel one way

is
by
sending
of
our means that the gospel and
the

church might spread abroad

VILLAGE GRANARY

areas.
"Now therefore l e t

Pharoah look out

in

new

Also by faithful prayers 1hat

those who have gone to preach

be strengthened according to

might
their

a
man discreet and wise, and . .
let him appoint
officers
over the
land, and take up the fifth part of
the land of Egypt in the
seven plen
teous years.
And
let
them gather

task.

all

The place must serve not only today,

the

food

of

these good years

that come, and lay up corn under the

hand of Pharoah, and
let
them keep
food
in
the c i t i e s .
shall
be
for
store

against

And that
to
the

food
land

In Lusaka,
our main problems at
present are:
1) Where to locate
for a
permanent house of worship.
but the years to

come.

the seven years of famine.

" (Genesis 4l:33-36a)

to

the

souls

of men.

Whether
We

are applying for two sites in Lusaka.

This is the true report of what

God
revealed to
Joseph.
Thousands
of
lives were saved including many for
eigners who brought food
in Egypt.
Modern America is like this.
Today
she sends wheat to Egypt! America is
also a
Gospel
granary.
From her
flows the men and the means to bring
life

2)

we can obtain the sites we want.

Zambia

eats today of this living bread be

cause you, the Christian in America,
give them to eat.

GRANARY IN LUSAKA

The Curio Seller

(a common business)

The African people are still mov

ing from the rural areas to the
cities.
However, the vast major
ity are still in the "bush" areas
where they are more receptive to
the gospel.
Many who have moved
to the city have kept their alle

giance to Christ, but

makes

it

city

life

more d i f f i c u l t to con

tact
them.
By contacting
the
"folks back home", we can accom

plish two
I

^erR.^

ourselves

things:

1)

Establish

in an area hitherto un

touched, 2)

Gain an introduction

to their relatives

in

town.

It

means
much
to
be able to say,
"Your father in the village sends

Lusa ka

you greetings. '

As

soon

as

the rains slack off

and we have sufficient petrol, we

will make a trip to the Eastern
Province. It has one of the high

est population densities in all

Zambia, and yet Is relatively un
Petrol has been in very short supply
since the beginning of the rainy
season, when the dirt
roads become
deep muddy roads and the petrol
trucks are literally stopped
in
their tracks.

touched.

For the month of Feb

ruary, drivers had only five gallons

of petrol.
It
is almost impossible
to accomplish anything with this
amount.

Three of the

^ittl'S'SlT^na'rles" "inthis

area,as well as three in the Copperbelt, have had to get motorcycles in

order to get their work done.
If we
had one, it would most certainly
help in our work and in the trip to
the Eastern Province.

One

mission

ary has estimated that aside from

saving petrol, the cycle has saved
I150.OO in operating costs in less
than a year.
If anyone is interest
ed in helping us in this way, the
cost is $^50.00 new. We are also
planning soon to reach the people in

FIVE GALLONS A MONTH,

NO MORE THAN TWO AT ONE TIME!

the bush areas around the city, and

some of them have to
be
reached on
foot--unless one has a motorcycle I

UNWELCOME VISITOR

An

iguana paid us a visit.

We have

nothing against these reptiles, ex

cept the fact that they could hurt a
child.
Todd
often plays where i t
entered
the cleared area around the
house.
It had also visited here be

fore seeking prey, so

end the acquaintance.

we decided to

MARY FRANCES WRITES

My husband has asked me if I would like to add a note to the newsletter.

He
thinks
I
should tell about my "snake adventures" but, personally, I would
Just as soon forget themi

My first encounter was a few months ago.

had

picked up some laundry and

was carrying it from the bathroom to the back porch. I kept feeling as if
some of the clothes were sliding out of my arm, but alas! . . . it wasn't
the clothes at all I As I dropped them to the floor, from around my arm slid
a

My

black mamba snake,

second

experience

remained calm??7and we killed it!

happened

last week,

Gayle and Shannon Randall were

here, as the fellows were out of town and would be gone overnight, Gayle
was ironing on the back porch and I was scooping up some spilled water with
a dustpan when suddenly a snake's head lashed out

from

behind some bricks.

My heart did a flip, but I remembered that I kept a shovel in the pantry for
Just such a purpose.
I hastily got the children away, picked up the shovel,
and captured the snake. Gayle Joined in and we succeeded in killing it.
Needless to say, my hands were shaking and my legs were weak!
The black mamba is the most dreaded

and the most poisonous of all.

snake

of

Africa, as it is the fastest

We do have a serum, but

the

directions

the kit are very long and not too clear.

AND NOW THERE ARE EIGHT

(NINE REALLY, ONE ABSENT)

CONTRIBUTORS FOR OCTOBER, 196?, THROUGH FEBRUARY, I968

Alfordsville Christian Church; Alfordsville,

Indiana

Bridgetown Church of Christ; Cincinnati, Ohio

Bright Christian Church; Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Burnettsville Christian Church; Burnettsville, Indiana

Cleves Church of Christ; Cleves, Ohio

(C. Richter)

East 16th Street Christian Church; Indianapolis, Indiana

English Christian Church; English, Indiana
Fairdale Christian Church; Fairdale, Kentucky

Pb.irfield Church of Christ; Fairfield, Ohio

(Betty Morgan)

Felicity Church of Christ; Bethel, Ohio

Fleming Christian Church; Augusta, Georgia
Madeira Church of Christ; Cincinnati, Ohio

Mowrystown Church of Christ; Mowrystown, Ohio (Loyal Workers Class)

Northern Heights Christian Church; Lexington, Kentucky (Men s Bible Class)
Paoli Christian Church; Paoli, Indiana

Sherman Church of Christ; Sherman, Kentucky

Shively Christian Church; Louisville, Kentucky

Western Hills Church of Christ; Cincinnati, Ohio
Westside Christian Church; East Point, Georgia

Wonder Valley Christian Youth Rally; English, Indiana

New Burlington Church of Christ; Cincinnati, Ohio
^
Mrs. Dorothy H, Bailiff
Mr.

& Mrs.

Howard Brammer

Mr. & Mrs. Harold Coblentz

Mr.

Dean Davis

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Davis

Mr. & Mrs. John Doyle

4.

Miss Lorna Gabhart

Mr. & Mrs, Thomas Gabhart
Mr. & Mrs. Peter Kennedy
Mr. Quentin Lehmann
Mr. & Mrs. Earl Sims
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Walker
Mr. & Mrs. William Walters

on

-it--

FINANCIAL REPORT 196?

Balance December 31s 1966

Receipts for 196?:
January

$
f

696.17

8^8.13

February

^97.93

March
April

1,021.27
539.72

May

618.45

June
july-.^

721.9^
1,051.21

August
September

961.58
650.73

October

500.30

November

394.52

December

786.20

Total Receipts

,
(I

18,591.98
715.99 per month)
$9,288.15

TOTAL 1967

Disbursements for 19671

Living-Link (Salary),500.00
Postage, Cables, etc.
81.34
Office Supplies
25.85
Shipping Charges
409.77
Newsletters
63.33
Service-Link (to Gen.
Treas)3,811.00
Total Disbursements

$8,891.29

Balance as of December 31, 1967

396.86

OUR PRESENT NEEDS:

1^00.00 per month (Llving-Li^) ^ $900.00 per month

>500.00 per month (Service-Link)

Furlough Funds are being received:

Motorcycle Funds:

Approx. $2,000.00

$450.00

(Make checks payable to "Central Africa Mission

Charles J. Bell")

Henry R. McKasson

~J

FORWARDING AGENT

9757 Yuba Court

Cincinnati, Ohio

n?P3C'53

45231

3/68
509 w* ^eftmretm
Box 366
Jollet, 111. 60U36

i.tVv""

iV /

i
Dear Friends,
We greet you with great happiness.

At this time of

the year we have many reasons to be happy.

We do

rejoice in this season of remembering Christ's

birth. We give thanks for the fruitful year that
is ending and look forward with renewed zeal to the
new year that is approaching.
Another matter for which we are thankful is the

recovery of my sight.

of you.

Our sincere thanks to each

Your help in our special time of need is

deeply appreciated.

Your prayers and contributions

have made a successful operation possible.

Examina

tions revealed severe defects in the right eye

retina and developing defects in the left, so both
eyes were operated on November 11.

The doctors are

satisfied and feel the operation was more success

ful than we had hoped for.
I am up and about and
will

soon be able

to resume a

normal

schedule.

Because our furlough was due in May, 1969j we will

take it now, returning to Zambia for our second
term later in the year.
After Christmas we plan to
begin speaking engagements and look forward to see

ing each of you in person.

Next week we'll have a
place to live here in Cincinnati and will have a
telephone where we can be reached.
Please note
the new address within the newsletter.

Our thanks once again.

May God bless each of you

according to your need.

In Christ,

lei/t/iL

N E W S L S T T S H

o Q

JHARLES klTD iIARY FRANCES BELL

Missionaries

to

Zambia

ZAMBIA CHRISTIAN MISSION

New Address;

CHARLES J, BELL
P.

0.

P. 0. Box 2733
Lu saxa, Zs, mb ia

Box 1201

Cincinnati, Ohio
+

^5201
+

Africa

Dear Brethren,

V/e thank God for His blessings which

have come to us through you.
We
thanli you for your faithfulness
in
sharing the Gospel with those in
Zambia, so that
churches might be

seen, that its a needy field and wjll

established here.

prove a

Soon we will have

two congregations meeting in Lusaka.

In
just
less than two years on the
field

in

Zambia

we

But there are no missionaries of the

Christian

Churches/Churches

of

Christ of America in Malawi,

We be
lieve, on the basis of what we have

one.

very responsive and fruitful

We will write more about

this

later.

have seen the

work grow
from nothing
into
two
groups,
and
one
new
possibility
opening up before us.

We must work carefully as well as

optimistically.
There are problems
which

are

the

result

ujoi mcuk.

of missions

(UuL (iiuelt amonij u6."

work in general in the past, rapid

changes, and sometimes uncertainty
in the
political
sphere.
But we
know that

those whom we have won to

Christ are already able to stand the

tests.

We

feel

that

the Lord has

granted us fruits of the kind

which
will bear more fruit.
We are
very
encouraged.

At the present moment, LeRoy Randall

and I are
in I-Ialawi for ten days to

conduct

We want to tell you the story of the

beginning of the Matero congrega

tion in Lusaka. After surveying the
area and making the initial contacts
we began the task of planting a wit
ness

in the Matero suburb.

a_^.t.en-d5^^f^'-surv6y ^and re-'

searth ,,,-lntJP^^^^is"'^"fleld.--, It l-s oie

of the old'"st mission field,-'in Cen

tral Africawhich Dayid^'Pi'ivingstone
himself 'opened>'==^d''^'ere the fight
against slave trading was carried on.

The emphasis has been put

on Bible
teachings, then Bible knowledge it
self.

Also we stressed the need for

self-reliance in the
groupthat
they meet, study, and witness all on
their own as well as with

Today there are over 250,000 members

of all
Protestant churches, out of

4,000,000 inhabitants. There

are
about 500,000 Moslems, some of whom
are just beginning to turn to Christ.

me.

As a

result we have a congregation in Lu

saka plus an invitation to an area
about 250 miles from Lusaka where
there are no New Testament churches.
There

is

also

need now to start

The same langxmge used in the Lusaka

area Cinyanja is understood by

another congregation in Lusaka.

over 75,^ of the people.

This is how we have worked thus far:

Find
an area
where
no
Christian

11 Iffnii
6

witness is being made, and there is

no
church.
Call the young people
together, play some hymns on the
hand powered record player.
Give a
Bible
story and lesson and distri
bute leaflets.
Seventy to one hun

dred present I We tape and play back

their answers and singing, as they
enjoy

hearing

first

time.

"Did

you

themselves

enjoy

for

the

the young peoples*

lessons?You did!"

"Do

any of the

people here attend services?No".

"Do

you think that they would enjoy

a time of worship here in their own

area?They would!
Then
could
we
meet in someones home? You say that

we should

be

father's house?

able

to meet in your

Pine".

We have now studied thirteen lessons

on the Bible as God's word; then the

various aspects of Christian living,
such as "The Christian and Tempta
tion", "The Christian and the World",
"Stewardship", "The Christian
and
Witchcraft".

The new group has multiplied and has

outgrovm the house in which it first
met.

of

There are definite indications

personal growth, as members have

Invited friends and

of

whom

have

relativessome

been

baptizedand

there are more to be baptized yet

who have been taught by a member of
the group.

At one stage a neighborhood

t- i

dispute

arosethe Christians were blamed

for the death of a child by means of
witchcraft.

witchdoctor

brought in to use his pov?er

was

against

""TTrefairrj:ly~~"lTr--wh-oe-e-house we were-

meeting. Some were a little afraid-,

especially as the first spell was to
kill the father of that

family, and

then the mother, and then the chil

drenone by one.
I was included
because I had inquired after the
child's health several

I saw the

gathering

times.

When

of friends and

relatives, I had asked what had hap

pened. It was the funeral gathering
(rather like a wake) with ceremony
of prayers and beer drinkingthe
prayers not being what we would
offer, but rather the traditional
prayers. Most of the Christians be
lieved that all

would

God protected them.

ial

prayer

fact

that

and

We

be

well, if

had a spec

Bible study on the

witchcraft

is

a fraud.

said

show

that now especially we must

love and not return their hat

red.
Greet them all as you see them
and be friendly.
Pray for
them.
About a
month later the change was
seen.

The Christian who was accused

of causing the death

of
the
child
was
s t i l l alive
in spite
of the

neighbor's
witchcraft.
Fear
at
first came on the
opponents of the
Christians,
But then their friendly
actions won them over.

Now the hate

and suspicion is gone.

I have been
greeted with "Moni", "Bambo", "Muliy
"Bwanji", instead
of
the
quick
glance of fear or distrust.
Best of
all, one
young woman who formerly
opposed us during this
episode has
now attended the morning service .
Pray that she too will accept Christ.

The Reggie Thomas team was here for

three days.
During the Sunday morn
ing service, four
young men
came
forward
to
confess Christ.
So far
we
have had thirteen confess Christ

as a

result

of the meetings.

we have had an offer of TV time

Also
for

airing
of
programs made
in
the
States, without cost to the Mission.

As a result of the meetings, we have

the opportunity of starting a new
congregation three miles across town
where the meetings were held.

:feptized

into Christ and arising to

walto

newness of life.

in

was

accused

"by

his

This man

neighbors

of

having witched a child. But he re

mained strong through reading the
Bible and praying all night on the

day

when

kill him.

spell

The

f.v

was supposed to

power

of

the

Word

and prayer means more to us novT be

cause we have seen one sustained

the

power

of

by

God against Satan's

"A

power. Our study, "The

Christian
and Prayer", a week later brought
smilesespecially
when
I asked
for

instances of answered prayer.

W: - '

So

the people have come to trust us

and will listen to the teachings of

the Bible.
As soon as they are wil

ling to give up the old life and be

gin with Christ, they ask to be bap
tized.
Here you see the grandmother
beside l^lary Frances, then a
mother,
two teenagers, and three young men
who were baptized at the same time.
The young men assist and sometimes
lead in the services. Also present
is Todd.
Nov: we have a congregation
in Imtero suburb, Lusaka.

This

is where this newsletter start

ed.

But now we see the beginning of

the Chinika suburb work.

.'S

The process

repeats itself, and we find the ones

who are willing to follow Christ here
also.
fruit

are

God has blessed us in giving

for our labor.
Already there

signs

of

strength among these

young Christians, and they have held

their own services

and

Bible study

without my being present. Isn't that

wonderful I

In

addition

to

the beginning of the new congregation across tovm, arrange

ments have been made with the University of Zambia to hold seminar meetings.
This will serve to make us known among the students and faculty, and give us

the many connections that go with offering such a

those who are future leaders, whereas a

will be won to Christ and we

regular

It

will

will be established in this realm also.

offering three weekly seminars at present, but

course.

course.

attract

meeting would not, and some

they

are

i/^e are

not for credit, of

The faculty includes professors from Britain, Germany, South Africa,

Ghana, and the United,States, as well as those who took training in

Please pray that all the works may

continue

to

grow

the USA.

and that leaders will

emerge from them.

"We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is
day: the night cometh, when no man can work." {John 9:4)
American Standard Version

PLEA3E NOTE:

All Correspondence and Contributions Should Be Sent To The Address Below:

Charles J . Bell
P. 0. Box 1201

Cincinnati, Ohio

^5201

Please make all checks payable to "Zambia Christian MissionCharles J Bell"

*

LIST OF RECENT CONTRIBUTORS

(Through November, I968)

Alfordsville Christian Church

Bailiff, Dorothy

"

"

Missionary Society

McKasson, Mr. & Mrs. Elvis

Moscow Church of Christ

"

Batavia Church of Christ

Bedford Acres Christian Church

"

"

(Ladies
Aid)

Mowrystown Church of Christ

Brammer, Mr. & Mrs, Howard

Bridgetown Church of Christ
Bright Christian Church

(Loyal Workers' Class)

Munn, Miss Joyce Ann
New Burlington Church of

Broughton, Mr. & Mrs. Lyle

Christ (H. H. McKasson)

Burnettsvllle Christian Church

Newport Church of Christ

Calahan, Tommy
Carnery, Ethel

Northern Heights Christian

(JOY Workers)

C3,eves Church of Christ (Charles Richter)

Church (Men's Bible Class)

Coblentz, Harold
i)avis, Mr. & Mrs. Dean
Davis, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald
Doyle, Mr. & Mrs. John
Durham, Mr, & Mrs. Rogers
East

Columbia

Northern Hills Church of

Christ
Paoli Christian Church

Palmer, Arthur
Prulett, Mrs, Hose
Randall, Mr. & Mrs, LeRoy
Hector, Mr. & I4rs. William

Church of Christ

East 16th Street Christian Church

English^ Christian Church

Enon Church of Christ

Fairdale Christian Church

Felicity Church of Christ

"
"
"
"
Gleaners Class
Fleming Christian Church
Foster, Mr. & Mrs. R. C.
Gabhart, Miss Annie

Gabhart, Miss Lorna

Gabhart, I/ir. & Mrs. Thomas
Gillenwater, Mrs. Emma
Green, Mr. & Mrs. Gerald
Haynes, Miss Miriam
Henderson, Mr. & Mrs. Stanley
Hesse, Mr. & Mrs. James
Junkin, Jacob J.
Kennedy, Mr. & Mrs.
Lee, Nelson E.

Roller, -Mr.-jS:_Mrs.^telvin-__.
Sherman Church of Christ

Fairfield Church of Christ (Betty Morgan)

Shively Christian Church

Sims, Mr. & Mrs. Earl
Swickard, Charles 0.
Walker, Mr. & Mrs. Paul
Walters, Mr. & Mrs, William
Western Hills Church of Christ
Westside Christian Church

Wonder Valley Christian

Youth Rally
Zoah Christian Church

Peter

Lehman, Quintin
Madeira

CHARLES J.
P.

"

0.

Church

of

Christ

BELL

Box 1201

Cincinnati, Ohio

^5201

_Vfr

it*

Vj*-