Reformed. Christianity. Evangelism. Modern Culture.
I am really grateful to a friend for a small book ‘The Growth of a Mustard Seed‘. It’s a book wonderfully written by Alison Southall that recounts the intriguing story of how the gospel reached the West Nile region. This region is in the beautiful African country called Uganda; its situated deep inland within reach of two other neighbouring countries – bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south and west, by South Sudan to the north and by the Albert Nile to the east.
The first pioneer missionary couple The Gardners (Alfred and Edith Gardner plus Frank Gardner) had just packed up and left by 1918 when sickness and poor health began to affect Alfred. Meanwhile the indigenous Lugbara speaking people were indifferent in their grass thatched huts. On the surface it appeared as though any missionary efforts were unfruitful.
Meanwhile a great famine fell on the land. Worldwide, the situation was not any better but grim – the flu pandemic was sweeping across different people groups with devastating effect.
During the time after 1919 to 1937 there was also ongoing studying of the local language by the AIM missionaries in Belgian Congo. God used a little unknown Dutch American missionary called John Buyse to water what the Gardners had started.
However tragedy soon befell My Buyse as he later wrote a tearful account:
“When you receive this letter you doubtless have learned from frica Inland Office as the death of my dear little wife and little daughter. We expected the baby about the middle of February. Wife [got sick with a fever and cough] She gave birth to a perfect but dead baby girl…
Wife felt well during the day . At night she took suddenly ill and died peacefully at 8.30p.m….I had buried baby with my own hands that same day, but I took it up again next morning and placed it in the same bamboo coffin with wife. Wish you could have seen them, lying together baby in wife’s arms….
The Lord has taken all that was dear to me on earth. why?
Because He loved us so much that He wanted a gift, a real love gift, the best I had. Should I refuse Him? A thousand times no. He has blessed wonderfully in trial … Just loving submission to His loving will.I never felt Him so near as these past few days.
My dear little wife and baby girl are in glory. their death is going to be used by God to save this wicked, God refusing tribe.”
Excerpt from: The Growth of a Mustard Seed by Alison Southall. As we read stories of tragedy and loss during missionary endeavours we are greatly humbled by the extent of personal sacrifice. May these accounts encourage us as modern day Christians to never give up in being faithful to the hope we hold – for many have gone before us and lovingly given up their best and most dearest of comforts for the sake of the gospel to reach unknown and God refusing wicked people groups – indeed such were some of us.
A Twisted Crown of Thorns ® 