(Linda Maydell)

Dear friends

As you can see, it took me a bit longer to recover from the lectures than it took my husband (whose newsletter was sent about two weeks ago)! I will not write in detail about the lectures since I have described them to you before - except to say I am very thankful that no one went hungry, no one got sick, and everyone had a wonderful opportunity to learn a lot about God's word in a short time. We really appreciate those of you who prayed for us - that all would go well.

This year we have begun worshipping and working with congregations that we have not been with in the past. About 2 months ago, a Venda brother phoned to say that they were planning a gospel meeting for the upcoming weekend(!), and they would like for Les to give two lessons on repentance, citing two texts that Les was to use as the basis of each lesson.

Amazingly enough, we were scheduled to go to Venda that very weekend and could not get to the church we had originally planned to attend because the recent floods had washed the road away. So Les got very busy and worked out two lessons. I typed them and he printed 100 copies. After a five-hour drive that included some major detours and a few near misses of potholes that would have caused the entire front suspension to crumple, we arrived at brother Samson Mukhavhu's nice western-style house. (Samson is a college professor and his wife is a school teacher.)

The cool evening breeze was a wonderful contrast to the stifling heat inside the house. But the 100-degree heat stayed inside and the breeze stayed outside because that is the way the Mukhavhus practice mosquito control! (Personally I would have bought fly screens BEFORE I bought the TV! :-) After a typical African tasty meal of rice, pap, tomato gravy, beets, cabbage and chicken fried so long it turned to jerky,

Brother Samson informed Les that the brethren had changed their minds and decided that there should be one lesson by an outsider and one lesson by a local person - so would Les please condense both his lessons into one lesson? After burning a bit of midnight oil, Les decided he could manage and we prepared for sleep - BUT the mosquitoes had other ideas. We were the first persons to sleep in that room in a long time - and they were HUNGRY.

I first tried sleeping under the sheet, but the mosquitoes kept dive-bombing my nostrils (the only part of me sticking out!) - and the sweat was pouring off me. (Mosquitoes MUCH prefer me to Les.) After hearing the clock play its allotted melodies (with flat batteries) at 1 & 2 a.m., I decided to turn on the light and hunt down the enemies, dozing between attacks. Eventually we were able to annihilate the mosquitoes since they were by this time flying slowly because of their full "fuel tanks!"

We managed about 2 hours sleep before the noises of the house woke us up at about 6 a.m. Still, I was able to find it amusing to listen to a "flattened" version of " 'Way Down Upon the Suwannee River" in the middle of the night in the middle of Africa!

The next morning we arrived at the Shyandima congregation just before 9 a.m. They had hired an army tent (without sides) and about 100 chairs WITH BACKS because they expected more people than what would fit in their small building (and they were right). I decided to go for a chair in the middle of the tent, being not quite sure in which direction the sun would be moving.

The Christians all made a fantastic (for Africa) effort to be there on time, and the Lord's Supper was concluded by 10 a.m. By this time most of the visitors had arrived, although more and more kept arriving throughout the morning. As the sun moved, so the people automatically shifted the chairs to the other side of the tent - quite effectively!

The temperature was about 100 degrees and ALL of the men (except Les) had on a suit jacket (if they could afford one) or an ordinary cold-weather jacket, or a sweater. Les was choking in his tie. Joseph asked him why he didn't take it off and he replied, "I've already offended African culture enough by taking off my jacket!" But I really think Les would have fainted if he had preached in a jacket.

Les then preached over an hour with a translator, and then brother Samson spoke. I really had a hard time staying awake when I couldn't understand a word he was saying! I was pleasantly surprised though to see by my watch that the service lasted only a total of three hours. I found out afterwards that my watch had gone to sleep and the service had actually lasted 4 hours!

Then the visitors went home but there was still another hour of questions - mainly about whether or not it was scriptural to be baptized by someone who was not a Christian. The oldest Christian there, who had been baptized in 1953, had heard the gospel over the radio - but it took three years of correspondence before someone arrived from America to baptize him! Consequently they thought that our salvation also depended on WHO does the baptizing!

A new congregation has been started in a remote village about 100 miles NE of us at a place called Elandskraal. An eland is a cow-like antelope that used to roam South Africa, and a kraal is an African community. This congregation was started about 6 months ago, partially through the correspondence course, and mainly through the efforts of a Christian who used to own a shop there.

The 5-member church meets in an 2-roomed derelict cottage of one of the members. (I suspect the man's elderly parents lived there at one time.) There is an old wood stove and an old chalkboard in the room where we meet and pieces of junk in the other room. The walls are of mud/cement bricks, the roof is of corrugated iron, and the floor is of cement, but full of "potholes."

There is glass in about 1/4 of the window panes. (The only difference between the derelict cottage and the house is that the house has 3 rooms and glass in every pane.) When it is time for worship, the children bring from the house a chair that works as long as it stays propped against the wall, another chair whose springs look very uncomfortable, one bench, and 3 plastic 4-legged stools. We luckily had the foresight to bring our own chairs! When the collection plate is passed, not a penny goes in. The long-drop is a few yards outside the back window and does not ever get limed - if you know what that means!

After services, the two men, Les and Joseph take their chairs outside for Bible study. I begin by speaking in English. The women and older children try to repeat what I have said in Sotho. If they can't, I try Afrikaans. Sometimes that doesn't work either and I have to resort to gestures, chalk drawings and my VERY limited Sotho vocabulary. Then comes the reward - a visible glow in the eyes or a facial expression that shows something "got there"!

Last Sunday we were the first to arrive. I put up one of those large colorful maps done by Standard Publishers on the wall. Immediately the teenage daughter began quizzing her younger brothers and sisters about the Bible characters on the map. I LIKED her eagerness to learn and teach!

And so - the gospel travels throughout Africa - even to remote spots - in strange ways and to people whose ways are strange to us. But God's word still speaks to their hearts and brings light to their lives. I wish you could experience the mingled joy and pain of working with these people - which I've tried to convey in this letter.

The joy of bringing light to someone -- the pain of guilt that I have so much in comparison -- so many advantages that they will never have. Thanks so much for your love, Linda (and family)