Missionary Service in Africa

I landed in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 1947. Another boat brought classmates Ian Fergusson and Harry Arnott. Brother Knorr soon visited, and we attended a convention in Johannesburg. Then we proceeded north to our assignments​—Ian to Nyasaland (now Malawi), Harry to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), and I to Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). In due time the Society established a branch, and I was appointed branch overseer. We had 117 congregations with about 3,500 publishers in the country.

Ministry in South Africa

In 1959 Brother Knorr visited Southern Rhodesia, and Myrtle and I were reassigned to South Africa. Before long we began traveling in my assignment in the circuit work. Those were golden days. But I was getting older, and Myrtle’s health had caused us some anxiety. After a while we could no longer stand the pace of circuit work, so we established a missionary home in Cape Town and served there for some years. Later, we were reassigned to Durban, in Natal.

Our assignment there turned out to be Chatsworth, a large Indian community. This was a foreign assignment within a foreign assignment​—a real challenge to us elderly missionaries. When we arrived in February 1978, there was a congregation of 96 Witnesses, mostly Indian. We had to study the religious thinking of the Hindu people and understand their customs. The approach used by the apostle Paul in witnessing in Athens served as a helpful example for us.​—Acts 17:16-34.