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LATONIA CHRISTIAN
VOLUME

22

NUMBER 20

FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1962

Harshe Travel Fonil (s Now $2,235.51!

Still Needed: $264.49. Will You Help?

A total of $2,235.51 was given,
through July 8 toward the Ronald
Harshe family travel fund.
The fund still needs $264.49.
God willing, the Harshes plair
to leave for the Republic of Congo
July 24.
THANK God for each faithful
steward of His who contributed to

ward this worthy fund. Not one

cent of the money goes to the

Harshes, but the check for $2500.

which was presented to the trea
surer

of

the

African

Christian

Mission this week will go to the

airline for the purchase of the

tickets for the Harshe family.
Trustees Orville Cramer, Lonnie
Patterson and Kirby Chapman made
arrangements July 9 to borrow on
their personal signature $254.49 so
the entire $2500.00 pledged to the
Harshe travel fund could be paid
this week.
A number

of
God's
faithful
stewards of Latonia Christian who

have been on vacation, or who

were absent July 8, will want to
contribute toward the payment of
this small loan of $254.49.

ocT 3

September 15, 1962

Congo Rivr

Dear Brethren in ChristJ

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us
Ephesians 1:3 e have had some problems on this trip, but God has
solved them all ina wonderful way.

Our trip went x/ell until we arrived in Leopoldville, the oariital of the Congo.

There were no hotel rooms available, ajid wo neai-ly had to spend the night at
the airport.

Finally, a couple of our group were taken by the airline mana

ger and his wife to their homd, a couple wont to a crowded mission house

and my family crowded into the last hotel room in Leopoldville, and we were
barely able to taUc the manager out of that. The next day Jeanette and
Danny were sick and -gtomiting from the stress of the trip but soon bounced
back to their normal selves.

Out second problem was even greater. We were to have a two-day layover in
Leopoldville before going on the way to Stanleyville about one thousand miles
away. We found our reservations were not confirmed, and the earliest we

could get out of Leopoldville was three weeks. None of us jumped with joy
at this news.

After

some effort we managed to whittle the time down to a

little over two weeks, but that was the beat we could get. So we decided to
try the riverboat which was to leave Tuesday after our arrival on the previous

Wednesday night. At first it looked hopelessj but after several trips to the
passage office, considerable wrangling and persistence we managed to squeeze
out the last three cabins on the boat the day before it was to leave.

So here we are on the boat halfway up the Congo Hiver.

It takes seven days

to make the trip, but still we will be in Stan before the plane could take

us. It is saving a lot of money, too, on hotel and mea /s while waiting in
Leopoldville. There are eleven of us including our family of seven, Mrs.
Butler and her baby, Miss Phyllis Rine and Miss Nancy Shewmaker.

It cost

$50 a day for hotel and meals for all of us and they were anytaing but
luxurious. A trip from the U.S.A. to home in the Congo wh4oh should have
tq^en about four days is turning into two and a half weeks. But that is

the way things often go in the Congo. The unexpected is to b expected.

The other day as we passed a native village along the shore four-year-old
Danny asked if we couldn't please stay there fr our home. Betty told him
those houses all belonged to someone, and he asked if we couldn't build a
house in the jungle behind the village. He is tired of travelling.
The trip is very pleasant.
occasional villages.

The jungt crowds the river bank and we pass

People from them come out in dugout oanoes to tie

on and sell things to the Africans on board.

Early this morning they

brought a fair-size live crocodile tied to a pole.

about $40. It makes good eating.

They bought it for

They have also brought dead baboons,

but we have never eaten them - nor intend to. The young ladies with us were
a little disturbed at first about the cockroaches in our cabins, but they

are getting used to them.

They have asked to learn Swahili, so we are

studying it during the day.

We thank God for friends like you who we know are prajdng for us daily.

We have met several problems and deoisions already and have fcnmd that'the
Lord has taken care of everything. Rest assxired that your prayers are
Being answered and our every need is being bountifully supplied bv our
heavenly Father. We trust our experiences will strengthen your faith in Him
and His goodness as it most certainly does us. We trust in Him to continue
to lead and help us.

For the Congo's needy souls,

Ronald Harshe and family

OctolDer 5> 1962

Bomi l i

Dear Christian Friendss

After two and a half weeks of travel from Cincinnati we arrived at Bbmili and start

ed \he task of setting house and office in order.

Howard Crowl and Ron Butler met us.

When we docked in Stanleyville

Ron and his wife and bahy had been separated

.iust a year and it was observedly a happy reunion.

It took two days ther^^^ge-T

the necessary papers and such in order. There is no end of waiting. There is very
little that can be bou^t here now. Sometimes things can be found if you have a
friend. The men did a mari?Glous job of finding supplies before our arrival and had
to spend a huge amount of time, doing it. Se we are substantially stocked for now.
Wo have been here

T1 do not have our house in order.

Ron

'who did a l<^!j^f^^raent 5o^^^ Lincoln Bible Institute, had cemented all

our floors for us.

Tl5sil^rgrg~l^!^o^

than anything else hero.

Ron has also

proved tha(^^rdens^ki be grown in the Congo, and so he has revived my interest.

In fact, fo?jrf&^=ar^^o scarce that it is almost a necessity. We have a book on

gardening in the Congo and find that we were doing many irliings wrong before for a

tropical country.

We have already started a compost pil^e and are looking forward

to a great harvest in a few weeks,

i

It was a happy day for us when we returned to our many friends here. We were sad
to learn of the death of the wife of one of the student preachers. She died in
childbirth. Another woman died because
the Africans say, "She had so many chil

dren (three) that others became jealous of her and put a spell on her."

Oa.r great-

^est disaT)T)ointm<i^T^,t' waa mat in the falling away from the Lord of one of the two men

^hQ...had nftipnn. jjiaJLty^sa faithfully..jBdLth.-the~woj^;;;;;^;;;^tJhe^^^^

Leon had previously

been a heathen with four wives, but after becoming a Christian he was very faithful
and one of the finest men we have known here.

During our furlough in the States,

he took a concubine. We cannot help but wonder if . we cou!^d have helped him to oversome temptation had we been here. But, all in all, it hsf been a joy to us to take
this work once again. The A f r i 7 one preacher preached a

^^^rmon on the subject of answered prayer using their prayprs for our return as an
yY

example and proof of God answering prayer.

We have been having meetings for two weeks now.

Every otter morning we all get to

gether and discuss the various aspects of the mission. Eovard Crowl has done an
excellent job of outlining these meetings and presiding over themj and we have all
foiind them very profitable. There is a fine spirit of junity and determination to
make our efforts here count for Christ,'

The new girls are getting

n M a n y things are ^o new to them that it

is difficult to digest them all in one gulp. Everyone'9 spirit is hi^j everyone
that is but our twelve-year-old Johnny. He is dreadfully homesick for his grand
parents. He is manfully trying to overcome it and Baa-in thd last couple days made
good progress, Eddie, Danny, Johnny. Betty and ^ have all had m,alaria already. No
one has had to spend more than a day in bed with it, though.
Thank you very much for your prayers and support of this work. We are formulating
a list now of prayer requests and will get it to you soon so that you can have an
even greater and real part in winning the Congo to Christ.
Yours for Him and His people in the Congo,

Ronald Harshe and family f