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PASTOR'S REPORT July 30, 197�
Page 13
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Africa
Several weeks ago we printed excerpts from a letter from Melvin Rhodes,
our minister in Ghana, on the situation he and the members were experiencing
after a coup in that country. As a follow-up, here are excerpts from a
subsequent letter of his to the Radlett office in the U.K. (dated 26th
June):
We haven't got much food left, but are leaving for Cameroon on
Thursday morning anyway, so don't have to worry about ourselves. But
Felicia has come back from market with nothing the last five days.
They are still O.K., living off rice and other things they have.
I don't think this will go on for long. The government will have
to do something. There's plenty of food in the country, so really
the problem is political. After the decree on prices issued the day
after the revolution, all "essential" manufactured items disappeared.
So we can't get milk or flour, or anything else for that matter.
ThiB morning, six more people were executed, including two former
Heads of State. It seems like the last lot of expatriates is
leaving tonight. Well, not exactly. But somebody from the High
Commission we spoke to this afternoon, said it seemed that way. Many
of the Lebanese have simply disappeared, and many Americans are not
returning from their annual summer leave (our neighbours failed to
turn up on yesterday's PAN AM flight; other families and friends
waiting at the airport to meet people were disappointed, so it seems
like we're getting a bad press overseas.)
Your prayers would be much appreciated for God's people in East, Central
and West Africa (331 members and 3 ministers)--both that God would protect
them and allow His Work to go forward without undue restrictions. The
ministers concerned are Melvin Rhodes (Accra, Ghana), Harold Jackson (Lagos,
Nigeria) and Owen Willis {Nairobi, Kenya).
In addition to three sub-offices in Accra, Lagos and Nairobi, there are
six churches in this part of the world--Accra and Kumasi in Ghana, Lagos
and Oguta in Nigeria, and Nairobi and Meru in Kenya. There are further
Bible studies in Victoria {United Republic of Cameroons), Lusaka (Zambia),
Blantyre (Malawi) and Mauritius, plus other small groups of members
scattered throughout Tanzania, Liberia and the Seychelles.
United Kingdom
Income is still buoyant. The month ot June showed a rise of 19% over June
1978 and is continuing the healthy upward trend. The calendar year-to
date increase is 20%, with the year to 30th June 1979 registering a 16%
rise over the previous fiscal year.
With figures in from around half of the exhibitions, and with household
distributions now completed in 12 cities, almost 2,000 PLAIN TRUTH trial
offer brochures have been returned to date. Many were still coming in from
the latest exhibitions and household drops at the time of going to
press. This encouraging response has been in addition to the exposure