I always like to read the back cover of a book to get an idea of the contents. This is what Dr David McAdam, missionary ad medical Director at Chitokoloki Mission Hospital in Zambia wrote:
"This is the story of Betty Magennis who left Northern Ireland to work for the Lord in Central Africa for more than 46 years. She worked without a salary and was sustained by the faithfulness of her God and the care of his people. She saved the lives of innumerable mothers and their new-born children. Despite facing personal health challenges, she continued to serve with unwavering faith and dedication.
She heard her Lord's command to go and she went. This book is a powerful record of how our Lord Jesus Christ can use a person obedient to his call to bring blessing to countless numbers of people. Betty's obedience to her Lord and Saviour has left a lasting impact and we pray that her story might challenge and motivate his people today."
This book is a wonderful testimony of how a woman left Northern Ireland to go and work in Zambia but the personal cost of family was actually what spoke to me. She left Zambia in 1976, her father, Sam Magennis was still unconverted. Betty's mum Emily, had prayed for his conversion for over 50 years. Betty witnessed to her dad before leaving home and said "Daddy, if you don't get saved, I'll not see you in heaven." He loved Betty and his children but even that witness did not persuade him to seek the Lord.
When Betty was home in 1980, an evangelist conducted special Gospel meetings in a mobile hall in Gransha, Rathfriland. Mr Magennis was not keen on attending meetings in a Gospel Hall, butBetty tried to persuade her dad to attend these meetings with her mum. He eventually gave in and went to several meetings with his wife. Before leaving for Zambia that year Betty bought her dad a New Testament. She learned afterwards that he read the Scriptures and occasionally attended other Gospel meetings during the following weeks and months.
While attending one of these meetings in 1985, God spoke to Sam Magennis through the best-known verse in the bible, John 3 verse 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, bt have everlasting life." A shaft of Gospel light shone into Sam's darkened heart, and he trusted Christ as Saviour that night.
After fifty years, Emily Magennis' prayers had been answered. Betty was overjoyed in Dipalata (Zambia) when she received the good news of her dad's conversion. Sixteen weeks after he trusted the Saviour, Mr Sam Magennis went to be with Christ in April 1986, near their fiftieth wedding anniversary. A large gathering attended his funeral, but far from being a mournful occasion, there was comfort and joy for family and friends to kno that Sam Magennis had gone to be with Christ.
Over the following years, Betty's mum suffered from complications with her diabetes. After a long spell of deteriorating health, Cyril (Betty's brother) found his mother dead at 6 am one morning in July 199. Because Betty had returned to Zambia a few months earlier, she couldn't attend her mum's funeral, but she was comforted to know that he mum's suffering had ceased and she was at home with the Lord.
The opening chapter tells the story of 3 woman, all missionaries touring South Africa. I was riveted as it explained that these 3 women, all from Northern Ireland decided to combine a visit to missionary colleagues with a holiday to view some of South Africa's magnificent beauty spots. Originally the plan was to collect a new Peugeot vehicle in Johannesburg, South Africa and then travel back to Zambia. As they travelled and visited many missionaries they collected various pieces of equipment and supplies for use back home in Zambia. Just as they neared the Zambian border they hit a deep concealed pothole bursting the tyre and causing the vehicle to roll over and over into a swamp. One of the nurses was severely injured in the accident and had to be flown to Zimbabwe for medical care. Eventually the nurse regained consciousness but it took several operations before she fully recovered. The vehicle was retrieved and had no windscreen but a missionary drove it all the way back to Johannesburg to be repaired.
It is amazing to read this story and realise how God led and directed Betty Magennis' life. Initially she worked in the office of a Linen Company in her home town of Banbridge then after 6 years she applied for a position at the Post Office telephone House in Belfast securing a job as a switchboard telephonist. This move meant she had to secure rented accommodation in Belfast. It was there she met a young woman, Ann Palmer who was a midwife at the nearby Belfast City Hospital. It was through this friendship that Betty was first challenged about serving God in Zambia. Ann shared with Betty how she felt the Lord was calling her to help in a small mission hospital at Dipalata in Zambia and the need was great for more people to share in the work. Betty had been interested in reading missionary biographies and magazines and years earlier had attended a Christmas conference when a missionary from Brazil spoke about recognising God's call on our lives.
It was at this point that Betty decided to put out a "Gideon's fleece" asking the Lord to prompt Ann to question her on 3 separate occasions about going to serve the Lord in Zambia. And amazingly God answered that prayer! God worked in her life causing her to consider seriously applying for a midwifery course in England. A place where her brother lived. Betty met up with Ann who was setting out for Zambia and again felt God was speaking to her although she told no-one. Through a series of remarkable readings from God's word and a visit from a dear friend from Northern Ireland, Betty realised she was being called to work in Zambia.
Last year when I started our local Christian Book Club we read An Open Door, the story of Maud Kells who left Northern Ireland to serve the Lord in Congo. Now in this book All the way My Saviour Leads me by Betty Magennis relates how a missionary couple from Northern Ireland, James and Edith Geddis left Lurgan in 1921 to serve the Lord in the heart of Africa. After a short spell in the Belgian Congo they moved to Kalunda in eastern Angola where they served for over a decade. What a remarkable coincidence because we also read of Ruth Hadley's work in Angola in our Book Club last year! Instead of returning home to Northern Ireland for leave in 1937 Mr and Mrs Geddis moved 150 miles south of Kalunda to Dipalata in Northern Rhodesia. This region gained independence from British rule in October 196 and became an independent country, Zambia. Many of the Angolan believers followed them and helped form the nucleus of a new assembly. When they returned home to Northern Ireland the World War broke out which meant they could not return to Africa. Many people were challenged during their ministry at home in Northern Ireland and a party of 19 people including wives and children sailed for Rhodesia in 1946.
They eventually were able to return to Zambia and discovered that the work had grown in their absence. Soon the fellowship numbered about 200 believers. In 1956 Mr Geddis developed a terminal illness and was buried in Dipalata in 1964. The Geddis' daughter Mary had trained and qualified as a nurse and midwife in Northern Ireland and she started a medical dispensary in Dipalata along with her sister Eleanor. Both Mary and Eleanor married in 1950 - a double wedding on the same day. They both served in Africa for many years. The 2 sisters continued lovingly and untiringly caring for the sick for years until other qualified nurses and medical practitioners joined them. During the political turmoil of Northern Rhodesia in the 1960's agitators threatened to burn them out. The local people came to their aid supplying food baskets.
It was to these families that Betty Magennis arrived in May 1976. She met up with her friend Ann and they lived together in Zambia
The clinic in which Betty and Ann served as nurses and midwives operated from 7.30 am to 4 pm. Before patients were seen or medicine dispensed each morning a missionary or a brother from the Assembly presented a Gospel message. This practice was fundamental to the hospital's ministry and aimed to provide spiritual healing alongside physical treatment. Also booklets of John's Gospel in the Lunda language were given to all who attended the outpatients during the day. These Gospel booklets were constantly used in the hospital's evangelistic outreach.
Although the clinic closed at 4 pm, Betty or Ann were frequently called out at all hours of the day and night to attend to emergencies, either a woman in distress during a maternity confinement, a sudden bout of sickness or an accident involving a child or children. Betty soon learned she had to be ready for anything, and her medical bag was always on hand.
One of the biggest problems facing Betty was witchcraft. She realised that even though she had treated patients the witch doctors would later come in and give them potions in addition to their treatment. Several times she discovered that they came to the clinic after it closed and Betty was accused of causing the death of infants when really it was the medicine given by the witch doctors.
Through these confrontations with Satanic forces, Betty was conscious of the presence of God with her and the apostle Paul's words were her experience - "notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4 verses 17 and 18)
Whilst a lot of Ann and Betty's work was in the clinic treating patients, they also visited assemblies up to 50 miles away during the dry season. Up to 1000 children were reached at the weekly Sunday school and hundreds more boys and girls on their trips to 5 other Assembly Sunday schools in the surrounding communities. On one occasion Betty was able to secure Ferreror Rocher chocolates to be shipped to Zambia for every child!
This book tells a very harrowing incident that occurred in February 1981. There was a tropical rainstorm. The accompanying gloom of the rainstorm was lit up by intermittent flashes of bright lightning and simultaneous ear-splitting cracks and roars of loud thunder, indicating that the lightning strikes were right overhead. Nobody was foolish enough to venture outside in the relentless and persistent rainstorm. Betty and Ann were still at home, but the village children were in the local school about a mile from Betty and Ann's residence.
Another sudden flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder changed everything that morning. The lightning flash struck a tree adjacent to the school and the high voltage of the lightning ran through the tree, hit the wheel of a car, bounced to the school windows and finally grounded in the classroom. 11 children and the headmaster were killed almost instantly. Even though it was still raining heavily, village people ran toward the school while Betty and Ann drove the pickup vehicle there to help and comfort the surviving pupils and teachers. The pungent smell of lightning still hung in the air. Helpers tried to pile all the bodies of the dead and living into the missionaries vehicle while mothers wailing about the loss of their children also tried to cram them into the pickup. They were all rushed to the hospital . It was too late for those who had died, but Betty and Ann tried to alleviate the severe burns of other children. Even though CPR was administered to the headmaster, it was clear that he also had been killed.
12 lives were taken on Dipalata's dark and saddest day. 11 precious children aged 6 to their early teens died that day. Every house in the village was affected.
Comments
Post a Comment