“At the end of next month my husband and I hope to start on a long journey to a country where no missionary has been before. We expect to be away many weeks, so you will not hear from me for some little time probably. I shall hope to write and tell you about it on our return. Meanwhile will you pray for us that God may give us favour in the sight of the people and lead us to a place which may become another centre of light in this dark land.”
“May 19th.—There has been quite a smallpox scare in this town. There have been eight cases, all at the same time. A house has been built outside the town to accommodate them. There have been no fresh cases for about ten days now, so we hope it is over; but the people are so foolish. Although they are terribly afraid of it, yet they will not take any precautions, and hide cases if they possibly can. We have had to be very careful with the children in the station, not allowing them to go visiting in the town, and we have stopped inquirers and others coming from other towns, so as not to spread the mischief. Tom actually found the King hiding a boy with it in his house. Of course he sent him at once to the Resident.
“The new chapel is getting on slowly. Tom’s illness has not helped it. Next week, if well, we shall be very busy. Going away for so long and not knowing exactly whither we go is a big job, and we shall need to take a great many things with us.”
“August 4th.—The girls’ school flourishes exceedingly, and now we are getting all the little children, the children of those we taught in years gone by. It is so nice to see the little tots coming in, and they really like coming, and of course will be able to learn so much more than those who have only two or three years to learn in and who in many cases are working hard all day. We have ninety-two girls on the books. If we go away I hope they will send another man and his wife out here. Of course at Zombo we shall not need another lady just yet, as the work will be very gradual there. At first we shall have to gain the confidence of the people and that will take some time.”
In June Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, with some of their boys, made the eventful journey to Zombo, which will be fully described in a later chapter. After notable adventures, they arrived back safely at San Salvador on July 6th, and took up their customary work again. For many months, however, the chapel building was a matter of commanding interest, and for Mr. Lewis a matter of heavy labour and multiplied anxieties. His wife’s letters teem with lively and sympathetic references to his trials. His workmen, imperfectly skilled, need constant supervision. It is passing difficult to induce them to take an interest in doing things well. Their invincible propensity to “jabber” while at work leads them to make mistakes which necessitate the pulling down again of that which they have built up, and all this with the rainy season imminent, making it a matter of moment that the stone-laying should be swiftly done. When it comes to constructing the arches for doors and windows, she fears that Mr. Lewis will have much trouble in teaching his craftsmen, for no one in San Salvador has made an arch before. Yet in spite of all drawbacks, the work goes on.
Meanwhile they await long and anxiously the final consent of the Committee to the Zombo Scheme.
Early in April, 1899, Mrs. Lewis reports with joy that the desired consent has been received, and gives account of the progress of the building.
“The chapel will look fine when it is finished. The roof is nearly on. It is a year to-day, counting by Easter and not by the date, since the stones were laid. By the way, we missionaries, the Grahams, the Phillipses, and ourselves are paying for the pulpit and the baptistery, and building them in memory of those who have gone. We intend to affix a brass plate recording that they are erected in memory of Tom and Minnie Comber, John S. Hartland, A. Cowe, S. Silvey, and Wilkinson. We thought it would be good for the natives not to forget those who have worked and died for them.”
Before the month of April closed an event occurred which plunged the Mission into deepest sorrow. Here follows the account written by Mrs. Lewis and addressed to Mr. Baynes.
“All last week Mrs. Phillips was very unwell, and caused us some anxiety, and on Sunday, the 23rd inst., fever appeared, which continued in spite of all efforts to subdue it. Mrs. Phillips was much worse on Tuesday, and we began to fear for her: from that time until Wednesday afternoon we did everything we could think of, but, although we were able to allay the distressing symptoms, the inward fever remained, and at 1.45 p.m., on April 26th, she passed peacefully away. Mrs. Phillips was conscious to within an hour of her death, a fact for which she was very thankful, and so are we. She was able to speak to us words of faith and hope, and to send loving messages to all the dear ones at home, and to the women and children here. At first she was grieved at the thought of not seeing her little ones again, and at the thought of their childish sorrow when they should learn that mother would come home no more. But even that passed, and she was able to leave them in the care of the Heavenly Father. She had taken such an interest in the building of the new chapel, and the day before she died asked if it was possible for her to go to look at it. On Wednesday, when Mr. Lewis came into the room, she said: ‘Ah! I shall never see the bonny chapel after all!’ She spoke, too, of the work to which we hope to go in Zombo, and said she thought she should see us there, and hoped we should have great blessing, and was so grateful for every little thing done for her, and was brave and unselfish to the last.