Our Fearful Experience

When Deb was about nine months old she became so ill that we took her to Livingstone to Dr. DeKok, who diagnosed bronchitis and prescribed an antibiotic, Chloromycetin, and we took her  home. A few days later we realized that she was deathly sick We phoned DeKok and he told us to bring her to him in Livingstone immediately. We left almost straight away and met Dr. DeKok at the huspital. He immediately diagnosed pneumonia and admitted her to the hospital. They gave her a cot on the hospital veranda which was enclosed with mosquito netting. I was concerned about her being out there but he assured me she needed all the fresh air she could get. He told us she had a very rare allergy to the medicine, and started her on another antibiotic  to which she reacted very positively. We were not allowed to be with her  at night, so we spent our nights at Sinde Mission, an orphanage run by a Christian family, the Brittells. Meanwhile Deb reacted very positively to the new treatment and we were able to take her home in a few days. But we had prayed all the way to the hospital and even discussed how we would deal with it if she were taken from us.  THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER!
Shortly after the drama she cut her bottom teeth, and the top ones were ready to come any time We could   already see the little white lines. She was already pulling herself up to standing position whenever she had the opportunity. We had a  small coffee table in the living room and she pulled herself up to stand there, but somehow she lost her balance and cut her lip on the tabletop. After the tears were dried and she was calm again she continued on her merry way. The next morning when we inspected her mouth, there were two more beautiful little teeth, with absolutely no more problems from her little mishap.

Our Mission Experience

When Deb was about seven months old we decided to go and visit Brother and Sister Will Short, who were visiting from Namwianga Mission, in Northern Rhodesia. They were in Bulawayo visiting their daughter Beth and her husband Henry Ewing and their family who were working with our Queens Park Congregation.  Mel and I were interested in trying out as being missionaries. He assured us that they would very much appreciate our working there. He informed us that there was even a small vacant house, which was already furnished with all the necessary items. It was, in fact, the same house Rona had when she worked there before she left to go to ACC. We were thrilled and started making arrangements immediately. Mel had to work his notice with the Railways, and then we were on our way in our little Ford car. After an uneventful drive to our destination we settled into our new home. The house was small comprised of a small living room, a small bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom.  Our toilet was about a hundred yards from the house and was the usual pit type, surrounded by a seven-foot wall and an entry hidden by an "L" shaped wall. The seat was wooden with a hole carved out of the middle. On each side of the seat was a small space—about a foot wide—A rather convenient place for a snake to curl up in for a nap. (More about that later)
   Mel taught a Bible class two or three days a week, and the rest of his time was spent in the print-shop, Bro. Short ran this to print information about the missions for sending out to interested people or churches elsewhere, and also a periodical called Rays of Light. Since we were not receiving much pay Mel would reserve our petrol (gasoline) for long distances, and rode his bicycle to and from the print-shop which was about a mile from our house. In the house next door to us lived a young Canadian  couple. Now for the "Snake" story. I was in the toilet when I glanced down to the little space beside the toilet-seat, and there was a small snake. Without even finishing what I was doing I fled pulling my pants up as I ran, and trickling all the way. Mel was at the print shop so I ran next door to ask Alan Bell to go and kill it for me. Edna, his wife stood, hands on her hips, asked rather abruptly, "And what is wrong with Your husband?" I said, "He is at the printshop with his bike and would not have time to get here quickly enough." Anyway, Alan killed it and put it in a bottle of spirits and it (the bottle) stood in our kitchen for a while. The snake turned out to be a very mildly venomous snake. The upshot of this was that it became the joke of the week, especially the part about my trickling all the way home.

Debbie's development

Let me digress a little. When Deb was just six weeks old I gave her the first sharp slap on her sweet little thigh,  then when she cried I cried with her and hugged her until we both settled down. How could i have done such a  thing to my precious little darling. Well, let me explain, (just remember I had never been a mommy before), for several days before this for some unknown reason, at  4:30, she would start to cry, and this would continue non-stop, until 6:00. Nothing I did seemed to work and I became more and more frustrated and confused, until my patience snapped and she received a sharp slap. The strange thing is -- She did not do it gain!!! It was about this time that I decided to change her formula and went to a more well-known brand. I have wondered if she was having colic attacks all those days. Let me assure you I NEVER again impulsively slapped her -- well not until she was old enough to know she was being spanked because she was doing something naughty.