“But who will take care of the work at Akpap?” asked Mary.

“Mr. Ovens, the carpenter, who is building the mission house at Akpap, can do the work until we find someone to take your place,” answered the chairman of the committee.

“But what shall I do with my many black children?  I don’t want them to go back to heathen ways of living while I am gone.  I don’t like to ask the other mission workers to take care of them for me.”

“Don’t worry, Mary.  We will find places for them.”

Places were found for all the adopted children except the four black children whom she planned to take along with her.  These were Janie, who was now sixteen years old, Mary was five, Alice three, and Maggie was only eighteen months old.  Now Mary had to find ways of clothing the children.  The rags they wore in the jungle would not do for the trip to Scotland.  Mary took her trouble to the Lord, and He wonderfully answered her prayer.  When she reached Duke Town, she found that a missionary box had just come, and it had just the things she needed.

Mary took her children on board the big ship.  It was the biggest “canoe” that any of the children except Janie had ever seen.

“We’re on our way to bonny Scotland,” said Mary.

#11#

Clouds and Sunshine

“The other missionaries at Calabar,” said Mary, “work as hard, if not harder, than I do.  We need more workers to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for your lost black brothers and sisters.  They have souls just as you do.  Jesus loves them just as He does you.  We must tell them of His love.  I would like to go farther inland to people who have never heard the Gospel and make a home among the cannibals.”

Mary was giving a talk at one of the churches.  As soon as she was well enough to make speeches, many of the churches wanted to hear her.  The people were very much interested in the black children she had adopted and brought with her.  Many of them had never seen black people before.  Mary had some trouble speaking in English.  For many years now she had been speaking almost all the time in the African language.  It was sometimes hard for her to say the right English words, but the Holy Spirit helped her, and the people remembered her talks and gave generously for the work in Africa..

Late in the year 1898 Mary and the black children got on the big “canoe” and sailed back to Africa.  They spent a happy Christmas on the ship.

Once more strong and well, Mary went back to work in Akpap.  She taught the children and grownups.  She healed the sick.  She visited in the bush and in the jungle.  During this time Mary had the joy of seeing six young men become Christians.  These young men she trained and sent to the neighboring villages as Gospel workers.  She had hoped for more helpers, but was grateful that God had given her these.  More and more of the jungle people heard about her.  Bushmen traveled hundreds of miles to see the white Ma who told them about Jesus.