At the time we arrived there were three other missionary families ahead of us in Kimberley. Each had his own work. Max Ward Randall was the mission superintendent. The South African government required at that time that there be one person who was in charge and with whom they would correspond and hold accountable. Lynn Stanley was in charge of preacher training, Bill Rees was in Chinese evangelism. Alvin Nicholson had already moved to the coast some twelve hours drive away where he worked with the Zulu speaking Africans. He was in charge of Building and Evangelism. As the new commer, though the Mills’ had actually arrived on African soil months ahead of the Stanleys and the Nicholsons, they fitted in where ever there was a need and had no official designation or standing in the group.
The Stanleys, though they had four lively sons, graciously made room for another five in their home. Obviously the first urgent matter was to find a house. Kimberley did have houses for sale or to rent, so after a search a small house on the other end of the block from Lynn and Lucille was found, a deposit put down, and Bob and Phyllis became owners of a home at last. The basic house was square with four rooms of equal size, a porch across the front, and another at the back. The back one had been enclosed to make a small kitchen and a bath room. The toilet was still a bucket down the path, but there was hot water. (Of a sort) A small, perhaps two feet tall cylinder stood beside the bathtub. It had double walls and an opening in the center of the tube. Water was fed into the wall cavity from the bottom. You put sticks in the center and lighted them. Soon it would start to “perk” hot water and steam into the tub in very small amounts. As an experienced user, I suggest you never feed the fire while sitting in the cold water, the steam and water that comes from the tube at the top is scalding. Needless to say, a new proper electric water heater, and a septic system, were high on the priority list.
Bob became the second teacher at the minister's training school, and he and Lynn made many trips out to farms, country churches, and villages where there was some sort of often derelict building. All of them had to be replaced as soon as possible, so the African brothers set up and E. and B. fund for Evangelism and Building. Each member was expected to make a small annual contribution toward this necessary work. Donations from America were also received and Lynn put his talent for building to work constructing basic church buildings with iron roofs and soon these were started in many places. They had one room, probably two doors, and steel window frames. His first project was a four room school building. Two rooms were for bunk beds, one was a library for the books, and one was used as a class room. They all opened into a walled courtyard on the side away from the street and they were not interlinked. There was no heat and there were no ceilings so everyone always rushed outside between classes to gather in a sunny spot on Winter days or a shady spot in the Summertime
The routine became classes during the week, with trips out to visit and preach and teach at churches on the the week ends. Kimberley had very hot Summers, and freezing cold Winters, sometimes with snow, yet no one had either air conditioning or central heating. City Africans usually lived in rented cement block homes that the government had built everywhere. These did not have ceilings either, but the kitchen would have a wood or coal cooking stove, and usually the roof was made of sheet asbestos, before it was realized how dangerous that was. Hail storms often left them full if gaping holes as well. The rural workers often used “braziers” metal tins the size of a bucket in which they burned what ever was at hand. Unfortunately with the innovation of really tight houses, many people were killed by carbon monoxide, and of course the townships were always thick with coal smoke in the winter time.
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