(Note from Webmaster: Allen read the Chapter on the FAMA Web Site from my grandfather's book telling of his experiences with the Bushmen of the Kalahari. The full book starts out in 1894 when he and six other men left Cape Town to establish Solusi Mission and continues until 1924 when because of a serious illness he was forced to retire. The full book is available on the Web and if any others are interested in it let me know. When Allen Emailed me that he would like to know the rest of the story, I passed on to him the reference to find the book on the Internet.

I am uploading what Allen has written about the work at the Kanye Hospital under the stories section of this web site.

Barry Burton
Email: barryburton@earthlink.net)

We had hoped to make it to Rio Lindo this month. The situation with several close family members here make it necessary for us to now cancel our plans for going. We will miss seeing everyone and know that all will have a very enjoyable time together. We hope that there will be a large group at Rio Lindo. We have been receiving applications all along. These we have passed on to Dorothy Jean Salhany who will be making all the reservations and arrangements for the meetings at Rio Lindo.

Barry and Thelma Burton

Response to Allen Fowler from the Web Master

For any who would like to contribute stories, experiences or anything else to the Web Site, send the material to me by Email or otherwise. You may send it to me as an attachment. My Email address is barryburton@earthlink.net. I will see that this material gets posted to the server. If you would prefer to fax this to me send it to me at 503 907 6479.

If you have any other suggestions to make the site better or more interesting, let me hear from you.

Barry Burton

Dear Barry,

Most interesting chapter. I am so glad you sent it to me. I enjoyed every word of it. Every time I read something about the great missionaries it excites me so much that I would jump in the plane right now and go.

Thank you again and we will keep in touch,

Sebastian

(At this point I sent him a copy of Chapter 19 as part of this message. If you want to read the chapter, click here)

I will check out your web site and get the news there. In 1935 we lived
at Katima Mulilo Mission. I was six at the time. One time I asked my
father to be able to accompany him on one of his itineraries. We went to
Linyanti which was one of David Livingstone's headquarters in his day.
While at Linyanti I got Blackwater Fever and almost died. When you trace
Livingstone's trips you will no doubt go through Linyanti.

Barry.

Dear Barry,

I am so happy that you have replied so quickly. I am impressed of your family connection with the Bushmen. I could not read your article maybe because there is something wrong with my computer.

Here is a little bit of information of what I do: In 1996 I have been accepted by the Southern Africa Union to go as a missionary to the Bushmen tribe in North East Namibia. At that time there were no Bushmen in our church although we had a group of SDA Damara people in Tsumkwe, Namibia. I spent 6 weeks in 1996 and at the end I saw the great blessing of God in baptizing 32 people. Ever since I go there every year and support them materially as well as spiritually. In time I trained two of the new converts and right now we pay them $100 a month to be our lay evangelists.

This year I am taking a large group of people to be able to reach out better and faster, I believe that we do not have too much time left. I would like to give you my website address so you can log on and get a better picture. It is www.tagnet.org/shadowofafrica If you wish you can advertise within your association too.

I am planning quite an interesting expedition for the 2001: I want to take a small team of people to go on the steps of Dr. Livinstone in Southern Africa in an attempt to see what is left of his efforts at the beginning of the 3rd Millenium, almost 150 years after his first expedition. I will start in Johannesburg and make my way up to Namibia and then cross Kalahari through Botswana and end up in Bulawayo. On my way I want to stop at every Bushman village ( not many left) and try and speak to them about God.

During the time of your grandfather there were more Bushmen than they are today and this is what saddens my heart, that our society was the one that pushed them in the desert and today we take even their last piece of ground from under them. I understand that the government of Botswana has discovered Uranium in the Kalahari and this may mean the end of the oldest LIVING race on earth: the Bushmen.

I am glad that I can be included in your group, Barry and I look forward to talk to you again,

Sebastian

Dear Sebastian:

Thank you for your response to the FAMA Web Page. I am happy that you found us. I have added your name to the FAMA list. Our next meeting is supposed to be held sometime during the summer of 2001 and it looks as if it will be at Rio Lindo Academy in Northern California. I have not
heard definite word yet on the location.

Your mission to the Bushmen of the Kalahari was most interesting to me. My grandfather, Elder Isaac Barry Burton was one of seven who in 1894 set out from Cape Town to establish a mission in Rhodesia. The outcome of that was the establishment of Solusi.

At the time my grandfather was just twenty one years of age. He was particularly interested in the Bushmen and made a trip to the Kalahari in what is now Botswana to visit them. He died in 1928 before I was born but before his death, he wrote a manuscript and included in this is his account of going to the Kalahari to visit the Bushmen. I am attaching a pdf or Acrobat file with this chapter from his manuscript for your information.

Many years later, my own father Ithiel Basil Burton worked at Maun and at times would make contact with the Bushmen of that country. One time he made a trip from Maun to Ghanzi and to Namibia. He did see quite a few Bushmen at that time. That was in the years 1945-1947.

You probably saw the story I have on the FAMA web site about Bushmen. If you have any other stories or other interesting things about Africa that we could include in this section I would be happy to put them up. What is there so far is material I myself have generated for the spot.

We would like to have your address and phone number for our address list of FAMA members. Also news about your wife and children.

Possibly you know Brother and Sister Lloyd Bell. We were missionaries in Africa together. They are at Lacombe.

Hope to hear further from you.

Barry Burton

Pastor Sebastian Tirtirau

The site is looking good - Murabeho

Barry Burton