Emmanuel Mission

The Emmanuel mission was founded in 1910 by H. C Olmstead and J. R Campbell and became the principal station in Basutoland. Murray Kalaka, son of David Kalaka, accompanied, as an interpreter, M. E Emmerson and H. C Olmstead into northern Basutoland to seek site for a new station in the yer before.

Chief Jonathan gave land to the missionaries and soon the work commenced. It became a day school for the natives and even had evening classes specifically for the heardsmen. A P Tarr took charge of the school gladly as he was a native of South African who had been to school in Battle Creek.

By 1919, the mission had grown well enough and had a church membership of over fifty members. Brother F MacDonald led into building other phases of the mission work extending the work to the Orange Free State and establishing roots for the mission work in Basuto land.

Elder Ambrose W Spicer once said of Emmanuel Mission, “” Many a stirring story is told of the experiences of early converts in Basutoland. Here Matsita Was the first to lead the way. When two others had joined, she joyfully said, ‘ Oh, but see how this truth is going! ‘ Sabbath after Sabbath she came to meeting after beatings by an opposing husband. Here lived  Mantea, who had to flee over the border to escape from a drunken husband’s threats of death if she continued going to the mission. She came back under promise that she would be allowedto be a Christian, and won her children to the mission. Here Chief Ledingwana was baptized, a young man of education, son of Chief Jonathan, one of the leading chiefs of Basutoland.”