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By Narayan Mitra
AFTER a prolonged period of ‘drought’ regarding available physicians, the Interior Health Authority has given
Barriere Health Clinic two new doctors. One is a Christian, from South Africa.
Dr. Shirley van der Marwe joined her new post in April and moved into the
community of 2,000 – along with husband Wayne and one-year-old Caleb.
Prior to the long move to rural B.C., the couple ministered to the bodies as
well as the souls of poor villagers, through the Manguzi Hospital and its
associated African Evangelical Church.
Manguzi is located near Kosi Bay in the northeastern part of the Kwazi-Natal
province of South Africa, close to the Mozambique border. Famous for its ocean
beaches and fishing resorts, the area draws tourists from all over the world.
The hospital was founded by Methodists in 1948 – and run by them, before the state nationalized all private hospitals. It still
maintains a Christian ethos.
Shirley said there is “a lot of freedom for Christian witness at the hospital – which means no abortion is performed. Hospital employees start the day with
chapel service daily.”
Wayne, an ex-policeman, arrived in Kosi Bay as a missionary – and soon had to take on the role of pastoring the church.
Poor villagers, many of them migrants from Mozambique, were cared for through
the clinic, daycare, the feeding centre and the church.
In cooperation with Mission Aviation Fellowship, the hospital’s doctor undertook helicopter trips to reach patients through bush clinics,
where roads do not exist.
“The church is involved in the community,” said Wayne. “Shirley taught English classes. We raised a vegetable garden to give back to the
community. For us, the church functioned from Sunday to Saturday.”
Foundational Bible courses and discipleship were taught faithfully. The goal was
to give the tools to Christians, to help them reach others themselves.
The van der Marwes also had hard times during their eight years in Kosi Bay.
Internal strife was present in the church. Some people were more interested in
what they could get out of church than what they put in.
Besides having no electricity, the missionary couple had no place to go for
spiritual refreshment – no inner circle to lean on, for deeper learning and fellowship.
Shirley also had the challenging task of educating the villagers to resist the
influences of witch doctors and syncretism.
The impoverished villagers were also easy targets of preachers of the prosperity
gospel, coming from as far away as Europe and North America.
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“When we knew for certain that we were leaving Manguzi to emigrate to Canada,” she said, “we offered the church a replacement pastor-teacher. But they decided to run
things for themselves for now, before they pick one from the outside.
“Now that we are in Barriere, we know that the work would go on – and God would provide for the Manguzi church and the hospital communities.”
Wayne and Shirley see the Barriere community through God’s lens, and are sensing its particular needs.
They do not want to start a new Christian ministry, but desire to strengthen the
local church in kingdom-oriented work.
Ever since moving into Barriere, the family has been attending the local Baptist
church.
The Native community in the reserve next door to Barriere is a people group on
their outreach agenda.
The van der Marwes recognize the vast difference in living standards and
lifestyles between Manguzi and Barriere townships. But, they maintain, that’s not going to deter them from serving people from their new home base, with the
same compassion of Christ.
Barriere has warmly welcomed its three new residents with open arms. Once they
own their own home, they plan to use it for small group meetings.
July 2009
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