This request was sent to Scotland for the Board to
approve. Mary now decided to start work at once. In January, 1903, with two
boys, Esien and Efiiom, and a girl, Mana, whom she had carefully trained,
she loaded her canoe with food and other supplies and set off for the land
of the cruel cannibals.
They did not know how the people there would treat them, but they trusted
in God to take care of them and help them in their work. Mary found a house
for them.
"I am leaving you here," said Mary to the three natives, "to begin a school
and hold church services for the people of Itu. I must go back to Akpap but
I will come again as soon as I can."
But Mary had to stay at Akpap longer than she expected. At last she was
able to come again to Itu and to visit the school and the church services.
"You have done wonderfully well," she told the three workers. "God has
blessed your work. My heart was filled with joy when I saw so many people,
young and old, at the services. And your school is filled with people who
want to learn book and learn the will of God. Now we must build a church
and a schoolhouse."
Mary began mixing the mud and doing the other work that was necessary for
building a building in Africa. The native workers and the people of Itu
helped her gladly. It did not take long with many willing hands to build a
church and school.
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