Lahore 1956-1958
The arrival in Lahore from the railway station by tonga was a
memorable occasion. Looking at the rather dilapidated building that 36 Ferozopore Road had become Gladys comment was
'You warned me but I never thought it would be as bad as this!' We did a lot for that old place over those years but it was
difficult to really improve the place. What it really needed was to knock it down and begin anew a process still waiting even
in 1998! Dominated by the masculine the front room held a precious reference library belonging to the Evangelical Library.
The resource so seldom utilized that I finally was able to get it housed in Murree where there was hope that someone might
take advantage of it.
That first night of arrival in Lahore I was busy moving books into the side room while Gladys measured
up windows and planned curtains for a front sitting room! So began two and a half eventful years in Lahore. The Publishing
House was in some turmoil when finally
resulted in Ken
Bejon leaving and the responsibility falling on his Deputy Mr Paul and myself. Somehow we held the thing together, handed it
on to Paul Marsh who then passed it on to Heinricht Becht which brought stability and purpose into an otherwise faulting
organization. During this period another printing press was imported from England, the brain child of Ken Bejon, but as he
did not stay to see it installed and working never a real success. Heinricht and the Board finally sold off the Press and
concentrated on the Publishing House with generous subsidy from the German Assemblies. Until this was done the place was in
a continual tumult. But that is another history.
So began early married life. I was back in a somewhat familiar environment but for Gladys a much greater
challenge. Pakistan was Muslim nothing like as friendly to women as India and particularly South India had been. Here there
were no relatives or even many denominational or ethnically related people. I was a rather raw New Zealander
as well as
being unaccustomed to dealing with women. Gladys survived it all and in time a baby arrived. Unbeknown to us this was going
to develop into a major trauma as the baby in the end was still born. Alive a few hours before birth but due in part of what
today would have been a situation met with a caesarian section the baby arrived in this world perfect but not alive.
Collecting the baby from the hospital, being unable to show it to Gladys, finding ways of having it decently buried are all
etched into memory.
Thankfully this tragic happening with all its significance to Gladys, a woman of 34 very anxious to have
a family, was overtaken with the beginnings of another pregnancy in the early part of 1958.
The decision had been made to return to New Zealand for leave where the baby would be born. We were by no
means free of the challenge of trauma for having overcome the marriage challenge another had emerged relative to the group of
Christians that we had associated with. In the mind of the sending Brethren in New Zealand these were not really acceptable.
In contrast to the more pure form of 'Brethrenism' espoused by the Assemblies in New Zealand that practiced here in Pakistan
was regarded as aberrant hence any person sent by the Auckland Church should find a way to return to the more straight and
narrow path. Involved as we were in Pakistan it all sounded so stupid and irrelevant.
The chosen mode of transport was to take a ship from Colombo the same P and O line that I had come out on
in 1953. On the way we would visit many places. In retrospect it was one of those wild things to do. Going down through India
by train finally in Dohnavur in South India the strain on Gladys began to show up and signs of edema began to exhibit
themselves. The doctor said Gladys must rest or there was a threat to her life. A haven was found in Colombo with some
missionaries who were willing to have us stay the 3 weeks before the arrival of the boat. Putting together what resources we
had the plane took us from Trichannopoli to Colombo and there was stayed, Gladys rested up and was soon back to her normal
self.
Auckland New Zealand 1958-1959
The calendar filled up with events. The first major one being the birth of what proved to be -twins. The
Doctor upset Gladys by saying there were too many arms and legs and so it proved to be but instead of a monster they were
twins! He promptly ordered Gladys to bed only to find that the date slipped by and after three weeks he was forced to induce
the babies. Nothing really unusual as the earlier one in Lahore had this problem as did Yvonne in Calcutta in 1963.
Given the system of the Assemblies there was no cash flow without taking meetings which kept me on the
treadmill of going around the Assemblies and sharing what the work was all about. Gladys was given royal treatment by the
NZ hospital authorities who intrigued by her personality and the twins allowed her to stay 3 week while she learned how to
breast feed the two of them. Six weeks after they were born the traveling life style was resumed with the two of them in
'carry cots' being bundled around the isles. One classic incident occurred in Napier where the old lady who met us was unable
to carry them so we left one on the Railway Station while setting out with the other for the waiting car. On return there was
an interested group of onlookers aghast at this 'abandoned' baby sitting in the platform. The first of many adventures
spanning the next coming 15 months of continuous travel.
One major event over. This was a normal natural event in its own way. The next one was to prove to be even more decisive.
Latent in the questions raised by the denomination was the 'Pentectostal' question which had never been resolved. In the
providence of God it was resolved but not in that particular format. I found myself uneasy with the prospect of the future
situation. I could not see anything else other than returning to where we had been in Lahore working along with the Believers
there. But the ecclesiological format of their worship patterns did not conform to the prescribed shibboleths of that
period. In the end I decided to raise the question while there in Auckland rather than find myself in a difficult situation
some years or months up the road in Lahore. The result was an impasse. I was not heretical enough to be denounced or
disciplined but was embarrassing the group by holding on to this viewpoint. The final result was a resignation from the
denominational mission. A big step at that time and one that concerned my Father very much. The result was a difficult period
which ran through from 1958 until emerging later in Kabul in 1968 with BMMF or what is now called Interserve. Short term it
was very difficult but long term a great blessing. Financially it did not bite for sometime but by 1965 we were out of any
real cash flow and had to pack it in for a period. Unbeknown to us at that time we had forestalled what turned out to be the
biggest witch hunt the Assemblies had conducted for a long time. The Charismatic emphasis hit not soon afterwards and most of
my friends were caught in this deluge. Because we had left on another question we were spared what could otherwise have been
a difficult and unpleasant experience.
The experience also projected me out of the small circle of the Brethren in New Zealand to a much wider and
enriching interdenominational experience. Not only free from denominational straight jackets but indirectly contributing to
moving on to Canada as base with all the wider implications that this had brought.
This was all up ahead. In the immediate we found ourselves without clear guidelines on who we belonged with or to. Plans
in any case were underway to move on from New Zealand to Canada. With cash in hand we ventured forth and found ourselves flying
from Auckland to Nandi in Fiji then on to Honolulu in Hawaii. By some quirk of the airlines we missed out connections and so
found ourselves in that interesting town for a week. A friend of Gladys was a missionary there and with them we stayed for
this period. Gladys sensed something was not quite right. In the end she confronted Kirkpatrick and it came out that yes there
had been some indiscretions some years ago. All had been put right he felt but the spirit was still there Gladys was sure. A
sign of the kind of confrontations that Gladys was known for. Those who were helped by them loved her but others found such
events very threatening and unwelcome.
Canada/USA 1959
Eldon and Honora. Gladys sister and brother in law had been alerted about our arrival. Eldon was
commissioned to purchase a car which we would drive across the Continent. His choice a 1965 Chevrolet valued at $500. In
Toronto they came and bought it back from us. For some reason it has special meaning for Eldon as the car sits preserved in
his garage to this day.
A long saga only taking up most of that year full of events and happenings as we sought to find links that
would sustain us through into the future. None of them matured. The nearest possibility was a stay at the World Wide
Evangelization HQ in Fort Washington near Philadelphia. Gladys was more open than I was but somehow this did not fit and we
moved on. At the other end of the Continent in New York we found ourselves with about the same amount of cash in hand that we
had arrived with. The many meetings and contacts had paid the bills but done not much more. Kind friends the Olsons looked
after us in Orange New Jersey finally putting us on to a boat from New York to Liverpool.
British Isles Late 1959
Sitting in a cold waiting room in gloomy Liverpool we waited for the Irish packet to take us to Belfast. There Uncle Jack
met us on the docks to begin a tour of the Irish relatives. They too did not quite know what to do with us or how to accept
us. We did not conform to their thinking or patterns yet we were some form of Christian workers! The main result of this Irish
tour was to purchase a 15 foot trailer at Lisburn in which we travelled to Pakistan. But that is another story!
The Landrover & Trailer
Just where it all came from is shrouded in the mists of history now. But somehow this idea was there to travel overland to
Pakistan investing our limited capital to cover the journey and then to have a vehicle at the other end for usage there.
Howard was a great resource person. For now we met up with him again. He was in London at Golders Green boarding and studying
for his medical exams. In the period since leaving Pakistan in 1954 he had gained his British A levels then gone on to medical
college. A remarkable achievement. Howard was a great accomplice for all these kinds of ideas. With his help we purchased a
used diesel engine Landrover in Watford outside of London. Got together the necessary visas and the all important customs
carnet for overland travel. In those far off days quite an events and adventure with little information or help.
The classic statement came from June Kennedy who handing me a packet of then rare paper diapers said, 'Colin, where in the
world did you get the idea that it was God's will go embark on this wild adventure'. My reply being, I conceived it
possible, You have thought there are only two ways to get to Pakistan either to fly or to go by boat. I have realized you
can also drive."
Christmas Dinner we had at Howard's digs with the host marching around holding up the Christmas pudding all alight with
brandy!
New Years day we were on the way to Dover and across to Ostend in Belgium headed for the home in Ulm of
Heinricht Becht who was home on leave from Pakistan. The first indication of real problems to come now loomed as I had no
experience of winter driving. Neither did Gladys as she has not owned cars even though she had a lot of experience in winter
snows. The first mishap was to skid in the snow and have to be pulled out by a kind lorry driver after that I seemed to wise
up did not have that trouble, The next was that the coupling on the trailer broke. The Germans in Reidlingen soon had this
fixed by welding passing all kinds of remarks about the poor British standards. In reality the trailer was light and not
really built to take this kind of bashing as we were to find later in Iran. But for the moment all was well and we proceeded
on without to much incident.
Heinricht gave us some contacts in Austria at Salzburg then in Yugoslavia at Graz but after that it was into the unknown! We proceeded
without undue incident down through Yugoslavia and then into Bulgaria emerging at Istanbul. The winter was now well set in and it was in inland Turkey that the
problems emerged. It was not possible to go straight through the country as the passes were too difficult. It was necessary to take a detour around the Caspian
Coast by going through to Trabzon then coming back through to Erzerum. The journey proved to be quite challenging not mechanically as the Land rover went well
once we solved the problem of anti freeze. The engine overheated and then later on in Pakistan it emerged that the cylinder head had minute cracks in it but this
was all in the future.
Events moved to a climax when we were unable to find parking to stay the night and were forced to move on. The Landrover was fitted for driving
on the left as in Britain but these roads were on right. I crept along the side of the road but did not have lights on the trailer at the top which indicated that there was a
trailer there. This resulted in a passing truck giving the trailer a glancing blow which tore a piece out of it but mercifully avoided any contact with the Landrover. This
was in Trabizon or coming into that town. The Police were helpful and local people took Gladys and the twins into their custody looking after them and feeding them.
I patched up the trailer and we proceeded on into Erzurum then to Iran. Once in Iran it was good bye to the snow and that trauma was over.
The other challenge on that high plateau was finding enough water for washing of diapers as well as cooking. There was not much running water
and melting snow yielded little volume. We lived on eggs and bread chiefly. Getting milk for the children was also a challenge. Just living took up a lot of time so that
progress was not very rapid!
Iran proved another problem of blowing out tyres on the trailer and then cracking the light metal frame chassis. So many departures looking for
tyres and then welding up the chassis. In the end we stayed in Tehran to get new tyres. I had to send to New Zealand for money. Eventually got through to Zahedan
and then the border at Nishki. It was a miracle like the widows cruse of oil as the money eked out somehow until we filled up the last tank full in Zahedan and arrived
across the border. I had to borrow money off the police and telegraph Lahore for some more money to get to Quetta.
In Quetta the question of settling with the Customs the duty to be paid on the Land Rover and then the trailer. This all took a lot of time. We were
there guests of Ronnie Holland and his wife remarkable people who were good to get to know.
Early Days in Pakistan 1960
As is common with happenings in this part of the world settling the Custom's duties was an arduous task. Hidden behind every encounter is always the prospect
of gaining some money out of the happening. Later on some years on stopping over in Nokkundi the border town on the way to Zahedan in Iran the comment was
made by one of the Customs Officers. 'My wife lives in Karachi and she thinks that I am running a printing press here. She is always asking for more money'. He
indicated that it was possible to get anything through this border post if you paid enough money. He has fixed prices for things like Mercedes Benz cars!
Progress on the Land Rover was not too much problem. It came in under a lower customs duty of around 25% because it was a utility vehicle rather
than a passenger sedan. The trailer proved much more difficult as they did not understand this category. First we had to prove that there was no motor involved. This
meant pictures and discussions. In the end we had to go to Karachi to the Head Office to seek to get all these things clarified.
Time was going by and we were not able to stay as guests for much longer. On gaining clearance for the Land Rover it was decided to take Gladys
and the two youngsters on to Abbottabad where some missionary friends had a larger house and accommodation. Arriving there I found a good companion in a
young Australian in WEC. He enjoyed adventure and so teamed up with me to return to Karachi. Pick up a shipment from New Zealand of goods and then go on to
Quetta clear the trailer and bring it back to Lahore. All went along as expected the Karachi office was contacted and clearance gained for the trailer as a non engined
vehicle and so lower tax rating.
A bizarre event was the trailer catching fire within 50 miles of Lahore. At the time it all seemed very mysterious. We looked in the rear vision mirrors
and what seemed to be a cloud of dust was around the trailer. On stopping we were able to quickly de-couple the trailer as the dust was smoke from a fire. There was
no water or other means around so we watched helplessly by while the trailer burnt to the ground. The fire was greatly assisted by tins of cooking oil which we had
shipped from NZ this being a high priced and scarce commodity in those days.
In retrospect the probable cause of the fire could have been some welding which we had done to reinforce the troubled chassis. This time it was
the chassis that cracked rather than the springs which were holding well. The welding may not have totally cooled and moving along gradually fanned the red parts
into flame.
Given the dynamics of today where things are bought and used until their utility ends then easily discarded the trailer had done its job in getting us
from the UK to Pakistan. Just what we would have done with it in Pakistan is questionable. One possible use could have been to have sited it in Murree or some such
location and used it as a holiday home. But in other ways it was a simple method of disposal as we have no real use for the trailer once it had brought us to Pakistan.
Interestingly when I contacted Gladys from Lahore she was much relieved as she had that sense of foreboding that something had gone wrong. In
the end the loss of material goods was a relief as she had some sense that it might have been loss of life.
So ended this chapter of travelling overland. One of the wildest adventures that I have become involved in. The Lord was good to us. We were not
preserved from every possible happening but the problems and accidents were manageable. There was no serious loss of life. We had little money but never totally
ran out. It was to be a forerunner of the next 2.5-6 years when we entered into a phase of being real faith missionaries dependent on the next check that arrived and
continually trusting the Lord for the our very sustenance.
My Dad was to be the great bulwark and steadfast help over this period. He faithfully canvassed the constituency and himself dedicated his own
tithes to our maintenance. The Lord has his own ways of providing but there is no doubt that Dad was the human source of much of our provision over this challenging
and difficult period financially. An experience which has made me never want to be really poor again!
Lahore 1960-Late 1962 We had returned to a situation which proved to be stacked against us. The MIK openings had folded. Due in part to
ambitions on the part of the Chairman who wanted to leave Abbottabad and come to Lahore I was squeezed out of the action. They no longer wanted my contribution
for a number of valid reasons from their point of view.
The next 2.5 years were to prove very challenging.
We had little money and two active youngsters to look after. I had no real significant ministry contribution as the real opportunities that I needed did not come together
until the end of the period.
We struggled to find outlets but none of them really prospered. I was not a Church Planter or one able to initiate a ministry on my own particularly
when it was related to evangelism and subsequent building up of the Church. Visiting around did not prosper all that much either. Gladys was also unable to make
much impact or dent in her contacts.
In the end a door opened through the intervention of old friend Dennis Clark. He visited with us and suggested that we consider going to Calcutta
where he had heard that the Evangelical Literature Depot needed someone to fill in for the furlough leave of its present Director. I went down to Calcutta was interviewed
and accepted. It then took 5 months of anxious waiting to secure a visa for India but finally it came through and we were on our way down to a new situation which was
to prove to be the turning point of our fortunes in this period.
