Chididi Missionary - A Canadian In Africa

I am trying to create a little series that keeps people coming back for more. I have about 50 to 60 Air Letters from 1951 to 1961. They are from a young Canadian man writing home to his parents. He is a Missionary in Nyasaland, but he comes from my neck of the woods, Muskoka Ontario. About half of these letters are hand written and the other typed. He somehow stuck it out in Africa for 10 years, teaching the locals about the Bible as you would expect. The stories here are actually quite funny at times and more interesting than most movies. Don't take anything in North America for granted. ANYTHING. I won't even try to put them in order because they span 10 years and I want to concentrate on the typed ones first. They of course have nice stamps on them too. I call this first installment 'Poor old Timothy' and you will see why. If this seems a little boring at first, it is a guy writing to his parents...

Episode 2 'Giving up the two extra wives'

Episode 3 'Load of Beans'

Episode 4 'Late for the Sacrifice'

Thanks for these posts Casey. Interesting times! Pleased you are conserving and sharing these bits of postal history.

Thanks for the encouragement Wigeon. I know I can't compete with Netflix, but these are fascinating tales from 60 to 70 years ago. I am only getting started. These letters describe the dangers of daily life in what is now Malawi. Political unrest, violence, disease, floods, unbearable heat, wild animals, etc. The castaways on Gilligan's Island had it a lot better. Going from North American life to having to dig your own toilet pit takes dedication.

Do you know what church denomination sent him? I found a collection of letters like this once and was able to donate it to the denominational mission museum of the missionary based in scotland. A really great find. Thanks for sharing

I'm sure I could find that out very quickly by reading more. I know that Missions were first set up in this location back in the 1800s and I guess they never left. The writer was J E Harper, and his wife was Fran. They had several young kids with them too. I'm assuming they would be alive now and in their 60s or 70s. Their roots are right near me, so it's possible that some or all of them are very close by. I have not read all of them or put them in order. It's possible that this ended in personal tragedy, so I need to be careful and discreet. I'm in the mood to read more now.