MOM’S MEMOIRS – IRENE LOUISE (NEE KUCKKAN) MUELLER
(Continued)
 
Mom’s Autobiography – Chapter 16 – In Book, Page 38

Dr. Schweppe’s Death, Legacy and Grave, Nurse burned, Operations (Mom and Dad), Blackwoods, Schneiders, Deb and Dick Confirmed, Riot in Lusaka, Spevaceks, Steph and Satinex, Hair Twisting

A very sad thing had happened to our mission in 1968. Dr. William Schweppe’s soul was carried by the angels to his home in heaven when he was killed in a terrible car crash in the southern province of Zambia while on a mission trip. Usually Leola, his wife, would go along, but this time she stayed behind because of a dental appointment. She couldn’t believe it. She told the police when they called that he was not supposed to be there. It was a shock for all of us. Missionary Theodore Kretzmann who worked with “Bill” out at Sala had to go to identify him. (Ted passed away after he and Hilda returned to the States, but we still to this day correspond with dear Hilda who still lives in the house she and Ted lived in in Rocky Ford, Colorado.) Dick, who was in charge of mission vehicles at that time, went to get the vehicle which was a truck. It pained us to look at it. Our children loved “Uncle Bill” too, and never forgot how he made homemade ice cream for them way out in the bush under a tree near the house where they lived.

When the Schweppes would come into Lusaka to do their shopping, they would come to our house for lunch. I tried to give the missionaries a good lunch, and sometimes would make three different kinds of pies. When I offered Dr. Schweppe the three kinds of pies, he would say “yes”, and he’d also say, “You didn’t have to do that, but I’m glad you did.” That was his way of saying thank you. All of us missed him very much. We know he is in his heavenly home.

We’ll never forget his wonderful advice when confronted with a problem, “Play it by ear”. We do that, and we tell our children, “Take it as it comes”. And, above all, TRUST IN GOD AND ALWAYS PRAY YOUR PRAYERS. They gave their Dad a plaque as a gift which shows a man in his nightshirt and cap (holding a candle) which says, “Give the Lord the night shift.”

(When the Schweppes and Kretzmanns were missionaries together at Mwembezhi, June Witt, a “nursing sister” (nurse) climbed a tree to take a picture of a bush fire. But the high grass fire traveled swiftly, and came to the tree she was in, burning her legs terribly. Dr. Schweppe, who had just had a hernia operation, told her to jump to him. She did, and then they right away put her in cold water, and then took her to the Lusaka Hospital. She had to have many skin grafts).

(When we went to Africa in 2003 because Dick was invited to participate in the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Zambian mission and the 40th anniversary celebration of the Malawian mission, we went to the cemetery to visit Dr. Schweppe’s grave in Lusaka. Dick thought he remembered where it was, but the cemetery was very unkempt. Missionary Daniel Kroll knows where it is, so he took us there. It brought back many fond memories of “Uncle Bill”. Some keepers of the cemetery came when they saw us, and cleaned up his grave. But, alas, the gravestone was in terrible condition. Some of the letters were missing.

When we got back to the States, Dick wrote to Missionary Kroll, and together they asked relatives and friends to contribute toward a new gravestone. When the funds were available, Missionary Kroll had a new gravestone (with engraved letters) placed on the grave. He sent pictures to the people who donated. We are very thankful to God, to Missionary Kroll, and to everyone who donated toward a gravestone honoring a very God-fearing and dedicated missionary).

In June, 1968, Dick had made a mission trip to the Northwest Province. He had been having trouble with his left knee. When he came home, he had to go to the doctor because it wouldn’t bend. The doctor put him in the Lusaka Hospital, and he had an operation on it the next day. The cartilage was removed.  He was in the hospital four or five days. He hasn’t had any serious trouble with it all during these years, although now in 2007 both knees hurt.

I forgot to mention that when we lived in Malawi, I had a hernia operation. When I was wheeled by an African orderly on the long outside verandah VERY FAST to the operating room, I told him to slow down; that I wanted to get there in one piece. When I got to the operating room, the doctor looked down at me, and said, “Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dr. Buchanan. Where is it?” – meaning the hernia. I looked up into the face of the African anesthesiologist. I remember that we were invited for a “curry chop” dinner by some English friends, the Blackwoods, of ours. The man had come to Malawi to set up some government forms. But I was in the hospital. I asked permission to go out of the hospital to the dinner. They gave it to me, and we had a delicious dinner and visit. Can you imagine me “sneaking” into the hospital later? I had told the nurses jokingly to “save my bed”!

(On our way back to the United States for our furlough, we met Mr. J. T. Blackwood, a dapper little Englishman – sporting a bowler hat – in London at the “Changing of the Horse Guard”. He came right across through the horse guard to us before they started the changing. He took us to Westminster Abbey, and Dick was wondering if David Livingstone is buried there – kings, queens, other royalty, and famous people are buried right in the Abbey. Mr. Blackwood said, “he wouldn’t be caught dead here” – he was born in Blantyre, Scotland – well, right there in the floor of the Abbey, it said “David Livingstone”. What a shock for Mr. Blackwood! David Livingstone’s heart is buried in Africa, but the rest of him is in Westminster Abbey. We learn new things every day).

On September 29, 1968, THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF CENTRAL AFRICA dedicated the Publications Building – a blessing from God. “It was (and is) used to develop, produce, and disseminate Christian literature for the mailing program, text books, and instruction manuals for the Lutheran Bible Institute and Seminary, as well as tracts, sermons, Sunday School lessons, record books, etc. for the missionaries and religious workers.” – Quote from the October, 1968, LUTHERAN CHRISTIAN written by Mr. Elmer Schneider. He is the man Dick interviewed in Golden, Colorado, during one of our last furloughs to the States.

We were again blessed when Debbie and Dick(ie) were confirmed in their faith on October 6, 1968. They were confirmed in the English-speaking Lutheran church in Lusaka. Pastor Orlin Wraalstad, who was the missionary who took care of the congregation at that time, confirmed them.

Our son, Dick(ie), was with me when I was driving from our home along the Great East Road. The University of Zambia is also on the Great East Road. In front of our French Peugeot, there was a mob of students from the University walking along the road. They pointed to us and said, “French car, French car!” Something told me to hang back, and so we went on into Lusaka. When we got there, there were people running. Debbie, our oldest daughter, was working at a beauty parlor in town, so we went there to check if she was okay. Thankfully, she was. We found out later that the students had gone to the French Embassy in Lusaka because they were angry with the French for supplying arms to South Africa. Rocks were thrown at the Embassy.

We also found out that the Missionary Kirby and Audrey Spevacek were in Lusaka that day shopping in a store not too far from the Embassy. There were police walking around with machine guns. Thankfully, the Lord preserved Kirby and Audrey. (Sad to say, the Spevaceks were in a bad car accident in Arizona around Christmas last year, 2006. Audrey was called to her home in heaven, and Kirby and one of their daughters, Roxanne, were hurt badly. Please keep them in your prayers)

On Friday, February 21, 1969, an ad appeared in THE TIMES OF ZAMBIA with a picture of our Stephanie smelling a rose. She was five years old when a photographer asked if we could bring her to a certain place at a certain time because he wanted to take her picture. So I bought a pretty yellow dress for her, and he took her picture. It advertised SATINEX toilet paper. The picture is beautiful, and the ad went like this:

SOFTNESS

Softness is a rose petal, a young smooth — and Satinex toilet tissue
Satinex comes in five soft pastel colours to
suit any bathroom. Satinex is made from
strong two-ply tissue. And Satinex has
modern easy-to-tear perforations.
Satinex, the soft one – buy some today!

Stephie did have a little scar under her chin, but it was not noticeable. We put our bicycles in the living room because we did not have garages in Africa, but carports. If we did not put them inside, they may have been stolen. One evening she came running into the living room, fell down, and her chin hit the pedal of one of the bicycles. She had to have stitches. Steph had the habit of twisting the hair on the side of her head around her finger. She loved to sit beside Mommy in the evening and have me read to her. Yes, she, too was old enough to go to school.