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ST. KITTS,  W I  –  1950
Extract from letter of July 2, 1950

Being here for a few days on business we have taken the opportunity to try and contact certain believers here and have been repaid particularly in discovering an old soul by name Mrs. Anne Buntin, who was blessed through Mr. E. E. Nichols' preaching here in 1895.

• She was 100 years old last October and still appears to be fairly strong and healthy and still gets to the meeting here with the Kelly brethren with whom she gathers.

• She tells us she well remembers the visit of Mr. John Moody and Mr. E. E. Nichols and attended the preachings in the tent when it was first of all pitched on McKnight's pasture and afterwards on the ground of the Park.

• But she got blessing when Mr. Nichols was preaching one Lord's Day afternoon under a large tree near to the Scotch House.

• She was passing along with another young woman and they stopped to listen and found that he was speaking on the prodigal son. The word went home to her and she was soundly converted.

• She states that she got that which she had been feeling after while in system where there was the incessant crying after these things but attaining nothing.

• Her memory at this age serves her in a remarkable way for she even remembers the names of certain others who got blessing at the same time.

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ARGENTINA  –  1954 - 1960
The following letter – Rosario, Argentina, February 17, 1960 – and the 1954 and 1960 notes were widely circulated at the time.

Mr. I. Roy Devenish,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beloved Brother,
… I now enclose a copy of some notes written in 1954 with supplementary notes to bring the information up to date, which I trust will be of interest.

… As Editor of the magazine Palabras de Verdad [Words of Truth] I have just obtained a reduced rate of postage, after petitioning the authorities. The translation, correcting of proofs, distribution and dispatching of this magazine is another part of my duties.

• There are three subscribers in Canada, some 45 in U.S.A. Would there were more, for the small quantity printed, 200 Nos, makes the cost heavy; moreover some 50 Nos are sent free to Spain, where brethren are in poorer circumstances than we are.

… In 1953 I had the privilege of being able to visit Europe, the first and only time I have been abroad – we don't count Montevideo 'abroad' as it is only across the river from Buenos Aires – having been born in this country in 1889.

• … It was in Manchester, July 1953, I first met Mr. McCallum, and Mr. Gardiner in London at the special meetings.

• I was able to visit most of the small gatherings in Spain and Italy, and would dearly love to see them all again.

• The leading brothers in Tarassa, Spain, Pedro and Salvador Montell, and two sisters of theirs were converted at the open-air gospel preaching in Rosario in 1916.

• In Italy, I had barely arrived at Novi Ligure, when they hurried me off to Castellamare di Stabia – to serve as interpreter for Mr. E. J. Hemmings!!!

Well, dear brother, I am afraid you will be getting bored with so much personal information, so will now close.

With much love in the Lord to you all.
Affectionately yours in Him, —

Argentina – 1954

So many dear brethren abroad have expressed their interest in the saints in this country, and their desire to know more regarding them, that I venture to give the following general information and personal impressions,

• trusting that a clearer knowledge of our situation will help to stir up still wider interest and strengthen the bonds that unite us, and that those who pray for us may do so not only with the spirit but with the understanding.

• How much we need the prayers of the saints those brothers and sisters who have had an opportunity of paying us a visit will realize perhaps even better than the generality of ourselves here.

There are seven meetings in Argentina but owing to the large distances between them, the relatively poor facilities for travelling by either plane, train or omnibus – very few brothers own motor-cars in this country – and other reasons,

• the intercourse between localities is very much less than one would like to see.

• However, soon after Mr. Joseph Smith first visited us in 1927, we commenced having annual general meetings at which the majority, if not all, the different localities have been represented.

• With the exception of a couple of cases when they were taken by Mr. Smith in hired halls in Buenos Aires, and one in Buenos Aires and another in Cordoba taken by Mr. Harland Hardwick also in halls hired for the occasion,
  • these annual meetings, extending over three days at Easter, have always been held in Rosario.

At Easter we usually have a visiting brother – 1953 was an exception – and he generally visits all the localities in this country, and that of Montevideo in Uruguay, besides taking the meetings in Rosario.

• An interpreter is required for any brother not knowing Spanish and it has been my great privilege to serve in this capacity for a number of years.

• Except at Acebal, Bahia Blanca and Cordoba, there are, fortunately quite a number of brothers and sisters who have a good knowledge of English and Spanish and it is quite usual for one or more of these to go to the localities mentioned, with the visitor and his interpreter.

• Besides serving as a check on the interpretation, the part taken by such brothers is of valuable assistance in the (in this respect) poorer localities, and also helps to give what is ministered in them greater diffusion.

• However, outside the meetings, the visitor is thus not entirely at the mercy of his servant!

Besides Mr. Smith (who came often, learned the language to a great extent and on one occasion hired a house, staying here a whole year with his wife), we have had

• Mr. Harland Hardwick (4 times),
• Mr George Gibbs of Capetown (twice),
• Mr. James A. Petersen of U.S.A.,
• Mr. Francis Willy of Sydney, Australia,
• Mr. George Ferguson,
• Mr. R. S. Woodcock,
• Mr. E. J. Hemmings and
• Mr. H. D. Thomas,
  all from England, for these annual meetings.

We have also had, at different times, shorter visits from such brothers as

• Captain N. C. Gudmanssen [?],
• Dr. Andrews,
• Mr. [? Allen] McDonald, [New York]
• Mr. Cox
  (all of whom I have been privileged to serve in interpretation) and others.

Mr. Angus C. Clapham of Stockport paid us a visit in September 1952 and is expected again in our Springtime this year, D.V. He speaks Spanish.

A few sisters have also visited us and their visit has been much appreciated by all:

• Mrs. Joseph Smith,
• Mrs. Geo. Ferguson,
• Mrs. Geo. Gibbs and
• Mrs. Stanley Woodcock [? London] are particularly in mind.

This year we have had Mr. H. D. Thomas of London with us and, although his original programme had to be cut down by almost three weeks owing to pressing invitations to serve elsewhere, every possible advantage has been taken of his presence amongst us.

• Mr. Thomas arrived in Buenos Aires late on Friday April 2nd and left on the morning of Wednesday May 5th.

• Commencing with Fellowship meetings the day after his arrival and ending with an address on the eve of his departure, it was my privilege to serve him as inter-preter on exactly fifty occasions during his short visit.

Buenos Aires

Over 30 in fellowship. There have been many ups and downs within my recollection, but the brethren are maintained through grace,

• and latterly several young people have taken up their responsibility, so one would conclude it is the Lord's mind to have a continuance of the testimony in this large city.

• Most of the brethren live at a distance from the room and some have difficulty in attending week-night meetings regularly, but one brother and his family live quite close by and his house is a sure port for all callers at Buenos Aires, whether from inland or abroad.

Don Bosco

Don Bosco is some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside the capital, but is included in the area of Greater Buenos Area. 11 breaking bread.

• Exercises are carried jointly and fellowship meetings, when arranged, are held at the house of a brother and sister for greater convenience.

• As a rule very few attend from other localities, often only a few from Rosario; it was therefore an agreeable surprise to find every locality in the country represented at the Fellowship meetings which the writer served at on January 23rd this year.

Bahia Blanca

About 680 kms (425 miles) south of Buenos Aires. 10 breaking bread.

• A flourishing meeting many years ago, it has been gradually dwindling, so we were much encouraged by a young brother breaking bread for the first time on our visit;

• Mr. Thomas gave thanks "for a new hand to partake" and expressed a hope that "a new voice to utter praise will soon be heard". Mr. & Mrs. — of Don Bosco were with us on this occasion.

• Brethren have been in the greatest isolation for a number of years, but one brother particularly is now in much more constant contact with Buenos Aires and Don Bosco – the nearest meetings.

• For some time they had Reading and Prayer combined on Lord's Day afternoon; no Gospel and no week-night meetings, but my son, serving as a conscript in the Navy close by and attending meetings there, says they are about to start the preaching of the Gospel again now.

Rosario

Second largest city in the country, up-river, some 300 kms (188 miles) north of Buenos Aires, accessible by boat, rail and road.

• Rosario is numerically the largest meeting in the country. There are two rooms with 24 and 36 respectively breaking bread.

• Fellowship meetings and the Easter meetings are now all held in the Alberdi room, which is in a northern suburb.

• Acebal being near, a good number usually come from there, and although not as many as in past years, some still come from all other localities for Easter, but only from Acebal, Buenos Aires and Don Bosco for Fellowship meetings.

• This year there were about 160, 180 and 150 present on Thursday, Friday and Saturday quite a good attendance for us.

• Conditions in general were good, the weather – which can be very disquieting at this time of the year – was good, the subjects presented for consideration were very good, and it is hoped that as they are assimilated much spiritual gain will result, for mutual profit in this country.

Mr. Thomas was with us in 1948 and again in 1949, and the absence of many who left us in 1951 caused him – and some of us – much grief;

• he entered fully into local exercises and this will give his ministry at this time particular value.

• We have had fives cases of reception this year, four of them – two boys and two girls – being 13, 14, 14, and 18 years of age.

Acebal

This is a typical Argentine rural town; 40 kms (25 miles) south-west of Rosario. 25 breaking bread.

• Most of the brethren there were tillers of the soil, with large families, but several are now giving up that occupation, especially the rising generation, preferring to seek employment or to start some small business in the town; a few have moved to Rosario. They are nearly all of Italian origin.

• A definite movement among the young was characteristic of Acebal and there is now a good company of old and young going on happily together.

• Many who intended to come to Rosario on Lord's Day 18/4 were prevented by rain, but the [?] roads being passable by Tuesday Mr. Thomas was asked to give a Gospel address there, which he did, returning to Rosario in time to give an address in the city the same evening.

Tafi Viejo

Tafi Viejo is 18 kms north of At , 984 kms – 415 miles – from Rosario, in a hilly semi-tropical district, Tafi Viejo is mainly noted for its large Railway Workshops and Stores, to which several brothers were transferred on the taking over of the British-owned Railways by the Argentine government, this giving origin to the meeting there. 16 breaking bread.

• A brother from Sweden and another from Spain, with their families form the major part of this gathering. We went by train, direct from Rosario, and spent three days there.

Cordoba

Cordoba is 562 kms – 351 miles – south of Tafi Viejo, 422 kms – 263 miles – north-west of Rosario, 724 kms – 453 miles – from Buenos Aires; Cordoba, also a Railway centre, was at one time a much larger meeting; 18 now breaking bread there.

• Set in beautiful hills, which makes it a very popular tourist centre, Cordoba is a stronghold of Roman Catholicism.

• Here also the brethren were rather disappointed at not having Mr. Thomas over a week-end, but two readings and two addresses were thoroughly enjoyed.

• One result of the ministry appears to be an exercise to have Fellowship meetings in Cordoba soon.

• In the past these have been limited to Buenos Aires and Rosario and, even allowing for the difficulties of distance and means of travelling, we in Rosario have felt that Cordoba was not entirely in sympathy with us, so that any move in that direction is encouraging as indicating a removal of moral distance.

The localities are here described in the order in which they were visited on this occasion with the exception of the 80 kms – 50 miles – Rosario to Acebal and back, twice travelled by car, the journey of nearly 4,000 kms – 2,500 miles – in all was, through mercy, safely covered by railway.

• Many inconveniences were suffered in travelling, but the hearty reception and the hospitality of the brethren everywhere more than made amends.

There is undoubtedly a desire generally to go on with the testimony, to learn more of the truth and to take every advantage of current ministry;

• but the great need of the moment appears to me to be a more regular publication of ministry and standard works in Spanish.

• There is a small monthly magazine for children which is encouraging them to Search the Scriptures; we are also much indebted to Mr. Mark Lemon of Sevenoaks [England] for his Ecos[?] Evangelicos;

• the Italians among us obtain good food from Il Dispensatore published by Mr. S. Rosara of Novi Ligure, Italy.

• But several, the writer among them, are seriously exercised as to the possibility of putting into circulation, in the Spanish language, for the saints in Argentina, in Uruguay and Spain, something of a more advanced nature than we have at present, to supply a greatly felt want.

• Current ministry is occasionally translated, mimeographed and circulated but, as already stated, the need is felt of good solid writings being put into Spanish – and these would merit being printed, not mimeographed, if properly and correctly translated.

Mention of Uruguay brings Montevideo to mind, which, although in another country, is geographically nearer Buenos Aires than any meeting in Argentina except Don Bosco.

• Until 1951 we were almost in constant contact with them, especially with Mr. and Mrs. —, but since that year it has been impossible to exchange visits.

• There is one other meeting in South America, at Medellin in Columbia, but in many respects they are nearer to the United States than Argentina. Mr. — from there, with his wife and daughter, paid us a short visit in 1952.

Argentina – 1960

Over five years have passed since Argentina 1954 was written. The geographical situation is, of course, the same, but a new meeting room has been opened at

Temperley

A town due south of Buenos Aires, as Don Bosco is south-east, and a little further distance than Don Bosco.

• Several families of believers living in Temperley or surrounding district found it difficult and inconvenient to attend the meetings in Buenos Aires, so after much exercise and by mutual agreement they decided to 'hive off', although
  • as included in the Greater Buenos Aires they work jointly with Don Bosco and Buenos Aires in all matters of care and administration, and also 'city readings' – on Wednesdays at Tacuari [?] 1360, Buenos Aires.

• The room was opened in April 1958, Mr. E. J. Hemmings being present, and we were 20 at the breaking of bread, with seven young people or children as 'spectators'.

There is not much increase in the meetings, in general; the majority of the solely Latin element localities remain much the same.

• Buenos Aires, Rosario and Acebal have a more marked movement, but though there [are] additions there are also withdrawals, some being very sad cases.

• But I believe there is growth, and though we are slow to take on exercises which, especially in English-speaking countries, have been received and accepted long ago, there is with us – except in some individual cases – rather more of tardiness than opposition.

In general, the young people are coming forward, with many better advantages than the passing generation had; there is more interest in getting together – Rosario has a fairly extensive calendar and brethren from here move about a good deal in regard to other localities.

• Bahia Blanca, for instance, are better regulated than they were and not only have an occasional Fellowship meeting, but recently suggested the possibility of a three-day meeting being held there.

• Tafi Viejo invited me for their first Fellowship meeting in July last year, and had another in November with a brother from Buenos Aires serving.

Visitors after 1954

After 1954 we have had the following beloved brothers visiting this country:

• 1955: Mr. C. M. Menzies, of Cape Town; a longer stay than usual – 9 full weeks – all localities with a total of 70 distinct meetings at which translation was necessary, apart from private conversations in the homes of the saints, etc.

• 1956: Mr. Jacques LePanse, of Montreal. Although he speaks Spanish, he insisted on being accompanied in going around. All localities visited.

• 1957: Mr. C. E. Joyce, of Sydney. His ministry caused a stir as to 'associations', some corrections resulting, but some preferring to walk out. Met at Montevideo.

• 1958: Mr. E. J. Hemmings, of Acton, London. His second visit. Also met at Montevideo. More travelling by air than any previous visitor. All localities visited.

• 1959: Mr. Stanley McCallum, of Detroit. Very short stay, only 16 days; consequently was only at the three Greater Buenos Aires meetings; Rosario, both rooms; and Acebal. Mr. R. [Richard] A. Emtage and Mr. A. K. [Keith] Hunte, from Barbados were with him.

We are now looking forward to a visit from our beloved brother Mr. A. J. Gardiner for 1960 Easter meetings, and he has expressed a desire to visit all the localities including Montevideo, if possible.

Publications

Commencing January 1955 Words of Truth has been translated and published monthly in Spanish – Palabras de Verdad.

• JND's Sufferings of Christ has also been translated and printed.

• Fundamental Truths – Verdades Fundamentales in Spanish – 24 booklets, have been received from England, and several other small works are now in circulation.

• The Spanish version of the 'universal' Hymn-book, printed in Rosario, was put into use in August 1958. It is greatly appreciated and besides being a good vehicle for collective praise, has raised inquiries and helped many on in the truth.

Rosario, January 1960, ——

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FRANCE  –  1957
Conscience and Military Service

It being desirable that the prayers of the brethren should be sought in relation to this matter, an account concerning our young brother, Pierre Broc, who is making a stand in that country, is now available. In brief, it is as follows:

On reporting at Tarbes on the 4th March, Pierre was asked if he would volunteer for service in the Parachute Artillery Regiment. He refused and made his confession.

• He was sent to the Commandant who said he was fully conversant with his case, which had previously gone forward in writing, and proposed to put him to the hospital section of the Parachute Regiment.

• He was assured by the Commandant that there would be no arms whatever, this being the only Corps in the French Army that is unarmed.

• He thereupon submitted, believing this attitude to be in accord with JT's teaching that we should go as far as possible with the authorities.

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ASIA  –  1957
Account of a Visit to Asia – H. J. Doughty

March 9, 1957: I returned this week from Bombay, having spent three days each on the outward journey at Teheran, Lahore and Pilani and then fifteen days, including three Lord's Days, at Bombay.

Iran – 1957

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IRAN  –  1959
Extract from a letter of September 1, 1959

Our dear brother Mr. AA has been working for an American, a military man of high degree. He had many servants. Finding Mr. A very faithful he trusted him above all his servants.

• The servants teased him in many ways for envy. They told false reports on behalf of Mr. A, but the master did not believe at first.

• Finally their television disappeared. Three of the servants accused Mr. A of stealing it, saying that they had seen him putting the television in a taxi.

• This time the master believed them and Mr. A was arrested. He was in prison for two months, then through our brother Mr. AH's interference he was set free.

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BRITISH  GUIANA  –  1963
Extract from a letter August 16, 1963 British Guiana is now called Guyana

The difficulties and privations through which the dear brethren have passed and are still passing, have unified them wonderfully, though they have always been very warm.

• But the 80-day duration of the strike was a particularly difficult period, because, apart from the problem of getting food and the high prices and the dangers of public violence, some of them could not work and therefore got no pay.

• All of these financial difficulties so occasioned are, for the time being, fully taken care of through sums made available from Barbados, gifts from certain brethren abroad sent to us for them and a few sent to them direct – in addition to consignments of food which we were able to get through to them during the strike.

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TRINIDAD,  W I  –  1963
Extract from a letter August 16, 1963

The Lord has maintained a testimony in recovery in this Island for the past 70 to 80 years. In the earlier part of this century there were three meetings in Trinidad, but those in St. Madeline and St. Joseph have since closed.

• There are now 1 brother and 5 sisters in St. Joseph – only 10 miles from Port-of-Spain – walking in fellowship with us breaking bread with the others in … Port-of-Spain.

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ITALY  –  1965
Letter of December 15, 1965 from Stephen Carruthers, Castellammare di Stabia (Napoli), Italy Mr. Carruthers departed to be with Christ, April 23, 2002. He was 98 years old and living at Whangarei, New Zealand.

We arrived in Italy in November of last year, so we have spent a full year here, and as we look back on the many events and experiences which have crowded the days of the year that is gone,

• we thank and praise our faithful God who has blessed us, provided for us, and in many, sometimes dramatic, ways has manifested His power and love, resolved our many problems, and seen us through.

• The following notes have been written in the hope that they may be of interest to our friends, whose prayerful support we so greatly value.

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INDIA  AND  BURMA – 2004
A short history by (Mrs.) Lila Marilla Paul, 76 years of age While we appreciate Lila providing this account, the editors of 'My Brethren' do not agree with the remarks as to JTSr and his ministry. We have indicated our disagreement in several notes, while letting the remarks stand as necessary to an understanding of the situation as it developed in India. GAR

Dear Brother in Christ,
I have read your Web-Site on the ‘Exclusive Brethren’ – as we are called – and would like to give you information on brethren in India and Burma

• who were fellowship with J.N.D., F.E.R., J.B.S., C.A.C., P.L., A. G. Doughty, J.T.Sr. and brethren world wide who were seeking to walk in the light of the one body, 1 Corinthians 12: 13, as the early saints did. Acts 2: 42.

• I shall now give you a short history of the brethren in India and Burma.

• Daddy lived as a paying guest with Mr.and Mrs. Matthews, parents-in-law of Mr. M. W. Biggs, composer of Hymn No. 298 in our Hymn book.

• Daddy broke bread with the brethren and met many beloved brethren during the two years he lived there.

Daddy married my Mummy, Mrs. Victoria Desai, 1894-1961, daughter of Mr. Harolal and Mrs. Marilla Mukherjee, godly Christian members of the Methodist Church in Bareilly, India.

• Before their marriage, Mummy left the Methodist church when she understood the truth of the one body.

• My Mummy was a very godly bright believer in the Lord Jesus. My parents loved and served their Lord and Saviour faithfully throughout their lives.

• They brought up their three children, my elder sister my younger brother and me, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Ephesians 6: 4, teaching us the Word of God from babyhood,
  • requiring us to commit certain verses from all the chapters and Books in the Bible to memory, also several Psalms,

• having Family Reading morning and evening, and taking us regularly to the meetings, four or more times a week.

All three of us are believers in our Lord Jesus, and broke bread when we were in our teens.

• My sister and I married brothers in fellowship and my brother married a sister in fellowship.

• However I am sorry to say that my sister and brother-in-law followed J.T.Sr. and his successors. This was a great grief to my parents and to all of us.

My parents got married in 1923 and went to Rangoon, Burma, where Daddy was in the Indian Educational Service, Lecturer, and later Professor of History in the University of Rangoon.

• My parents prayed and waited on the Lord to provide brethren with whom they could walk. They met Christians and invited them to their home.

• The Lord touched the heart of a Burmese brother, Mr. Po San, and my parents and he began to meet together in our house for breaking of bread, prayer, Bible Reading, and Daddy preached the Gospel every Lord’s Day evening. Later several brothers in Rangoon and New Delhi used to preach the Gospel.

• Gospel invitation cards were printed by my parents and distributed to many. A board was hung on the gate every Lord’s Day evening, inviting in passers by.

• The brothers and later the sisters too would stand on the road on Lord’s Day evenings and invite passers by. Those who came in, and those who did not, were given the invitation cards as well as a tract.

• Daddy wrote a number of tracts suitable for Non-Christians in English Some titles were ‘What is your Destiny?’, ‘Forgiveness of Sins’, ‘Eternal Insurance’, ‘Profit and Loss’, ‘Who can go to Heaven’, ‘Heaven’.

• He also wrote booklets suitable for Christians such as ‘Church Truth’, ‘Do you gather together in the Lord’s Name?’. G. Cutting’s ‘Safety, Certainty and Enjoyment’ was also given to many and we made many reprints of all these booklets.

• When we were in New Delhi, Daddy translated some of these tracts into Hindi and Urdu.

Initially the meetings were held in the University house allotted to Daddy, then in ‘Still Waters’, 93 University Avenue, Rangoon, the house my parents built in 1936. Since it faced a big beautiful lake, Mummy named it ‘Still Waters’.

• Still later the meetings were held in a room rented in a school in Rangoon city, about six miles away from the University.

• In Delhi, the meeting was started in 1948, and held in my brother-in-law and sister’s house from 1948-1952.

From 1952 onwards, the meetings were held in Rangoon Villa, W1/10, Patel Road, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi 8, the house my parents built in 1951. My brother and I sold it in July 2003.

• The brethren in Rangoon included the Rendalls, the Shadrachs, the Dawsons, and the Dharmarajs, and my father’s brother, Charles Sadgun Desai.

• My parents opened their home to the brethren who were constantly invited to lunch or high tea, to visiting brethren who always stayed in our house, and to outsiders who came to the Gospel.

• Every Saturday evening, my parents made it a point to stay at home, so that the brethren could visit us.

• In Rangoon and Lahore, my parents would often invite the children of the saints to spend the day with us on Lord’s Days. They would bring them home with us after the Morning Meeting – the Lord’s Supper – and take them back with us in the evening to the Gospel.

• They would talk to them about the Lord, and Daddy would conduct a Bible Quiz in which all of us children participated.

• After lunch, we would sit together in the living room and Mummy would ask each one of us to suggest our favourite hymn which we would sing to the accompaniment of the piano which she played very well.

• The rule in my parents’ house was that no games were to be played on Lord’s Days.

• The brethren looked forward to coming to our home as my parents were very warm, loving and hospitable. My parents also regularly visited the brethren in their homes, and helped the brethren in many ways.

• This practice was continued when we were in Lahore from 1942-1947, when we returned to Rangoon and lived there from 1947-1950, and when we were in New Delhi in our house ‘Rangoon Villa’ from 1951-2003.

• However in ‘Rangoon Villa’, instead of outdoor games, indoor games were played.

The meetings held weekly, were as follows:– Lord’s Day morning, Breaking of Bread; Lord’s Day evening, Gospel Preaching; Monday evening, Prayer Meeting; Wednesday evening, Bible Reading.

• In Lahore a ministry meeting was held on the first Tuesday of the month.

• All the meetings were held in English in Rangoon, Lahore and in Delhi. All the hymns were sung in English from the Hymn Book, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Little Flock, 1932 edition.

• Mr. Po San knew English but he used to pray and give thanks in Burmese. All the other brethren in Rangoon and the brethren in Delhi knew English very well and prayed and gave thanks in English.

• In Lahore there were two brothers who knew English but preferred to pray and give thanks in Hindustani.

• The sisters covered their heads and did not speak in the meetings. 1 Corinthians 11: 5, 10; 14: 34-35.

When the meetings started in Rangoon, Daddy established the tradition that the brothers should always wear suits, along with ties, to the meetings and the same practice was followed in New Delhi.

• Daddy said that if any of us were to go to a function, we would dress very well, so we should be dressed in a dignified manner for the meetings which are far more important than any earthly function.

• All the sisters in Rangoon, Lahore and New Delhi had long hair and wore no jewellery except for their engagement and wedding rings. They did not use lipstick or nail polish and did not wear pants or shorts.

• Christmas and Easter were not observed among the brethren in Rangoon, Lahore and New Delhi.

My parents, my sister and I went to England in 1931. My sister was seven years old and I was three years old. We were there for a year.

• Daddy was on furlough from Rangoon University for research on Burmese History in the British Museum, London.

• My parents were very desirous of having fellowship with the brethren there with whom they were corresponding regularly and receiving Ministry Books from Stow Hill too.

My parents rented a place in Enfield, next door to Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Doughty, composer of Hymn No. 359 in our Hymn Book.

• Their son, Mr. Harold Doughty was twelve years old and Nora Speed, about eight years old, used to play with us.

My parents travelled around England and Scotland visiting brethren. Some of the names I remember, are Mrs. Matthews, of Cambridge, Mr. Matthews had gone to the Lord; Mrs. Pring, Mr. and Mrs. Cowell, Mr. and Mrs. Biggs, Mr. and Mrs. Speed, Mr. Temple.

In 1934 my parents invited Mr. [F.] Murchie, a ministering brother from Edinburgh, Scotland to Rangoon. He stayed in our home and visited us again in 1936 staying with us in ‘Still Waters’ this time.

• Mr. [Harland] Hardwick from England also visited and stayed with us in 1935. Their visits were a great joy and encouragement to all the brethren.

• Mr. Scot and Mr. Cokeman from England who were employed on ships which came to Rangoon, had happy fellowship with us.

• In 1948 Miss Wallis who was en route from England to Australia, visited us in Rangoon.

• Mr. Silcock passed through Rangoon in 1949 en route from Australia to England and the brethren went to the Air Port to meet him.

• Miss Wallis put a young sister, Lois Cornes from Australia, in touch with me as we were the same age, and we corresponded for some years but then she joined the Taylorites. I have lost her address. I wonder whether you can tell me whether there is any method by which I can find out if she has left the Taylorites. If she has, I can resume our friendship. I think she was in Melbourne.

In 1934 my parents invited my Uncle Charlie, Daddy’s elder brother, to Rangoon and he stayed on in Rangoon working as Senior Teacher of Mathematics, later Principal, in the Gujarati School Rangoon. He was a bright believer and he broke bread.

• Mr. Po San stopped coming to the meetings in the thirties.

• The Lord suddenly called a bright young brother, Mr. John Dharmaraj, home in 1938. Philippians 1: 23. It was a great shock and sorrow to all the brethren as well as the children of the brethren.

• His family, including him, were staunch Anglicans so he faced a lot of opposition when he left their ‘church’. After he went to be with the Lord, one of his sisters and two of his brothers started coming to the meetings and all three of them broke bread.

• One Lord’s Day evening in 1939, Uncle Charlie invited a young gentleman Charlie Paul to the Gospel. The next Lord’s Day evening Charlie brought his younger brother, Daniel Paul, 21 years, to the Gospel.

• Daniel started coming regularly to all the meetings and broke bread the same year.

By December 1941, there were thirteen brothers and sisters in fellowship and thirteen children, including myself.

• On 23rd and 25th December, Japan bombed Rangoon city very heavily. The Lord in His mercy and grace preserved all the brethren at that time, but later, in March 1942, Lily Shadrach – 16 years old, one of the children of a brother and sister, a very sweet girl, my friend and playmate, a great support to her parents – was hit by a Time Bomb. Her hip was fractured and she went to the Lord on 10th December 1942. 2 Corinthians 5: 8. All the brethren grieved at her departure.

• Thereafter Japan continued to bomb Rangoon several times, three or four times daily and nightly. The brethren, all of whom were Indians, left for India, by ship, plane and overland.

• Mummy, my siblings and I flew to India in February 1942 – only women and children allowed in the planes.

• Daddy came by the second last ship which left Burma in March 1942. He wanted Uncle Charlie to accompany him but Uncle, who was of an adventurous spirit, said he would stay on in Burma, and “shake hands with the Japanese”.

• Since Lily was wounded, a British Army plane flew Lily, her parents and two younger sisters out to India.

Since there was a meeting in Lahore – the Punjab, India – Daddy and Mummy decided to go there. We stayed in Lahore from 1942 to April 1947, when we returned to Rangoon.

• The meeting in Lahore comprised Indian, Anglo-Indian, English, German and Austrian brethren. They included the Matthews, the Nedous, and the Penharows. There were twenty-five brothers and sisters and four children.

• There had also been a meeting in Peshawar, India, which had ended by 1942. An Australian family from the Peshawar meeting later came to Lahore.

• Several years earlier there had been a meeting in Calcutta, India, as well as one in Colombo, Ceylon. My parents met a brother, Mr. Philips, in Colombo on their return from England in 1932.

I started breaking bread in Lahore in 1943 when I was fifteen years old. We had very happy fellowship with the brethren in Lahore.

• During the time we were there, quite a number of brothers in fellowship from the U.K. and a few from the U.S.A., who were in the Army as conscientious objectors, were stationed in various parts of India. They knew about the meeting in Lahore and made it a point to come there whenever they got leave.

• Several brethren from the Rangoon meeting also came to Lahore whenever they could.

When the war was over, the Rangoon brethren went back to Rangoon and happily, the meeting there was resumed.

• Daddy went back to Rangoon in mid-September 1946, and Mummy, my brother and I in April 1947. My sister had gotten married in early September so did not return with us.

• We had no news of Uncle Charlie for four years and were very thankful to the Lord for preserving him.

• My brother who is very bright in the Lord, broke bread in 1948, when he was fourteen years old. He started preaching the Gospel soon after he broke bread.

Sadly, in August 1947, the Partition of India took place. The Lord, in mercy, preserved the saints. A few Indian brethren opted to stay in Pakistan.

• All the other brethren left for England, Australia and New Zealand except for the Austrian brother Mr. Nedou, who left Lahore to stay on in India, in Srinagar, Kashmir, where he owned a big hotel.

Burma gained independence in January 1948, so by 1959, all the brethren had left for India and the meeting in Rangoon ended.

• Daddy retired from Rangoon University in May 1949 and we came back to India in January 1950.

• My parents chose to retire in New Delhi, because a meeting had been started there in 1949 comprising my sister, brother-in-law and my brother-in-law’s elder brother, Mr Jeypaul Dharmaraj. The latter, a godly brother, one of the leading brothers, remained faithful till the Lord took him home in 1986.

• Daniel Paul and I got married in 1953, and I returned to Rangoon with him. We returned to New Delhi with our baby daughter, Ruth, in 1956, and have been in New Delhi ever since.

• Uncle Charlie came to New Delhi in 1959, a young brother and two young sisters broke bread so there were about eight to nine brothers and sisters breaking bread, including my brother and sister-in-law, and Daniel and me.

We were in fellowship but there was concern among many godly brethren that too much importance was being given to leading brothers and their ministry.

Mr. James Taylor (1870-1953) served the brethren selflessly and profitably for over 50 years and was honoured by all but a very few for his work's sake.

• J.T.Sr. from New York was the main person. By 1951 he began to lay a lot of stress on addressing the Holy Spirit in prayer.

  In retrospect this was clearly in keeping with the truth of the Person of the Holy Spirit, and a needed correction to the view that He was never viewed objectively.

• About twenty or twenty five years earlier, he had in his ministry, all of which was printed by Stow Hill Bible and Tract Depot, 22 Paternoster Row, London, U.K., and sent round the world, emphatically affirmed that the Holy Spirit is not to be addressed, as nowhere in the Scripture are we told to do so.

• However in 1951, he did an about turn and when asked for the Scripture to support his claim, quoted Numbers 21: 17. When his own ministry which he had given out twenty-five years earlier was mentioned to him, he claimed that he had received more light.

• Most of the brethren worldwide blindly followed his teaching, even though it contradicted what J.T.Sr had said earlier.

  This is a very low view of the spirituality of brethren generally and of those who served in the ministry.

• My father and one of the leading brothers in Delhi, told the saints there, and wrote to the brethren in Rangoon, U.K., U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, that there is no Scriptural support for addressing the Holy Spirit.

• He also said that the well in Numbers 21: 17 refers to our hearts. John 4: 14. We are told to pray in the Holy Ghost. Jude 20.

• My father’s ministry, which is according to the Word of God, was of great help to most of the brethren in Delhi and to all the brethren in Rangoon.

• In Delhi, my sister and brother-in-law were the only ones who accepted it and they finally left us.

The brethren we were in fellowship with were using the same Hymn Book all over the world namely Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Little Flock, 1932 edition, printed by Stow Hill Bible and Tract Depot, 22 Paternoster Row, London, E.C.4.

• A new edition of this Hymn Book was brought out in 1951 or 1952. There were several hymns addressed to the Holy Spirit, changes made in quite a few of the existing hymns and new ones added.

• All the brethren worldwide were told to use this Hymn Book. The brethren in Delhi and Rangoon used it for a short while, then reverted to the 1932 edition which we are using to date.

• We, who were breaking bread and having meetings in Delhi and Rangoon, except for my sister and brother in law, held on to the truth as taught in the Word of God and refused to follow man in the person of J.T.Sr. who claimed to be the spiritual leader. In this respect we are similar to the brethren in Bo’ness.

  JTSr definitely did not claim to be the spiritual leader. That dishonour belongs to those who after his departure led brethren after themselves. Acts 20: 29-30.

J.T.Sr. also ruled that at the Lord’s Supper, when the brothers gave thanks most of their giving of thanks was to be addressed to the Father, less to Lord Jesus and the least to the Holy Spirit. This too was unscriptural.

There was no question of ruling. The relative proportion of praise and worhip is indicated by the place Each of the Persons of the Godhead have taken in the economy of grace.

• My father said at that time that more unscriptural practices would follow, and sure enough in 1960 the horrifying law of ‘Not Eating’ was imposed followed in quick succession by many more, equally shocking.

  This fails to distinguish between JTSr who died in 1953 and the one who in 1959-60 gained dominance over the brethren and promulgated the 'non eatimg' edict.

• The Lord and His Word were completely lost sight of. Instead of following the Lord and the leading of the Holy Spirit they follow and continue to follow a man whom they call the man of God.

From 1951 till the Lord called him home in 1977, my father wrote numerous articles expounding the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, which he gave and sent to all the brethren in India and mailed to many brethren in the U.K., U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.

• He wrote to all the brothers and sisters he knew personally all of whom had followed J.T.Sr., including all the Lahore brethren.

• Later when some brethren left the Taylorites, they wrote to Daddy acknowledging the error of their ways.

• Some of the brethren Daddy corresponded with, after they left the ‘Taylorites’ were Mr. John [James] Macdonald Sr. of Manchester, Mr. and Mrs. Cowell, Mr. Arthur Brown, Mr. Aries [? A. P. Aras], Mr. Beaseley, Mr. McMullen, Mr. Edward McMullen – who visited and broke bread with us in New Delhi in 1963 – Herr [Hans] Rellstab of Zurich and many more.

• Mummy also wrote to several sisters pointing out the truth from the Word of God. I corresponded with Miss M. Murchie, after her father and she had left the Taylorites.

Two sisters from Rangoon, Mrs. Constance Dharmaraj and Miss Ruby Shadrach, who relocated to Madras, often visited us for fellowship.

• The Rendalls joined the Taylorites but left later and joined other churches, and the Dawsons also left.

• Gradually, the Lord called the older brethren home and, in 1992, one bright brother and sister, Thiagaraj and Victoria Thomas, went to Madras after retirement.

• Our number decreased to two or three. Now there is no meeting in New Delhi.

My husband, Daniel Paul and I had the privilege of visiting the brethren in Bo’ness in June 1989 and we had happy fellowship with them as well as with the brethren in Edinburgh. Mr. Jack Sneddon showed me my Daddy’s letter to him.

• The brethren in Bo’ness entertained us over a week-end and Mr. and Mrs. A. [Alex] Walker invited us to stay with them for a week. Daniel and I invited Mr. and Mrs. Walker to our home in September 2001 and they stayed with us in ‘Rangoon Villa’ for two weeks.

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