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Nightly Meetings with Bwana

The English missionary C. T. Studd (1860-1931) established and operated the Heart of Africa Mission in his later years. He was known to the African nationals and the other missionaries as Bwana. His work with the other missionaries was amazing. "Probably the times with Bwana which will live most in their memory are the nightly meetings at Ibambi. More than anything else they kept the Mission on the true foundation of all spiritual work—the Bible and prayer. There were no time limits, but he just opened the Bible, read maybe two or three chapters, and then talked. The Epistles were his favourites. One hour, two hours, in Conference days till after midnight, night after night, it was always the same, our hearts burned within us as we met with Jesus. The greatest of all the lessons that we learned there was that if Christian workers want continual power and blessing, they must give time to meet together daily, not for a short, formal meeting, but long enough for God really to speak through His Word, to face out together the challenges of the work, to deal with anything that arises to hinder unity, and then to go to God in prayer and faith. This alone is the secret of victorious and spiritual warfare. No amount of hard work or earnest preaching can take its place."