Page 226 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Lake is an excellent example of what God wants to do with people in
His church during “the last days” that the prophet Joel spoke about and
that Luke recorded in Acts 2:16–21.

Charles W. and Emma Chawner
Charles and Emma Chawner received the Pentecostal message in
Toronto, Canada, where they came under the influence of James and
Ellen Hebden in 1906, the same year as the Azusa outpouring. The
following year, the Chawners were called to Africa. This is how Chawner
describes his call:

I saw in a vision numbers of dark faces on the hillsides and I
among them, and through my own lips a message was given to
me that I should be among them, bidding me not to tarry long in
one place, that there was much land to be possessed, and Jesus
was returning soon. (quoted in McGee 2004, 90–91)

With simple obedience, the Chawners proceeded to KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa. Later, they affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of
Canada and spent the rest of their lives as missionaries.

Lillian Trasher
A prominent feature of Pentecostal missions in the twentieth century
was the manner in which the Holy Spirit used women. The message
from Peter on the Day of Pentecost was clear: “I will pour out my Spirit
on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy.… Even on my
servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:17–18). Lillian Trasher was indeed a
Pentecostal daughter.

Lillian Trasher was born in 1887 in Jacksonville, Florida. However,
when she was a young girl, her family moved to Brunswick, Georgia.
She was saved at an early age after neighbors witnessed to her, sharing
their satisfaction in Christ. As she walked along a path toward home,
she knelt by a log and prayed: “Lord, I want to be your little girl, and
Lord, if ever I can do anything for You, just let me know and—and I’ll
do it!” (quoted in Howell, 22). This one simple act of hidden obedience
sustained her for a lifetime, and the kingdom of God in Africa advanced
as a result.

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