MERLE MACKENZIEJuly 26, 1933 –

October 16, 2009

Merle JohnsonBorn July 26, 1933 in Winnipeg to parents William P. Johnson and Edith M. GillShe was the youngest of 4 children and her siblings are Elna, Lorna and GordonHer full name was Winnifred Merle Johnson but she preferred to be called MERLEShe lived in Oak Street and they actually had 20+ oak trees in their backyard!

Merle Johnson

Merle’s mother made her this coat

She was a member of the skating team

Merle Johnson

Merle JohnsonMerle completed her Science and Education degrees from the University of ManitobaShe taught Mathematics to High School students at the Glenlawn Collegiate for several years until she married Eric and started a career of agricultural development in Africa

Merle meets EricJuly 1957 – Merle came to Vancouver to participate in the Western Canada Youth Convention

Merle Meets EricMerle meets Eric who approached her and asked to give her a ride homeUnfortunately someone had already volunteered to give Merle a ride homeHe tried again and invited her along with some friends for a spin around Stanley Park

Eric Asks Merle To Come To Africa

Two weeks and several dates later which included a visit to the Capilano Bridge, Theater Under the Stars and a Trip To Nanaimo, Eric asks Merle to volunteer for Angola tooShe said, “No, not a chance.” but promised that she will pray for the possibility

Eric and Merle Eric wrote Merle everyday and they continued their correspondenceSeptember 1957, Eric

travelled back to Hamilton with a stopover at Winnipeg and asked Merle again about AngolaThis time Merle agreed to see if the mission board will accept her candidacy

Eric, Merle and the Mission Board The mission board said yes

to her candidacy but no to the McMaster study planInstead they told Eric,

“MARRY HER AND TAKE HER WITH YOU!”

Mission Board: A Match-Making Agency???

Eric and Merle’s EngagementDecember ’57 Eric arrived with Merle’s engagement ring They spent Christmas in Vancouver; New Year’s in Winnipeg and made plans for a Saturday, September 6, 1958 wedding in Merle’s

church in Winnipeg

Merle MacKenzie

Merle MacKenzie

Merle, the MissionaryEric and Merle travelled the Western provinces to help raise support for this new ventureThen, they went on to Toronto for a big send-off for outgoing missionariesThey proceeded

to Lisbon, Portugal for one-year of language and culture studies

Luanda, Angola

Cabinda, AngolaJanuary 1960 to January 1964Cabinda is a nice, clean-looking town

Cabinda, Angola

MacKenzie’s Part of the Mission House

Merle in Cabinda

What kept Merle busy in Cabinda ?

Merle’s days were spent:Wrestling daily with the wood stoveTwiddling her thumbs a lot initially (non-native Portuguese speakers were not allowed to teach)Playing the tiny portable pump organ useful for services and for teaching 4-part harmonyTrying to relate to women, majority of whom did not speak Portuguese, but were willing to share their stories through a translator

Missionary Work in AfricaCabinda

Training future leaders became a priority in Cabinda with the Angolan war for independence startingHarveys and the MacKenzies picked 3 or 4 of the best elementary school graduates from the 3 operating centres, housed them in Cabinda Centre and sent them to the high school in town

Missionary Work in AfricaMerle explained to them things they heard in class but never experienced such as elevators, trains, simple astronomy, ice and ice cream and why it seems to burnMerle taught them to sing 4 part-harmony. Today, there are more than 26 singing groups in the Cabinda church, some writing musicThey also learned touch-typing on Portuguese keyboards. This skill helped them gain secretarial positions later on.

Double Surprise

Caring for the twins gave the MacKenzies much joy and new opportunities for witnessing to God’s love for the people

Special Memories of Angola

Furlough and BlessingFurlough 1964 – 1965 brought lots of travel for speaking engagements and more blessings: September 1964, the arrival of the MacKenzie’s 13 month-old chosen son, Craig and the following September, 1965 the birth of Norma

BrusselsThe MacKenzies were redeployed to the Congo but they first had to travel to Brussels to improve their French

Merle, the Designer

The house where they lived in Congo was designed by Merle. It took 13 months to build at half the cost of each of the three other staff houses.

Missionary Work in AfricaMerle taught the students how to price what they produced and also taught high school math to nursing students at the medical centre nearby. Behind their house, she built a small nursery for trees. A variety of eucalyptus trees when planted in a thick ring around a village will protect against malaria mosquitoes and sleeping-sickness-bearing tsetse flies.

Special Memories of Congo

Missionary Work in VangaAmerican Baptist Centre for Education and Medical WorkLocal leaders wanted to increase local food supplies in the face of rising malnutritionEric was willing to try to change village agriculture – villagers having plenty to eat and no malnutrition The Vanga Agricultural Centre was set-up to supply simple instructions, tools and models for village-style chicken and rabbit houses. The animals were not sold until a farmer’s installation was inspected by the Centre’s agents and approved as adequate.

From Vanga to LusekeleGod’s leading brought the MacKenzie’s from Vanga to LusekeleLusekele was entrusted by the Tropical Root Crops Research Institute of Ibadan, Nigeria with over 2000 genetically different manioc cuttings and seeds to plant, grow and observeTesting of manioc, a food staple, became a major focus

MacKenzies in AfricaThe MacKenzies returned to Vancouver for 3 years in 1983They returned to the Congo in Sona Bata for more agricultural work in 19861991- Canadian Baptist Ministries moved Eric and Merle to Nairobi to be their Africa Representatives until December 1994 when they returned for deputation and then retirement in April 1996

FRUITS OF GOD’S LABOUR

God’s Work Still in ProgressSome of the men who were trained by the MacKenzie’s in Cabinda are still in church leadership. Pedro Manuel, who later completed university level pastoral training was honoured with a doctorate from McMaster University Divinity School in 1994

Manioc “MIRACLE”

Vanga woman with diseased manioc

roots

New root harvest of manioc under the agricultural program supervised by the MacKenzies

To See Is To BelieveThe head Pastor of the area who had disagreed with the MacKenzies regarding what needed to be done agriculturally, came as they were leaving Lusekele, to apologize for his opposition and to thank the MacKenzies for the tremendous change he saw in the food supplies while traveling in his area, a 200 km radius from Vanga/Lusekele.

To See Is To BelieveAlso the pattern of babies birth-weights at the Vanga Hospital (50 bed maternity ward) shifted to show the healthiest and strongest born not at the end of the spring rains, as formerly, but at the end of the vegetable gardening dry season

Continuing God’s Work in Vancouver

For 50 years, a women’s circle at the First Baptist Church was named after MerleThey eventually had to split into two groups because the group became too big, both still kept her name – Merle MacKenzie Circle and MacK II

Continuing God’s WorkMerle had also tirelessly worked as Chair of the Little Ark Preschool. She dedicated more than 9 years helping the preschool gain its reputation as a great place for children to start their educational experienceShe also served in the Global Mission Committee – helping raise awareness and funds for CBM missionaries

“We cannot understand the great things He does, and to His miracles there is

no end.”

Job 9:10 GNSB

Merle MacKenzie Remembered

Merle MacKenzie Remembered

Thank you very much for your prayers, kind words, thoughtful gestures and for sharing in the celebration of Merle’s life and in our profound sense of loss.

MacKenzie Family