Page 95 - The Diary of A. H. W. Behrens

42
1879
With the purchase of the two horses that reproduced without effort and costs and that were “salted” and made the purchase of the farm for ₤ 500 possible, father received back from the Lord a hundredfold what he had given to the Lord, without him having asked for it. Through God’s guidance he was offered the horses and the farm
and he accepted them with thanks. He had to buy this farm and specifically this farm so that the Lord Jesus could fully fulfil his promise. (Read further on what happened 1926 on this farm, which nobody would ever have thought of!)
So on the dry Bethanie father did full missionary work with a church and a school. The congregation grew and increased in numbers.
And the small vegetable garden was watered with buckets from the small river. But when Klopper’s farm had been bought and father let members of his congregation who had learnt from the boers how to farm do the crops, he had maize and wheat and vegetables enough for consumption, also oats and he could even sell some of it!
He himself never worked on the farm! He was a full-time missionary and Missionary Müller once said to me, “Your father is working more than all of us!!” God’s blessing was with and on him.
1884 he then leased the agricultural land to cousin August Behrens who lived there and gave father his share.
When I was at home 1873 and 1874, I saw him at his work and
saw with how much joy and diligence he conducted his work as
a missionary and, in addition, did his work as chairperson of the Bechuana Mission.