Page 39 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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All the mission buildings in Iraq are of native brick - dressed goiu,” and thia is an excellent location; but others stopped bidding when they
Baghdad and Araarah brick, and local Basrah brick. learned that the Mission wanted it. It wa3 purchased at a reasonable price,
and the deed was handed over before the money had actually been paid. J
Kuwait had a new hospital for women in 1939* the Kate V. S. Olcott
Memorial, named for a great and good friend of the Mission, Like nil the Bahrain, (
buildings of the Mission up to this time, it was the product of the ckill of i
its members. Designed largely by Mr. Dykstra and Mr. Barny, and erected by In Bahrain, 1926 saw the Marion Wells Thoms Memorial Hospital already I
Mr. Barny and Mr. Pennings, it stands as a fine example of what can be done in use, end a nurses5 home soon added, which was subsequently enlarged. A
by devoted and able amateurs. Concrete and steel entered largely into its two-story building inappropriately called The Bungalow was built by the oil ;
construction, and cement blocks were used instead of the usual rough shapeless compony during the period while the Mission cared for the medical needs of
local stone dug out in lumps from the bed of the sea at low water. It is a all their staff, to serve as a nursing home. It reverted to the Mission even­
two-story building with a wide central staircase, and airy corridors and tually, end later had a third story added.
verandahs connecting the rooms. The pointed Persian arches which carry the
verandahs are truly beautiful and were soon copied by Arab builders in other A row of rooms formerly used as on isolation word, is now used for
new buildings. This had'been the case years before when Mr. Dykstra had put hospital personnel o
up round arches to support the verandah of one of the residences.
The girls' school now comprises not only two re-conditioned classrooms
Rev. Garrett De Jong built the Kuwait Church in 1931- This was not underneath the chapel, but also six pleasant modern classrooms around the cen­
only the first church building to be erected in this Muslim city, but several tral playground, and a small apartment on the second story of the side block
of its features were the first to be seen in Kuwait. The principle of the of rooms * A new entrance to the chapel has been made on the side toward the
steel beam and the brick jack arch in roof construction, and the round pillars hospital compound, so that it is entirely separate from the girls’ school
of re-info reed concrete which support the roof of the recessed verandah, were premises.
much admired and widely copied, The exterior of this beautiful little church
is stucco cement, and inside, the use of artistic brickwork in historic de­ The missionary residences in Bahrain have undergone a complete change
) signs in the supporting arch over the chancel makes a striking and lovely in the last thirty years. A large house, subsequently remodelled to make two
interior. separate apartments, was built near to the hospital compound. The doctor's 1
residence, near the two hospitals, was demolished, as it had deteriorated be­
Another first in Kuwait was the Mission's X-ray, installed in 19^1 in yond hope of repair, and a new one was built on the same site. Historic East
' a special little building of its own, which marked the beginning of the hos­ House, considered when built in 1908 as a perfect palace of comfort and con­ i
pital laboratory. venience, was occupied over the years by a succession of missionaries and was 1
dear to the hearts of everyone. It was with real grief that the Mission j
A splendid new hospital for men was opened in 1955, appropriately finally accepted the Judgment of the many engineers and builders who were
named the Mylrea Memorial Hospital. For years the need had been acute for consulted, that repairs were hopeless. The house has now been torn down and
larger premises and increased facilities, and a building fund had been accum­ a new building, of a size and type flexible enough to provide several resi­
ulating, including medical balances and substantial gifts from Arab friends. dential units, as did old East House, is now going up. A new separate house,
This fine modern hospital, harmonizing admirably in its architecture with the designed for one family, is also being built on the East Compound. .
woman's hospital, contains up-to-date operating rooms and sterilizing equip­
ment, a new X-ray machine, and an efficient laboratory. Besides the wards The orphanage, as has already been mentioned, has been enlarged and j
there are private rooms for well-to-do patients. A special feature is the improved several times since it was built. It now has a comfortable second !
room equipped with the latest visual-aid material, located right in the center floor apartment for the resident missionaries. !
of the hospital, where the doctors and evangelists can have sessions with
small or large groups, Quarters for an Indian doctor are included in the Muscat.
hospital building.
In Muscat, the old mission house has been repaired and modernized
An attractive new residence for the woman doctor, and other single without losing any of its distinctive atmosphere and charm. The tiny origi­
women missionaries, has also recently been built on the mission compound. nal chapel on the ground floor, with all its associations, is still used for
morning prayers. The Peter Zwemer Memorial Chapel next to it has been con­
Two different residences for Indian nurses and doctors have been mad*-' siderably enlarged, and is now a worthy church home for the Muscat-Matrah
available during this period - one new, and one remodelled from the little congregation of believers.
O house of a former hospital compounder.
The Lutton house next to it, as this residence has come to be calJ .u,
A red-letter day in 1953 was marked by the purchase of the Bible Shop has been made over to house the Peter Zwemer Memorial School adequately on the
which had been rented and used for many years by the Mission, We• are the ground floor, and on the second floor there is a pleasant apartment for a
only non-Kuwaitis allowed to own property in the bazaar, and the only fn missionary residence.
era except for members of the staff of the British Political Agency w>*
own property anywhere in the town. Bazaar property is considered to

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