Ernest Creux: Missionary to the Tsongas

The Swiss Mission to the Tsongas

1. In Switzerland in 1861, a 16 year old man named Ernest Creux devoted himself to be a missionary.
2. Matt. 24:14 convicted him: This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
3. His dear friend Paul Berthoud agreed to go with him.
4. The church decided to send them to Africa, and the easiest way to enter at that time was through the Cape.
5. At 26 years old, Creux arrived in Lesotho. Nine months later, Paul joined him.
6. 1873, Creux and Berthoud depart from Lesotho and travel to Limpopo.
7. At this time, cannibalism was still practiced among both the Tsonga and Venda peoples after victory in a war.
8. There were no schools, no Bibles, no shops, no churches, and no clothing (or very little).
9. Further, the black slave trade was still active with black chiefs trying to buy guns from the white men with black slaves stolen from other tribes.
10. They purchase a farm to use as a mission station, and name it Valdezia after their home town, Vaud.
11. Hundreds of years earlier, the Waldensians lived in area where France, Italy, and Switzerland joined.
12. In French they were called the Vaudois—and their descendants brought the gospel to the Tsongas.
13. 1876, The first Tsonga believer: Lydia Sehlumula.
14. The two missionaries were both imprisoned for 6 weeks by the British government because it was afraid their preaching would stir up political trouble.
15. 1875, Ernest’s little girl dies.
16. 1879, Paul’s wife and little girl dies.
17. Within four weeks of April alone (presumably 1879), each family lost two more children.
18. Example: In 1835 alone, 30 of 78 missionaries sent to West Africa died within one year.
19. 1879, Paul Berthoud returns to Switzerland broken in health and family.
20. The record in Tsonga records that “the love these men had for the black people was greater than the love which they had for themselves.”
21. One Tsonga believer stood at the grave of the children as they were being buried: “You have passed my parents in love for me. These graves will judge anyone who rejects the the doctrine of God [that you have brought.]”
22. Circa 1880, Creux purchases the farm named Elim in hopes that the sicknesses will be less severe.
23. 1882, Chief Njhakanjhaka at Elim declared that the people could learn from the missionaries if they wanted to.
24. Before the end of 1882, the church in Elim was sending out Tsonga men to preach in other villages.
25. After 10 years of work among the Tsongas: 5 churchplants; 180 baptized members; 350 in attendance each Sunday; 1-2 missionaries.
26. Compare this with the German missionaries working 50 kilometers away among the Vendas: 184 church members after 10 years; 326 after 20 years; 4-5 missionary couples.
27. 1884-1889, Creux, his wife, and four other children return to Switzerland.
28. Creux commonly wrote songs in Tsonga for the churches, at least 72.
29. 1898, 3,000 people gather for the 25^th anniversary of the missionaries.
30. At this celebration, Chief Njhakanjhaka broke down and testified publicly that God had humbled him and made him to believe.
31. 1902, Creux left Elim to be stationed in Pretoria at 57 years old.
32. There in Pretoria he opened churches for the lepers and other terminally ill Africans until he was 79.
33. His tomb stone reads: “For 53 years a missionary and a father in God to the Native Peoples.”
34. His wife passed away after him in 1932.
35. The Tsonga Bible was first translated in 1907, and it was revised in 1929, the year of Creux’s death. It is this translation that we still use today.
36. The Swiss missionaries continued to come and join the team. They published the Bible, wrote a song book, developed Tsonga grammars, started schools, and opened a hospital.
37. But Satan was active at the same time. The final chapter of the Swiss mission is a fulfillment of the warning in 1 Timothy 4:1.
38. They joined the liberal World Council of Churches. Some of their missionaries taught evolution and the social gospel (see Junod’s two volume anthropology).
39. The change was so complete that a Tsonga man and member of the Swiss Church in 2013 attacked the missionaries as rude, aggressive, thieving, brutal, selfish, fierce, hypocritical, treacherous, money-loving tricksters. (And that is only the first 3 pages of his 16 page attack on the missionaries and Christianity.) Halala, “Matimu ya EPCSA”
40. Though they gave us the Bible, I have found very few Christians–born again, Bible readers–among the Tsongas.

Lessons

1. Jesus calls us to sacrifice our lives and even our families for the evangelization of the lost.
2. Men do not easily leave their religion. They will pretend to be Christians in order to get some benefit. But it is rare that they are prepared to leave their culture, way of life, beliefs, and sinful habits.
3. Many good beginnings slip into apostasy after time.