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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, NOVEMBER 8, 1982
PAGE 2
Mr. Armstrong left in time to make his next scheduled meeting with the
Governor of Bermuda, but found that the Governor had strained his back and
had been rushed to the hospital just hours before. (Being a British Colony,
the Governor is appointed by the Queen, although the day-to-day affairs are
run by the Bermudian Government.) In his place, Mr. Armstrong met with
Deputy Governor Brian Watkins. Mr. Armstrong asked about the educational
system in Bermuda and found it patterned more after the British system.
(Even as Mr. Armstrong's party had driven through the city, they had
noticed the children in uniform returning from school.) When the subject
turned to The PLAIN TRUTH, Mr. Watkins commented, "I know it, I've seen
copies of it in connection with an article on the Pope's visit to England."
During the meeting, the ladies were taken on a tour of the British Govern
ment House. Surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers, this two-story
building located on top of a hill is a mixture of Italian, French and
Georgian architecture. The ladies entered by the 17th-century cannons and
noticed a picture of Queen Elizabeth II where the tall corridors meet. They
were escorted on the tour by Major Randal Butler, Aide de Camp of the
Governor. The tour combined current beauty with historical information.
Mr. Armstrong's next stop was with Premier John Swan, head of the Bermudian
governmer,t. Mr. Bass and Mr. Sampson were also invited to attend this
meeting in the Premier's office.
It took only a few minutes with the Premier to see why he had been appointed
to his position. From the conversation it could be seen that he had a good
literary understanding of the Bible and practiced many biblical principles
in his own life. Mr. Armstrong discussed his early life and conversion, and
his wife's challenge on the test commandment--the Sabbath. He continued,
telling of God's Plan for us to be in His Family as Gods. In talking of
becoming perfect, Premier Swan asked how we could be any different, seeing
the imperfection and fallibility in humans.
The two-hour meeting ended
with Premier Swan giving Mr. Armstrong an autographed book entitled Images
of Bermuda, and asking Mr. Armstrong to sign his autograph book.
Mr.
Armstrong accepted an invitation to visit the Premier again whenever time
would permit.
At 7:30 Monday evening, Mr. Armstrong gave a powerful message to nearly 300
PLAIN TRUTH readers at the Loews Bermuda Beach Hotel. He spoke plainly of
the Bible, how other churches fail to teach what God says, and how man
cannot understand His Word without God's Holy Spirit.
Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. the group departed Bermuda for Abidjan, capital
of the Republic of the Ivory Coast.
Because of the distance, the G-II
stopped for fuel at the Cape Verde Islands, formerly a Portuguese colony.
With another four-hour time change, the group touched down at 9:30 p.m.
Abidjan time. This was strictly a rest stop to allow everyone to catch up.
The weather cooperated with a beautiful sunny day for relaxation on
Wednesday.
On Thursday, November fourth, we flew to Windhoek, South West Africa where
the G-II refueled before going on to Johannesburg to continue Mr.
Armstrong's Church visits.
Friday found Mr. Armstrong adjusting to Johannesburg's 6,000 foot eleva
tion. The lack of oxygen did give our apostle some problems, but with God's