Blind Evangelist Discounts Handicap

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29237, 22 June 1960, Page 11

Blind Evangelist Discounts Handicap

“Yesterday I had a look through the new building here in Christchurch for the Foundation for the Blind and Tm thrilled with the set-up.”

There is nothing unusual about that remark, but Mr Andrew Johnston, the man who made it casually in conversation, is an unusual personality. He is totally blind and has been so for 42 years. He is known throughout New Zealand as “the blind evangelist”

“One of the advantages of being blind is that you can read under the blankets on a frosty morning,” he said. “I did a lot of my preparation in the early hours of the morning and there was no expense with lights.”

i Mr Johnston now lives in ■ retirement in Gore, Southland. - where a new street has been 1 named after him. Up to two ’ years ago he kept a hack and went for rides in the town and ’ country districts. This became ' impracticable because of the rapid expansion of the town. He ‘ keeps poultry as a hobby. He firmly maintains that blind people should lead normal lives as far as possible. The morning devotional service from 3YA was conducted ' yesterday by MT Johnston. With Baptist Church, wbere Mr Johnston Is’holding « scries of meetings this week. The radio service took the form of questions , by MT"'Armstrong and answers by Mr Johnston. Although Mr Johnston has often been “on the i, air” when holding services this . was his first experience in a i radio studio. Mission Work Mr Johnston was brought up I to farming. He served in World ; War I and lost his eyes at the ; Second Battle of the Somme in : France on May 4,1918. After he ~ left hospital in England he went ’ to St' Dunstan’s, London, and in , 10 months learned stenography, i He returned to New Zealand in ; 1919 and began work as a stenographer in the Gore office of a stock firm. He took down letters in Braille shorthand and typed them on an ordinary typewriter. Office life did not suit his health so he took up a small poultry farm on the outskirts of Gore. He was there until 1928 when his wife and he were invited by the directors of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute to work as full-time evangelists.

“I had taken quite a number of church services in various districts in the years before 1928,” said Mr Johnston. “For the Bible Training Institute we conducted missions in large and small churches of all denominations from 200 miles north of Auckland right down to Stewart Island. We could go to the smaller churches and districts where overseas missioners could not be sent because of the expense. “In many of the placet we

visited I gave an educational lecture on work among the blind, giving details and amusing incidents of my days of training at St Dunstan's. Wherever I have spoken in schools I have tried to instruct the children in the most effective way of helping blind people. I have tried to. show them that they can do this by helping blind people to help, themselves. Idleness is objectionable to anyone but particularly to a blind man. We want to be treated as ordinary persons. At St Dunstan’s we were taught to live a normal life as far as possible and I have tried to do that" he said.

“For the last four or five years we have been retired. I still do preaching but not so much and I seldom travel. lam in Christchurch because I was invited by Mr Armstrong to conduct a week of meetings in his church. They are more along the lines of teaching. The first mission I conducted in Christchurch was in 1929 and I have had five or six here over the years,” Mr Johnston said.

His Bible is in 71 volumes in Braille and fills a shelf seven feet long. He can read Braille faster than a person with sight can read ordinary type. Mr Johnston was married in 1920. He paid a tribute to the support given him by his wife throughout the years. “When we were conducting missions my wife sang at most of our meetings. She has always been a great help to me through her reading because a lot of the material I needed was not available in Braille,” said Mr Johnston.