SHORT HISTORY OF SIB (KL) ENGLISH CONGREGATION

In October 1928, 3 Australian missionaries, Hudson Southwell, Frank Davidson and Carey Tolley set sail from Adelaide and arrived in Sarawak a month later. Together with a timber merchant by the name of Alexander Henderson, they established a base on the little-known island of Borneo and hence started the Borneo Evangelical Mission, now called Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB).

In the early years, the 3 pioneering missionaries had to battle a massive cross-cultural shift besides tackling rough snake infested jungles and mountainous terrains. They also had to contend with the steamy hot tropical climate as well as tropical diseases like amoebic dysentery and malaria. In spite of all these obstacles, the 3 missionaries pressed on.

After mastering the Malay language and the local native dialects, the missionaries began sharing the love of Jesus to the indigenous people of Sarawak. For many years, the labour was hard and the fruits were scanty. It was said that Carey Tolley prayed so much on his knees over the map of Borneo that calluses began to develop on his knee caps!