Sad News From German East Africa by L. R. CONRADI

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 24, 1915

Sad News From German East Africa

By L. R. CONRADI

L. R. CONRADI

AFTER the war began, no news whatever from German East Africa passed the censor until the month of March, and the few short postals we received at that time were mailed in the month of October. What a story these postals might have told of their four months’ transit, had they only been able to speak! These cards contained short notices from both the Victoria Nyanza and the Pare Mission. Brother E. Kotz wrote that they had been able to provide themselves with foodstuff at Tanga after the outbreak of the war, and that up to that time everything was in fairly good condition, and the workers in good health. Brother B. Ohme, from the Nyanza field, wrote that he had been ill for some time, but was better, and that otherwise everything was well, and that they were not specially suffering. The same was told us on several other postal cards, all of them, however, being very short.

A letter from Brother A. A. Carscallen, dated in December, notified us that Brother and Sister F. Bornath were taken as prisoners to Kisumu, where they met Brother Carscallen, and from there they were brought to Nairobi, the capital of British East Africa.

A letter written from there, January 30, contains the following sad news concerning our German missions:—

“NAIROBI, JAN. 30, 1915.

“DEAR DIRECTOR: With this I send you some information as to how our mission work is advancing. In most of the places of the Victoria Nyanza field the work is onward. In some places everything is stopped. Until the end of November, the latest date of my receiving news from our missionaries, they were all well, with the exception of Brother H. Palm, who was shot November 28, at his station. He rests from his labors until we shall meet on the resurrection day.

“Mrs. Bornath and I were taken prisoners on our station December 6, and have been here in the prisoners’ camp at Nairobi since December 14. We shall soon be transported to India. Health-wise, we can be thankful to God for his mercies. Yesterday we were informed that the wives of missionaries would, if desired, be transported to Europe; but we prefer that Mrs. Bornath remain with me. We had to leave the station empty-handed. We therefore commend ourselves to God’s providence, and we are willing to bear joy and suffering together.

“We have met Brother Carscallen, Brother and Sister Alfred Matter are already in India. During all this time we have received no papers whatever.

“F. BORNATH.”

As to Brother Palm, he was born March 27, 1883, at Boblingen, Wurtemberg. He was baptized July 1, 1905, then attended school at Friedensau for two years, after which he spent about five years in gospel work in Germany, sailing for German East Africa, Aug. 29, 1912, where he took charge of the station at Nyabangi. Had it not been for the war, Brother Palm would have been ordained before this. He leaves a mother and a sister in Germany, to mourn their loss. But we have the bright hope that he will have part in the first resurrection.

Brother Bornath was born in eastern Prussia, at Marggrabowa, Nov. 22, 1885. After embracing the truth, at Essen, where he was employed in the steel works, he visited our school at Friedensau, and with his wife, March 15, 1913, went to East Africa. He was sent to Utimbaru, where they established a station, and on the twenty-third of April, 1914, they had their first baptism, ten being won from heathenism, and baptized by Elder J. Persson. They had about one hundred pupils in their school; and while the first fruits were baptized, others had already offered themselves as candidates for baptism.

Brother Matter and his wife went to British East Africa, sailing from Hamburg, April 14, 1914. As Brother Matter had been in Australia and England quite awhile, though a German by birth, he was temporarily assigned to help in British East Africa. We had hoped that Brother Toppenberg and wife, being Norwegians, could come over from German East Africa to British East Africa, and relieve Brother and Sister Matter for German East Africa. But evidently the change did not take place in time. We hope and pray that our faithful brethren will be preserved, and that our promising work begun in the very heart of Africa will not suffer too severely. Let us remember our faithful missionaries in our prayers.