A Journey to Tashkent by G. PERK.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 22, 1913

A Journey to Tashkent

By G. PERK.

AFTER visiting some of our people in the government of Simbirsk and holding meetings in Samara, I started on my journey to Tashkent on October 20. It was a very comfortable journey. The cars were quite clean, and I had to change only once, so I used the third-class compartment. After a few days’ journey we were in the midst of the wilderness. The land looks just like the waves of the sea for hundreds of miles, nearly as far as Tashkent itself. I arrived there October 24, and was met by Brethren Ebel and Kurbatow. It seemed quite strange to me; for here the people were working in their gardens, and the weather was comfortably warm, whereas at Saratof the thermometer registered several degrees below zero. We have only a few members in the town, besides the families of our workers, but there are several who are interested in the message.

On Sabbath we visited a German village, about twenty-nine verst away [eighteen miles], named Konstantinovka, where we have a little church. We held a meeting in the morning, and celebrated the Lord’s Supper in the afternoon; we also held a public service in the evening, which was attended by several strangers.

Sunday morning we started on our way to Orlof, where we visited our people. It took a whole week to reach them, our only means of conveyance being a team. We were glad that it had just rained (this was the first rain since May), so that the dust was not bad. Sometimes one cannot see even the horses’ heads from the wagon. At night we generally stayed with a Kirghiz or Sarten family, although we preferred to sleep in our own wagon, as we felt safer there.

Thursday, October 31, we arrived in Orlof. Brethren Otto and Trippel were kind enough to come about forty-five miles with their spring wagon to meet us. We were able to hold well-attended meetings every evening for a week in a school building. We baptized two sisters in the pretty river there. After we had celebrated the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper, we returned to Tashkent.

G. PERK.