Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

aying weakness I must confess that a peculiar feeling ran through me at the thought of being marooned, for an indefinite time in one of these Russian villages, where there was probably little food, but plenty of vermin. No earthly help was in sight, so we called on Him in whose name we had undertaken relief-work in Russia. He had been able and willing to help in times past, why should He not help now? When He could interpose, during Bible times in ways that were unexplainable to men, why not now? While we were quietly sending fer- vent appeals up to Him who has numbered the very hairs of our head, we drove another block further into town, towards a large church, where we met a man walking across the road. We halted and inquired for a blacksmith as we had done many times before; and were met by the reply, “I am a blacksmith.” When further asked, ‘Can you repair a spring?” he promptly replied, ‘““That is my VIZUALIZING FAMINE CONDITIONS 247 business.”” So we followed him to his shop as he directed, moved our car into the shed and the work of repair was begun at once. While he and his companion were working at the anvil the following conversation occurred partly through signs and partly through an interpreter. The blacksmith to us, “Are you Americans? Do you love freedom?” Upon our affirmative answer to both parts of the query he continued, ‘Then I want to tell you, don’t look for liberty, such as we have here in Russia, else you will also starve.’ After which he drew a piece of Soviet money from his pocket. It happened to be a hundred thousand ruble bill. This he repeatedly crushed in his hand by closing it rapidly, then pointing to the ciphers on the same with disdain, he said and emphatically illustrated with his hammer on the anvil, “Thus I used to work, and thereby secure food, clothing, and shelter for my family, but now that we have freedom it is all nothing. I can work as hard as I want to and yet I cannot earn enough to buy food for my children. I have enough of this freedom and liberty. If you will only give me food for myself and my family I am willing to be your slave for life.’ He was getting so emphatic in his denunciations of the Soviet government that I was beginning to fear some one might hear and implicate us in an attempt at a counter revolu- tion, which was the common talk; the slightest indication of which might be considered a crime, leading to very undesirable consequences. With this conversation going on we were anxiously watching the progress made in the repair work, and our hearts were beating faster at every indication of its early completion. The rain was coming down faster than ever and the long distance we still had to travel loomed up before our mind. These thoughts were rather abruptly broken off, when we beheld a captain with an armed guard 248 FEEDING THE HUNGRY of ten or a dozen men marching into the yard and sta- tioning themselves in a semi-circle