Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

w prices, household goods, etc., in order that they might buy a horse so that they could plow and sow again to provide bread for the future. The enthu- siasm was so great that many acres were spaded by hand and planted. The people even watched over their crops at night, lest they be stolen while they slept. Another evidence of the fact that very few horses were left in the colonies, was the millions of acres of land, formerly in a high state of cultivation, that now lay waste and uncultivated, as we drove through the different vil- lages organizing them for the tractor and farm work. 358 FEEDING THE HUNGRY We frequently met pedestrians, some of whom had come ‘as far as twenty to forty versts, mostly barefoot or in wooden sandals, to buy or sell something or to plead for assistance. Some were young, some middle-aged, and some were old grandmothers and grandfathers. Their pleadings were for food, clothing or tractor work. Often- times, also, they were on their way to visit their parents or children. At times we went by auto as far as thirty versts without meeting a horse-drawn vehicle, and it is needless to say that they had no automobiles after the revolution. May the good Lord bless these unfortunate people abundantly in the future, and grant that other countries may be spared such a tragedy, is my hope and prayer. Rev. P. H. Unruh, pastor of the Alexanderwohl Church near Goessel, Kansas, is a native of America, born in McPherson Co., Kansas, January 23, 1881. He accepted work under the Mennonite Central Committee for service in Russia in the fall of 1922 and set sail from New York harbor on November 26, 1922. Rev. Unruh brought both material and _ spiritual] comfort to the brethren abroad. His field of service was the Ukraine, and covered such places as Alexandrowsk, Chortitza and adjoining settlements, the Molotschna, Sagradowka, Berdjansk, Melitopel and neighboring settle- ments. While Bro. Unruh also gave attention to feeding operations, his chief duties were in connection with the distribution of clothing and medicine. Brother Unruh served as Elder of the Alexanderwohl church before his trip abroad. The church graciously granted him a leave of absence in the interest of the suffering brethren; upon his return he again assumed active service with his congregation. His trip abroad broadened his experience and doubtless increased the value PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 359 of his services to his church, when he returned in June, 1923. THE DESTITUTE REFUGEES P. H. Unruh Among the many who suffered greatly during the years of famine and revolution, the refugees constitute a class by themselves. There were the refugees who came from beautiful homes, which before the revolution they had owned, together with extended tracts of land. Now they were the object of general hatred and spite just as they had been admired and envied before. Another group of refugees were those who had sepa