Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

re of the work, and arrived at the following conclu- sions relative to the several activities in Constantinople: a. The Orphanage. Stoltzfus reported that the British were starting orphanage work on a large scale, that they had requisitioned the house in which we were operating, and had already requested that we turn over the children to them in a fortnight or so. The work in the orphanage showed efficient and painstaking efforts on the part of Miss Zook. It was decided that we close the : Orphanage as soon as the British were ready to take. charge of the work. b. The Mennonite Home. The only Mennonites remaining in the Home were two Bekker families, Her- man and J. Niebuhr, H. Schroeder, and H. Braun. The others were Lutherans and Catholics, who were waiting to leave for Germany or Austria. One Bekker family already had word that the money for their trip to Amer- ica was coming. The Unit had already ceased paying rent on the Home, which left the problem of closing an almost settled affair, if it had not been for the fact that many refugees were in Batoum and other placés, on the way to Constantinople. We decided that cheaper quar- ters should be found for them, and that it might be advisable to divert them to a less crowded place than Constantinople. Our attention was again directed to the Dutch base in Varna, Bulgaria, which Unruh and Esau had highly recommended. Thereupon it was agreed that we close the Constantinople Mennonite Home, but operate at least temporarily until some other provision could be made to take care of the refugees. Since our plan to leave for Russia at once by the U. S. Destroyer made a trip to Varna impossible, Bro. Stoltzfus consented to go 714 FEEDING THE HUNGRY to Varna and perhaps some other places in Bulgaria to see about establishing a receiving station for refugees. c. The Women’s Home. What to do with this phase of the work seemed most difficult to decide, for the need of these women was real, and their pathetic plea not to close touched our hearts. The condition of some of the women was evidently such that they were in danger of being morally, physically, and spiritually lost, if turned out to shift for themselves in that wicked city. We called on the Director of the Near East Relief,. and requested that they take charge of these women when we close. He promised to do what he could, to give them work. Miss Weaver agreed to help them fit themselves by the first of May, for the work that would be expected of them. If sufficient funds had been available, or needs had not been greater elsewhere, we doubtless would have kept the Women’s Home open. Under the circumstances it seemed advisable to prepare for closing up the work in Constanti- nople on May 1. On the following day, after cablegrams had been sent to Moscow and Alexandrowsk announcing our coming, we took passage on the U. S. Destroyer Sturtevant, for Odessa, where we changed to the U. S. Destr