A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

ceived bread with syrup and milk. Mother did not have time to cook; she had to work at the sewing circle. Missions was more important than a full meal for the children at home.55 The mission sale, a special event in the church program, was instituted to translate the societies1 work into money for missions. It was a special day. Often it was pan of the quar- terly festivals in which several church groups united for a full day of mission emphasis. In the Minnesota churches this practice continued until the 1960s. A service of singing, preaching and missionary reports filled the morning. A noon love-feast followed, with the mission sale held in the after- noon or evening, The income from these efforts provided a major part of the mission budget.56 MISSIONARY REPORTS The relationship of the missionary to the home churches provided a further dimension for the nurture of mission re- sponsibility. The Zionsbote in America and the Friedens- stimme in Russia served as the echo of the mission needs abroad. The Zionsbote, in particular, had the character of a mission paper. Reports of God's moving came directly from the pen of the missionary and were widely known in the churches. The deputation work of missionaries on furlough centered on personal relationships. They came into the church com- munity for extended periods, visiting people during the day and holding meetings in the evenings. They became an ex- tension of the local church and its families. 94 CHAPTER 8 Early Mennonite Brethren Missionaries The motivation of the early Mennonite Brethren mis- sionaries is reflected in the words of the Apostle Paul: "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might fin- ish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have re- ceived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). The following sketches illustrate the dedi- cation of foreign missions pioneers.1 Abraham Friesen, son of a wealthy industrialist and part- ner with his father in the operation of profitable factories and flour mills, could not find peace knowing that millions had never heard the gospel. He was arrested by the words of Je- sus: "If any man come unto me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, . . . and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). Leaving position, pos- sessions and the security of a comfortable future, this gifted young man began preparing to evangelize the lost. With the backing of the Russian Mermonite Brethren Church, he and his wif