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

a Strauss, a graduate nurse. They married and con- tinued their preparations, undaunted by the huge challenge they faced. When reminded that two earlier missionaries had never returned home, they replied simply: "It is necessary for us to go. It is not necessary for us to live" The Mennonite Brethren Church had no missionary pro- gram in Africa at that time. The Congo Inland Mission, an in- ter-Men nonite society, had just opened a field in 1911 in what was then known as the Belgian Congo (today's Zaire). The Janzens applied to the mission and were accepted. There was no guarantee of support or a salary, but friends and ac- quaintances from North America committed themselves to help as possible. Such good intentions might be meager cur- rency in the distant jungles of Africa, but it was enough for Aaron and Emestina Janzen. They arrived in the Congo in 1912 and were immediately sent on a dangerous pioneering mission to the hostile Balubas tribe. The hardships were immense, and their lives frequently in jeopardy. But the Janzens trusted God from day to day. In time their patient kindness and friendliness broke through and gave entry to this tribe which today is a major force in the evangelization of Zaire. Within a year on the field they suffered the loss of one of their sons to the fever and treacherous African climate. Only a few years later their second son also fell victim to the harsh demands of missionary life. But the Janzens did not waver. 98 EARLY MENNONTTE BRETHREN MISSIONARIES Their declaration-It is necessary for us to go, it is not neces- sary for us to live, "-apparently applied also to those dearest to them. The First World War interrupted their connection with the homeland. Deprived of regular support from home, their subsistence was very difficult. Yet they continued to labor, unable to free themselves of the conviction that they were sent to establish a mission, not only under the Congo Inland Mission, but in the name of the Mennonite Brethren, In 1920 their commitment to the Mennonite Brethren Church led them to request a release from the Congo Inland Mission. They spent months of travelling and searching, final- ly sensing a revelation from God that they should establish a mission station in the wildest area of the jungle, known as Ka- fumba, or "the nest of the elephants." Struggling against un- bearable conditions, they finally established a base and in 1926 were able to see the initial fruits of their labor The first baptism was conducted, and the beginning of a Mennonite Brethren church in Af