A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

he early twenties there was such a proliferation of evangelistic efforts among the Russian people, that an exhaustive survey seems impossible. Unser Blatt, the all-Mennonite periodical from 1925 to 1928, published reports frequently about such work in almost all parts of Russia. Of special interest is a missionary report by Johann Peters, about the work among the pagan Ostjakes and Tunguse in Northern Siberia. 17 Upon graduating from the Berlin Bible School shortly before World War I, Peters and his wife returned to Russia. Beginning in 1918, they launched their mission among these semi-nomadic tribes, accompanied by Peters' sister Helen and a relative by the name of Johann Kehler. By boat, train and other means, they traveled into the region three hundred miles north of the city of Tomsk. From here to the Arctic, especially along the Ob river and its tributaries, these stalwart pioneers found their field of labor for many years. The hardships endured are indescribable, and so also the moral conditions of the people. The task of evangelizing these tribes was staggering in its magnitude. 118 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITR BRETHREN CHURCH Peters was deeply disturbed by the fact that so few responded to the call of missions. In a report in 1926 he wrote: "Have we and our fathers been faithful in seeking the lost? Brethren, for nine years now we have religious freedom in this country. Why are so many leaving for America and so few workers come to this vast northern mission field, where we can preach the gospel free and without restriction?"" Many of the brethren who left for America, however, were deeply convinced that religious freedom in Russia would soon come to an end, and that God would open new doors of service for them in Canada. Their premonition was confirmed by political developments under Stalin shortly afierwards. The emigration of Mennonites from the Soviet Union in the 1920s constitutes one of the greatest mass-movements of n religious group which left its homeland for conscience' sake. Continued Oppresion and Mass Exodus The desire to emigrate had its beginnings in the days of anarchy and famine, but it came to fruition and practical realization only in 1923. The Study Commission {Stutiienkommission), which left for North America in 1920, had been instructed not only to report on conditions among Russian Mennonites but also to investigate immigration and settlement possibilities. As reported earlier in this chapter, the visit of the Study Commission was the occasion for the organization of the Mennonite Central Committee in Elkhart, Indiana in July, 1920. In Canada the members of the commission also urged the various Mennonite groups to consolidate their relief efforts. After prolonged and often difficult negotiations, the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization came into being on May 17, 1922." This board, under the able leadership of elder David Toews, was to assume the central role