THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

he two men deciding to accompany me to Vyschinka. The Lord, who had so graciously led us thus far, will continue to guide our paths on this journey if we commit ourselves to Him. Now we directed our journey toward Vichantz [?]. After a few days we arrived at a settlement of Germans who had moved there from Germany some twenty-eight years ago. This settlement consists of six villages: four Lutheran and two Catholic. After I had visited with the Lutheran pastor in the morning, had had coffee with him and visited his church, I also visited the Catholic priest, Innocentius Walter by name. A very upright man, he had been born in Prague. He welcomed me with great courtesy, showed me his church and its utensils. And when I took my leave from him after a lengthy conversation, we were 164 IN RUSSIA 1789-1860 both convinced that we would meet once again at that place of eternal bliss. 82 e) “We arrived in Vyschinka on Saturday, July 26. [At the Hutterites, cf. above #6, c, d, e ‘Jakob Hutter’ and #16 ‘Elder Gerhard Wiebe’]. We were cordially received; since it was harvest time most of the people were in the fields. In the evening we attended the prayer meeting which they held every day toward evening. I preached on Luke 13:23-24 concerning the necessity of a true conversion and how everyone must arrive at such a new birth. The audience was quite attentive. In the afternoon the countess [Rumianzev-Sadunaisky, the owner and pro- tectress of these lands] came to see us. I had a conversation with her and, upon her gracious invitation, had to promise to visit her the following day. And so we did this on Monday, being received most graciously by her. We were shown the noteworthy aspects of the castle as well as the summer palace in which the Empress [Catherine II] resided during our journey through these parts. In the evening, at the request of the congregation, I conducted a prayer meeting. I spoke on Romans 12:1, 2 regarding the reasonable church service of the first [‘brethren?’], and how it should be right before God and rendered in the Spirit and in truth. At the conclusion of the service I noticed that the brothers and sisters had been greatly moved. After a stay of three days we continued our journey. Even such a short stay had bound us together in love and fostered a mutual trust to one another to such an extent that nearly everyone begged us, amidst tears, to tarry a while longer, the farewell from the reverend ‘Ohm’ David Epp [elder], ‘Ohm’ G. Willms [minister], and ‘Ohm’ Abraham Krahn [who had accompanied him from Chortitza] was particularly difficult; especially ‘Ohm’ Epp wept aloud without saying anything. f) “From Vyschinka to the town of Slisnov [?], populated solely by Philippites [Filippovzy, in Russian ‘Raskolniki’], we were accompanied by the Reverend Elders Johannes Waldener and Heinrich Hahl. After ftiany difficult days of travel we arrived at Plotzk . . . [because of unrest among the Po