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

ted all the brethren who learned the truth about baptism through the mission of Gaede and Jaeckel [cf. above, ‘Kuban’], but unfortunately also had been led to many false conceptions by these brethren. 314 After we had visited all of them in their cottages, had spoken and presented God’s Word twice in evening meetings, and had admonished them to unity of spirit and faith, we turned back on Thursday the 16th, and after another brief visit in Odessa, came to Annenfeld in the Crimea via Sevastopol and Simferopol where we arrived on September 22 at the home of Br. Wall. Here, on Thursday the 23rd we had a well-attended and meaningful evening Bible study at the school. [Home on the 27th]. ... On the 9th of October I travelled to Neu-Hoffnungstal [the parish of the late Pastor Wuest] to Brother and Sister Peter Siemens [a Semstvo teacher, cf. 0196, k] where we had a blessed fellowship both morning and afternoon. In the evening it was the pleasure of our loving Lord to bless us (especially me) through the word in Eph. 2:8-9. On September 11th I went to Berdiansk to the German Counsul [D. was a foreigner]. Here I had a conversation with a number of believers during the evening and was invited especially by Pastor Buhler to proclaim the Word in their church. This I could, however, not do this time because of circumstances. On the 13th I visited homes in Rosenfeld and Neu-Hoffnungstal and in the evening led in a fellowship hour at the home of Brother and Sister Siemens. . . . May our loving Lord purify all efforts through His blood, fill with His Spirit, and bless with His blessing! This is the wish and the prayer of yours in the Lord, Jakob Dirksen— Muensterberg.” 2. “Annual Report of the year 1876 by Jakob Jantz, Friedensfeld. In retrospect I have little to boast about the past year; on the contrary, I am compelled to thank our loving Savior that He has not requited us according to our sins, but has been gracious to us according to His great mercy. If I examine the conditions in our church according to the Word of God, I fear whether the words of Rev. 2:4, 5 and 3:1 would apply to us and we be in danger that our lamp be removed from its stand. It is gracious of our loving Saviour to say: ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.’ So the loving Savior does not want to discard us, nor does He want to take His grace from us, but would like to visit us with His rod when we fall into sin. This has frequently been my consolation when my heart has become heavy and I have comforted myself with the fact that my heavenly Father will know how to lead even me in order to keep me together with all poor sinners in Jesus Christ in order to place me transfigured before his throne. My longing is to arrive at this state and to thank my loving heavenly Father, my loving Savior, and the Holy Spirit in all eternity with new radiant words for His preservation and for His carrying me through this desert into the blessed beyond. I have