The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

oung men in order that they might accompany the group.° Third Wagon Train, August, 1880 In all, about 80 families began preparations for departure. Farms and property were sold at auction, huge wagons were constructed, and the many necessary implements for the journey were collected. On August 1, the Molotschna group gathered at Waldheim village, ready for departure. After a farewell sermon on the text of Hebrews 13:14 — ‘‘For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come” — the 75 wagons struck out across the plains toward the Trakt on the Volga, there to rendezvous with the second wagon train leav- ing that colony. En route to the Trakt a strict traveling order was enforced be- cause faster wagons tended to get ahead of the group and a separa- tion of the party could result. This strict order, however, had its drawbacks because some of the single-file procession drove so slowly that large gaps occurred, and those behind a slow wagon often lost patience.’ The travelers from Molotschna spent their first Sunday in the Hutterite village of Johannesruh, where men wore long hair parted in the middle. Here it rained almost constantly, but it did not dampen the spirits of the young people, who ran barefoot through the thick mud. Later, these children would remember fondly their frolic in the mud, but at the time their enthusiasm dissipated as they developed large blisters on their feet.* 98 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites Each evening, after a full day of travel, they would drive their wagons into a circle for the night. The night watch was divided in half by four men who were assigned guard duty. About daybreak, two guards moved about the camp, beating on tin buckets to awaken the group. As soon as the horses were fed, morning devotions com- pleted, and a hearty breakfast eaten, they would break camp. A Suicide Reported From the inception of the trip, Peters placed a strong emphasis on worship services, and he personally arranged morning and evening devotions by selecting one of four preachers with the group to be the speaker. The entire party was required to attend these devo- tions. On Sunday, they rested all day and added midmorning and mid- afternoon services, making four services each Sabbath, or a total of sixteen services per week!® Day after day, traveling and worship continued. Then, just before the end of August, a lone messenger came galloping up to the wagon train bearing sad news of unrequited love. The sweetheart of one of the young men in the group had been forced by her parents to remain behind. She had committed suicide by hanging. The shocked young man, who had been compelled by his parents to leave Molotschna, suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be watched day and night for fear that he would try to take his own life. '° Despite a halt because of this startling situation, the wanderers soon reached the Don River, where they were ferried across, o