Page:Kvartalshilsen (Kvinnelige misjonsarbeidere). 1919 Vol. 12 nr. 4.pdf/2

 

Skaatø, Kragerø 19. 8. 19.

Dear friends of the Lord!

So often I have longed for and asked to receive letters from Armenia, but month after month went by without hearing anything. What a joy it was for me to receive the following letter from one of our teachers in Harunje, where I spent the last year before returning home. It was only 5 weeks along the way and was written in Armenian:

Harunje June 3, 1919.

Dear Sister Bodil! Praise be to God that I can now write to you. Me and mine lives and are healthy. My wife and children send you many, many greetings and hope that you are also well alive. Here there are big changes since you were here! We need believing friends who love the Armenian people. - We rejoice in the grace of God; He does wonders daily. - More and more refugees are returning to our village. There are now 180 people in the village, besides all the children in the home. 450 expelled are also expected. One would think that nature also rejoiced. There was a time when 10 kilos of wheat cost a lira in gold, worth 5-6 lira in paper approx. 80-90 kr. Now 10 kilos of wheat costs 2–3 kr. Everything gradually becomes cheaper.

Political conditions are also improving day by day.

On June 2, an Armenian officer, Rupen Effendi, arrived in French uniform to our orphanage along with several Armenian soldiers. They seized and imprisoned several of the rich Turks on the spot. In the past, when officers came to the orphanage, how we feared and trembled; but now it's the opposite.

From Caucasus to the Mediterranean will now be Armenia.

What a great grace it will be for us. The Lord be praised for it! That's the bloody price of 1,200,000 Armenian innocents.

Sister, you know so well what suffering this poor nation has endured. 260 Armenians were hanged in Marasch, every day 40, 50, 60 were hung. They did indescribable and unmentionable things down in and around Der el zor. My brother, my mother, who was 60 years old, 2 sisters and their 5 children, uncles and other relatives were all sent to Der el zor, and now not one of them is alive, all have been killed. My brother they sent to one place, his wife to another. Only my brother's wife has returned, and she has only one child with her.

We have also gone through many hardships: On the 9th of October in 1918 they seized two male teachers and the two female teachers Martha and Armenuhi and sent us to Baghtsché. Martha came after us, a gendarme grabbed her and said very hurtful things to her as he carried her away. The 14 liras in gold that we had the gendarme took from us, as well as the 5 lira that v. Doubles gave us for travel expenses. Almost without money we went to Marasch. In the government building they examined and read our papers. The chief of police had written as an accusation against us that we had given bread to refugees. As they looked at our papers, there was news that the Armenians could return, they would get everything back and all the guilty should be pardoned. He read this message aloud, and as he turned to us, he said; "a pardon has come for you, see to it that you get out quickly." Thus, our Savior miraculously saved us because we were innocent.

We stayed in Marasch until October 23, then we traveled to Harunje. Teachers Martha and Armenuhi were left to attend Bible School in Marasch. Every Sunday we have a church service in our church and gather together both Protestants and Gregorian’s; I preach there. There are between 80-90 attending. The returning refugees have neither clothing nor bedding, and there is no one to help them at all.

Dear sister, the time for work has come

In Marasch a Turkish teacher, and in 