Headline: Highly Important News from Russia
Saratov, Russia, 15 March
To: The American Volga Relief Society, 126 S. 11th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska
On behalf of your local representative, Mr. Jakob Volz, I recently did some business for the A.V.R.S. on the Wiesenseite. First there were these Food Drafts addressed to individuals who had not picked them up and were due to be sent back. Mr. Volz was granted the authority to extend their due dates for a month by the local director so that he could personally see to handling the notification of the recipients. He found 100 percent of these addresses. The local authorities had simply not delivered the notifications. Thus we, Mr. Volz on the Bergseite and myself on the Wiesenseite, were able to bring several hundred Packets to the correct addresses. Mr. Volz had been provided with 200 Food Drafts intended for the poor. He entrusted me with the distribution of 150 of them on the Wiesenseite, he, by the way, himself distributed 50 of them at the Tarlyk. The others I took to the officials in charge. With the weather and the emergency getting worse I took the first opportunity to send 25 Food Drafts to Pastor J. Grasmueck who distributed them among the widows and sick of his Parish. Further, I gave 45 Drafts to Pastor J. Seydlitz in Paulskoi for the upper Colonies which he and the Church leaders of his 2 Parishes distributed. Finally, I personally distributed 30 Packets in the Parish of Rosenheim. In order to accomplish the distribution quickly and accurately I drove out to the villages on 2 successive holidays. The people gladly took me from village to village. Everywhere I found the Church leaders and brethren to be conscientious and selfless and truly willing to help carry the aid to those suffering need. Everywhere they harnessed Horses and drove me from house to house, to the huts of the most impoverished, the widows and orphans, just as readily as they took me from village to village. On my round trip I personally investigated the villages of Krasnojar, Rosenheim, Enders, Fischer, Paulskoi and Kano. In Enders, Paulskoi and Kano, in additon to distributing food, I distributed a 25 Dollar clothing packet. I made individual packages, each of 12 pieces of clothing, and distributed them to 12 families.
In addition to the above named villages we also distributed food to: Beauregard, Niedermonjou, Philippsfeld, Glarus, Schaffenhausen, Neu Schaffenhausen, Brunnental, Neu Beideck, Neu Mohr, Neu Hussenbach and Wiesenmueller. In total 17 villages.
And now what is the situation on the Wiesenseite, I hear you ask impatiently. Yes, dear brothers, you will have an answer. I will describe the situation in one of the poorest villages, Kano. Half of the houses are in ruins. One can only drive on the main street, all the other streets are now footpaths. There are perhaps 20 families getting along reasonably well, among them are such who 2 years ago had up to 20 horses and just as many cattle. Today such a man, in the most favorable condition, has 1 Horse and 1 cow. The great majority here have absolutely no livestock anymore. I was in such huts where the head of the house had to stay in bed on Saturday while his only shirt and only trousers were being washed, the children sitting naked behind the oven.
On Sundays one might be able to think, well they cannot be all that poor, everyone inside is clothed, their clothing well mended. Yes, but in many huts despair prevails. There the mother lies swollen on a bed of hay on the bare ground in front of the oven, her 5 children sit in the corner on little piles of hay. When we ask if she has any livestock we receive the reply: Today we do not even have enough to eat (several words illegible - translator) everyone was crying.
In another hut are 2 widows and a handful of children, The room is cold, there is no bed, no table, no chair, everything has been sold. There is only a handful of hay in the corners.
In another house there are 4 poor widows (several words illegible - translator). I had to go outside in a corner of the yard and cry out loud because my heart was pounding so.
And that, dear brothers, is the situation in the poorest of villages. People are still dying of hunger. There is thus a crying need for your assistance and the people are grateful for it. Many were so moved by the unexpected aid that they were unable to speak because they were crying so hard. The poor were especially grateful for the little bits of things I was able to give them as gifts from the brethren in America.
With your help, most of the people hope to make it through to the next harvest and plead to God that He might grant them a good harvest so they they can once again support themselves.
With greetings,
P. Sinner
On behalf of your local representative, Mr. Jakob Volz, I recently did some business for the A.V.R.S. on the Wiesenseite. First there were these Food Drafts addressed to individuals who had not picked them up and were due to be sent back. Mr. Volz was granted the authority to extend their due dates for a month by the local director so that he could personally see to handling the notification of the recipients. He found 100 percent of these addresses. The local authorities had simply not delivered the notifications. Thus we, Mr. Volz on the Bergseite and myself on the Wiesenseite, were able to bring several hundred Packets to the correct addresses. Mr. Volz had been provided with 200 Food Drafts intended for the poor. He entrusted me with the distribution of 150 of them on the Wiesenseite, he, by the way, himself distributed 50 of them at the Tarlyk. The others I took to the officials in charge. With the weather and the emergency getting worse I took the first opportunity to send 25 Food Drafts to Pastor J. Grasmueck who distributed them among the widows and sick of his Parish. Further, I gave 45 Drafts to Pastor J. Seydlitz in Paulskoi for the upper Colonies which he and the Church leaders of his 2 Parishes distributed. Finally, I personally distributed 30 Packets in the Parish of Rosenheim. In order to accomplish the distribution quickly and accurately I drove out to the villages on 2 successive holidays. The people gladly took me from village to village. Everywhere I found the Church leaders and brethren to be conscientious and selfless and truly willing to help carry the aid to those suffering need. Everywhere they harnessed Horses and drove me from house to house, to the huts of the most impoverished, the widows and orphans, just as readily as they took me from village to village. On my round trip I personally investigated the villages of Krasnojar, Rosenheim, Enders, Fischer, Paulskoi and Kano. In Enders, Paulskoi and Kano, in additon to distributing food, I distributed a 25 Dollar clothing packet. I made individual packages, each of 12 pieces of clothing, and distributed them to 12 families.
In addition to the above named villages we also distributed food to: Beauregard, Niedermonjou, Philippsfeld, Glarus, Schaffenhausen, Neu Schaffenhausen, Brunnental, Neu Beideck, Neu Mohr, Neu Hussenbach and Wiesenmueller. In total 17 villages.
And now what is the situation on the Wiesenseite, I hear you ask impatiently. Yes, dear brothers, you will have an answer. I will describe the situation in one of the poorest villages, Kano. Half of the houses are in ruins. One can only drive on the main street, all the other streets are now footpaths. There are perhaps 20 families getting along reasonably well, among them are such who 2 years ago had up to 20 horses and just as many cattle. Today such a man, in the most favorable condition, has 1 Horse and 1 cow. The great majority here have absolutely no livestock anymore. I was in such huts where the head of the house had to stay in bed on Saturday while his only shirt and only trousers were being washed, the children sitting naked behind the oven.
On Sundays one might be able to think, well they cannot be all that poor, everyone inside is clothed, their clothing well mended. Yes, but in many huts despair prevails. There the mother lies swollen on a bed of hay on the bare ground in front of the oven, her 5 children sit in the corner on little piles of hay. When we ask if she has any livestock we receive the reply: Today we do not even have enough to eat (several words illegible - translator) everyone was crying.
In another hut are 2 widows and a handful of children, The room is cold, there is no bed, no table, no chair, everything has been sold. There is only a handful of hay in the corners.
In another house there are 4 poor widows (several words illegible - translator). I had to go outside in a corner of the yard and cry out loud because my heart was pounding so.
And that, dear brothers, is the situation in the poorest of villages. People are still dying of hunger. There is thus a crying need for your assistance and the people are grateful for it. Many were so moved by the unexpected aid that they were unable to speak because they were crying so hard. The poor were especially grateful for the little bits of things I was able to give them as gifts from the brethren in America.
With your help, most of the people hope to make it through to the next harvest and plead to God that He might grant them a good harvest so they they can once again support themselves.
With greetings,
P. Sinner
Sources
Die Welt-Post, May 10, 1923, page 2.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
Last updated Month 6, 2016