Headline: From Kansas and Russia
Ramona, 1 October ---
Dear friend Lorenz:
I am sending along a letter from the old country which confirms the receipt of $20 that Mr. Bal. J. Peter sent for me to Margreta Weber in Norka, Russia. As you can see from the letter they safely received the money and were very happy about it. Put the letter i the Welt-Post so that people learn how bad it still is in Norka.
With best wishes, yours
John Schnell
Dear friend Lorenz:
I am sending along a letter from the old country which confirms the receipt of $20 that Mr. Bal. J. Peter sent for me to Margreta Weber in Norka, Russia. As you can see from the letter they safely received the money and were very happy about it. Put the letter i the Welt-Post so that people learn how bad it still is in Norka.
With best wishes, yours
John Schnell
The Russian Letter
Norka, 27 August ---
To: Johannes Schnell
Ramona, Kansas
Dear brother Johannes and family:
We safely received your dear letter of 31 May of this year which had inside a receipt for 20 Dollars. We waited for some time before we got the news from Beideck (to pick up the money) but the wait only served to increase our joy. We had already told the widow Schnell and her son rode along with us to Beideck to pick it up but it was a single 20 Dollar bill and thus we had to wait a while longer before we could share (divide) it. A neighbor of widow Schnell had also received some dollars and changed the 20 Dollars for us so that we got 10 Dollars and widow Schnell got 10 Dollars. We herewith say our heartfelt thanks to all of you and "God Repays!" In this difficult time that has come upon us you have proved your brotherly love and thus we can say as the poet: "Love is not just a thing spoken, it flames and flows deep within the heart. Then its fruit matures on the tree of life into truth and action without ceremony." God bless you for the love you have shown us, and to sister Katrinliess we also send heartfelt thanks that she still thinks of our people and contributes so that we receive assistance during this time of great inflation that oppresses our country. We have to say that it was God's doing, it was He who stirred your hearts to remember us and for this we are thankful unto high heaven and say: "God is great and praiseworthy; His greatness is inexpressible. Lord, all your works and your Saints are to be thanked and praised."
We have heard from the letters of relatives that sister Katarinliess has been sorely afflicted. Her husband was thrown from his horse and died. We herewith express our condolences. She will be wringing her hands and asking; "Why?" When one says this with a heart full of fear, it is the Lord who will come and bring you peace. This was our experience when our Papa was taken from us. Thus you lead those who are yours, right blessedly; yes, blessedly and even most wonderfully! How could you be angry with us and ours, who cannot deny your truth? The paths down which you lead your children are often crooked but yet straight; often accompanied by miraculous sights until at last, triumphantly achieving your higher purpose. We heard that the bibles recently arrived but that they are in the Russian language. Anyhow, Johannes Deines will soon write to you about it.
We are, God be praised, all still well except for sister Gret who has a fever which keeps coming back and completely exhausts her; we are now giving her Quinine as a remedy and hope that she gets better. This illness is strongly prevalent here, nearly every house is afflicted.
We wanted to send you our letter together with the widow Schnell's but now we have a convenient opportunity to send it to Saratov and we didn't want to delay any longer in telling you that we received the Dollars. My wife was also very happy because she had written to you in the spring and since she had not received an answer she believed her letter had gotten lost. Now that your answer has come completely unexpectedly she has become like a refurbished roof support. She and her children are still well and she will write you a detailed letter later.
The harvest was weak among most groups (after land reapportionment people were assigned to plots of land by groups----translator) so there is not only a shortage of grains but also straw and fodder.
The livestock situation was not as it had been before among the farmers and now most of them must again endure another fodder shortage. There was little rain in our area and the Wiesenseite was more afflicted than the Bergseite; there the harvest was even weaker. What God does, is done well! He often shows us His blessings and before He can grant them we must put our hope in Him; because He alone must be the treasure, thus He creates bitterness through the loss of other goods.
We wish you all the best of health and all of the things necessary for your work, and give our affectionate greetings to your dear wife and all family members from your Weber brothers and sisters. We also ask that you affectionately greet sister Katarinliess for us and we would like to know of her husband's family name and if they are there with you in Kansas or elsewhere. Hopefully you will write us after you receive this letter. God grant us His grace and keep us through joy and suffering until we come home and join with all the Saints in the rejoicing sound of God's beautiful harps, where Hosannas resound so beautifully from choir to choir, their Hallelujahs echoing up in Heaven!
Your Weber brothers and sisters
To: Johannes Schnell
Ramona, Kansas
Dear brother Johannes and family:
We safely received your dear letter of 31 May of this year which had inside a receipt for 20 Dollars. We waited for some time before we got the news from Beideck (to pick up the money) but the wait only served to increase our joy. We had already told the widow Schnell and her son rode along with us to Beideck to pick it up but it was a single 20 Dollar bill and thus we had to wait a while longer before we could share (divide) it. A neighbor of widow Schnell had also received some dollars and changed the 20 Dollars for us so that we got 10 Dollars and widow Schnell got 10 Dollars. We herewith say our heartfelt thanks to all of you and "God Repays!" In this difficult time that has come upon us you have proved your brotherly love and thus we can say as the poet: "Love is not just a thing spoken, it flames and flows deep within the heart. Then its fruit matures on the tree of life into truth and action without ceremony." God bless you for the love you have shown us, and to sister Katrinliess we also send heartfelt thanks that she still thinks of our people and contributes so that we receive assistance during this time of great inflation that oppresses our country. We have to say that it was God's doing, it was He who stirred your hearts to remember us and for this we are thankful unto high heaven and say: "God is great and praiseworthy; His greatness is inexpressible. Lord, all your works and your Saints are to be thanked and praised."
We have heard from the letters of relatives that sister Katarinliess has been sorely afflicted. Her husband was thrown from his horse and died. We herewith express our condolences. She will be wringing her hands and asking; "Why?" When one says this with a heart full of fear, it is the Lord who will come and bring you peace. This was our experience when our Papa was taken from us. Thus you lead those who are yours, right blessedly; yes, blessedly and even most wonderfully! How could you be angry with us and ours, who cannot deny your truth? The paths down which you lead your children are often crooked but yet straight; often accompanied by miraculous sights until at last, triumphantly achieving your higher purpose. We heard that the bibles recently arrived but that they are in the Russian language. Anyhow, Johannes Deines will soon write to you about it.
We are, God be praised, all still well except for sister Gret who has a fever which keeps coming back and completely exhausts her; we are now giving her Quinine as a remedy and hope that she gets better. This illness is strongly prevalent here, nearly every house is afflicted.
We wanted to send you our letter together with the widow Schnell's but now we have a convenient opportunity to send it to Saratov and we didn't want to delay any longer in telling you that we received the Dollars. My wife was also very happy because she had written to you in the spring and since she had not received an answer she believed her letter had gotten lost. Now that your answer has come completely unexpectedly she has become like a refurbished roof support. She and her children are still well and she will write you a detailed letter later.
The harvest was weak among most groups (after land reapportionment people were assigned to plots of land by groups----translator) so there is not only a shortage of grains but also straw and fodder.
The livestock situation was not as it had been before among the farmers and now most of them must again endure another fodder shortage. There was little rain in our area and the Wiesenseite was more afflicted than the Bergseite; there the harvest was even weaker. What God does, is done well! He often shows us His blessings and before He can grant them we must put our hope in Him; because He alone must be the treasure, thus He creates bitterness through the loss of other goods.
We wish you all the best of health and all of the things necessary for your work, and give our affectionate greetings to your dear wife and all family members from your Weber brothers and sisters. We also ask that you affectionately greet sister Katarinliess for us and we would like to know of her husband's family name and if they are there with you in Kansas or elsewhere. Hopefully you will write us after you receive this letter. God grant us His grace and keep us through joy and suffering until we come home and join with all the Saints in the rejoicing sound of God's beautiful harps, where Hosannas resound so beautifully from choir to choir, their Hallelujahs echoing up in Heaven!
Your Weber brothers and sisters
Sources
Die Welt-Post, October 11, 1923, page 3.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
Last updated March 6, 2016.