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A MIRACLE OF THE PRAIRIES
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The First Guest Arrives
The 9th day of January,
1914, was to be a red-letter day in the history of the Bethphage
Mission, for that marked the day when Dab! contracted to buy the
forty acres just north of the village of Axtell, which was to be
the location of the colony. The purchase price was $5,000.00 of
which $1,000.00 was to be a gift from the owner, a Mrs. Scott.
This was no new thought for Dahl. It had already been decided when
he arrived in Axtell. It had come back again and again, hence he
relates: "I had not been in Axtell many hours before I had been
out to examine 'our land.' They told me that land so near the
village would be expensive, that it would cost $200.00 per acre -
but a voice within kept saying, 'There's where the institution is
to stand.' Oft times have I wandered out there alone. Twice on
Christmas eves have I been out on the hill, bared my head and
folded my hands and prayed the Lord, if it be His will that He
would make it possible to purchase this tract for the most
unfortunate. The Lord has heard the prayer of His servant. The
Lord is with us. Praised be the name of the Lord!"
Great would have been the joy of
this zealous champion of the cause of the unfortunates, if he
could have immediately erected homes for his wards, but the
treasury was now overdrawn. The urgency of it all was however,
being impressed on him by letters coming from different places,
asking him how soon he would be ready to receive guests. Something
must be done soon. As early as April of that year some of the
members of the Board of Trustees met to discuss renting temporary
quarters, that could be used for housing guests. A cottage in the
very block where the parsonage was located was for rent and it was
decided to lease it and prepare quarters for seven or eight
inmates. Empty handed, he suggested that cast off furniture could
be used, and that the newly organized Tabitha Society of Axtell,
an auxiliary of the Association, would do all in its power to
renovate and furnish the cottage. A veritable shower of articles
came from all parts of the country and voluntary gifts of cash
were also increasing. The date set for its official opening was to
be Midsummer Day, June 24. When Midsummer eve arrived about 300
persons were present at the cottage, Home Bethel, to take part in
the festivities and to admire the home that was to be the
beginnings of the Bethphage Mission, as the homes of the
unfortunates have since been called.
On the 29th of June, Mrs. E.
Lindenstein arrived as the first guest. She was a widow that was
helpless and also homeless. Three days later an elderly lady with
nervous prostrations was the second to arrive. Another door of
Christian mercy was now open. It soon became known and the appeals
for entrance kept coming to the overseer of the colony. More room
must he provided. On August 27, Home Sarepta was dedicated for
women workers; on October 14, Home Nazareth was opened for
epileptic women and by the end of the year still another cottage
had been rented. The following year no less than eight houses were
rented in the village and were used for various purposes. All of
this was, however, only a temporary arrangement. The real
Bethphage Mission was to be erected on soil that had been secured
under divine guidance and hallowed by the prayers of the
founder.
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God Uses Men and Means
Before relating the
beginnings of this more permanent home of the Colony of Mercy
there should be mentioned two very important factors that entered
into this permanence. The future of the Bethphage Mission would
not have been possible without them. It has pleased God to
accomplish his work here on earth by visible means. The means that
had such an important part in this undertaking were that of
workers and material support. How these came about are also a very
important part of this story.
Pastor Dahl had not overlooked
the importance of workers in caring for unfortunates. That was to
him one of the most important features of the great undertaking.
While very little is mentioned in his writings concerning this
subject, it is easy to understand from his actions and also from
the testimony of those who knew him personally and are still
continuing in this labor of love, that his ideal in this respect
was that of the Bethel Institute of Bielefeld. His hopes and
prayers were that his fellow workers would be such as had been
called of God and who had responded by consecrating their lives to
this work. His plan as the time went by seemed to be that these
workers should be organized into a Brotherhood and a Sisterhood
and that these deacons and deaconesses should have a similar
organization to that of the Lutheran Diaconate in Europe.
The hopes and aspirations of the
founder for such consecrated workers found a response in his own
congregation. As early as January, 1914, Carl Martinson of Axtell
was received as a deacon candidate and the same month was sent to
the Ebenezer Institute in Brush, Colorado, for training. This
preliminary training was followed by short courses of instruction
in Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at the Passavant
Home for Epileptics in Rochester, Pennsylvania. By October 14, of
that same year he was accepted as a probationer at the home base.
In April of the same year Miss Edna Palmblade volunteered as the
first candidate for the Sisterhood and was sent to the Ehenezer
Institute for training. She returned and was accepted as a
probationer on the 22nd of June.
When Home Bethel, the first
cottage was opened Sister Malvina Olson, a Bethesda Sister from
St. Paul, was secured as the first housemother. During these early
months Sister Esther Peterson of Gowrie, Iowa, was also employed.
These Sisters were to create the atmosphere for the working
corps.
It soon developed that the
Bethphage Mission had found a response among other young women in
the neighboring congregations. Two sisters from the Adullam
congregation north of Bertrand, Clara and Anna Johnson, came as
workers in the early days of the Mission. Sister Clara was
accepted as a probationer on April 19, 1916 and Sister Anna
followed her good example and became a probationer on February 19,
1918. Pastor Dahl, referring to them wrote: "We have received much
from Bertrand, but best of all we have received from this place
two efficient Bethphage workers."
A young woman from nearby
Holdrege also responded to the call
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for permanent workers. The daughter of Pastor F. N. Swanberg,
the first member of the B.I.M.A., Sister Aurora Swanberg, was the
first candidate to be consecrated into the Bethphage Sisterhood.
This occurred on April 19, 1916. She had formerly received her
training in the diaconate at the Immanuel Deaconess Institute of
Omaha. She became the Directing Sister and housemother, a position
which she has held to the present time. Gifted with the
qualifications of leadership and with a sincere sympathy for the
unfortunate, she became a great help to the cause that was
pioneering in the field of Christian mercy.
Next in importance to a faithful
and loyal corps of workers was the material support that would
supply food, raiment, and shelter for the large household. Pastor
Dahl had many plans that he used for gathering these means. It
semed (sic) that his mind was unusually fertile in discovering new
methods. The first appeal was for membership dues, which also
meant subscribers for the periodical, GULDAX. This became the
printed organ of the Mission. Then followed the sale of various
issues of stamps, also the placing of Bethphage Banks in the homes
of the friends throughout the country. At the same time there was
the broadcasting of numerous circulars. He also published many
short articles in the religious press, as well as in the many
Swedish-American periodicals of his day. Personal visits to the
congregations in ever widening circles were made by the founder,
and also by the neighboring pastors. All of these efforts served
to make Bethphage Mission known. In a short time the list of
contributors grew and funds came into the treasury. The results of
the seed sown in those days are still bearing fruit in voluntary
gifts that are being received.
It may be observed here,
however, that all of the more or less mechanical methods of
raising funds have gradually disappeared with the passing of the
years. Even the membership of the association has been reduced to
a minimum, It seems that the genius of the Bethphage Mission as
far as its material support is concerned, is that God has methods
of His own and the more His servants trust Him to provide, the
more certain has the income been. The guiding principle in this
matter must always rest on such words of the Lord as: "Your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
"God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having
always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good
work." "In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your 'requests be made known
unto God." "And my God shall supply every need of yours according
to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
That the founder rested on these
wonderful promises of God was after all his greatest strength. The
methods he employed were merely incidental and probably would have
disappeared with his passing experience. That he had a deep and
sincere confidence in God was often evidenced in those early days
and it was honored by a gradual increase in financial support. He
was able to write to the friends of Bethphage in October, 1916:
"The total income during the second year was $9,205.23. The third
year of the Mission's activities were successful. The income was
$23,002.12. During the first seven months of the fourth year, the
income has been $28,761.03. So God has provided for his work."
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Home Tabor Built
The time had come for a new
page to be written in the story of Bethphage. Hitherto the urgency
of homes for the unfortunates made it necessary to provide
temporary quarters for them. But this was only marking time before
the real Bethphage was to be on the march. In June, 1915, it was
decided by the Board of Trustees to build the first building on
the Mission grounds.
In the August issue of GULDAX the
architect's sketch of Home Tabor appeared. The architect, Mr. Olaf
Cervin of Rock Island, Illinois, had become acquainted with the
Bethphage Mission and was very sympathetic with its proposed aims.
Pastor Dahl was fortunate in securing this capable workman for the
initial building. It had been decided from the beginning that the
architecture should be the step gable style, which is quite common
in southern Sweden and in Denmark. It was well that he who planned
the first building of the colony was familiar with this type of
construction and thus could form the pattern which has been
adhered to in the other structures that have followed in its wake.
Bethphage is distinct in this regard from many other institutions.
A thought which was recently expressed by one of our visitors, as
she afterwards gave her impressions, may be of interest here. The
step gables seemed to remind her of the ladder that Jacob saw in
his dream and she fancied that the angels of God are walking up
and down these steps keeping watch over the guests at
Bethphage.
Under the sketch displayed in
GULDAX, referred to above, were these words: "Let us Thank and
Pray!" Then followed an appeal, first to thank God for the past
evidences of mercy in providing temporary homes, but the writer
also urged renewed prayers for this home that should be erected on
the land which belonged to the Mission. He wrote confidently, "God
has heard our prayers in the past and will continue to do so."
Such was the spirit in which the Lord's servant launched this
undertaking for God.
The letting of the contract for
Home Tabor was held on August 12, 1915. The first spade full of
sod was broken five days later. Things were moving in those days.
Back of it all was a faith that God would make things possible.
Dahl expressed this upward look in these words: "From whence shall
the money come? We do not know, but this we know that it will come
in the right time and as it is needed. Hitherto the Lord has
helped us. Dear friends, pray with us that the Lord may guide this
building project, for 'except the Lord build the house, they labor
in vain who build it.'"
The next issue of GULDAX informs
us that the leader was silent for the time being. He had scarcely
turned the first sod for the new building until his super-abundant
energy was laid low by a siege of pneumonia with other
complications. The driving power for the new project had
temporarily come to a halt. He that seemed so robust and strong
was set aside that he might wait on the Lord to renew his
strength. In less than two months he was again able to be at the
helm. At this time he wrote of encouraging contributions that were
flowing into the
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treasury; and reported the first sizeable testamentary gift
that was received. Mr. John Sandstrom of Wausa, Nebraska, had
bequeathed $2,000.00 to the Bethphage Mission. This was a new
evidence that the Lord was going to provide what was needed. Fuel
had been added to the fire and it renewed his zeal for the
cause.
On the seventeenth of May, 1916,
he made the following comment in his daybook: "The long looked for
day is here, clear and bright. Everything seems promising. My
heart is full of thankfulness." The little hill north of Axtell
was filled with people. Persons from the surrounding territory
were gathered for the dedication of Home Tabor. All were rejoicing
at what had taken place; but there was one to whom this day meant
more than to any one else. His feelings are best expressed in his
own words: "I went about as in a dream. Crowds came - who were
there, I did not know. Speeches were given, a dozen of them; but
what they said, I did not hear. My heart was too full! Everything
seemed so wonderful. The Bethphage Mission, only three years old
and yet it had gained such a support. The Lord had done more than
we could ask or think . ..........."
The prayers of the friends of
Bethphage had now been heard. God had said his "Amen." Home Tabor
was a reality. The Bethphage Mission was to be a permanent
institution, owning its own homes. The days that followed the
dedication of Home Tabor saw renewed activity on "the hill," as
the new location was called by the community. Simultaneously with
the building of Home Tabor, a small cottage for afflicted men was
built and dedicated the following September. During the fall two
more frame cottages were in the process of building. One of these
was Home Gilgal, a home for the men attendants, and the second was
to be the home of the director and it received the name, Mizpah.
At the same time it was necessary to build a barn for the horses
and cattle, for there was a farm connected with the colony that
was to supply food and provide opportunities for work among the
guests who were physically able. All of these buildings were
fitted into a plan that called for well ordered streets with walks
and landscaping that would make this a beautiful haven for the
unfortunates. For a quarter of a mile fronting the grounds there
was built a fence of buff brick pillars, which were connected by
heavy black chains, and in which were two gateways. To Dahl these
chains were always an emblem of the Scriptural words that came to
be associated with Bethphage; "Remember them that are in bonds."
(Hebr. 13:3)
"Forward to Ever New
Victories!"
It was hard for observers
to understand this zeal of the Lord's servant. Some were ready to
suggest that the time had come for rest or at least a pause in
this continuous building. To this the answer was, "Retrogression,
or even a standstill, must never be heard of at the Mission.
Forward to ever new victories! Forward to greater development, so
that the Name of the Lord may be evermore glorified and an ever
growing number of sufferers helped!"
It became evident with the
increasing number of guests and workers
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that two more buildings must soon be erected. Bethphage was to
be a refuge for the afflicted, with a Christian atmosphere.
Nothing could help to bring this about better than a house of
worship, and so it was that the appeal went forth, especially to
the pastors of the land, asking them to provide such a place.
Before long the funds began to arrive and soon the Zion Chapel was
taking shape. On Midsummer Day, 1917, it was ready for dedication.
On the same day the cornerstone was laid for Home Sarepta, for the
women workers. Up to this time they had shared quarters with the
guests in Home Tabor. This night and day life in the atmosphere of
their strenuous and often nerve taxing work was beginning to take
its toll. Although they were young and strong they needed to have
periods of rest and relaxation. It was primarily to provide for
this that Dahl made yet another venture in faith. Referring to it
he wrote: "It is very necessary that we should erect this building
and we shall try to rush its construction so as to have it ready
for dedication by Thanksgiving time. This home shall have the
name, Sarepta, just as the cottage for the women workers down in
the village. It will not be anything elaborate, but we hope that
our Sisters will find there a good and quiet home, where they can
find rest and relaxation from the labors among the afflicted. This
will provide quarters for twenty-four women. The contract has been
let to Mr. Abrahamson of Omaha."
Those words were characteristic
of the founder of the Bethphage Mission. They tell of a deep
concern for others. This concern had as the years went by
developed into a consuming passion; it had driven him to make
appeal after appeal to the compassion of his fellow churchmen; it
had compelled him to almost superhuman efforts in the erection of
one home after the other for the most miserable of people; and it
had depleted him of all human resources and laid him prostrate at
the Throne of Grace. They also tell of an urgency that caused him
to spend his supreme effort that the calling which he had from God
should be fulfilled.
The Death of Pastor Dahl
He never saw the completion
of Home Sarepta. Although Dahl as to outward appearance seemed to
be a large and rugged Nordic giant, yet he had in some way
overstrained his heart. In the early summer of 1917 he was going
as a representative for the Mission to a meeting of the Lutheran
General Synod, but he never reached this meeting, for he had to
remain at the Immanuel Hospital in Omaha because of his ailment.
After a week in the hospital he returned to his work and he was
then to avoid any overexertion, but that was not his nature. He
seemed to realize that his days on earth were to be shortened. As
his life's day approached its evening he continued to labor on,
for the night was coming when no man could work. When summer was
past and the first days of fall had come, his physician requested
him to take a rest from his strenuous labor. It was during these
days that his friend and brother pastor, C. A. Lonnquist, came to
his bedside and to him he confided that he realized the time was
short and that his work was done.
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Turning to his friend he uttered
these parting words: "I am so satisfied, so satisfied!" The
following day was Sunday, September 9, and just as the Sabbath
bells in the community were calling people to worship his soul
left its earthly tabernacle to return to Him that had given it.
God's noble workman had finished his work and had entered the
Sabbath Rest that remains for the people of God. The first chapter
in the story of the Bethphage Mission had now been written. It had
been a glorious chapter. From the humble beginning of one rented
cottage down in the village, which could care for but six guests,
the Mission had moved out to its own grounds. There had been
erected one larger central building for guests, special cottages
for men and children, a home for the director, a small chapel, and
a larger permanent building for the women workers was in the
process of erection. Many other appointments connected with the
colony had also come into being. In these homes were gathered over
fifty guests from twenty different states, of which the greater
part were dependent on the good will of an ever-growing circle of
friends. A zealous working force of twenty-four were bound
together with one tie - "The love of Christ constraineth us." And
all of this had been accomplished in less than four years.
The death of Pastor DahI was a
severe blow. It seemed that Bethphage and Dahl had been so closely
united that many who had noticed their marvelous growth together
in those days, wondered if the colony of mercy had also run its
course. But those were vain speculations, for such thoughts did
not take into account that back of this was God, who has
compassion on His suffering children. It was He who had called His
workman; He who knew that his days of service would be shortened
and He who saw the future. Bethphage Mission - a Miracle of the
Prairies was to continue in the service of the Lord and to His
glory.
Dr. Lonnquist Elected the New
Director
Those who were left with
the responsibility of carrying on the work, realized that
Bethphage had reached a crisis in its development. Home Sarepta
had just been well started and it would take at least $20,000.00
to complete it. Other debts had been accumulating during the last
months, so that the total indebtedness of the institution had now
reached the staggering sum of $56,000.00. Every day that passed,
the outstanding obligations were mounting; and worst of all, the
one who had been the driving power, from the human point of view,
was dead and gone. Faced with such circumstances there were those
who thought they saw the handwriting on the wall-that the days of
the Bethphage Mission were numbered.
Those who voiced this
discouragement and defeat had not taken into consideration that
the God who had so wondrously worked through His servant, that now
had been laid to rest, was watching over His work. Bethphage, a
refuge for His poor and helpless ones, was not to die. There were
resources at His disposal that were still untapped. The Board of
Trustees met in those days and appointed Rev. O. C. Berg, one of
its members as the temporary director. The loyal corps of
workers,
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headed by Sister Aurora Swanherg, the directing sister and
housemother, continued with zeal to carry on their God-given labor
of love.
It was true that no one could
take the place of Dahl. He had been chosen of God to accomplish a
very definite purpose, and that had now been faithfully and nobly
done. But God is not limited by men and means. lie did have
another servant that was to guide the destiny of this work of
mercy. In the very shadows of Bethphage there had been a man who
was being prepared for this place. Dr. Carl Adolf Lonnquist, the
pastor of the Bethany Lutheran Church only three miles distant
from the Bethphage Mission, had during those days been wrestling
with the problem of human suffering. One of his contemporaries has
well said, 'With his sympathetic heart he suffered with the entire
humanity." He was of a philosophic mind and a poet. He was blessed
with the gift of reaching the hearts of his fellowmen with his
voice and with the pen. Although he had not been directly
connected with the Bethphage Mission as a member of the Board of
Trustees, it developed that he was intensely interested in what
was happening on the Hill. No one that has followed the story of
Bethphage closely can help believing that it was a divinely guided
Board of Trustees that elected him to be the successor of Pastor
Dahl at the meeting on September 28, 1917.
That Dr. Lonnquist had caught the
spirit of Bethphage was manifested in his early declaration of
policy. In those days he wrote: "The plan of the founder - and we
do not intend to change it - was that the Home should be built and
maintained, not by big endowment funds, but by the mite of the
poor and the love of Christians. Nationality and denomination were
not to be taken into consideration when the afflicted asked for
help. It was meant to be the home of the poor, so that the widow
should through her mite feel her part in the ownership of it; and
for the poor, inasmuch as the doors should never be closed to them
who have nothing to pay for their shelter and care. It was the
founder's steadfast hope, that by this stipulation hearts would
always he willing to sustain the work with timely gifts. He meant
that we should do as our Heavenly Father does with us: Give each
day the daily bread to them that otherwise would be bereft of the
necessaries of life. And we yet believe he was right."
A Decade of Growth
A new chapter in the story
of Bethphage was to he written. The new Director took the friends
of the colony of mercy into his confidence. He took every means at
his disposal to make known the actual situation as it obtained in
those days. The response of these friends was indeed gratifying.
Within a short time the indebtedness had been reduced from $56,000
to $38,000 and confidence in the cause was renewed.
It will be remembered that thus
far only a small cottage was at the disposal of the Mission for
the purpose of caring for the afflicted men. It soon became
evident that larger quarters for such must soon be provided. In
the early part of 1918 the new director began to make his appeal
for such a home. That was during the stirring days of the
World
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War No. I. It is interesting to note the effect, of the
conditions that prevailed, on the contributions that were received
in connection with this new building project. Dr. Lonnquist had
this to say: "It was in the days of the war when people had been
forced to buy Liberty Bonds from the government. Shortly after the
undertaking had been started there was a boom in the land. Every
commodity soared sky-high but money was cheap and plentiful. Such
an experience as the Superintendent had during the years 1918 and
1919 may nevermore be had in the history of the Mission. Money and
Liberty Bonds poured down as it were from heaven into the
treasury. The erection of Emmaus and Shiloam began in June, 1919."
These were the names given to the home for the afflicted men and
the laundry with the central heating plant.
Home Emmaus was erected at a cost
of $80,000.00 and was dedicated in June, 1920. It was and still is
the largest home for guests. It has a capacity for fifty persons.
Shiloam was built simultaneously and provides quarters for a
modern laundry and the central heating plant. This cost
approximately $40,000.00. These buildings together with those
formerly built were needed to supply a well rounded colony.
The decade that followed is well
summarized in "Glimpses of the Bethphage Mission" by Dr. C. A.
Lonnquist, who has the following to say:
"After Dahl's death, Mizpah, his
home was converted into a children's home. After the completion of
Emmaus the Institution owned the necessary buildings for the time
being, for housing its family of men, women, children, and
workers. The family had grown until, at the annual meeting in
1921, it consisted of eighty-seven guests and twenty-eight
workers, more guests being added each year until it reached one
hundred and eight, the maximum as we then thought.
"In February, 1921, an 80-acre
tract of land was added to the Institution. The need was felt for
a herd of cows to supply the Institution with milk, as also the
need of more land for the raising of produce for the table. This
was a wise move, as was also the purchase later of another 80 acre
tract, although in both cases the land was acquired when the land
prices were high and it had to be bought on time. In later years
farming has been brought to perfection and is a great help to the
Institution.
"The years 1920 to 1925,
inclusive, did not show many signs of outward growth because no
houses were built, and I heard people say that we seemed not to do
anything anymore. These years, however, were just as much filled
with labor, anxiety, and thrills as any. They were spent in the
inward building up of the Institution and the reducing of the
debts.
"Many improvements were made: the
drilling of a large well, the purchase of the office building, of
a home for the first field secretary, installation of
refrigeration, rebuilding of Gilgal, repainting, and many other
things.
"I shall not enter upon the
description of this inward building. It may never be known in
detail. Suffice it to say, that out of these years Bethphage has
come out in the light as you see it today, certain of itself and
of the principles for which it stands. It is no longer a child. It
has
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learned to trust God more implicitly and rest assured that the
love of its friends is dependable.
"And so came the year 1925. The
institution then built the $10,000.00 dairy barn that now stands
on the last acquired 80-acre tract east of the original Mission
grounds. In 1928 a large brick garage was built. Early in 1928 the
discovery was made that several of the women in Home Tabor had
contracted tuberculosis and must he segregated from the rest in
order to save the home from becoming totally infected. There was
no other way open than to build a pavilion for the tubercular
women. We saw in it God's hand directing the course of the Mission
for further development, in that year Kidron was built, the first
up-to-date building. The cost was $38,000.00, The following year,
1929, Bethel, the home for defective children was erected, at a
cost of $46,000.00. While we were occupied with this undertaking,
the depression crept over us and caused difficulties in the
financing of the Institution of which we are yet aware."
Zion Chapel -- A New House of
Worship
There was yet another
building project that had its beginning during the years of
prosperity and was completed. It was architecturally the most
beautiful, and it holds the central place among the buildings of
the colony. It was the Zion Chapel, which was a gift from the
Woman's Missionary Society of the Lutheran Augustana Synod. It
lifts its tower above all other buildings and is symbolic of the
place that God must have and has had at Bethphage. It is
constantly pointing upward to God and saying, "Whosoever believe
on Him shall not be put to shame," (Rom. 10:11.)
As early as 1927, Dr. Lonnquist
had written Mrs. Emmy Evald, the president of the Missionary
Society, "Do you know, I fully believe that God wants the women of
the Synod to build a church at Bethphage." No doubt he had been
encouraged to do this because this progressive organization had
already built a chapel at the Immanuel Deaconess Institute in
Omaha, and he knew that many of the individual members would be
interested in such a project. These women did not need any high
pressure appeal. In the records of their organization, telling of
the annual meeting held in June, 1928, are to be found these two
significant statements: First from Mrs. Evald's annual report,
"Let us meet this new appeal in the spirit of gratitude, faith and
devotion, as did the Prophetess Anna and then we shall rise up and
do something;" secondly, this suggestion was put in the form of a
resolution, "That a building fund of $50,000.00 be gathered by
apportionments among the conferences, this fund to be divided as
follows: $15,000.00 for a hospital in Africa; $35,000.00 for a
chapel at Bethphage."
The decision was made and the
hand set to the plow. They did not look back with regret, but went
forward until at the annual meeting in 1931 we read in their
records: "The church at Bethphage is completed. Sister Tillie
Jones represented the society at the cornerstone laying, September
7, 1930 and Mrs. Evald and Mrs. N. E. Kron at the dedication on
May 20, 1931. Here, too, friends came with generous gifts
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which provided all the windows and many of the
furnishings. For this too, we pray God's richest blessing
so that many sick and crippled may find in this sanctuary
a refuge and a place where they may receive spiritual
comfort and strength."
God is answering that
prayer every time the guests assemble for worship in this
beautiful sanctuary. Many of them are encouraged by its
solemn atmosphere to listen more reverently to the good
tidings that are proclaimed from its pulpit. Some may not
understand much of the spoken word but they do recognize
at the large stained glass window, "Christus Consolator"
by Block, and though they cannot read the words, "Come
unto me," they know that Jesus is their friend. Only God
knows how much light has been shed abroad in the souls of
the guests of Bethphage through the art glass windows
that continue to tell their silent story of the
Saviour.
Many local societies
throughout the country furnished the different
appointments in the chapel. Special donations were given
by Mr. Carl Pearson of Ceresco, Nebraska, who bought the
bell; the late Mr. Carl Sandberg of Smolan, Kansas,
presented the tower clock that still strikes the hours;
the workers at the Mission gave the beautiful Reuter
organ as their contribution. Altogether the chapel cost
$45,000.00 and is one of the most attractive church
edifices in Nebraska. Through it the women of the
Augustana Synod will serve the afflicted as long as it
stands.
Times of Testing
The "thirties" of the
present century will always be remembered in our land as
the period of two major adversities. The one was
generally called "the depression" and the second, which
was especially felt in the Middle West, was "the dry
years." The first of these came following the boom period
of the late twenties. It seemed that overnight the days
of prosperity were gone. Banks began to fail, all credit
was suspended, the prices on raw material and
manufactured goods dropped to new lows, wages were
lowered, and millions were thrown out of employment.
America was faced with a strange paradox: In the land of
plenty countless numbers of the common people were faced
with poverty and near starvation. In the midst of these
trying conditions came 1934, and the
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Entrance to Zion Chapel
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severest drought in the history of the Middle West. With it
came dust storms, pestilence, and such severe trials that some
were wondering whether we had entered into "the great
tribulation." It will not be surprising if these years will he
remembered as the lean years, comparable to the seven years of
famine that betook Egypt in Bible times.
Those were days of testing for
all of the institutions and missions of the church. Because of the
same great need for all of these causes there were constantly
heard suggestions of two alternatives: retrenchment or closing the
doors. It will not be surprising to hear that the Bethphage
Mission had to pass through its time of tribulation. The period of
expansion that had been so evident during the late twenties had
been possible because of the generous income on the one hand but
also because of the credit which was extended this going concern.
It was at this time that the indebtedness was increased to the
staggering sum of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.
This together with the accumulation of current accounts caused the
director to write in his annual report of 1931, "The economy of
the Mission continues, on account of the depressing times, to give
us no little concern." It is not surprising to learn, that at this
time the income became so small that the workers' pay had to be
reduced and even became delinquent for months at a time. At one
time the back salaries had accumulated so that the workers had to
be asked for a voluntary reduction. The same circumstances however
prevailed everywhere.
During the days of depression and
drought economy had to be practiced in every possible way to make
both ends meet, but through it all the Bethphage family kept on
singing, "The Lord will provide." No creditor ever lost anything
by lending money or giving credit to Bethphage. With gratitude, in
the first place to God and then to the friends He had raised up,
it can be said to His glory, that with the exception of a few
months all interest payments on loans were made promptly and all
current accounts were paid in full. And besides this, there was
hardly a year that the director and treasurer could not report
some reduction in the indebtedness.
It was during these hard times
that the Mission was to pass through still another testing. The
director, Dr. Lonnquist, as he was known by all of the friends of
the Mission, was failing in health; and in confidence with his
more intimate friends had suggested that he would like to retire
from the strenuous position of directing the work of the growing
institution. Members of the Board of Trustees and other friends
encouraged him to continue, for he was much needed during those
trying times. He had consulted the best of medical aid in the
country and it appeared as though he was improving in health. On
the advice of his family physician he planned to have a
tonsilectomy (sic) on Monday, June 14, 1937. It was thought that
this would help his general health, but this was not to be, for
while he was being prepared for what seemed a minor operation he
suffered an apoplectic stroke from which he never regained
consciousness. In the closing hours of June 15 his soul winged its
way to the Eternal Shore. A wish that had been his was granted, he
finished his course in the midst of his labors. For a second time
the Bethphage Mission found itself suddenly and unexpectedly
without a director.
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Dr. C. A. Lonnquist
© 2002 for the NEGenWeb Project by Pam Reitsch, Ted &
Carole Miller.
