“Missionaries from Island to Congo Have Perilous Trip, Letters State” from the January 27, 1928 Door County Advocate and ensuing accounts in 1930 and 1931
Missionaries from Island to Congo Have Perilous Trip
WASHINGTON ISLAND — Some very interesting letters have been received recently from Mr. and Mrs. Anton C. Anderson, missionaries from here to the Belgian Congo in Central Africa.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson took about two months to reach their destination and pitch their tent to start operations for opening a new mission house. The journey was made with many perils and hardships, according to the accounts written here. When the two missionaries finally reached their objective point, their supply of food was exhausted and much of the reserve foodstuff was far behind the “train” owing to the difficulty of getting “porters” to carry it.
Another difficulty was encountered on starting the mission with much opposition from the natives. The Andersons write that they had to “walk by faith” and not by sight.
At the end of four months, however, a mission house 24 by 56 feet was built, sixty were enrolled in the school, and most of the prejudice of the natives had been overcome. The place is now besieged with sick people from miles around. Pneumonia, the letters state, seems to be the prevailing ailment, and disease as a whole has created a situation by which very few of the people there are over 40 years of age.
One can hire help to clear land and till it for 45 cents per month, which is considered good wages, and a person can be clothed and fed and schooled for the small sum of $6 a year.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s work can only enlarge as funds are received from the United States, so there is a movement on here to contribute to the fund. Any contributions received here will be duly forwarded.
[The second part of the Washington Island column from the February 21, 1930 Door County Advocate]
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Letters have been coming from Miss Carrie Anderson (Washington Island’s Missionary to China) to her mother, while she is enroute to the Orient, sending kindly greetings to her many friends. She is a passenger on the steamer Adriatic, the largest cabin passenger boat in the world at present. She recently passed Gibraltar and will soon be in Palistine for a visit on her way to China. She has every convenience on board the ship so is enjoying the trip very much.
Recent letters received from Mr. and Mrs. Anton Anderson, formerly of the Island who are now doing missionary work in the Belgium Congo, Central Africa, tells of the many obstacles they are meeting in their work, but equally as many victories, so their, work is progressing and spreading. Their letter tells of several chiefs of surrounding tribes who have sent to them, desiring to get missionaries to teach them. Among them was one notorious chief, who with others of his tribe have been “head hunters,” but who have come to see by the effect of Christian living and teaching that there is something better. The chief sent servants several times earnestly begging for teachers. Mr. Anderson visited these tribes, found favor with them and was supplying workers for them as fast as possible, which help was being received gladly.
The postmaster is much better at this writing so he is able to set up, but not able to help handle the mail in the postoffice yet.
[“Palistine” was an acceptable spelling at the time.]
[from the August 14, 1931 Door County Advocate]
MISSIONARY IS SICK IN AFRICA; MUST RETURN
Washington Island—Word was just reached here that sickness has come to Antone Anderson and his family. (Missionary from here to Africa) which is so serious that in order to save their lives it is necessary for them to leave their post and return to America at once. For the whole family to return costs ‘considerably over $1,000’ and the family has absolutely nothing even to start with.
Since they have been in Africa, the Andersons have put their whole life, strength and all they could get, into the work which grew so marvelously that many from their mission are going out as missionaries to the surrounding tribes. Mr. Anderson is anxious that Mrs. Anderson go and he stay with the children. She wanted to stay and let him go. And the children urge their mother and father to go and leave them to take charge of the mission. This expresses the unselfish spirit that dominates their work.
Recently Bethel Sunday school took up a special collection for the missionaries in anticipation of the family’s return soon. This is serving as the nucleus for a larger fund that will make possible the expensive trip back to health. All hope there be a liberal and hearty response to this appeal.
All courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles about missionaries
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/missionaries
This is my great great uncle. I have a ton of stuff inherited from the Congo mission