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Maria, God’s Angel
To Widows and Orphans in By Thomas Cosmades View Adobe PDF format with pictures.
One of the most horrific legacies of war are the helpless orphans.
Children left to fend for themselves on the streets are a
heart-rending consequence of these conflicts.
In every age the need to establish
homes for orphans has been paramount and universal.
Securing shelter, along with clothing, feeding and educating orphans
has always been a colossal undertaking.
Talking about orphanages, at least in the Christian milieu, the name
of George Müller (1805-1898), immediately comes to mind.
This mighty Christian and benefactor was born in Kroppenstadt in
We cannot begin to exhaust the names of the benevolent followers of Christ
who gave their lives, time and substance to uplift miserable little waifs.
At this point, we reverently extend a posthumous recognition to all those
Christians who became mother and father to multitudes of destitute children.
We bow with gratitude at their memory.
Our account here will deal with one woman, Maria A. Gerber, born
Maria was very musical and loved to sing and dance. Her father was proud
that Maria had the name of being the most graceful dancer among all the
family’s friends. But she was a somewhat sickly child and often had to be
confined to her room. Shortly
after her twentieth birthday Maria was stricken with rheumatic fever, heart
trouble, tuberculosis and dropsy. The
family was greatly alarmed as the local physician couldn’t offer therapy or
healing. So they brought a
professor specialist from a distant city.
The prognosis of the old doctor was that she didn’t have long to
live. He told the family,
“Don’t spend more money on trying to find a cure; just give her any food her
heart desires, anything she can keep down.
She is a dying girl.”
Maria overheard this conversation from the next room.
Fear gripped her heart that she would die without knowing Jesus Christ
personally. She had heard the message of the Savior many times, but had
never come to her own decision to follow him.
Through those dark hours foreboding continued to haunt her.
She fell into unconsciousness many times, but when she was lucid her
panic was intensifying. She
knew she was not God’s child.
She grappled with this dread for three days.
Finally, the Holy Spirit opened the door of faith in her heart.
She cried, “Jesus, I want you to save me from my sins.”
Christ’s peace flooded her soul.
He gave her the assurance as stated in Peter’s letter:
“who by God’s power
are guarded
through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I
Peter 1:5). Immediately
following her born-again experience, Christ healed her and extended his
call: “All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18).
Maria grasped the promise of her Redeemer-Healer.
The risen Christ suddenly became real to her.
She heard his voice, “It is done!”
Then and there she turned her life over to Jesus Christ.
She asked for her clothes so she could get up and get dressed.
But her mother had given all her clothing away to the poor!
So the family had to scurry around to find something suitable for her
to wear from some of the other children.
Now in robust health, Maria was eager to start a new life with Jesus.
Shortly after that, one of her friends invited her to come to the dance
hall, where she had previously spent so many evenings dancing the night
away. She felt led to go, and
with all her beloved friends lined around the walls waiting for the music to
start playing, she asked if she could speak.
She said, “I always was the ringleader and caused you to walk on the
broad way, but now I want to offer you something better to help you lead a
happier life.” She read a short
passage from the Bible and gave words of exhortation, after which she knelt
down right in the middle of the hall and began to pray earnestly.
The Holy Spirit was upon her and she wept and pled for the salvation
of all those dear young people.
She prayed a long prayer and when she opened her eyes she saw that there was
nobody left in that dance hall!
It was a bold witness and the Lord honored it.
Many eventually turned to the Lord.
Her pilgrimage of faith is a powerful testimony of how her God led
her from that point on, step by step through spiritual battles and many
joyful accomplishments, fulfilling his blessed plan for her.
Maria’s Ministry Gets Underway
Then came Christ’s command: “…and you
shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
She courageously and boldly acted on this call.
With Bible in hand she started evangelizing the children and young
people in her neighborhood. She
would ask them about the meaning of life and its value.
From house to house she went, testifying for her Savior.
She also devoted time and energy to visiting the sick and the
elderly. Including her own
family, many were exasperated with her bold witness.
Even her pastor who was leading a formalistic church wasn’t very
happy about her over-zealousness.
She became the talk of all the church people.
The pastor told the congregation:
“This is a straw fire; it will soon burn itself out.”
But instead of the fire being extinguished, it grew into a powerful
flame. She began to realize
that wider horizons were opening before her.
In 1881 she left her village and went to the city of
At one point she decided to go back to visit her village.
Her father was very ill and wasn’t functioning well mentally.
As Maria openly spoke to him about receiving the Savior she was in
the spirit of prayer. Suddenly
her father opened his eyes and exclaimed, “Now I recognize God’s grace in my
own life!” He received Jesus
into his heart, like a little boy.
Shortly after this he departed for heaven.
Maria trusting in her Lord moved to the town of
After
Mr. Moody was a man full of faith, a true spiritual giant and a capable
strategist. He divided
Call to Turkey
Disturbing news was coming from the
At
The two ladies visited numerous churches conveying to the congregations
their heartfelt burden and their readiness to proceed straight to
The American Board of Commissioners was already operating separately a boys’
and a girls’ home for orphans.
Due to the state of war and the upheaval in the
The two women started feeding hundreds of starving people.
The gratitude expressed by the destitute women and orphans touched
their hearts. Among them were
widows of doctors, school teachers and other professionals who had been
taken away, leaving their families forlorn.
For the survivors to take the long journey from their places in
eastern
In search of other desolate women and children Maria traveled to various
towns where she discovered more people in dire need.
She would sometimes ask people what they had to eat.
They would bring a handful of grass and show it to Maria, saying,
“This is our food.” Providing
for them, she ushered them into a life they could never have imagined.
During these journeys, Maria utilized her unique opportunity to
evangelize as she moved from place to place.
Everywhere she went she encountered misery, poverty, sickness and in
many cases illiteracy. Even
those who were literate did not have Bibles.
She immediately arranged to order a supply of Bibles for these
desperate people, offering them the source of all hope and comfort.
Maria had to wear a straw hat to protect her fair skin from the sun.
At first the children were afraid of Maria’s broad-brimmed hat.
They were immersed in deep fear; therefore anything unusual
frightened them. Maria’s hat
was one of those things. But
before long they warmed up to her, realizing that an angel of rescue had
come to them. Some of the
people in the villages would not let her leave them.
They begged her to stay with them forever.
She encouraged them with the ever-abiding presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ, quoting the passage from Hebrews:
“’I will never fail you nor forsake
you.’ Therefore we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not
be afraid; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5b, 6).
Children desperately wanted Maria’s warm embrace and her care. So
what did she do? She hired donkeys, secured the guardianship of reliable men
and sent them to Hajin where she would later join them.
Meanwhile she continued her travels and visits to various towns and
villages.
She joyfully pursued her God-given responsibility on horseback, encountering
many dangers. Riding over high and low terrain, fording streams with no
bridges, she was exposed to burning sun on the plains and excruciating cold
in the mountains. All these she
bore with joy, considering what her own Savior had suffered for her.
Working and moving from place to place in St. Paul’s land she
remembered the deep sentiments of the great apostle in
II Corinthians 11:23-29.
He had gone through all those trying experiences and now Maria was
allowed by the Lord to go through some of the same.
She saw hundreds of precious lives perishing before her eyes.
Death was a bitter messenger knocking at one wounded heart after
another. She remembered
Elijah’s experience with the widow of Zarephath
(cf. I Kings 17:8-15).
Along with every act of benevolence,
this angel of mercy would explain the love and salvation offered by Jesus
Christ. In the midst of this
woeful situation, she rejoiced that people who had lost every hope on this
earth went to meet their Savior with thanksgiving and rejoicing.
Maria had to invent some occupation for these desperate people in order to
help them to become involved in a paying line of work.
Merchants were bringing unsheared sheepskins on camels to Hajin.
Maria started buying as many skins as she could.
Immediately she put the widows to work, separating the wool from the
hides. Then she would teach
them to wash the wool and spin it.
Her background in the farming
At this time, Maria could count two thousand widows and children.
Most of them were living in make-shift huts.
Every morning they would congregate in the rented houses of the
orphanage where they would pray that their needs would be met.
The day would start with Bible reading and a basic message, uplifting
Christ who loves men and women, boys and girls, and meets their needs.
The houses were turned into workshops and the products from their
labor were converted to money, so that women could purchase items for their
basic essentials before returning to their very meager dwellings.
Money was being sent by Maria’s friends in
There with tears she knelt before her heavenly Father and brought the
distressing situation to him. A
few days later a letter came from a farmer in the
At the same time, they began praying for a spiritual awakening among the
large number of women and children in their care.
Some of the women with spiritual perception joined them.
Their group grew as they were convinced that there was something of
far greater value than being physically satisfied.
The Armenian ladies of Hajin offered these praying women a room for
their meetings at the local school.
The Gregorian church leaders were highly appreciative of what the two
missionaries were accomplishing.
They did something extraordinary by offering them the use of their
large church sanctuary. Nightly
meetings were held there for several months.
Maria was always the speaker and her message was interpreted by a
lady who had studied in one of the American academies in
There was nothing more propitious than presenting Christ the
Redeemer-Restorer to people who were still in the throes of a catastrophe.
Maria would extend the invitation with amazing response.
People were fervently seeking the Savior realizing that he was the
only One who could offer them salvation and continuous support.
Out of their liturgical church milieu they were transferred to a
living faith. Those converted
began asking questions about what they should do next and how they could
grow in their faith. Christ’s
regenerating power showed its true effect in these lives.
Maria was strong in the doctrine of the Second Coming of the Lord.
She would often switch her theme to this subject.
Those assembled knew nothing about Christ’s triumphant appearing and
his glorious kingdom. Many
grasped how totally different Christ’s kingdom would be from the oppressive
rule of the country where they lived.
Maria’s practice was to always pray for the sick, often with amazing
results.
Nobody could have imagined that Hajin would shelter a great company of women
and children who had come out of the massacre, that they would be properly
fed and in the meantime receive God’s manna for their needy souls.
Those were the days of the genocide initiated by Abdul Hamid II in
the eastern provinces. Hajin
being far away was not touched until the general massacre of 1916-17,
engineered by the infamous Talat, which would be more catastrophic.
The town would be entirely wiped out during this massacre.
All residents, including the refugees who had fled from the east
would be banished to Der-ez-Zor in the
Nunia’s Homegoing
She was a little homeless child.
God led her to the orphanage where she found the shelter she had
longed for. In those desperate
years the child had been entirely neglected.
One of the many forlorn orphans, she was begging from door to door in
Hajin. One night God led her
steps to Maria’s house. With
bashfulness and reticence she asked for help.
She had no place to sleep.
Death was dogging her steps in the very budding of her youthful life.
She later related to Maria that a particular anxiety gripped her
soul. “What if I die now?
Where will I go?”
Maria, as she did with every person who came her way, pointed her to the
waiting arms of the Savior. She
encouraged Nunia with motherly words, telling her that the Savior was there
ready to receive her. He
would meet every need of her life. Nunia was about eleven years old at the
time, very much aware that she had sin in her life.
When she started praying for salvation she confessed every sin she
could remember. Suddenly she began praising God as her newly-found Father.
She expressed the joy that flooded her soul and thanked Christ that
the burden of her heart was taken away.
She joyfully told Maria about the happiness that filled her heart and
soul. She became a transformed girl, assuring Maria that the Holy Spirit had
come into her heart. Without
hesitation she submitted to water baptism.
She became an obedient follower of the Lord Jesus Christ from the
very outset.
Maria noticed in Nunia a desire to serve Christ, so she assigned her to go
from one child to the other, telling them of God’s salvation.
This she gladly did, explaining to
each one that the Savior was waiting to receive them.
She brought new joy to each bedside as child after child came to
Christ in simple faith. But
Nunia’s delightful service was not to last long.
One day she showed signs of illness.
It was soon discovered that she had contracted typhoid fever from
another child. Much prayer went
up on her behalf, but she was not to recover.
Maria would visit her often as she lay in bed.
Nunia told her, “Mother, I must tell you that Jesus Christ appeared
to me, stood next to my bed and told me that he would soon send a band of
angels to carry me to his glorious land.”
As she was relating her story, her face shone.
Maria tried to comfort her, suggesting that they further pray in
faith to Jesus Christ for healing.
“No, no!” she emphatically responded.
“Jesus told me that he is taking me to be with him.
I must go home.” With
this shining testimony Nunia was transferred with absolute assurance into
the arms of her Savior. She was
now freed from all earthly suffering.
Maria related later that Nunia’s salvation would have been reward
enough for having left the States and coming to Hajin.
“Among the numerous children I sought to assist, this one was a
bright star and she is now shining in heaven.”
There were other children also who succumbed to the hardship and misery of
life. God knows how many
desperate women and children entered through the pearly gates of heaven
during those dark days in Hajin.
Maria wrote: “Each of the dear orphan children who died while in my
care during the nineteen fruitful years I spent in the
“Around the throne of God in heaven
Thousands of children stand,
Children whose sins are all
forgiven,
A holy, happy band,
Singing Glory, Glory.
In flowing robes of spotless white,
See everyone arrayed,
Dwelling in everlasting light
And joys that never fade,
Singing Glory, Glory.
What brought them to that world above
That heaven so bright and fair,
Where all is peace and joy and love,
How came those children there?
Singing Glory, Glory.
Because the Savior shed his blood
To wash away their sin;
Bathed in that pure and precious blood,
Behold them white and clean,
Singing Glory, Glory.
On earth they sought the Savior’s grace,
On earth they loved his name;
So now they see his blessed face
And stand before the Lamb,
Singing Glory!
Glory!
The rules of the house were these:
Rising bell,
Maria leaves Hajin in Rose’s Hands
Maria was a person who could not stay in one place.
She was always looking for new opportunities and uncharted frontiers.
Her illustrious service in Hajin lasted for five years, every day
full of worthwhile activity for her Lord.
After serving day and night, her strength was not as robust as when
she first arrived in Hajin. She
started praying that the Lord would lead her to another fruitful field.
But first she needed some rest.
In 1902 her health broke, so she
went to the
At the outset of the massacre the acting superintendent and two of the most
useful and trustworthy Armenians who were assisting in the work were
brutally murdered. Aside from
the terrible grief she experienced, Rose Lambert was suddenly left with the
total responsibility of running the orphanage.
She contracted typhoid fever, but eventually recovered.
She related to her supporters in the
Maria belonged to the Mennonite denomination.
Through her, many of these people caught a vision of missionary work
in
In October 1904 she sailed back to
Move to Zinjidere
Maria Gerber understood that her brief time in
Indeed, Zinjidere was the right place for the site of the orphanage she had
in mind. It lay at the foot of
Immediately Maria pressed the two precious Swiss francs into his hand and
promised him work, provided the necessary funds would come in.
She took some boys from the orphanage with long sticks (not having a
measuring rod) to lay out end-to-end on the ground where the foundations of
the first house should stand. Amazingly,
the granite was in the exact location needed for the foundations of the
building.
When the miracle of finding the granite was heard in
The work went very fast.
Building after building went up.
There were sizeable rooms for the children, a large hall with a
capacity for over one thousand for meetings, kitchen and laundry room, a
bakery, rooms for learning trades, housing for staff, places for
recreational activity and a stable.
During the time of building there was constant prayer and financial
support. God honored his worthy
servant Maria and her faithful supporters. The construction of the four
stone houses was completed from start to finish in two years. She and her
associates seriously contemplated possible names for this place.
Several suggestions were put forward, each one weighed against the
other. “
The day of dedication arrived.
A commodious dwelling place and school for orphans were to be consecrated to
God’s glory. American
missionaries from the nearby Talas academy and hospital were all present.
Turkish officials were also in attendance.
Greek and Armenian community leaders were delighted for what God had
brought to their town. The
Scripture reading by an Armenian preacher was from
I Kings 8 and
II Chronicles 16. The
orphans enthusiastically sang hymns, of course all in Turkish.
The older boys who had a music teacher, himself a former orphan, and
instruments supplied by Christians added to the joyful celebration with
their rousing brass band. The
assembly hall was spacious.
Maria had foreseen that in such an important institution there should be an
auditorium large enough to accommodate several hundred people.
That day the overflow crowd, numbering a few hundred, had to stand
outside. Maria, herself being
an evangelist, realized that the orphanage should have its own
evangelist-pastor. The first
person to be assigned for this duty was the Reverend Mr. Migirdich Aijian.
Well-known Christians such as Haralambos Bostanjoglu and Vahram
Tahmisian later became part of the pastoral staff.
At one point Zinjidere was hit by a catastrophic fire.
The tragedy destroyed the nearby huts of widows and orphans.
There were about two hundred of these improvised dwellings that
burned to the ground. Women and
children were going through the smoldering ruins picking up whatever was
left, including half-burned wheat and rice.
Even these could not go wasted.
Once again an unexpected duty fell on Maria’s shoulders.
She rushed to the help of these devastated people, offering them
immediate assistance and consoling them in their desperation. The many
widows welcomed her with tears and deep grief.
Now they were really on the verge of starvation. She assured them
that she would dispatch letters to supporters in
She returned to the orphanage with a burdened heart.
It was breakfast time.
The soup was already poured into the bowls and the bread was sliced.
But the children were just sitting before their plates with folded
hands. Puzzled, Maria asked
them why they weren’t eating. A
little boy who was the group’s appointed spokesman stood up.
He asked Maria (whom they all called ‘Mother’) on behalf of all the
children for permission not to eat breakfast, but instead give their morning
meal to those who had been ravished by the fire.
Deeply touched, Maria accepted this request.
Suddenly, shouts of joy swept through the dining room.
The children inundated Maria with thanks.
The order was given: Each child was to take his or her bowl and spoon
in one hand and the piece of bread in the other, and walk carefully down the
hill in an orderly fashion so as not to spill the soup.
A teacher guided this happy band of little benefactors on their way
to give their soup to whomever they chose.
A while later the exuberant children came back carrying empty bowls in their
little hands, each with a story to tell of the expressions of thankfulness
from those who had received their offering.
They realized that since Christ gave his life on the Cross for
others, his true followers must share whatever they have with people in
need. Quoting the words of the
Apostle Paul: “…one must help the
weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more
blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts
This was not an isolated incident in the life of the home.
Being grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ’s supreme offer on the Cross
and observing Maria’s readiness to help wherever needed, the ‘little lambs’
as she called them, learned the joy of giving and receiving.
Another time the children did not rush to their places at mealtime as
they usually did. Again Maria
asked them why they were not running to the table to eat their food.
One of the children volunteered to explain.
At
Maria always alert to add a spiritual tone to such activity gladly accepted
the request. She ordered a bag
to be brought in, told two or three children to hold it open, and every
child emptied his or her raisins from the plate into the bag.
There was a particular joy in each face as they proceeded with their
act of offering for the poor.
After all the raisins were collected the bag was weighed on a scale.
The realized value was determined, against which money bread was
bought from the home’s bakery.
The loaves of bread were carefully cut, each child taking a few slices, then
running down the hill with joy to feed the desperate fire victims.
Acts of generosity like these were quite common in this home.
Also, when a child was given a little money by someone, he/she would
run to Maria and present part of it for the missionary offering box.
One time, news reached all the way from
Maria was eager to gather the victims of massacres, deportations and famine
wherever she could find them.
The presence of death horrified the children.
Maria taught them to defy death by emphasizing the giver of life, the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The Orphans’ Intercessory Ministry
The ominous signs of World War I were intensifying.
It was summertime and the weather was extremely hot.
One night the intense heat brought restlessness to everyone in the
house. Maria, too, was affected
by the heat and became ill. The
following morning she was not able to get up and resume her duties.
One of the teachers came in to check on her condition.
Maria instructed her to carry on the work of the home, taking on her
responsibilities, as she needed to rest.
The teacher informed the children that Mother was very ill and that
they shouldn’t make any noise.
Fear gripped each little heart.
Death being all-pervasive, they worried about the possibility of Mother
dying. No child was given
permission to go into her room.
However, the children were so eager to see her that they came in secretly.
Without any talk, her first visitors started praying for her.
Within a few minutes, more children crept into the room. They all
knelt around the bed, lifting their prayers of faith to Jesus Christ.
Those who couldn’t enter the room were kneeling outside the door in
the corridor.
One girl prayed, “Oh Lord, this is the only mother we have.
Our mothers are all gone.
Please, Jesus, don’t let Mother, whom we love so much, die!” Another
child said, “Jesus, I promise you right here, if you will make our mother
well, I will never, never, never be disobedient again.”
Immediately after this prayer they started thanking God for healing
their mother. Maria had taught
the effect and significance of divine healing.
God answered these intercessions of faith without delay.
When they saw Maria feeling better, they whispered to each other, “We
prayed for our mother and Jesus healed her!” The orphanage had no resident
doctor or nurse, although there was an American hospital in nearby Talas.
Maria Gerber often said, “We have no other house physician than
Jesus. He is all-sufficient for
everybody’s needs.” And she
would remark joyfully, “My faithful native helpers are immersed in faith,
zeal, self-denial and loyalty to their heavenly Father.”
World War I
The anticipated war broke out on August 4, 1914.
It brought with it extremely harsh conditions and an ordeal almost
beyond endurance. This happened
while the ministry of the orphanage was progressing with much encouragement.
A volume of intercession ascended from all those who had found such a
beautiful home in Zinjidere.
However, the pernicious conflict coming upon them was gong to usher in grief
and sorrow beyond all that had been experienced until then.
The effect of the war was immediately felt.
Among the staff there were several highly qualified and dedicated
young men. Abruptly they were
all drafted into the Ottoman army.
As Armenians their wretchedness was going to be extreme.
One of them was a young fellow who had been brought up in the
orphanage and eventually become a capable teacher at the school.
Other than his teaching duties he was a genuine father to many boys
and girls. At the time there
were two hundred orphans. He
was a model mentor to all the children.
He himself was an amazing intercessor in every quandary, and he
passed the spirit of prayer on to the children.
Night after night he would go from room to room, kneeling beside the bed of
each child. Where he
found some already sleeping he held their hands and prayed for the child’s
particular needs. As in every
institution there were difficult children.
Through prayer and fatherly love and discipline he led them to the
obedience taught in the Scriptures.
The happy outcome was that they could lead untroubled, joyful lives.
This newly-married young man was immediately snatched by the army.
He was never heard from again.
The armed conflict immediately showed its effect on the assistance coming
from foreign countries. In many
cases such help could not be sent, or its delivery would be held up by the
officials without their giving any reason for doing so.
Every day 700-800 meals had to be prepared, most of these for people
who were living outside the home. Two hundred children had to be clothed.
There was no other way to supply all these needs than teaching the
widows and children trades such as sewing and knitting, shoe-making,
rug-weaving, carpentry, and other useful skills.
About five hundred pairs of children’s shoes were made in the
orphanage workshop. All
bread was baked at the home.
Even a small printing shop was started to print a periodical in Turkish with
Armenian characters. When
practically all assistance sent from abroad was cut, people had to make do
with whatever they had. As the
Turkish proverb has it, ‘Kendi yağınla
kavrul!’
i.e., ‘fry with whatever cooking oil you have’.
Until the war broke out containers from abroad were regularly coming in.
These were now reduced to a trickle.
Then came the inevitable disaster.
Turks having no qualms about taking over Christian institutions, told
Maria that they needed the larger buildings for their wounded soldiers.
Maria was not the only one to receive such a harsh demand.
The American Board was also deprived of some of their buildings in
nearby Talas. Now, what to do
with the children who were suddenly left homeless?
God always gave special ingenuity to his faithful servant Maria.
She traveled to
The nationalistic party of Union and Progress (I & T), holding the
government reins firmly in their hands had become even more cruel and
merciless than Sultan Abdul Hamid II, whom it had toppled in 1908.
When it came to power there were brilliant promises to the
minorities, particularly the Armenians, but it soon became clear that they
had diametrically changed their policy.
Chilling winds were blowing across
Maria and her colleagues who had joyfully experienced the birth of this
oasis in the desert were now witnessing the demise of all their labors.
Their much-loved home where desperate children were tenderly cared for was
snatched away. Seeing the Turks prevail over the Cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ in the name of Allah was the devastating climax of their overall
conquest. The first Turkish
victory won in Manazkirt in 1071, with a long series of intervening triumphs
was about to be consummated with their final supremacy.
This marked the end of an illustrious institution where many lives
were spared, met Jesus Christ as Savior and became useful to God.
One could say “Ichabod”
was written over the place (I Samuel
Adapted from Maria Gerber’s memoirs written in simple English, also from
minutes of several annual conferences of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ,
Board of Missions,
Addendum ~~
History of Orphanages
Jeremiah cried his heart out in the sight of his nation’s defeat and demise
(cf. Lamentations 5:3).
The cruel Babylonian conquest resulted in leaving numerous widows
and orphans. The plight of
orphans in older times was at least as bad as it is in many countries today.
In days when there was no social concern for fatherless and
motherless children, genuine uplift and assistance were extended only here
and there. In the Middle Ages
Christian monasteries and convents were the few avenues where such boys and
girls could be housed and taken care of.
This was slightly better than their being left abandoned in the
streets. Naturally, in those
times there were a vast number of forsaken children.
Until Christ’s unique love for children and his compassion for the little
ones were actively demonstrated, the disturbing predicament of orphans did
not draw extensive tenderheartedness.
A person has to come to the New Testament to encounter and feel the
anguishing pathos for helpless children.
There was a period in history when abandoned children were placed
with adult inmates, including insane, senile, crippled, diseased, drunkards
and even criminals. We can only
imagine the deplorable condition of helpless orphans living in such
despicable circumstances.
By early 1550, orphanages were combined with educational reform centers in
The first orphanage was opened in
Adoption, foster care and smaller cottage-style child welfare institutions
by and large replaced the established orphanages in several states.
By the time of the Great Depression and the New Deal, with emphasis
on social welfare programs, the period of traditional orphanages was waning.
However, there were orphanages until after World War II.
The subject cannot be concluded without mentioning Father Edward J.
Flanagan’s shelter for homeless and delinquents at Boys’ Town in
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