# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1851_S174
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 174 —

One of our brothers has been called away by sudden death in the midst of his work among the heathen. It was the late missionary Maier, who, despite his youth, edified us all through his humility, joyful faith, and faithfulness. His death, humanly speaking, had to be reckoned a great blow to our mission. Yet we thank the Lord that our departed brother has passed from his toilsome labor into the blessed joy of heaven, and that the Lord has, for our comfort, raised up a young man who, God willing, will become an ever more complete replacement for the one who has gone. Further, the Lord has taken from us, in the person of Pastor Crämer, through his call away to another post, a capable worker, whose loss touched us all the more painfully because he was, so to speak, the father of our mission among the Indians of Michigan, and now his Frankenmuth mission field in particular is orphaned. Yet we submitted ourselves also to this gracious counsel of the Lord and asked Him that He would let us recognize His ways with thanks and joy. We have now been comforted again by the Lord over both losses, as we joyfully confess that the Lord has not withdrawn His hand from us, but has to this day laid His blessing abundantly upon our existing mission work. Let the history of the individual stations speak to this.

1. Shiboygan Station.

The heavy loss which the newly gathered congregation at Shiboygan suffered through the death of its pastor has visibly alarmed the young Christians, since it is not given even to a more mature Christian to see through the Lord's ways as quickly as would be most wholesome. Yet the young congregation has also shown itself to be one that knows well how to distinguish its love for the gospel from its love for whoever happens to be the bearer of the office. Its love for the gospel did not die with the death of its missionary but has only broken forth the more strongly and lovingly. For it has at once, again and again, pressed that the preaching which until now had sounded among them should continue to be offered to them. This has so far been done as far as possible by missionary Auch from Sebewaing, and has been gratefully acknowledged both by chief Meganegiskik and by his congregation. Yet the congregation longs with all its heart that a missionary of its own — if possible missionary Auch himself — might again dwell among them and teach them daily.

2. Sebewaing Station.

The Sebewaing Indians are, despite all the faithful, long years of work by missionary Auch among them, still the same old heathen estranged from God, who carouse quite bestially at their festivals, of which they celebrate many. Such a feast and drinking bout recently brought chief Nacktschikome close to death; yet, to everyone's astonishment, he recovered — he has recovered in body, but unfortunately not in spirit, and he hinders the whole band from granting entry to the gospel among them. He knows that he is stuck in sin and shame, but is not willing to repent. Besides the chief's obstinacy, the cunning of the Methodists continues, as before, to hinder the Lord's work. The old lies are constantly warmed over and freshly spiced by them, so that they may find fresh entry among the Indians once more. Yet