# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1917_S44
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

opportunity to speak to a packed house. I spoke
a whole hour. The result was that we received the
endorsement of all the better class of people of
Buena Vista. Mr. Montgomery took a decided stand

Former Chapel and School-
house, Vredenburgh, Ala.

New Chapel and School-
house, Vredenburgh, Ala.

that very night, and declared that he would do all
he could to work up a mission-station there. He
called Superintendent Bakke. Dr. Bakke preached,
lectured, and organized St. James’s Iv. Luth. Sun-
day-school, and out of this Sunday-school has grown
St. James’s Mission Church.

The next call I had came from Tinela through

a white lady, Mrs. Cannon. I told her that I did
not know any Colored people there, but she gave
me some names, and insisted upon my going and
looking them up. This I did. ‘The parties made
a date with me to come hack and spdak to the
people. I made several trips to Tincla; so did
Superintendent Bakke and Rev. Lynn. ‘The result
was that on the first day of January, this year,
I organized the Mount Olive Ey. Luth. Sunday-
school.

The next call came from Midway, from across
the Alabama River, through Mr. C. P. Smith.

“I sent the letter to Dr. Bakke, as I had sent all
the other calls to him, to get his commission. He
authorized me to go, as he had done in the other
cases. I made the trip and found it a place with
good prospects for a mission. Superintendent
Bakke also visited the place, and soon after, Mr.
Smith opened a Sunday-school.

On February 14, I received a letter from Super-
intendent Bakke, calling me from the Vredenburgh
field to begin work at Midway. After reading his
letter, I began to pack up my things and left
Vredenburgh the next day. I went to Vredenburgh
Junction to change cars and go over the G.I. GA.

The Lutheran Pioneer

43

R. R. to Kimbrough: There is nothing at the junc-
tion but an office and a colored shop. ‘The. train
was due there at 7.30 Pp. m., but it did not arrive
till that night at two o’clock. There were several
other people there, en route for Kimbrough, but they
were strangers to me. We had to pass the time
standing out in the open air. And it was cold, so
eold! When the train finally arrived, my hat was
white with frost. We arrived at Kimbrough that
night at half past three o’clock. Kimbrough is
a very small place, but I found a Colored family
that claims to be running a boarding house. When
I lay down, I looked up through the holes in the
roof and saw the stars, and when I looked down
through the holes in the floor I could sce the pigs!
I left Kimbrough at 7% a. at. and arrived at
Catherine one hour later. From the time of my
arrival till half past two in the afternoon I vainly
tried to find a way of getting to Midway, which is
nine miles distant. Finally, a white gentleman told
me to see the mail carricr and go out with him.
This I did, and so at last arrived at Midway.
The good people received me kindly. In look-
ing over the ground, I saw the old schoolhouse
would have.to be repaired, and decided that we go
at it the next day. ‘I'welve men and cight women
came, We repaired and cleaned up the old place
as well as we could. On Sunday I organized the
Mount Carmel Ty. Luth. Sunday-school with
G8 pupils. At present our enrolment is 110, and
we have an average attendance of 100. On Monday
I opened a day-school with 75 pupils, which I called

Our Preaching-Place at
Tinela, Ala.

Sunday-School and Cate-
chumens, Tinela, Ala.

Walther Institute. At this writing we have 125 pu-
pils enrolled and an average attendance of 100.
Miss Chinetia Smith, who is a faithful mission-
worker, is assisting me in the school. When I came