1953

 

Buenos Aires, Plaza Congreso

What in the world was going on in 1953?

World leaders were rearranged. 

• The Shah was reinstated in Iran. 
• The Korean War ends after three years and one month and the loss of over 1.5 million lives. 
• Stalin died after a twenty-nine year Russian rule, responsible for the death of millions. Khruschkev began his de-Stalinization program.
• Cambodia declared independence from France after a ninety-year colonial rule. 
• In the US, Eisenhower began his two-term presidency after a very successful military career. He was a five-star general during WWII and became Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. As president he was credited with, among other things, with creating the U.S. Interstate Highway System, and NASA. 
• In the UK, Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on June 2 was the first ever to be broadcast on television. Interestingly, that same year the first color television sets became available for about $1,175 in the US!

Among other achievements:

• Albert Schweitzer received the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world.
• British physicist Francis Crick and American biologist James Watson discovered the double-helix structure of human DNA.

Meanwhile, what was happening in our little corner of Argentina?

    In September of 1952, our family moved into a house in Don Bosco. Some time in October, our dear missionary friends, Jim and Margaret Marshall and 15-month-old Michael, visited from Corral de Bustos. It appears that by then Daddy had built a swing for us.

    Among my father's papers I found seven tattered type-written pages, a summary story shared with the congregation as a farewell. I will allow his words to describe those very early days by translating for you the pertinent sections. Some of the the following may sound repetitive if you've read the previous chapters. 

Review of the Brethren Church in Don Bosco

1952 - 1963

    A young couple about thirty-years-old with three children and five suitcases is seen arriving at the Retiro train station. How lost they felt among the multitude in this new world! Their destination was the boarding house of a friend in Quilmes, but how to get there? How to buy tickets? How carry the suitcases along with three children? Such problems filled their minds. After many inquiries, they arrived at the Constitución railroad station. They asked more questions, moved their children and suitcases toward the train line which would take them to Quilmes. Impossible to hide their bewilderment, they were assisted by a fellow traveler.

    Once settled in the boarding house near the courthouse in Quilmes, we began looking for a more permanent base from where we could ascertain the best place to establish a testimony for Christ. For a family with small children, the wait was long - we were piled into a room for one and not for five. Such was our impatience that we almost rented an apartment in an area that already had a testimony. But, the Lord stopped us and in His time provided a house in Don Bosco. The 23 of September of 1952 we were able to bring our furniture from Río Cuarto and move into the house.

    In a short time we recognized our inability to wisely evaluate the immense mission field that is the Great Buenos Aires. Our lack of experience both in life and missionary work made this task impossible. In addition, we saw the possibility and the need to start a Sunday School in our own home. So it was that in the month of October we celebrated the first Sunday School gathering with three children present outside of our own family--Arnaldo Calderoni, Julio Reta and Silvia Reta. If I remember correctly, they were the only ones invited, as they were our children's playmates. So, the first meeting was 100% successful. We have not experienced similar success since that day. 

During the months of October and November we were dedicated to house-to-house visitation and the Sunday School. Those months seemed endless because we were eager to see the first fruits as soon as the seed was sown, but it was necessary to wait a little more. 

The First Big Scale Effort 

    In the first days of December, this peaceful town was surprised by the appearance of a comical truck from the year '29 known as the Bible Coach. It took 30 hours to make the trip from Río Cuarto to Buenos Aires bringing the tent; all the equipment for the first evangelistic campaign; don Pedro, the caretaker; and two fellows from the Bible Institute. It might be amazing for some of you to know that the tent was raised on the same site where you are seated now. It was truly a conquest to set it up; so many tall weeds had to be cut down and after that we had to hire the Italian with his cart to carry it all away, not only the weeds but also shoes, wire, a cat and dead fish.

Four Years in the Pastor's House 

    Now we entered into a new phase of the work - meetings in our home. This continued until December of '56. En the last meeting of the campaign we announced that the tent was leaving but that meetings would continue the same in the Pastor's house - Calle 31 # 33. The first meeting was held on Christmas Eve. At that time we were 27, a greater number than we expected. The attendance varied throughout those four years, but especially blessed were the Daily Vacation Bible Schools for children with an average attendance between 23 and 27.

    Two more tent campaigns were held - one on the corner of Cramer and Ramos Mejía and the other in the plaza on the other side of town, the current location of the new first aid clinic. None of these campaigns had the same welcome nor such good results as the first. However, the Word was sown and at least one person made a profession of faith and has remained.

    The Vacation Bible School reported in the Herald, must have taken place some time during the summer before Grandpa Norman's brief visit toward the end of summer.  

Don Bosco (Buenos Aires), Argentina

A report has just come in from Bro. Solon Hoyt concerning their recent D.V.B.S. "We just finished a daily vacation Bible school here. I believe the average attendance was 24, which we consider good for a new work. Wednesday evening we having the program when we hope to get the parents out.

We are constantly encouraged, although we are not seeing mushroom growth in our work. There seems to be steady, consistent attendance. Last Sunday night there were 26 of us.(Brethren Missionary Herald, 5.02.53)

    Other summer events had to do with the entire Grace Brethren fellowship in Argentina: camps and annual conference. Considering that we now lived a long distance from Córdoba, the mission hub, and had to use public transport, I can't imagine how our family was able to fit all of these travels into the short summer before Grandpa came. But the photos labeled Jan. '53 confirm that we were at youth camp.

Camp site

Transportation

Workers

    Mother and little Aldo are between doña Elena, the cook, and the Wagners, don Ricardo and doña Laura (based in General Cabrera). Next to the right: Lynn Schrock from Río Cuarto; don Pedro, the faithful caretaker, man-of-all-trades; and finally Bertha Abel, single missionary also in Río Cuarto. 

Kitchen crew

Campers and extras, like me sitting in middle front

     In March, soon after Grandpa's visit, the school year began. I am not sure when I started; it may have been later. In any case, it certainly felt like I was jumping into the middle of somthing I did not understand. During the one year in the US, I had lost language fluency. I don't know how much Spanish I had regained by the time I entered school in the third grade. Somehow, I survived and even thrived. 

    For those who may not know, the starched white school uniform is called guardapolvo, which literally means "keeps off dust" and is a mother's nightmare to keep clean.

    In August, Aldo turned three-years-old. Early in the year he had an accident where he broke his arm and it was either not set correctly or was impossible to avoid the unnatural double-pointed elbow. 

    Sadly, later in the year, he suffered another misfortune. The two brothers were handling the push lawn mower, and Aldo fell on it. A note in Grandma Hirschy's diary says:

Tuesday, November 3, 1953 

Had a letter from Kathryn. Aldo got his index finger cut off in lawn mower.

    As I reconnect with people we met in Don Bosco those seventy years ago, I hear interesting stories. Graciela Rodríguez was Aldo's age and grew very close to our family. She recently shared one vivid memory of those times. She saw Pastor Hoyt with Aldo in arms running madly past their house on the way to the clinic. Which accident? Perhaps both. Thankfully, Aldo let nothing keep him from enjoying all the opportunities life has given him.

    My parents also never allowed hardships and challenges to slow them down or cease to praise God.   

    "Blessed be the Lord who daily carries us. God is our deliverer (Psalm 68:19 ISV)."