Elva Kauffman Pioneering the way to Pikangikum - March 14, 1955

Front from left to right: ?, Elva Kauffman, ?
Back ?, ?, ?, Lilly Burkholder

The following is written by Elva Burkholder who was Elva Kauffman at the time the piece was written. This is before her and Dave were married. She was pioneering and forging the way to Pikangikum.  Those with her were Willard Moyer, Lovina Miller (who eventually married Art Kauffman, Elva's brother). Please if you know these women in the picture would you let us know who they are - lynneburkholder@gmail.com! Thank you.

"Our first Sunday Service was held in our home but it was too far for the older people to walk, and also those with little children, so the counsellor gave us permission to have it in their home each Sunday afternoon. We have an average attendance of eighty. We do more singing in church than you or I are used to but these people love to sing. We open our services by singing about eighteen selections after which we have a flannel-graph lesson. Brother Willard, who has conquered the language quite well, brings a message. The second Sunday, we bundled up and went to church through a snow storm. By wading through deep snow drifts, we found the trail. The snow was beating in our faces, driven by a strong gale and we could only see a short distance but we were soon home. We had just started a fire in our stove when there was a knock at the door. The counsellor had come to see if we had arrived home safely. After staying long enough to drink a cup of tea he hurried home again through the storm before it got dark. Our hearts were touched to think of the concern he had for us that he ventured through this storm to see if we found our trail home.

The Lord is answering your prayers on behalf of the souls at Pikangikum. Two of the young men who fell into sin have confessed their wrong doing to God and to us and want to make restitution. They had taken some articles from the mission home and now want to return them. The next time they came to visit us, they brought some other young men over and before the evening was over, three new souls were brought into the kingdom. We keenly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit with us that evening. Sister Maggie has also found the Lord precious and although their health does not permit her to attend services, she is experiencing the joy of being a child of the King. Willard went over to visit her one day and over her bed hung a piece of paper with these words, "God give me a good heart. My heart is sinful." She needs your prayers that she may continue to live for Jesus."