Each story is a gift, a treasure in the world
There will never be two stories exactly alike —nor yours, nor the stories you hear—. This makes us think about how wonderful God is! This is the reason why each story is so important. God ordered that each chapter of his great history was written. It is an integral part of the history of grace.
What I am is the only part of myself in the universe. My unique story is the most excellent gift I have. If I don’t tell it, it will remain silent… By rescuing and sharing it, it becomes a sacred treasure, a gift to be used in restoring the lives of everyone it comes in touch with.
For this reason, this book wants to remember the echoes of the stories of several missionary women who, with hope and faith in their hands, scattered them like seeds in so many corners and places of South America.
The first to accept the Adventist beliefs in South America were infected by the strength of the hope that burned in the hearts of the first missionaries.
It is incredible how momentous “any” story may be, that is, our life, each moment or situation, and more so when we accept to be partners with God to spread his grace.
I imagine that in your country there are also interesting stories to tell that define the place the Adventist Church occupies today where you live. And most importantly, history doesn’t end with what happened in the past, it extends to the present, of which you are a part, and projects you into the future. Undoubtedly, nothing of what we know today would be possible without what others did in the past, and this compels us to think that all that we do today will be part of others in the future.
Your relation with others will define better your story in the plan of salvation. How? That part is yours to reflect upon. I invite you to read about the commitment and dedication of women whose stories we will tell in this book. I long for you to join us and see what God can do through you in the great matrix of the history of grace.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the writer Ellen G. White said,
We greatly need consecrated women who, as messengers of mercy, shall visit the mothers and the children in their homes, and help them in the everyday household duties, if need be, before beginning to talk to them regarding the truth for this time.1
Therefore, the purpose of these reflections on the lives of several women pioneers is to generate consciousness about the legacy received by their leadership under the influence of the Spirit of God.
We will start with a brief description of the historical, social and political background of that time mainly in Argentina, that was the country that saw the result of the work of most of the women whose biographies have been written.
The Lord bless the readers so they may develop their abilities and gifts received from the Spirit of God for their personal growth and that of the church.
1 Ellen G. White, Review and Herald (July 12, 1906); Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1946), 459.
2
Introduction
Otilia Peverini-Ampuero wrote in her autobiography:
I admire Florence [Nightingale], Teresa of Calcutta, and many others who fought courageously in favor of the suffering, in spite of the daunting environment in which they worked; but I’m excited and full of gratitude to God for the comprehensive work developed by women like Ana Stahl, Guillermina Kalbermatter, Jessie Haliwell, Iris Dalinger and others who served in South America. Their selfless lives full of love for the suffering inspire us.2
As Otilia Peverini-Ampuero expressed it in the preceding paragraph, the women mentioned served in a daunting environment. Their missionary effort was not an easy task. But this did not prevent the development of the gifts God bestowed on these women. By the Spirit these women were made strong and they advanced by faith. Already in 1878, Ellen G. White, writer and cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, described the work of these women in mission in this way:
Women of firm principle and decided character are needed, women who believe that we are indeed living in the last days, and that we have the last solemn message of warning to be given to the world. They should feel that they are engaged in an important work in spreading the rays of light which Heaven has shed upon them. Nothing will deter this class from their duty. Nothing will discourage them in the work. They have faith to work for time and for eternity. They fear God, and will not be diverted from the work by the temptation of lucrative situations and attractive prospects. The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is sacredly kept by them, because God has placed His sanctity upon it, and has bidden them to keep it holy. They will preserve their integrity at any cost to themselves…. These are the ones who will correctly represent our faith, whose words will be fitly spoken, like apples of gold in pictures of silver…. Sisters, God calls you to work in the harvest field and help gather in the sheaves.3
One of the initiatives of the first adventist missionaries who arrived in South America was to work diligently to provide an education that would equally qualify both males and females and prepare them in spreading the Christian Adventist message.
As the first missionaries displayed a lot of energy and the membership in South America grew so fast, in April 1901, only a decade after the arrival of the first missionaries, the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organized the South American Union Mission (today South American Division), that included the Brazil Mission, Argentine Mission (consisting of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the Chilean Mission (conformed by Chile, Perú, Bolivia and Ecuador).4 It is interesting to read the historical records of this “forgotten continent”, as Frank Westphal called it,5 as he reported that not only men participated in the adventure of spreading the gospel in South America, but also women.
Although women played an important role in the development of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, unfortunately the available story fell short or doesn’t fully record reality. There are few or short accounts of the efforts of the women at that time. This could indicate that the influence of the social and political ideas of the time affected, to some extent, the early church in South America. There were single women who started the work in different parts. Very little is said of the sacrifice of those women missionaries that accompanied their husbands to distant and unknown lands and whose turn was to educate, bring up and even lose their children. And while doing so, many times alone for long months because of the work of their husbands, with their commitment they supported and strengthened their husbands in their noble undertaking. They exerted a strong influence in the new groups of local believers, inspiring new enterprises and supplying the growing needs of an expanding church. However, they appear generally behind the figure of their husbands. Very few of them registered the efforts of their own spouses. It seems that women have not been considered in many of the denominational historical accounts. There have been few attempts to rescue this part of history, without which it is incomplete or mutilated.
This book aims to contribute to the rescue of the effort and commitment of several of these women. The biographies were developed