Sunday, September 12, 2010

Meeting the President - With Annie Soper

Annie Soper (L)  Rhoda Gould

19 December 1928
Dear Mother
[Extract]
Miss Soper who is on her way back to the jungle is in Lima just now. She has done such good work there that the President wished to see her when she was on her way home. However she had left Lima before this news reached her so sent a message this time to the President to say she was here again. He accorded her an interview and I had the honour of taking her to the Palace to see the august little man Augusto B Leguia. He was very nice to us and showed a sympathetic interest in her work and in our school too. He promised to see that she was not hindered in her work by the priests – though that may not mean much since he owes a lot to the support of the Church. Still he means well towards her, and seemed quite grateful for the work she is doing. Did I ever tell you about here? She went out 6 years ago to Moyobamba leaving Lima and all traces of civilisation behind and pushing out into the wilds with her companion Miss Gould, a fortnight’s mule journey from Cajamarca. It was a tremendous step. But their nursing skills stood by them. A practise grew up. A demand for meetings arose and before long Miss Soper (who was brought up as  Brethren ! – but was kicked out for attending a Baptist Church because there was no assembly in the town where her hospital was) was holding meetings and preaching almost every night. The Free Church then accepted the services of these ladies who previously had been independent and three years ago they sent out Dr [Calvin] Mackay to assist them as physician, surgeon and pastor. Another nurse later joined them and now Miss Soper’s niece is going out to start a school there. It is quite a flourishing work now.

Note: Some of the story of Annie and Rhoda is told in "Dawn Beyond the Andes" by Phyllis Thompson and published by Regions Beyond Missionary Union. Theirs is an unsung pioneering, frontier mission story yet to be fully told.

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