Aaron A. and Ernestina Strauss Janzen, pioneer missionaries in Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) for a combined total of 70 years, the Janzens worked in evangelism, medicine, education and agriculture. Aaron (1882-1957) was born and raised on a farm near Mountain Lake, MN, where he attended grammar school and Bible school. Later he studied at Moody Bible Institute and the German Baptist Seminary in Rochester, NY. At age 24, he experienced a radical conversion, was baptized, and joined the Mennonite Brethren Church. Ernestina (1879-1937) studied nursing in preparation for mission.

Upon marriage in 1911, they left for the Belgian Congo, serving with the Congo Inland Mission (CIM) at Nyanga (1912-1920). They encountered untold hardships: hostility of the Bapende people, inadequate diet, tropical disease, and death of their only two children. In anticipation of establishing a Mennonite Brethren mission, the Janzens found Kikandji near the commercial center of Kikwit. They made the 480 km. (300 mi.) trek in 1922. The people were receptive to the gospel, but physical conditions proved intolerable. Two years later they relocated to Kafumba, the "elephants nest," 10 km. (6 mi.) away and built a mission center on a 120 acre land grant from the government. In 1926, they baptized 37 people and founded the Mennonite Brethren Church of Zaire without official support from either the Mennonite Brethren Mission Board or the CIM. During their first furlough (1927-1928), the Janzens renewed contact with home churches, stimulated interest in Africa, and received financial support.

Ernestina died 24 September 1937. Africans mourned the death of "Mama Nkende," mother of mercy. A man of prayer and faith in God, Janzen wrote, "Thou art more to me than all earth's brimming cups could be." After six years, Janzen married Martha Hiebert, missionary at Kafumba since 1929. The Janzens experienced two highlights: a growing national church, and the acceptance of the work by the Mennonite Brethren Board of Missions in 1943. They stayed at Kafumba until 1956. Aaron Janzen has left a wealth of written material on mission both theological and cultural, but none has been published. He died in Mountain Lake where Martha lived in retirement.

Bibliography

©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

To cite this page:

MLA style: Kasdorf, Hans. "Janzen, Aaron A. (1882-1957) and Janzen, Ernestina Strauss (1879-1937)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/J36922.html>

APA style: Kasdorf, Hans. (1987). "Janzen, Aaron A. (1882-1957) and Janzen, Ernestina Strauss (1879-1937)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/J36922.html>