ONWARD Page 2 November 2003

TRAIL OF TEARS TOUR

On September 11 a group of 46 enthusiastic participants set out on a great adventure. We hoped to learn more about the Cherokee Mission started by the Southern Province 200 years before in NW Georgia. It was moved in 1838 to the Indian Territory We were blessed with near perfect weather all the way.

Our group was made up of Moravians from six states, including a bishop, four pastors, five wives, (four families had served in mission fields) five other missionaries and two pastors’ widows. Several others had personal relationships in missionary families as well as some who had visited various fields. Everyone had a deep interest in the work of the Moravian Church around the world.

We began visiting the two fine museums in Cherokee, NC, then visited the former capital of the Cherokees in New Echota, GA and then went to the mission at Springplace. On July 13, 1801 the first missionaries consecrated their lives and the land to Christ. We toured the new Visitors’ Center, and the amazing Vann House, built next to the Mission so his children could go to the Moravian School. Then we crossed the road to the newly acquired God’s Acre, where several missionaries and quite a few Christian Indians are buried. We walked to the Church and school site where the mission spring has been restored with great effort and devotion. There, in a new pavilion, we were treated to a Georgia picnic, arranged by Br. Tim Howard. He is a great enthusiast for Springplace. We visited Red Clay, Tennessee which served as the interim capital of the Cherokee nation for a few years.

Then to overcome the depressing aspects of removal we turned toward Nashville where Br. George Hamilton IV met us and arranged for us to visit the Grand Ole Opry. He welcomed us from center stage, and gave us a personal tour backstage, introduced several stars, and permitted us to see the excitement of the opening moments of the second show of the highly orchestrated program. On Sunday, we all worshiped at the Cowboy Church where we were joined by Rev. and Mrs. Paul Snider. We enjoyed lunch together before moving on the Trail to Hopkinsville, KY. Our next site was the Trail of Tears State Park in Cape Girardeau, MO, a large beautiful park but where most of the fatalities occurred.

We then visited another community in the wilderness by seeing the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum where she wrote her famous children’s books. We then had lunch on a showboat at Branson, Mo. We spent the night of September 16^th in the 1886 Crescent Hotel, Eureka, AR. Fifteen of those who had spent time in fulltime Moravian ministry were led by Bishop Graham Rights in celebrating what we believe was the first Moravian Cup of Covenant service in the state of Arkansas.

We then entered Indian Territory and stopped at a new marker for New Springplace citing the Moravians who continued their mission to the Cherokees. We visited the Church, now run by the ELCA, the Oaks Indian Mission, God’s Acre, where many former missionaries from Salem are buried in the middle of the large, well kept Indian Cemetery. We visited the New Springplace site where only foundations remain. It was a special time for us, for few Moravians have seen this site in the past century. We had a reunion with many of the old folks who remember the Moravians from testimonies of their parents, plus all the staff of the mission, and the Lutheran Bishop of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Rev. Sol Bird Mockicin led us in a wonderful Christian prayer using the four cardinal directions to recount God’s blessings. The next day we visited the first mission site, the two Museums in the Heritage center, and the Murrell Home. We celebrated the 90^th birthday of Br. Clark Benson at Go Ye Village, where he and his wife (former missionaries to Honduras) live. The Principal Chief addressed us, a real honor. We traveled to nearby Claremore where we saw a small part of the famous Will Rogers Museum, and then had a barbeque near by. Our last site visit was to Sequoyah’s Cabin, the inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary. It is a very well preserved park with many wonderful exhibits. We all enjoyed this.

We worshiped with the Asheville Moravians and enjoyed a fine meal with them. Our bus driver was part Cherokee. He became acquainted with his own heritage. He was well received by the Cherokees. Much more happened, but we invite you to join us next year as we renew contact with the first Mission of the Southern Province either in May or September. It was a blessing for all of us and we hope we were a blessing to those folks who love our church JHG