Anne was born 20 June 1905 at Templin Queensland. Her early years were spent in the country with her parents, however when she was 9.5, she went to live with neighbouring families, taking their small children to school. Until the age of 14 she served in three different homes in this capacity and remained at […]

Anne was born 20 June 1905 at Templin Queensland. Her early years were spent in the country with her parents, however when she was 9.5, she went to live with neighbouring families, taking their small children to school. Until the age of 14 she served in three different homes in this capacity and remained at the third place with Dieckmanns on their farm at Kalbar after leaving school.

She was confirmed in the Church of England at Kalbar in 1919. At age 16 she joined the Lutheran Church at Engelsburg.

Even back in 1927, when sewing for the New Guineans and on a number of occasions at Mission Festivals hearing addresses by Dr Theile on the needs for personnel for New Guinea, her thoughts began to wander overseas, and the urge drew within to give herself for the cause of foreign missions.

She had only fifth grade schooling, and felt incapable to meet the requirements of such high calling. But she began to feel a direct call from God to offer her services in whatever capacity she could serve.

1930 Anne volunteered for service in New Guinea and in mid 1931 she received a call from the American Lutheran church to fill a vacancy. She was commissioned in her home church on August 4, 1931, by Pastor Hilier who was Chairman of the New Guinea Mission Board at the time. She sailed to Finschhafen arriving September 9.

Her first assignment was with the Pietz family at Kaiapit. She did domestic work and trained the native girls while Mrs Pietz conducted school for their children. These were some of her happiest days in New Guinea. She felt it a real privilege to be stationed in a remote place, as Kaiapit was considered those days, where she could witness mission work in its infancy and have a hand in training and working with native girls. She is most appreciative to Dr and Mrs Pietz who, with much patience and consideration, helped her over those first difficult years in learning to understand the native way of thinking and life and language.

In 1933, when the fields divided (when the American Lutheran Church took over the Madang field), she together with the Pietzs moved to Nobonob, Madang.

When their two daughters left for the United States in April 1934, Anne was transferred to Nagada with the Victor Koschade family for the same purpose as her previous assignment.  There was no school for missionaries’ children in Madang at the time and consequently the children had to be taught at home by their mothers.

In 1935 the first teacher for the Madang field, Miss Erma Taeuber, arrived, and the school was started at Amele. Anne was transferred here to serve as Matron. She also worked in the Nurses Home, as these two were operated as one unit for a time: teacher, children, nurses and patients dined at one table.

Seven years was also the term of service for single women those days, but when the Field Conference was in Madang in July 1936 it was decided that Anne should accompany Mrs Henry Foege and children to Australia. Mrs Foege was ill at the time and couldn’t travel alone. This came as an unhappy surprise to Anne as she had only two days to prepare for leaving, but she was also grateful to be of some service in a small way to this family. She stayed with them for three months until Rev Foege joined his family and they proceeded to USA.

While on furlough the suggestion came from the field that Anne should take a commercial course to fit her for further service on the field in a different sphere of work. This course took five months.

She returned to New Guinea in July 1937, and was stationed at Madang to help in the Supply House with the bookkeeping and in the store to support them wherever the need was greatest. Here is where she met her husband, Wilbur Herman Wenz, who was acting Business Manager at the time. They were married in the Regatta Church October 12, 1941.

Anne’s married life was very brief. On December 19, 1941, all women folk except for nurses were ordered out of the territory and she was one of many who were taken out by plane on December 21 to Australia.

In Qeensland she took up work for six months in a Salvation Army Boys home which was evacuated from Indooroopilly into the country in Fassifern District. She later helped Mrs Theile in their home in Brisbane for two years.

In May 1944 Anne arrived in the USA and found her place of service in the Church’s head office, Columbus, Ohio, first in the office of the Department of Stewardship and Finance and later in the Board of Foreign Missions Department.  She has ever been grateful for this splendid opportunity of getting acquainted with these good people with whom she has had connections with her work ever since.

It was a day of great rejoicing when she could return to the field once again on July 21, 1946.  Since then, she was stationed at Lae, serving as their mission treasurer (with the exception of the time of her two furloughs in 1951-52 and 1958). Anne finished her service in New Guinea in 1975.

If you would like to consider the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in mission, serving in practical ways, teaching English, teaching in the seminaries and institutions of our partner churches, or in local churches, you are invited to phone LCA International Mission on (08) 8267 7300 or email lcaim@lca.org.au. For more information, go to https://www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/volunteer/

Read more stories about volunteering at www.lcamission.org.au/category/join-gods-mission/volunteers/