Page 48 - Holyland Magazine - 2010 Edition

THE HOLY CITY’S

AMERICAN PIONEERS

American Christian ties to Jerusalem are anchored in its very

stones, as one of the city’s most beautiful buildings attests.

The magnificently appointed
Pasha's Room with its rare painted
ceiling recalls the atmosphere of
Jerusalem's bygone days.

M ost churchgoers are familiar the Ville de Havre was rammed by another are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there,
ship. Of the hundreds of souls aboard, only before very long, shall we be too. In the
with the hymn, Peace like a River, although 47 were saved, among them Anna meantime, thanks to God, we have an
many know it better by its famous refrain, Spafford. The four girls perished. When opportunity to serve and praise Him for
“It is well with my soul.” But few know the Anna reached Paris, she cabled her husband His love and mercy to us and ours.’”
tragedy behind its writing, or its connection and told him the devastating news. As
to the Holy City. In 1871, the lawyer Horatio was making the Atlantic crossing Horatio Spafford decided to throw himself
Horatio Spafford was living with his wife to meet Anna and bring her home, the into missionary work in the most meaningful
Anna and their four daughters in Lake captain called him and told him he believed place he could think of: Jerusalem. In 1881,
View, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was they were just passing the place where the the family arrived in Jerusalem with 14
the year of the Great Chicago Fire, which girls had died. It was then that the words friends and moved to a house in the Old
changed their lives forever. Devout to Peace like a River came to Spafford. City overlooking Damascus Gate, where
Christians, the Spaffords did what they they lived for 15 years. Then, in 1896,
could to ease the suffering and poverty in Years later, in her book Our Jerusalem, Anna Spafford returned to Chicago to
the wake of the fire. Two years later, Bertha Spafford Vester, born to the couple preach about their experiences in the Holy
exhausted from their efforts, they decided in 1878, would say: “Father wrote to Aunt City. She inspired a group of American-
to take a vacation in Europe. Anna and Rachel: ‘On Thursday last we passed over Swedish evangelicals to join them. News
the girls went ahead on the luxury steamer the spot where she went down, in mid- of their move brought relatives from Sweden
SS Ville de Havre, looking forward to ocean, the water three miles deep. But I on board, and 38 adults and 17 children
meeting Horatio in Europe. But then do not think of our dear ones there. They joined the Americans. The house in the
disaster struck. On November 21, 1873,

48 “The Lord builds up Jerusalem ...He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Ps 147:2)