“Adventures with God” - the 20th Century Nomad Jenny De Mayer
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
travel, missionary, christianity, letters, translation, printing
Department
History
Major
History
Abstract
Missionary work gave Jenny De Mayer a sense of independence by creating an unusual opportunity to travel. Throughout her lifetime, De Mayer traveled to over 20 countries and visited 4 continents as part of her extensive missionary work. A guiding motivation for her was to share her faith through distributing Christian tracts in various languages, including some she translated into Uzbek herself. She, with rare exceptions, never stayed in one place for more than a year, feeling the need to expand the scope of Christianity's influence and build connections with people she could relate to. Through her copious letters we see the need for personal connection, as her constant independence created a sense of isolation. As she traveled, major themes of her life she incorporated in letters written to loved ones included health, war, family, finances, and spiritual fulfillment. (This is the updated abstract of a previous submission.)
Faculty Mentor
Sharyl Corrado
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
25-3-2022 2:00 PM
End Date
25-3-2022 3:00 PM
“Adventures with God” - the 20th Century Nomad Jenny De Mayer
Waves Cafeteria
Missionary work gave Jenny De Mayer a sense of independence by creating an unusual opportunity to travel. Throughout her lifetime, De Mayer traveled to over 20 countries and visited 4 continents as part of her extensive missionary work. A guiding motivation for her was to share her faith through distributing Christian tracts in various languages, including some she translated into Uzbek herself. She, with rare exceptions, never stayed in one place for more than a year, feeling the need to expand the scope of Christianity's influence and build connections with people she could relate to. Through her copious letters we see the need for personal connection, as her constant independence created a sense of isolation. As she traveled, major themes of her life she incorporated in letters written to loved ones included health, war, family, finances, and spiritual fulfillment. (This is the updated abstract of a previous submission.)