ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Mission Network) — The dedication of a hospital building in India that honors a missionary couple from the United States highlighted a holiday homecoming that bridged generations of the couple’s descendants.
The ongoing construction of the renovated and expanded Sankra Christian Hospital, located on the same grounds as the original clinic, was celebrated Dec. 20, 2015. The two-story building honors mission workers Dr. Florence Cooprider Friesen and her husband, Bishop Peter A. Friesen who served under Mennonite Board of Missions (a predecessor organization to Mennonite Mission Network). Bishop Friesen and his first wife, Helena, established mission work in Sankra in 1910 and constructed Zion Mennonite Church. Following Helena’s death in 1921, Florence and Peter A. were married while both were home on furlough in 1922. They returned to Sankra to work in partnership from 1924 until 1942. The building expansion from an outpatient clinic to a 24-hour, 12-bed hospital is a collaborative project of the extended Friesen family, Mennonite Mission Network, and Dhamtari Christian Hospital. The building is expected to be completed in March.At the December dedication, the Friesen family contingent included three great-great-grandchildren who were all younger than age 13. The family was treated to a warm welcome that included garlands being placed around members’ necks, an Indian custom of honoring guests. Services were conducted in Hindi with English translation. After the church service and building dedication, a few surviving elderly people who knew the missionary couple recounted fond stories of them. Family members said there was also plenty of amazing Indian food in a fellowship meal that followed the church service, hospital dedication, and planting of trees. The events combined for a four-hour celebration.
Grandson, Dr. G. Weldon Friesen, who had also served in India with his wife, LuEtta, from 1968 to 1971, was an honored speaker at the church service and the building dedication. Along with his wife, he was accompanied by their daughter and son – Cynthia Friesen Coyle (and her husband, James, and daughter, Rebekah) and Carl (and his daughters, Genny and Bea).
Among the estimated 200 people in attendance were representatives from Dhamtari Christian Hospital, the Mennonite Medical Board, Mennonite Church in India, and invited guests from overseas and the local community.
“When we walked inside, after they blessed the building and cut the ribbon, unveiled was a plaque in the memory of my great-grandmother,” said Friesen Coyle, adding that she was deeply humbled by the entire experience. “There was a picture of our family and me when I was about 3 years old.”
Friesen Coyle lived in Shantipur, India, with her immediate family until age 4 when they returned to the United States. A graphic artist for Mission Network, she described the two-week family trip as “a little bit like coming home.”
The trip was also to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Friesen Coyle’s parents, she said.
“Instead of celebrating at home, they wanted to take the grandchildren to India so they could see some of their roots,” Friesen Coyle said.
Dr. Florence Cooprider Friesen pioneered in outpatient treatment of leprosy by establishing a circuit of rural clinics. Assisted by her nurse and close personal friend, Delorine Bai, her practice also included obstetrics, minor surgery, cataract surgery, and treatment of the many common diseases of the day, such as malaria, smallpox, cholera, anemia, and parasitic diseases. The healing ministry complemented her husband’s passion for proclaiming the gospel.
At the building dedication, G. Weldon Friesen presented Hindi Bibles that his grandparents used. The Bibles will be displayed in the new hospital, along with ceramic plates made by his uncle, Paul Friesen, that bear photo collages depicting the Friesens’ ministry.
“It (the hospital) is a great tribute to all who have served in the past in Sankra, and meets an important medical need in the community,” G. Weldon Friesen wrote in a letter of thanks to supporters of the hospital building project.
