The Fladds

This address will take you to an introduction to the life and times of my uncle, Emanuel J. Sorenson, a missionary in Ethiopia and Jamaica. Once a week, for the next 20 weeks, there will be story that provides a glimpse of what missionary life was like for his family, as related by my cousin, Jane Spear.

In 1922, the ship bringing my parents through the Mediterranean to Djibouti had a honeymoon couple on board. I think they got on the ship in Alexandria, Egypt. Because the tropical heat was intense, the two young couples spent many hours visiting while sitting in deck chairs.

While they visited, my father was fascinated by a story told to him by the young Mr. Fladd. He was born in Ethiopia and spent years with his parents and siblings imprisoned in Magdella. In 1863, Emperor Theodore of Abyssinia had imprisoned all the foreigners in his country. They were placed in cruel shackles in the Fort of Magdella. Not only was the fort escape proof, located as it was on top of a mountain, but should any prisoner break out of the fort, sheer escarpments and deep gorges prevented escape.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.