Maria Gobat
[1] For 45 years, as the wife of Samuel Gobat, she rendered invaluable service, such as instructing girls,[2] during her husband's missionary career in Abyssinia, Malta, and finally in the bishopric of Jerusalem.
[5] The Zeller family was important in regards to two major pietist centers during the 19th century: Schloss Beuggen, a teachers' training college, and Mannedorf in the Canton of Zürich.
[6] In the year 1819, Mr. Zeller received the call to begin a home for destitute children, in Beuggen near Bâle; and he soon joined to it the institution for training poor schoolmasters.
Under the influence and guidance of Madame Zeller, Gobat and her sisters grew up learning to put a helping hand everywhere, and to assist cheerfully in bearing the burdens of others.
In 1833, Mr. Gobat visited Europe in order to make known the preparedness of the land of Abyssinia for mission-work, and to induce other labourers to accompany him back to the work.
[10][11] Soon after the wedding, the couple paid a farewell visit to Mr. Gobat's home at Crémines, in the Canton of Bern, and then started on their difficult journey to Abyssinia.
[12][8] They left Marseille on July 14, and took with them the young woman who was engaged to Karl Wilhelm Isenberg, and the marriage of the latter took place when they reach Alexandria.
The two couples proceeded to Cairo after a week at Alexandria, and there had to wait three months till books, which were to be distributed in Abyssinia, had arrived from Europe.
[9] The young missionaries had a rough time in travelling: on the Red Sea, they sailed in Arab dhows; they crossed mountains on foot;[11] and while going through the desert, they rode on camels or mules.
[12] Soon after reaching Massowah, Mr. Gobat fell very ill, but resolved, if possible, to push on to Abyssinia, in order to introduce his young brother-missionary to the work.
[12][14] The love and kindness of the natives, who, from Mr. Gobat's former residences in Abyssinia, held him in the highest esteem, did much to make their stay at Adowa bearable.
They never spoke of the country and its people but with enthusiasm; and in after years, when some of the Abyssinians visited them in Jerusalem, the missionary bishop and his wife were happy to see them again.
When a doctor who happened to be traveling in the country pronounced his case hopeless if he did not immediately return to Europe,[18] they bade farewell to Isenberg and his wife,[15] and began the journey back home on 1 September 1836.
The goat died which Mr.. Gobat had taken on board to provide milk for their infant daughter, Sofie, and she became seriously ill[18] with Ophthalmia, which developed into inflammation of the brain.
[23][9] On 13 February 1837 they left Cairo and travelled by boat to Alexandria and then to Malta, arriving at Mr.. Gobat's home in Cremine on 11 May.
During the winter of 1837-38, the family stayed in Beuggen, while the summer of 1838 was spent in London, where Mrs. Gobat fell ill and remained so for a long time.
In the summer of 1840 , Mrs. Gobat became ill for a prolonged period, In that same year, their fourth child and second son was born, but he only survived 13 months.
[29] That year, Mr. Gobat was invited to accept the office of Vice-Principal of a Protestant college in Malta, and that he must be episcopally ordained in order to do so.
[34] Mrs. Gobat took care of the large family and her many duties as her husband's helpmeet, taking keen interest in all the schools and missions.
These schools were all established by Bishop Gobat, and so successfully carried on that a year before his death, there were fourteen hundred children under instruction in them.
