Elisabeth Stauffer was born in Grenchen on October 5, 1932, the eldest of eight siblings.
Her father was a minister in the Methodist church and so the family lived in different places.
After training as a nurse at Bethanien, she went to England for about a year to support a family. Going to England was her "secret" wish. That's why she completed her second training as a midwife there
Elisabeth wanted to work for the Methodist Church, but struggled with the question of signing up for missionary service. She describes this impressively in her application for missionary service. Once she had made her decision, she left no doubts; her application stated "missionary service for life".
Initially, two deployment options were up for discussion due to their profile: Sarawak in Malaysia or South America. The assignment area for South America was still completely open, with Bolivia and Argentina being discussed. Elisabeth had a preference for Malaysia, but was also prepared to go to South America. However, the decision was made by the people in charge in Switzerland and so Elisabeth found out in September 1962 that her area of assignment would be Argentina in the province of Salta.
Elisabeth boarded the ship in Genoa on September 14, 1963. After a grueling voyage, she arrived in Buenos Aires on September 30, 1963. She wrote that the ship was overcrowded with people. At least 700 people were traveling in tourist class, including many children. Many families were still emigrating to Argentina in the 1960s. Elisabeth described how the people on the ship had to eat in stages because there were not enough places to eat.
In a letter from the Methodist Church in Argentina to the responsible persons in Switzerland, it was particularly emphasized that Elisabeth Stauffer was the first Swiss missionary of the Methodist Mission Society in Argentina. In one of the letters, Elisabeth impressively described her first experiences in the southern hemisphere: the sun and moon were in the "wrong place" for people living in Europe, namely in the north.
The first few months in Argentina were dominated by language studies. Shortly after her arrival in Buenos Aires, she had the opportunity to visit the province of Salta. In one of her first letters, she described the inhumane conditions under which the indigenous population had to work on the sugar cane farms. The sanitary situation was indescribable. The Methodist Church, in cooperation with the Anglican Church, wanted to set up a mission with social work in the province of Salta. The large landowners, who were in charge in this region and who, according to Elisabeth, lived in palaces, rejected the offer. The Anglican Church also withdrew. It therefore became clear that Elizabeth's place of work would be elsewhere.
A period of waiting began for Elisabeth, which she used to study the language intensively. It was not until two years later, at the beginning of 1965, that she was able to start work as a nurse in the new hospital in Castelli in the province of Chaco. In the meantime, she worked in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, until the project in the Chacos could be started. Running a hospital with few staff was an enormous burden for all employees. There were times when Elisabeth was on her own. Learning the Toba language was also a challenge. The family and the missionary authorities in Switzerland were worried in the early days of the work in Castelli because the letters were becoming fewer and fewer. She had almost no time to write letters. In 1968, after five years, she returned home for her first vacation. She returned to Castelli again in 1969.
In the same year, an almost three-year-old girl was left on her doorstep, which she looked after from then on. Two boys came along in 1970. Their mother had advanced cancer and died shortly afterwards. She could not allow the two brothers to stay together. The older of the two suffered greatly from the fact that not all the siblings could stay together. The two sisters were taken in by another nurse. Nobody wanted to look after the two boys. So they came to Elisabeth and stayed. Despite enormous resistance from the team in Castelli, the Methodist Church in Argentina and those responsible in Switzerland, Elisabeth prevailed and kept the children with her. In 1971, Elisabeth began a new job in a health center of the Methodist Church in Don Cristobal.
In 1973, Elisabeth was given the green light by those responsible from Switzerland and the Methodist Church in Argentina to adopt the three children Juan-José, Elsa and Jorge-Louis. Later, Sergio Daniel also joined the family.
In 1976, Elisabeth moved to Mar del Plata and was appointed director of the Martillo project by the Methodist Church in a poverty-stricken area of the city. The project consisted of a social center with a kindergarten, tutoring and adult education. Elisabeth remained faithful to this work until retirement age and beyond. She lived to the age of 92. Her life is an important testimony to missionary history and illustrates the resistance and challenges she had to overcome as a single woman.
The voices from Argentina after her death are touching. "A woman who really knew how to live the gospel and embrace it with a smile and generosity. We experienced affection from her and thank her for it."
"I mourn the loss of Mrs. Stauffer, a woman who was an inspiration in my childhood."
"I thank God for the opportunity that life has given me to share fellowship and faith with dear Elisabeth. A woman with a big heart, strong commitment and deep faith, from whom I was able to learn and had the joy of being a pastor. May the Lord keep her in his love forever."
Elisabeth Stauffer left her mark on the lives of many people. We are grateful that she was part of our organization.
