Philippi, Leon F., (1927-

Leon Frederick Philippi was born on January 19, 1927 on his parents' farm near Bruning, Nebraska, the third of four children (two boys and two girls; the other children were Ernest, Elda and Lois). Leon's parents, Fred and Laura (nee Springer) Philippi, were strong Christians and raised their children in the values of hard work, scrupulous honesty, and generosity. These traits were tested and strengthened during the harsh years of the Great Depression, when dust storms, drought, and uneven markets threw the family increasingly on its own resources and on the generosity of various neighbors. Leon's sister Elda was born handicapped as her mother had contracted rubella during the pregnancy; Elda would remain with her parents for the rest of their lives.

By 1940 the family farm was heavily mortgaged to relatives, who foreclosed and evicted Leon's family. Later, when these same relatives squandered their holdings and became needy, Leon's parents took care of them. As Leon later wrote, his parents' action in this case taught him "not to seek revenge or get even. The Lord will take care of the matter." Fred Philippi moved his family onto his parents' now-vacant farm, where he started anew and benefited from the better crops of the 1940s. Soon he was able to buy out his siblings and prosper. He became a man of strong faith from the 1940s onwards, and though he was never ordained he became well-versed in scripture and emerged as a strong lay leader within the church.

In 1944 Leon enrolled at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, as a pre-seminary student, joining his brother Ernest, who was already in the same program. Leon's grades were by his own admission "not good," and in the winter of 1945-46 the university dean suggested that Leon take a break from academics and volunteer in the mission field. Volunteers were being sought by the American Lutheran Church (1930-1960) (ALC) to rebuild mission stations in New Guinea that had been destroyed during World War II, and Leon accepted the proposal. The ALC gave each volunteer

Some of Leon's projects included constructing church offices and a guesthouse at Lae; rebuilding a road and installing a pump and pipeline at Malalo; dismantling abandoned U.S. Army facilities at Finschafen for building material; building a mission station and school for the Chinese at Madang; building a hospital at Yaguam; and building a school at Baitabag; as well as building many houses. Leon's particular assignment was cutting and prefabricating lumber, a skill which he carried over from rebuilding cyclone-damaged farm buildings back in Nebraska. His crew also assisted U.S. Army crews that were exhuming and transporting caskets of U.S. war fatalities out of the region.

Following the completion of his work in New Guinea, Leon returned to the U.S. with a layover in Sidney, Australia, where he and another of his crew stayed with Pastor Chris W. Stolz for eight weeks. This gave Leon enough time to get acquainted with the pastor's daughter, Theophila, with whom he corresponded following his return to the U.S. Theophila was born on July 17, 1930 at Tumby Bay, Province of South Australia, Australia.

Leon returned to Bruning, Nebraska, working on his father's farm and earning money for college on construction projects. He then enrolled in Wartburg College in Waverley, Iowa, where he earned his B.A. in 1951; he graduated from the Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa in 1954. Leon was ordained on June 20, 1954 at Bruning in a ceremony where he was also commissioned as a missionary of the American Lutheran Church, for assignment to New Guinea.

Leon then rejoined Theophila in Australia after a five-year separation, where they were married in Sydney on September 25, 1954. The couple then moved on to New Guinea to start their mission work. Theophila had trained as a nurse in Australia and her medical skills were much needed in the field.

The Philippis were first stationed at Ega before moving to Banz in the highlands in early 1955. In June 1956 they were transferred to Begesin on the coast, where they remained until their first furlough began in November 1961. Special projects at Begesin included the establishment of a leprosy treatment program in early 1961, which created new opportunities for witnessing. Challenges in the area included the persistence of multiple wife-taking and sorcery.

The first four months of their furlough year were spent in Australia, with the latter time spent in the U.S. Upon their return to New Guinea in November 1962 the Philippis were placed in the mission station at Rintebe in the central highlands. In February 1964 they moved nine miles to Bena Bena, where they remained until their second furlough, which ran from November 1968 to November 1969 and was spent mostly in the U.S. Leon himself suffered from leprosy between 1962 and 1966 but was subsequently cured.

The Philippis returned to Bena Bena following the second furlough and remained there until Leon's departure from the mission field on January 7, 1972. Leon had announced his resignation as a missionary on October 10, 1971 without explanation, to take effect at year's end. In response to a request from Bishop John Kuder of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of New Guinea for his reasons, Leon provided these in a letter dated October 17, 1971, giving as his main reason his children's need for better educational opportunities and greater involvement with their parents. He also voiced concern that the church in New Guinea was not being turned over rapidly enough to the natives and that "antagonism toward the European" was now strong. Finally, Leon recognized that support for traditional missionary operations in New Guinea by churches in the U.S. and Australia was faltering and that positions might be eliminated-including his own.

From the description of Leon F. and Theophila Stolz Philippi Papers 1944-2005; 1946-1971 (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Library). WorldCat record id: 70413332