Collection 404
[March 2, 2000]
Formanek, Rosanna; 1952-
Interview; 1988
2 Reels of Audio Tape
Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Biography
Full name: Rosanna Formanek
Birth date: November 11, 1952
Birth place: Pennsylvania
Family:
Parents: Henry and Dorothy Forman (name changed from Formanek)
Siblings: Two brothers, three sisters
Marital Status: Single
Conversion: Made public profession on March 4, 1966
Membership and Denomination: Christian and Missionary Alliance
Education:
1970-1972 Nyack College, Nyack, New York
1972-1974 B.S.N., Columbia University, New York City
1975-1976? Toccoa Falls College
1979 Studied French language in France
1988-1989 M.A., Missions--Intercultural Studies, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
Career:
1977-1979 Deaconess (youth work, evangelism, Christian education), Orlando,
Florida, and Watsontown, Pennsylvania
1979 Missionary, Sudan Interior Mission, Benin, West Africa (short-term)
1980-1988 Missionary, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Gabon, Africa, (nursing,
evangelism, youth work, camping, Christian education, training school
for national health workers)
Scope and Content
Rosanna Formanek was interviewed by Robert Shuster on November 16, 1988, at the Archives of the Billy Graham Center. The events described in the interview cover the time period approximately from the 1950s to 1988. The boldfaced entries are intended to highlight the topics covered in the interview. Time elapsed in minutes and seconds is recorded to the left of the topics discussed in the interview. The index is keyed to the cassette copy and not to the reel-to-reel original.
T1 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:25 Introduction to interview
00:45 Family background, parents, brothers and sisters, childhood, early desire to be a
missionary
13:30 Influence of missionary writings by or about Malla Moe, Hudson J. Taylor, and
Jonathan Goforth
18:00 Conversion, private commitment, public confession
21:15 Jack Wyrtzen's Word of Life Club, Youth for Christ quiz teams, attendance at
Nyack Missionary Training School (later Nyack College) and Columbia
University with a degree in nursing, extracurricular activities
32:30 Short-term missionary service in Indonesia with the Nyack Youth Corps and in
Benin under Sudan Interior Mission
45:00 Internship before full-time missionary work included nursing and working in Downey
Memorial Church in Orlando, Florida, for the Christian and Missionary
Alliance (CMA)
46:00 End of side 1
T1 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Repeat from side 1
01:15 Internship work included evangelism, youth work, and work with aging, Christian
education; CMA application process and training
04:15 Work helpful for mission field, appointment to Gabon, French language training in
missionary school in Albertville, France
08:15 First impressions of Gabon, locations of missionary work, travel through Gabon
15:45 Description of Gabon capital, Libreville; work of CMA in Mouyanama, Mimongo,
and other places; typical day in Gabon
20:45 Health problems: malaria, parasites, tropical ulcers, and especially respiratory
infections due to heat and humidity; medical work
22:45 End of tape
T2 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:15 Introduction to T2
00:30 Church in Gabon, animism, national leaders, work at Bongolo hospital and primary
school, Theological Education by Extension courses for nurses, church workers
10:30 Relationship between church and state; Africa Evangelical Fellowship,
Lambarene and the work of Dr. Albert Schweitzer
18:00 Kinds of activities: youth work, youth camps, youth leader seminars, Bible
studies
24:45 Traditional religion, syncretism, native cures (folk medicine), spiritism
31:30 Strengths and weaknesses of Gabon church, need for revival, holy living, financial
support of pastors
38:15 End of tape
Provenance
The material in this collection was given to the Archives of the Billy Graham Center by Rosanna Formanek in 1988.
Accession 88-128
July 21, 1995
Janyce H. Nasgowitz
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 88-128
Type of Material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:
T1 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, one side only, about 65 minutes. Oral history interview of Rosanna Formanek by Robert Shuster on November 16, 1988. Topics discussed include her family, conversion, education at Nyack College and Columbia University, short-term missionary service in Indonesia and Benin, appointment to Gabon and first impressions, description of service in Gabon, and health problems in Gabon.
T2 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, one side only, about 40 minutes. Continuation of interview of Formanek by Shuster on November 16, 1988. Topics include the church in Gabon, relationship between church and state, and traditional religion in Gabon.