Abyssinia

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. they employed the time in study, and Mrs. Gobat was able to help her husband, who had weak eyes, by reading aloud to him. They were able to reach Suez in October, and then went to Jeddah in a boat full of pilgrims. On arriving at Jeddah, the two women adopted the Arab attire, and veiled themselves to their eyes.^[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. They could only take the most necessary things with them, and had many hardships to endure. Mrs. Gobat occupied her spare time in learning Amharic, and with her husband as teacher, she made rapid progress.^[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. This brother was the Rev. Isenberg, who had been appointed to the mission in consequence of Mr. Gobat's representations. However, it was with great difficulty that they reached Adowa, ten weeks later, on 11 May 1835.^[13] Here they were forced to settle down for a time, for Mr. Gobat was so ill that he was confined for two years to his bed.^[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.^[15]

When their first baby, Sofie, was born in Adowa on 2 August 1835,^[16] Mr. Gobat seemed almost dying. There was no possibility of getting any suitable food, and they had but few medicines. Kind friends among the native population did much to make the remainder of their stay bearable.^[14] Mrs. Gobat herself two bouts of cholera in 1836.^[17] Mr. Gobat's health continued to be precarious. 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. ^[19]

Return to Switzerland

They reached Halai, and then descended the mount of Shumfeito before arriving at Massowah with great difficulty.^[20] They stayed at Jidda three days, and reached Cosseir 28 days later. Their journey took them up the Red Sea. Their boat was so small -the only cabin measured 8 by 4 feet (2.4 m × 1.2 m)- that they could not stand upright in it, and had scarcely room on deck to walk. The Arabs had laid in provisions for three weeks only, but they were 38 days en route, with no food except for rice cooked in half-putrid water. 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.^[21] From Cosseir, they began the journey through the desert. They had to travel many days in the scorching sun, without a good hat or an umbrella, with very coarse food and with scarcely any water. Fortunately, Mr. Gobat was better, but Mrs. Gobat was completely worn out. Sophie moaned and cried night and day.^[22] From Kena, in order to reach Cairo, they had to travel eight days by boat on the Nile; Sofie died on the last day.^[23][22] Sofie was buried in the Coptic burial ground in Cairo. In Cairo, they quartered at the home of Rev. Theodor Muller.^[23] On 31 December 1836 a son was born who, in remembrance of their past trials, they named Benoni.^[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. After a few days in Cremine, they visited Mrs. Gobat's parents in Beuggen. They spent three months recuperating at Bad Kreuznach, from June to September, before returning to Basle by way of Frankfurt and Württemberg. 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. Their third child, Hannah, was born at Beuggen during the winter of 1838-39. There was another trip to Kreuznach in 1839.^[24]

Malta

In the autumn of 1839, Mr. Gobat and his wife went to Malta, he being sent there by the Church Missionary Society to superintend the translation of the Bible into Arabic, and to take charge of the printing press of the Church Missionary Society. 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.^[25] They remained in this island for about three years, when they returned to Switzerland again, where Mr. Gobat worked for the Missionary Society in various ways,^[26] and did missionary work amongst the Druses of Mount Lebanon.^[11] Their fifth child and third daughter, Dora, was born in 1842.^[27]

In May 1843, the family returned to Switzerland. They visited to Albisbrunn, in the canton of Zurich, for a health treatment, and then to Bern.^[28] They spent two years at the foot of the Weissenstein. In September 1844, their sixth child, Maria, was born.^[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.^[30]

In 1845, Mr. Gobat studied and was ordained a Deacon, and in October of that year, the family arrived in Malta. By January 1846, Mrs. Gobat had purchased all the necessary furniture and everything else necessary for the opening of the Malta Protestant College, which took place in February.^[31] In March 1846, he was nominated by Frederick William IV of Prussia to the see of Jerusalem.^[32] He was ordained a priest at a general ordination at Fulham. A few days later, on 5 July 1846, he was consecrated Bishop of the Church of England, at Lambeth by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury,^[33] assisted by the Bishops of London, Lichfield, and Kolkata.^[26] Their seventh child, James Timothy, was born in Malta, in 1846. In the meantime, Mrs. Gobat made the necessary purchases and preparations for their establishment at Jerusalem.^[34]

Jerusalem

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.^[32] She specially loved the Diocesan School and Orphanage on Mount Zion. It was supported by voluntary contributions, the bishop and Mrs. Gobat making up all deficiencies out of their private funds.^[35] This orphanage, as well as the other mission schools, prospered and increased under the care of Bishop and Mrs. Gobat during their thirty-three years of labour there. The institution was later carried on under the superintendence of the Rev. John Zeller, son-in-law of the Rev. and Mrs. Gobat. ^[36]