Learning from the Old Order Mennonite Boys

It was 7:00, I was still in bed and this slow speaking person on the other end of phone asked, “So you would like to go on an MDS trip?” I had tried to get on board with the MDS bus for a trip to Florida but all the seats were spoken for through April but David Hoover told me about some other trips that were be organized independently if I would care to be a driver. “These are young guys but they know how to go ahead on the job. They won’t give you no trouble,” David had assured me. So I was expecting a call from Irwin. I needed a reality check on the voice “What are the ages of you guys?” I asked. “Most of us are 20 to 23 years old,” Irwin assured me. Thus began my cross cultural pilgrimage with my own people. They would have 12 persons. They would rent the van and pull a trailer with all their luggage and tools. We would be going to Palacios, Texas down on the Gulf coast 28 driving hours away.


Finding another person to share the driving was the only item I needed to take care of. It’s hard to find someone who can take off 2 weeks. After talking to friends, asking at Church, and coming up dry, I started wondering if I might be able to drive the distance myself. However, Rhoda mentioned my need to Anna Groff who kindly volunteered her husband Aaron. Aaron made some calls, cleared his schedule and thankfully, I had my driver to share the load. When Irvin called a week before we left to confirm plans he asked if I found a driver. I told him, “Aaron Groff will be the other driver.” “Aaron Groff, that name sounds familiar,” Irvin responded. I replied, “He works at the Ephrata Bank. You might know him from there”. “Isn’t he one of the big guys down there?” Irvin asked. “I believe he is the President of the Bank,” I responded. “Oh,” Irvin said, “That’s interesting. Well, I’m sure every one of us uses the Ephrata bank for our bank!” Clearly Aaron was going to make a connection of this trip.


It was 4:00 Saturday morning, January 15, when Aaron and I stopped in at Irvin Fox’s place and first met this young man with a permanent boyish grin on his face. “This is gonna be fun,” he said hiding no enthusiasm at all. The van was there with the trailer, in which we loaded up the tools we had and took off across the country roads picking up the others. An hour later, and our trailer was full lots of tool boxes, air compressor, nail guns, tool belts and suitcases, and our van was full of a bunch of excited Dutch speaking young men who to Aaron and I were all strangers.


After driving about 3 hours the subject of breakfast came up. I suggested McDonalds makes a nice breakfast. I soon learned how inappropriate that suggestion was. Irvin gently explained to me that these guys really don’t care to eat fast food. They much prefer something like Shoney’s or Cracker barrel. So Shoney’s it was. We all sat down in the room to the side. As a family we always waited for our food and then we prayed. But as we sat around this large table of 14 guys I sensed this group would like to pray before the food arrived so I led in prayer. At the next meal the same thing happened, so I asked Aaron to lead in prayer. The third time we had our meal I asked if one of them would like to lead in prayer in Dutch. Nelson responded to me that their custom was to pray silently. “Oh OK,” I said “we’ll do that”, so we did. It was a long silent prayer. In fact most of our prayers were silent and we always prayed together. Once we were forced to eat at an Arby’s because of time. We came to tables as we got our food. I noticed Ammon prayed 4 times for his meal; each time a new person joined his table. I began to ask myself, “Is this what Jesus meant when he said we should pray in the closet?” I wonder how our prayers are different when we pray quietly as opposed to publicly. Am I more honest in my prayers when I pray quietly? I needed to affirm Nelson. Yes, Jesus does hear the quiet prayer maybe better then the one “to be heard of men”.


Learning to know 12 young men was the challenge of the moment. I asked to have everyone write their names down in my notebook along with something they believed was unique about themselves that I could associate with them and help me remember who they are. After the notebook was passed around it came back to me with just their names. Being a little disappointed I sent the paper around again saying if you don’t want to write about yourself write about the person who sit beside you this time. This time the notebook came back with a couple of descriptions but it was clear this was not something they cared to do. I was about to learn over and over again that these guys were only concerned about being a group and had very little desire to describe themselves as an individual apart from the group.


Sunday afternoon on our last phase of the trip through Texas, it dawned on us that the Eagles were playing the Vikings hoping to make the semifinals for the Superbowl. We started to evaluate several teams’ chances for making the Superbowl. Vernon began making a few observations about how the Eagles were playing, when someone behind him asked slowly, “How would you know?” “Well, I don’t really,” Vernon admitted, “I just hear guys at work talking sometimes.” At our next gas stop, I spotted, a hotel across the road so I ran over there found the TV in the lobby, found a channel which just had announced the final score giving the Eagles a chance to play the Falcons for the Superbowl. Everyone was happy to hear the Eagles were successful whether we knew anything about the Eagles or not. Interestingly we were in a Mexican restaurant the following Sunday for supper and we asked the waiter if she could change the channel to the football game and she found a soccer game for us to enjoy! Later we learned the Eagles indeed were in the Superbowl.


We arrived Sunday night to the resort of our dreams. We would be staying in a Baptist Church gym. In twenty minutes they were playing Volleyball. Clearly they were not counting on such good fortune. The next morning Dick Unrau told the group that MDS was sent here to do 22 projects given to them by the Lutheran Disaster Caseworkers and most were already completed. The work was done much quicker than expected due to the number and skill level of the volunteers who had come. He suggested our group might want to work a slower pace to make the work last until we go! Tim responded, “That’s going to be hard!” This group had one gear and that a fast one. Surprised by that comment, Dick said we could take on some extra work such as replacing the roof on the Spanish Church if we liked.


The work opportunities did expand to take all the time we had planned to work. We worked on 7 different houses, replaced the roof for the Spanish Church, even put a pump house back together which had blown apart the last hour of the last day of work. Most of the projects were discouraging from the start. Arriving at our first house I wondered if it should be torn down. The roof leaked, the windows took in rain, the sills were so rotted one could almost see into the home, the ceilings were sagging, in one place the plaster hanging down into the room by almost 2 feet and Mildred, the owner, was in her bedroom with the door closed. Cory went down over the list of what needed to be done and then said we have a budget of $700 for these repairs. He then said we would need to go over-budget to do the job but we did want to do this as economically as possible. This said all the guys just spread out to do different things, while I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. 3 guys starting tearing out the Ceiling in the living room, 3 started chiseling out the window sills, one started building a window frame to replace a rotted one, Aaron and I helped out as we could. The next day we planned to replace the roof. We arrived before Cory so the ladders were locked up in the job trailer. Without thinking the guys climbed a tree swung out on a branch and dropped on the roof and had the metal roof torn off completely by the time Cory arrived. At the end of 3 days this house had a new roof, flashing around the windows, siding patched, one new window frame, new painted ceilings in three rooms, and Mildred became to us a pleasant conversational woman expressing lots of appreciation.


I never heard a complaining comment in two weeks. All jobs were meant to be done whatever was involved. We needed to install carpet in one trailer home in a hall, the living area and a bedroom. When we got to the bedroom there was stuff piled high in two dressers and a chest of drawers made from plastic. Vernon expressed his displeasure by mildly saying; “I think we got ourselves a situation here!” Later as we carried one dresser out some tape cassettes fell on the floor. Again Vernon released his emotions by saying slowly, “that really spites me!” “Words of color” simply weren’t in vocabulary of these Dutch brothers from Martindale.


Dick had devotions after breakfast each morning and encouraged us to take our turn. I asked if we could do it with another person as partners thinking that would be a way to include our guys. Dick said, “Fine”. A little later Ammon looked at me and said “We’re Team Mennonites.” What does that mean?” I asked? “We drive horses,” he responded. I was trying to minimize that distinction so I asked “What difference does that make?” “We do things as a team,” he replied. Suddenly the lights went on for me. Ammon was affirming my desire to team up. “That’s great! I hope we’re all team Mennonites even if most of us don’t know anything about horses.”


Our recreation each evening was Volleyball until 10:30--that is until the guys found 4 microphones in the amplifier cabinet. We had an instant male quartet which stayed with us for several hours. We learned every Saturday night there is a hymn sing which attract 200 or more youth. There are the special Parties which happen 7 or 8 times during the year when 6 to 7 hundred young people come together. Life is pretty full for these guys back home, Saturday night is the hymn sing, Sunday is Church in the morning and parties in the afternoon and evening, Monday is catch up with sleep night, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the only free night and Friday night is Volleyball night. Maybe this is why Irvin says life back in Lancaster is all in a frenzy. He said he like to go on MDS trips where everything is all laid back.

Several times a discussion about Church came up. It was clear that there was a really strong identification with their Church. Tim mentioned if one was not happy with one church they probably won’t be happy with any other church as well. I had noticed that Ammon Jr. favored his left hand often while playing volleyball so while seating down by the bay just by ourselves I asked Ammon if he had injured his arm at one time. Yes he said he had a serious accident when he was 16. He and his friends were jumping their bikes off a mound at Project 70 nature reserve. He jumped his bike and landed front wheel down and flew 20 feet against something which injured his head. An ambulance had come and then they called the trauma helicopter which took him to Hershey where he was in a coma for several days. I learned later from others that indeed Ammon’s life was almost gone. The doctor advised the family that he would never recover and suggested they take him off life support which the family thought they would do except for his younger brother who did not want this to happen. Ammon said the families’prayers were answered in his behalf and he made a miraculous recovery even though it was very slow and painful. He said he was thankful to God for his recovery as he had not been living for God at all before. He did not fear God or anything before. Through this experience he became a Christian. “Does that mean you joined the Church?” I asked. ”Oh yes, he said, “but joining the church doesn’t mean you’re a Christian. Some join the church just because their friends do.” Ammon was very concerned that in telling me this story that I would not spread it around because this was very personal to him and he would not want to be called a miracle child. “What would be wrong with that?” I asked, “Your story is an inspiration to me.” “It would make some think that I’m special as opposed to the others,” Ammon responded. He really did not want to be singled out as any different from anybody else.


Interesting, we attended the Baptist Church where we were staying. One of the stories the minister told was about a revivalist who held sensational evangelistic services in a church where a friend of his was pastor. It was reported in the church press that over 100 persons were saved. The minister met his friend later at a church meeting and wanted to Praise God for the wonderful meetings they had had at their Church. His friend quickly said that the church is only now beginning to pull itself together after that experience which left them wounded. He said that the evangelist used sensational methods and manipulated people into responding to the gospel and not one of those who responded were baptized and brought into the church. During lunch the guys were talking and Vernon turned to Aaron and me and said that preacher liked to use big words. “What do you have in mind?” I asked. “What does sensationalism and manipulation mean,” he asked? Well, I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I told him that Jesus had three temptations at the beginning of his ministry: to provide material prosperity, a national kingdom, or a sensational ministry where he would do all kinds of miracles to attract a following. Well, Jesus refused all three. Can you think of anything that might be called sensational in our churches today? Vernon didn’t know. Maybe that’s just as well.


Often as we traveled they admired certain cars on the road. What young man doesn’t want to own and drive a car! Clayton profoundly responded, “It’s not that we believe cars are wrong, It’s just we think it’s better if we don’t need them”. That comment has stayed with me constantly since then in fact it would make a great 3 point sermon. A non-judgmental statement of value, determining what is better, built on the discipline of determining one’s need. My first day home I needed to qualify a couple living in the rentals on their ability to rent-to-own a big screen TV. The TV would cost $3000 if they purchased it outright but in making the payments it would cost them $50 a week for 149 weeks which works out to $7,300. Yes, Clayton we need that sermon again, it’s not that its wrong but we think it is better if we do not need.


But they loved their bikes. I asked Ammon if his horse would miss him in two weeks. “No,” he said, “I could live without a horse, as long as I had my bike.” Tim complained that his horse had no pep. “It’s all about power!” he said. Funny, I saw all horses as the same. I soon learned that horses have qualities as varied as people. Some are fast and tire quickly, some are distance runners, and some have a mind of their own. Tim told the story about when he was out working the ground one time, his work horses decided to run away and no one could control them. I really can’t describe the picture but I got the idea that they ran across the fields until they got stopped up against some fence. Fortunately no one was hurt. I also learned that horses are expensive to buy and maintain. They need to be fed and putting new shoes on a horse every 6 weeks can cost several thousand a year. Every one of these young men got their horse and buggy when they were 17 but it seems they rarely used it. It was important to have when they would take a girl home but other then that they preferred to ride their bikes. They usually rode their bikes about 3,000 miles a year. Tim said this summer he rode to Shippensburg for a hymn sing. He decided to go about 1:00 Saturday afternoon, arrived about 8:00 for the singing which lasted 3 hours, then he returned home by 5:00 in the morning. He had ridden 160 miles on that trip. “I just love to get on the road and go”, he said.


Among our group we had 2 guys who put in concrete foundations and walls, one did precast concrete products, a furniture builder, one who made furniture parts, 2 farmers who also did construction, one who built prefab walls for large hog and chicken houses in a shop on their farm, one had a after-saw sawmill where they sawed large volumes of wood for companies who made mattresses, 2 full time carpenters and one tinsmith who made custom ductwork and other products. While they worked these trades they all lived on farms with small acreage where they would have one cow, 20 to 40 chickens, raise a beef, maybe a goat or sheep and everyone had a large garden. I began to see these guys as sitting in a pretty enviable position. Tons of friends, secure in their church family, really almost self-suffient in all their basic needs, they just needed to work hard and even in that they seemed happy. I asked them, “At one time we were all one church you know, I want to be part of you, and I want you to be part of me, how could this be possible?” They just laughed and said, “That wouldn’t work, you would have to give up your camera!” Well, at least I tried. From where I stand where relationships and loyalties seem so fragile and every last soul is so valuable and necessary to the body, and every baby an enormous symbol of hope in the future, these guys seemed so secure, so content, so full, they really didn’t take my plea seriously at all.


Cory, our project director, told the guys there was a guy in town who could take them on a wild boar hunt. For these country boys they couldn’t think of anything they would rather do. So they called and set up a date, 4 would go each day. Ammon, Irvin, Nelson, and Vernon went the first day. They drove an hour out of town to some back country ranch home where everything was really wild. They estimated this guy had 20 pit bulls on chains of varying lengths which they meandered between as they made their way to the house. The guide couldn’t serve them any lunch because he had no clean dishes as everything was piled high on the counters so they made sandwiches. At any rate they got some knifes, which was the preferred weapon so no dog would get shot and a couple of pistols, loaded four dogs in a trailer pulled by the four-wheeler, then with 4 persons on each four wheeler, they took off across the country. At one point they let the dogs go to see what they could find. The idea was for the dogs to chase the wild pigs out of the thicket where our boys could give chase. They said they saw about 5 before they actually caught up with one which ran into a small pond. Irvin caught the boar with its hind legs and Ammon up and stabbed it. Our boys had their boar. It weighed 147 pounds.


Hearing this primitive story reminded me of what it means to become a man in Maasi country. I’m told, when young men become a certain age their age group comes together to kill a lion and the one who throws the first spear becomes the chief of their age group. With the Maasi as our model, I declared that Ammon was the chief since he speared the boar. We had a little fun with this title for a little but then I noticed it was only us English who really used the title. Sitting beside Ammon at supper time Ammon told me he really didn’t like being the Chief. “Why not” I asked? “It makes one think I’m better than the others,” he said. “Well, you are kind of a leader aren’t you?” I responded. “I’ve noticed you are always the first to grab your belt and go ahead with the work. Guys kinda look at what you do and follow after. You are kinda of a chief Ammon.” Ammon responded, “That’s just being natural. At home I’m to be the foreman so I just start working and then everyone knows what to do. It’s just natural.” I got the point once more, there is no pecking order in this group.


It’s true, on the job there were no decision makers on the job. Several times such as when they were putting the roof on, everyone would stop and discuss the job for a half minute or so, several would say something, then clearly an agreement was reached and they all started working again. Even in Volleyball, where I am accustomed to constant coaching by teammates to do it this way or that way, no such comments were to be heard. I never heard a criticism of other players on their team like when someone would serve into the net wasting a play, and never did I hear an argument on whether the ball was on the line or outside. They just played the game and had fun and respect for each other as individuals was assumed as natural as it is the group that is important and not individual achievement.


I was concerned about Tobacco. I didn’t know if this would be an issue or not. Tobacco is still part of the culture among old order Mennonites. My heart sunk when I noticed 3 persons smoke at Shoney’s restaurant on the way down. When we arrived in Palacios, Texas I didn’t see anymore tobacco. I wondered if they must have been told that they aren’t allowed to use tobacco with MDS. However when I was driving home from unloading a load of shingles at the Waste Management drop off, Kevin and Crystal Klassen, a young couple from the Canadian Mennonite Churches, brought up the subject. Crystal said some guys were smoking down at the convenience store the other evening. That was news to me as I wasn’t down there but at the same time I wasn’t surprised.

Crystal was clearly disturbed by this behavior. Here we are, trying to be a Christian witness of mercy and we bring in volunteers who smoke. I had to admit we have a problem among us Lancaster Mennos. At the same time I wanted to identify with old order mennos because 50 years ago many of us mennos were equally involved in this culture of tobacco. So I told the story of tobacco in my own family. For my great grandfather and my grandfather and everyone in the neighborhood tobacco was the cash crop which made the farm work. It was good work for the family, nice winter work and it made some money. It wasn’t until my father went to Bible school in Virginia that Pop realized that the broader Mennonite Church was highly critical of us here in Lancaster for raising tobacco. Then my father went to Ontario Bible School and learned from them too how inconsistent raising tobacco was with our Christian testimony. So when my father married my mother and moved onto the farm where I was born, Pop told Grandpa he was going to farm without tobacco. Grandpa didn’t think Pop could make it without Tobacco but he went along with the idea and allowed him to try. In fact, Grandpa then helped Pop finance converting the big tobacco barn into a chicken house. Interestingly, Grandpa helped Pop convert the tobacco shed into a chicken house but told him he did not want Pop to “rub it in the noses” of the others in the church who still raised tobacco.


Six years later George Brunk from Virginia set up his tent where Circuit city and Home Depot now stands and preached for 6 weeks with the subject of tobacco being one of his prime subjects. There were pictures in the paper at that time showing farmers plowing their tobacco crop over during this revival. Today in Lancaster Conference it is difficult to find a farmer who raises tobacco but the Old Order Church was untouched by this influence.


So I promised Crystal I would bring this up with the guys on the way home but somehow, we got on the road where it was hard to have a group discussion and it didn’t happen. I did bring up the subject with Tim, sitting beside me keeping me alert thru the night while driving, who told me most of the young people don’t smoke and that the Church leadership discourages smoking. So maybe the Spirit is moving among the Old Order Church in this regard as well.


Putting a new roof on the Spanish Church was probably the most fulfilling of projects. This was an extra as it wasn’t on the MDS “to do” list. The members were thrilled to have this work done. It was a steep roof and really overwhelming for the guy who had started doing it by himself so when our boys accepted the challenge the pastor was delighted. The women cooked seafood one day, and Mexican the next two days for us. In addition they invited us all to their Wednesday night singing and prayer meeting with a coffee and donuts afterwards. The pastor was so happy we were there, he asked his brother to drive 2 hours from Galveston to help with the music. He said “He had his brother in the flesh singing beside him but here we are all Brothers in Christ!” pointing to us. Speaking English was hard for our Spanish Pastor so he asked a friend to interpret for him. Interpreting was new for his friend as well as he would say, “I’m stuck here” but the women in the audience would help him out. Our Dutch boys found that interesting as they too found it hard to translate things they say to English when we would ask them for a translation. But our Pastor’s message was clear from Hebrews 10, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” The drive to Texas was none too long for me to hear this word. This was the Word of the Lord for me. It made me cry.