The Bible contains numerous references to The Acts of God. The Psalms, in particular, often refer to these and how the writer will tell of them. Sometimes it is written that they will be shared in ‘the assembly’ or in ‘the congregation’ (nowadays we would say 'church') or even ‘to the nations.’ Sometimes the writer states he will tell of them in return for what God has done for him.
I believe these examples suggest we who claim also to believe in the same God should continue to tell of the Acts of God in our histories. Let me begin speaking of my history. I have written earlier of our need to tell of the God-stories in our lives, as a testimony to how we believe this has taken place. Here's a summary of mine so far.
In the first place, I thank God for being born into a heritage of some 400 years of Anabaptist Christianity. I must at the same time be thankful that my ancestors, at least enough of them, survived severe persecution directed at them at the time by the Roman Catholic Church, but not only that. The Christian Reformed Church also persecuted them. I don’t think the Lutherans were quite as active in that way.
In an effort to escape this persecution, my ancestors moved from the Netherlands and northwestern Germany to what is now once again Poland. From there, one of my mother’s ancestors, Jacob Hoeppner, was instrumental in a move of his people from there to what was then Southern Russia. This was at the turn of the 19th century at the invitation of Queen Catherine the Great. They got off to a rough start there but things improved and more came to join their number, settling in many villages in what is now Ukraine, north of the Black Sea.
Again, my ancestors were blessed in choosing to leave this area when they did, in the 1870s (my mother’ side) and early 1900s (my father’s side). In so doing, they escaped the horrors of the Russian Revolution and the anarchy unleashed then. They were fortunate in being able to settle in Southern Manitoba, which, after again an initial tough beginning, turned into fertile farmland so they prospered.
Then, in the mid-nineteen-forties, God led my father to Manitoba where he met and married my mother (his family had moved to Saskatchewan very shortly after his birth). I was thus provided with the most wonderful, loving, caring and generous Christian parents and grandparents. Our parents encouraged us in many ways. They spent time with us, in work and play. They introduced us to things in the world, took us on trips. The responsibilities I was given in my teens, the gifts I got, the trips I went on with my father, all showed me how much they loved and trusted me.
As a missionary family, we lived in what were then somewhat remote communities in Manitoba through my childhood. There were many benefits to growing up in such locations. I learned to appreciate nature and the indigenous habitants of our land. When I was about to turn sixteen, we moved to Winnipeg. This allowed me to get a better education academically for the last two years of my public school life.
I am also thankful that my ancestors had the vision and foresight to join more progressive branches of the Anabaptist tradition. As such, I was able to go directly to our denomination’s newly university-cross-registered college in Winnipeg after high school. This was a wonderful experience in broadening my horizons, learning and also in experiencing Christian community, when I lived on campus two of the three years there. I had been mentored and given experience in youth leadership in our church. In college, I was able to join a choir and travel across the West visiting churches; itself an experience in seeing God at work in many lives and many places. I was also able to serve in the dormitory and on the student council.
Father’s work in the city, the connections he had made as a chaplain, provided an opportunity for me to get a good job in a hospital on graduation after three years at Canadian Mennonite Bible College. Meanwhile, the family lad left Winnipeg for Saskatchewan. In the spring of 1968 I followed them. I thought there was a young woman there I had met in college whom I would marry but God had other plans. However, those years were again ones of growth in the church – teaching Sunday school in two different churches. I also gained more experience in leading in youth work where I developed many good and long-lasting friendships.
I had also been blessed to have two parents who were good singers and mother was a good organist and pianist. She got me started on playing the piano and ensured I took more lessons beyond what she started, reaching a Grade VI level. Father had also tried violin and so my parents had me start for one year on that instrument but then the teacher moved away and that was never continued. I continued with the piano, even playing in church and for choir. I was also blessed with a natural tenor voice and learned early to sing harmony with my siblings on our parents’ missions deputation visits to churches. This gift was fostered with more choir singing in church, in college and in high school. In Saskatoon, I got more involved in music, including beginning to write once I taught myself to play a guitar my stepmother was kind enough to lend me.
From when I graduated college and after I also gained experience in preaching and other church leadership work. On two occasions, I almost became a pastor. However, God had called me, when in college, into medicine and it required a move back to Manitoba to get into Medical College. I realized shortly how God had a hand in that. From first year, I became involved in the very supportive Christian Medical and Dental Association, which also taught me a lot through the examples of other physicians and an opportunity for leadership here too.
Even more to the point, in third year I was able to take part in an elective in medicine in a Mennonite mission hospital in Taiwan. This led to me being introduced – in Winnipeg, though, not in Taiwan - to a young woman who eventually became my wife. We began to go out in earnest in fourth year. However, her parent resistance meant it took another two years before we could marry and begin our life together. I know God led me to Winnipeg for these reasons - a supportive medical community, church and my wife-to-be. Go supported us both through the long difficult time from when we first pledged ourselves to one another till when we were actually able to be together.
The church I refer in Winnipeg to was the one I had been part of when a youth in Winnipeg. Now, I became a choir leader, a Sunday school teacher, Music Committee member and then chair, and was involved with a good youth group and small group.
Life was not without its struggles. Our mother died when I was in my last year of high school. Then I got mumps. All of that did not help my academic record. It took me three tries to get into medical school, but that helps develop persistence and patience and keeps one humble. So did failing a key exam in second year medicine, but I passed the oral make-up. I failed the College of Family Practice Examinations at the end of my Family Practice residency too, but passed on appeal.
God then led Anne and I to a small community for the beginning of my medical practice. I worked with a good mentor for the first year. Here again, over time I became the medical director of the health unit and even vice-chair of the local health board. We found a good and welcome church home with more Mennonites. Again, God allowed me to use my abilities to teach Sunday school and be involved with bibles study groups. There were difficulties related to the delivery of health care in this community. I tried to mediate in some ways but my efforts were not appreciated and those I had considered friends ended up not appreciating me, but we got through that.
Anne turned into a strong believer and follower of The Way, especially the Anabaptist way. She became a member of the church in Gladstone on baptism. I had gone through that in the Bergthaler Church in Winnipeg. I had a good supportive minister there in Ernest Wiebe who baptized me and later married Anne and I.
When things got stressful work-wise in Gladstone, God opened the way for us to move into wonderful home and another welcoming church community in Brandon. I was also able to join a good collegial group of physicians. In this church, I was also able to develop further abilities in teaching, worship leading and even preaching. Perhaps in part because I was away at residency when it happened, my wishes to have done more to prevent and heal a split that occurred in our church here did not materialize. However, we carried on and things were still good for us with the group we were left with. We made some very good friends who remain so to this day.
Here again, I went through a time of testing when a colleague reported me to the College of Physicians and colleges for alleged improper prescribing. My psychiatrist supervisor where I was working part time said I was just being compassionate and ahead of my time, but that did not help. I had to leave the practice for 6 weeks of remedial training in Winnipeg. However, even here, God provided in the form of a scholarship from the College of Family Physicians to help cover the cost of that period when I did not work.
In spite of my being away from the family for 5 days out of 7 when in the psychiatry residency a few years later, God looked after my family. God has given me a most loving, loyal, capable and longsuffering wife and she managed things very well. Our son Ansel had a fracture and a leg cyst that got infected and needed surgery. Both children needed congenital hernia surgery. But all happened all right.
Then, after our daughter’s graduation, we had a real test of faith and found again how great it is to have a supportive family and faith community. Thanks to much help and many prayers, Anika went through some very difficult times over the period of the first couple of years out of high school. However, she came out of that all right and went on to graduate from university, away from home, in Montreal, as her brother had done. This really helped deepen Anika’s own faith in seeing all these prayers answered, in experiencing the support she did.
In 2004, for several reasons, we began to seriously consider moving from Manitoba to the west coast. A British Columbia physician matching service quickly picked up my case and in a few months, I had five interviews to attend: five different communities, workplaces, to choose form. All were new. How to choose? We prayed and drew lots. Richmond – which we knew least of. Questioning that, we repeated the process – same answer. After we moved to this city we soon realized why God had led us here. It was at a time when many Chinese were immigrating to Canada. Some of them were searching, for what they did not really know. However, they came to our church. Again, we fairly shortly found what has turned into a good church home. This time, it was Anne’s turn to be able to use her knowledge of language and culture to make connections with these immigrants and a number have become members of our church and personal friends. Anne helped with Sunday School here as she had in Brandon. We jointly led an immigrant bible study and taught that for years. I got on to the Missions and Service arm of the church council a couple of times. We ended up joining and then leading small groups again.
Finally, I retired, at age 69. The following year it was my turn for a health crisis. I required surgery for a bowel obstruction but God provided quickly a very capable surgeon who was able to operate in such a way that the physical aspect of the procedure hardly interfered with my life. When this recurred a year later, God calmed it before it grew to need another procedure or surgery.
Our extended family life has not always been easy either. Interestingly, on Anne’s side it has turned out to be more consistent and supportive. On my side the vagaries of a blended family, having a stepmother etc., have presented their own difficulties. However, we have navigated all of this well enough. Last year my father died, three months after Anne’s mother. Her father had died five years earlier. Our stepmother is developing dementia but even there, God has provided. Our parents were able to get into a very good and inexpensive Assisted Living facility near where they lived. When father, unfortunately, ended up in hospital a month later and it was deemed he could not return there, it was only two months before he got into a good care home next to the hospital. This was close enough so mother could go and see him very day by walking on her own.
This year, we got the Covid virus in our community and world. Fortunately, father had passed on three months earlier. It would have been very difficult for our parents to have experienced the separation that would have called for. Even mother’s dementia has been somewhat of a blessing in this. She is happy in the world that is her Assisted Living facility and has not troubled us with wanting more. None of our family, indeed no on we know, had so far contracted Covid, so that is also a blessing at this time for which we thank God.
