"It’s been a rough week. We’ve had another doctor’s consultation and I’ve made the difficult decision to have chemo treatment. The proviso is that I can withdraw whenever I want to. Right now I have kidney issues, I seem to be dehydrated so I’m not sure when the treatment will begin…
I feel I am in waiting mode…so I will continue with my story.
*****
It all started ages ago…. ages and ages ago… with a man named Menno Simons who was born in the mid 1500’s in Friesland.
Menno Simons was a Roman Catholic priest who was influenced by the leaders of the religious revolution that took place in the 16th Century, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin.
Even though Simons owed much to Luther and the other Protestant reformers for their emphasis on salvation, Simons in reality differed as much from Luther as Luther did from Roman Catholicism. Early on, Menno Simons began to embrace the dangerous belief of adult baptism which was back then considered a criminal action. This caused persecution from both the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformers. Understandably, it was a direct challenge to the church’s authority over its people and instituted a new status which became a guiding principle in the Menno Simons’ movement, the "priesthood of all believers."
Another unpopular stance was Menno Simons' position on war – a belief that was formed out of his own personal experience. In 1535, his brother Pieter was among a group of 300 Münster Anabaptist violent takeover of a Catholic monastery which was finally stormed after a severe battle. All 300 Anabaptists were killed including his brother. After the death of his brother Pieter, Menno Simons experienced a spiritual and mental crisis and soon after declared his reluctance to engage in any conflict or war and adopted a peace stance.
By this time Menno Simons had acquired quite a following who were called Mennonites.
Right from the beginning, his instructions to his followers was that they, “not break the peace even if they should be tempted by bondage, torture, poverty, and by the sword and fire. They not cry for vengeance, as the world does, but with Christ pray, ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And that they according to the declaration of the prophet, beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
These two stances were not tolerated. The growing unpopularity and persecution forced the Mennonites to flee to the Vistula delta region seeking both religious freedom and exemption from military service. They prospered here. Their basic work value, beating their swords into ploughshares, and their simple pietistic life style made them successful where ever they settled.
Some stayed in the delta region for 250 years, long enough to adopt the German language and acquire farming skills.
Then in 1772, Frederick William II ascended the throne and began to impose heavy fees on the wealthy Mennonites in exchange for continued military exemption. His expectations were unrealistic and the Mennonites felt again targeted. When the king started to look to aggressively recruit the young Mennonite boys into his army, they began looking for a way to escape.
Prior to this time, Catherine the Great of Russia had issued a manifesto inviting all Europeans to come and settle various pieces of land within New Russia and especially in the Volga region.
Some of the Mennonites accepted her offer and were on the move again. Starting from 1803, many of the Mennonites moved to the Chortitza and Molotschna settlements
There they established forty daughter colonies with a total population of 100,000. Again, they were successful and became well-established.
However, this time division happened within the colonies when some attended a revival meeting of the very charismatic, influential preacher Eduard Wuest, a Lutheran Pietist pastor. Many were drawn by his evangelical invitation to enter into a more vibrant spiritual relationship with God and each other. Actually this was a return to one of Menno Simons beliefs as well in which he emphasized the intimate relationship of the bridegrooms relationship to all believers.
Wuest himself died in 1859 at the age of 42, but his influence carried on. The Wuest’s followers began to meet in homes, growing into a compelling movement determined to establish their own identity.
But before they could declare themselves a new people, they needed to renegotiate the Mennonite/Russian agreement with the Tsars. A representative of this new movement traveled to St. Petersburg to gain official recognition. Here the authorities asked for a confession of faith, in Russian and German, and a full explanation of their Mennonite distinctives. It was accepted and the result was the formation of the Mennonite Brethren Conference.
Our family was Mennonite Brethren.
I can probably trace my family roots back to Menno Simons but I’ll start with my grandfather, George Derksen who was born on September 17, 1892, and grew up in the Malotchna Colony.
In May of 1905 when he was 13 years old his family left for Canada by ship. The fa,mily arrived in New York in eleven days and took the train to Rosthern, Saskatchewan. From there his father took a horse and buggy to Borden and on the way bought 2 horses, 1 colt, 2 cows and 2 heifers. With these meagre supplies, his father began farming. They endured indescribable poverty and hardships.
When my grandfather turned 21, he married Maria Unger in 1913. Then a year after that, bought his own farm 240 acres for $6000
The farm was about fourteen miles north of the town of Borden, situated on the #13 Yellowhead Highway going north-west from Saskatoon to North Battleford, Saskatchewan.
Then on Nov. 12, 1915 my father Ernest G. Derksen was born, the first of a family of three brothers and one sister.
When my father was in grade seven my grandfather spoke to his three sons about one of them needing to help him on the farm. It was decided, and my father agreed, that he’d be the one to sacrifice his education and stay home to work on the farm.
And that’s how it came to be that I grew up on that pioneering homestead, fourteen miles north of Borden, with all of the history of my fathers buried deep into every inch of it.
This history was multi-layered with teachings of the priesthood of all believers, turning one’s sword into ploughshares and with the emphasis on a personal salvation story.
All of this was something I had to revisit and come to understand what it all meant in a new way when my own daughter was murdered.
I have to admit that it was a sound foundation.
But getting there wasn’t always easy.
I feel I am in waiting mode…so I will continue with my story.
*****
It all started ages ago…. ages and ages ago… with a man named Menno Simons who was born in the mid 1500’s in Friesland.
Menno Simons was a Roman Catholic priest who was influenced by the leaders of the religious revolution that took place in the 16th Century, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin.
Even though Simons owed much to Luther and the other Protestant reformers for their emphasis on salvation, Simons in reality differed as much from Luther as Luther did from Roman Catholicism. Early on, Menno Simons began to embrace the dangerous belief of adult baptism which was back then considered a criminal action. This caused persecution from both the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformers. Understandably, it was a direct challenge to the church’s authority over its people and instituted a new status which became a guiding principle in the Menno Simons’ movement, the "priesthood of all believers."
Another unpopular stance was Menno Simons' position on war – a belief that was formed out of his own personal experience. In 1535, his brother Pieter was among a group of 300 Münster Anabaptist violent takeover of a Catholic monastery which was finally stormed after a severe battle. All 300 Anabaptists were killed including his brother. After the death of his brother Pieter, Menno Simons experienced a spiritual and mental crisis and soon after declared his reluctance to engage in any conflict or war and adopted a peace stance.
By this time Menno Simons had acquired quite a following who were called Mennonites.
Right from the beginning, his instructions to his followers was that they, “not break the peace even if they should be tempted by bondage, torture, poverty, and by the sword and fire. They not cry for vengeance, as the world does, but with Christ pray, ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And that they according to the declaration of the prophet, beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
These two stances were not tolerated. The growing unpopularity and persecution forced the Mennonites to flee to the Vistula delta region seeking both religious freedom and exemption from military service. They prospered here. Their basic work value, beating their swords into ploughshares, and their simple pietistic life style made them successful where ever they settled.
Some stayed in the delta region for 250 years, long enough to adopt the German language and acquire farming skills.
Then in 1772, Frederick William II ascended the throne and began to impose heavy fees on the wealthy Mennonites in exchange for continued military exemption. His expectations were unrealistic and the Mennonites felt again targeted. When the king started to look to aggressively recruit the young Mennonite boys into his army, they began looking for a way to escape.
Prior to this time, Catherine the Great of Russia had issued a manifesto inviting all Europeans to come and settle various pieces of land within New Russia and especially in the Volga region.
Some of the Mennonites accepted her offer and were on the move again. Starting from 1803, many of the Mennonites moved to the Chortitza and Molotschna settlements
There they established forty daughter colonies with a total population of 100,000. Again, they were successful and became well-established.
However, this time division happened within the colonies when some attended a revival meeting of the very charismatic, influential preacher Eduard Wuest, a Lutheran Pietist pastor. Many were drawn by his evangelical invitation to enter into a more vibrant spiritual relationship with God and each other. Actually this was a return to one of Menno Simons beliefs as well in which he emphasized the intimate relationship of the bridegrooms relationship to all believers.
Wuest himself died in 1859 at the age of 42, but his influence carried on. The Wuest’s followers began to meet in homes, growing into a compelling movement determined to establish their own identity.
But before they could declare themselves a new people, they needed to renegotiate the Mennonite/Russian agreement with the Tsars. A representative of this new movement traveled to St. Petersburg to gain official recognition. Here the authorities asked for a confession of faith, in Russian and German, and a full explanation of their Mennonite distinctives. It was accepted and the result was the formation of the Mennonite Brethren Conference.
Our family was Mennonite Brethren.
I can probably trace my family roots back to Menno Simons but I’ll start with my grandfather, George Derksen who was born on September 17, 1892, and grew up in the Malotchna Colony.
In May of 1905 when he was 13 years old his family left for Canada by ship. The fa,mily arrived in New York in eleven days and took the train to Rosthern, Saskatchewan. From there his father took a horse and buggy to Borden and on the way bought 2 horses, 1 colt, 2 cows and 2 heifers. With these meagre supplies, his father began farming. They endured indescribable poverty and hardships.
When my grandfather turned 21, he married Maria Unger in 1913. Then a year after that, bought his own farm 240 acres for $6000
The farm was about fourteen miles north of the town of Borden, situated on the #13 Yellowhead Highway going north-west from Saskatoon to North Battleford, Saskatchewan.
Then on Nov. 12, 1915 my father Ernest G. Derksen was born, the first of a family of three brothers and one sister.
When my father was in grade seven my grandfather spoke to his three sons about one of them needing to help him on the farm. It was decided, and my father agreed, that he’d be the one to sacrifice his education and stay home to work on the farm.
And that’s how it came to be that I grew up on that pioneering homestead, fourteen miles north of Borden, with all of the history of my fathers buried deep into every inch of it.
This history was multi-layered with teachings of the priesthood of all believers, turning one’s sword into ploughshares and with the emphasis on a personal salvation story.
All of this was something I had to revisit and come to understand what it all meant in a new way when my own daughter was murdered.
I have to admit that it was a sound foundation.
But getting there wasn’t always easy.
"Three things are necessary for the salvation of man:
to know what he ought to believe;
to know what he ought to desire;
and to know what he ought to do."
Thomas Aquinas
to know what he ought to believe;
to know what he ought to desire;
and to know what he ought to do."
Thomas Aquinas
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