© 2012 by TGS International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Christian
Aid Ministries, Berlin, Ohio.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, or
stored in any retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher except for
brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
ISBN 978-1-936208-82-1
Printed July 2012
For more information about Christian Aid Ministries, see page 249.
Published by: TGS International P.O. Box 355 Berlin, Ohio 44610 USA Phone: 330·893·4828 Fax: 330·893·2305 www.tgsinternational.com
TGS000521
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ChAPTer 3 Sums and a Songbook . . . . . . . . . . 17
ChAPTer 4 Slates and Slime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
ChAPTer 5 Corncobs and Conference . . . . . . . . 29
ChAPTer 6 Sin and Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ChAPTer 7 Baseball and Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . 41
ChAPTer 8 College and Courting . . . . . . . . . . . 47
ChAPTer 9 Letters and Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
ChAPTer 10 home and happiness . . . . . . . . . . . 61
ChAPTer 11 Affection and Appreciation . . . . . . . 65
ChAPTer 12 Plans and a Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
ChAPTer 13 Nuptials and Newlyweds . . . . . . . . . 79
ChAPTer 14 Ministry and Money . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
ChAPTer 15 Newborns and Necessities . . . . . . . . 93
ChAPTer 16 Grief and Gratitude. . . . . . . . . . . . 101
ChAPTer 17 Depression and Desperation . . . . . 111
ChAPTer 18 Conflict and Charity . . . . . . . . . . . 119
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ChAPTer 25 Pain and a Peddler . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
ChAPTer 26 Mistakes and Misunderstandings . . 177
ChAPTer 27 Service and a Student. . . . . . . . . . 181
ChAPTer 28 Community and Confidantes . . . . 191
ChAPTer 29 Tricks and Tragedy . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
ChAPTer 30 Travel and Time Away. . . . . . . . . . 209
ChAPTer 31 Settled and Satisfied . . . . . . . . . . . 219
ChAPTer 32 Concern and Contentment . . . . . . . 225
ChAPTer 33 Change and a Cyclone . . . . . . . . . 231
ChAPTer 34 Reflection and Retrospect . . . . . . . 241
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
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My heart was touched as I spent the summer sifting through boxes of dusty family history in the attic—Grandma’s
private diaries, Grandpa’s carefully calculated record books, Grandma’s handwritten, carbon-copied letters to her children, and other personal notes and articles. I could see the pureness of their joys, the ache of their struggles, and the pain of their sorrows all interwoven throughout their lives. As I observed how they answered the call of obedience to God according to their understanding of his Word, I was able to imagine the misunderstandings and rejection they must have felt from some of their closest family members and dearest friends. In writing this book, I have tried to capture the heartbeat of their daily lives and to show how deeply they cared about others around them— their family, friends, church, and community.
After gathering facts from family genealogy books, aunts and uncles, and many friends, I began to pen a story based on the lives of my grandparents. I have changed chronology and added details to enhance the plot. Names have also been changed to protect privacy, and some individuals have been combined with others to
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obscure the characters and to help my story flow more smoothly. As you read about my grandparents’ lives and about how
God used circumstances to weave a beautiful tapestry from the strands of their diverse experiences, I pray that you will be drawn closer to God. Throughout this project, I was continually reminded of the verse in Job 23:10: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
—Laura Smucker
1
Tall corn stalks waved their heads in the Iowa wind as George Stutzman energetically finished his chores and hurried to the
house for supper. he had something on his mind. “Children,” he announced after prayer, “we’re going to move.”
“Move! Why? Where to?” a chorus of little voices exclaimed around the table. Five-year-old ellie watched her mother’s face closely. It was smiling as if it held a secret.
“That’s right.” Pa’s eyes took in each child around the table. “Where would your mama want to move?”
“Oregon?” ellie guessed, for Mama Clara often talked about her home state with longing in her eyes.
“You guessed it. And we’ll be moving as soon as possible.” The evening before, George had sprung the idea on his wife.
“Clara,” he announced, “I think we should move. I sent a letter of inquiry to your father and he replied, saying there are farms for sale in his area.”
Clara gasped. “really? Where did this idea come from?” “I’ve actually been thinking about it for a long time,” George replied. “You have? Why didn’t you mention anything to me?”
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“Well,” George hesitated, “I didn’t want to get your hopes up. When I went to Oregon to marry you, I kept my eyes open. I saw crops growing taller than anything we see here. I saw millions of trees for firewood and lumber. Some of them were so big you couldn’t even get your arms around their trunks.”
“I know all about it. Do you think it’s the land of promise?” A grin spread over George’s face. “That remains to be seen.
What do you think about the idea?” “Well, I’m a little shocked. But you know I’d love to be close
to my family again.” Clara clasped her hands. “I couldn’t refuse even though it looks like a lot of work to move our family from here. But are you sure?”
“Yes, and I’m excited about it. Let’s not dawdle. I want to leave as soon as we can.”
. . . . . .
Ellie watched Mama fill one big trunk after another with dishes, blankets, clothes, and other household items. Tobias and Flora were old enough to help, but ellie and rebecca only got in the way. In one open trunk, ellie spied her favorite book, The Three Bears. She snatched it, hugged it closely, and sneaked quietly to the dark stairway closet. I won’t let them take this book away from me. Stretching her chubby arms up as far as they would reach, she put it on a shelf. There! She wiped her dusty hands on her skirt. It will stay safe so I will be able to find it when I come back.
The following morning the family securely fastened the old leather trunks and loaded them onto the neighbor’s spring wagon. The whole family climbed in for the ride to the train station. ellie was surprised
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trunks and trains
to see her aunts, uncles, and cousins waiting on the platform to tell them goodbye. They hugged and kissed her. In the distance, ellie could see a big, black monster coming toward them on two shiny tracks. Chugging into the station, the train sent out a long, loud whistle as it screeched to a stop. ellie shuddered at the sound. Tobias, her big brother, reached down and gently took her hand.
“Come along,” Mama called, “we don’t want to be left behind.” ellie’s heart pounded with anxiety as she stretched her short legs to climb the train car steps. Fingering the plush red seat cushions, she sat down on them carefully between Mama and Pa. Soon rebecca’s head began to nod against Pa’s freshly pressed suit, while Tobias and Flora stared wide-eyed out the windows.
ellie looked down the aisle between the rows of seats and gasped. “Mama,” she whispered, pointing toward the end of the train car, “what happened to that man up there?”
Mama smiled. “Shhh!” She put her finger to her lips. “That’s the porter. he takes care of people on the train. he’s from Africa. even though his skin is a different color from ours, God made him just the same as he made you and me.”
ellie couldn’t help staring at the dark porter coming toward them. his black hair curled tightly against his dark head. “Good mornin’, li’l lady.” he stopped beside their seat. “Is dis yo’ fust train ride?” ellie nodded. “I thought so.” he turned to the now awake rebecca. “You sho’ is a purty li’l thing.” he patted her yellow curls, and rebecca shyly hid her face in her father’s arm.
That night Pa laid the seats back to make reclining beds for everyone. ellie lay on her soft cushions and slept soundly.
The next morning ellie woke with a start. Where was she? She rubbed her eyes in confusion. The train swayed and clicked as trees flashed past the window.
“You awake?” Tobias yawned as he looked down at her. “You missed a lot of things.”
ellie’s forehead wrinkled. “But I didn’t sleep long!” she said. Tobias chuckled. “You slept all night. We stopped lots of times
at train stations where more people got on board. I saw men
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shoveling coal onto the train for extra fuel. One time we even stopped in the middle of nowhere for a long time, just to wait for a herd of cows to cross the tracks.”
Big-eyed, ellie said, “I want to see cows on the tracks.” “That’s all right,” Tobias said. “We still have a long trip ahead of
us. Maybe you can see a lot of things today.”
Strands of Gold
Strands of Gold