Steinbach Bible Institute - Star Yearbook (Steinbach, Manitoba Canada)

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Hobbies are a necessity in life for diversion, relaxation, and enjoyment. The outdoors holds a certain appeal for my husband, and as a result he enjoys gardening and travelling. However, when there is snow to be shovelled, the outdoors loses some of its attraction. Listening to good music and reading also rate high on his list of hobbies. Travelling is one of his hobbies from which our whole family benefits and we enjoy it! So far the Wanderlust has only taken us to two countries; but he dreams of crossing the ocean some day. In Canada we have enjoyed the scenery from Montreal to Victoria; we took time to see the sights, and to learn something, especially if there was something historical to s ee. At present my husband ' s pastime consists of refinishing his father ' s old writing desk. Under one of the drawers he put the inscription Purchased in 1913 . This adds antique value to this sentimental project. Let me mention one more hobby. I call it scheming or daydreaming. He calls it purposeful planning . Because he says, If a person can’t dream, he doesn’t enjoy life”, why should I stop him? He spends many a pleasant moment remodeling our home; transplanting the whole garden; or mak¬ ing some improvement at school. Mrs. Anne Friesen Teacher-to wife; Could we have supper no later than six o ' clock? I would like to begin my class pre¬ paration by seven. -to friends; No thank-you, I would like to have coffee with you, but I have too much homework tonight. -to wife (Friday evening): I must be at my books by eight tomorrow morning. -to wife (before Remembrance Day): Tomorrow we have a half-holiday... (Wife thinks, Wonderful! You certainly deserve a break from your regular routine!) Before she has an opportunity to verbalize her thoughts, however, he finishes... I should get a lot of studying done. -to himself (between summer school and fall school opening); I hope I will get a lot of extra reading done to enrich my courses. Teachers do have homework--an unending supply of it! How, you may ask, does a wife and family fit into such a schedule? My answer is, They don’t -unless the teacher is a dedicated husband and father who makes a consistent effort to be cheerful and considerate at home. This happens to be the case in our family. Judging by the amount of homework my husband does, I believe his motto, as a teacher, must be Col, 3:23, And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men. Mrs. Lillian Plett Oh! Daddy is coming home today; but when do you think he will be home? This frequent question is very often rather difficult to answer. When he finally arrives, Daddy relates some of the interesting experiences he has encountered dur¬ ing his absence; he also has to answer numerous questions raised by the children. It is so much fun when Daddy manages to have a free evening at home with the family. The children especially enjoy romping in the house with him. But after some time the fun must end because Daddy is tired; the children, however, would just delight in continuing for another hour. During our pastorate in Swift Current, Sask. we had an evening designated - Family stay at home night. We began the evenings by playing several games. Following this we enjoyed a good sing-song where each member of the family had an opportun¬ ity to suggest his favorite song or chorus. The even¬ ing was then ended with devotions. After the Scrip¬ tures had been read every one made a special prayer request. It was a real blessing to hear the children pray in simple faith. We, as a family, thoroughly enjoy those even¬ ings which we can spend together. Mrs. Henrietta Friesen 13

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And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ Eph. 4jll. For the last twenty-two years it has been a joy for my husband to serve as one of the teachers in the Steinbach Bible Inst, where he could fulfill the command as it says in II Tim. 2:2, And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. ” During these years many have gone through school and are now serving in different parts of the world where the good news of Salvation has not been made known. Besides teaching in the Bible Inst., Mr. Reimer has the privilege of serving as an Evangelist. Many times this work requires travelling nights as well as days, and sometimes it becomes very strenuous, but praise belongs to the Lord. This last summer we were encouraged by a letter received from a young man whom Mr. Reimer had picked up on the road. He stated, how happy he was that someone had been concerned about his soul’s condition, and after re¬ thinking the long conversation, he had given his heart to the Lord. The Lord uses his servants in different ways. Mrs. Margaret Reimer Make me to know thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation (Psa. 25:4, 5 RSV). As a family of the dean we have varied experiences, sometimes satisfying, at other times frustrating. We certainly have opportunities to share in the activities of the work. Maybe not in the sense of counselling, chastening or reprimanding, but in always being cheerful when Mr. Dean comes home late for meals, hurrying with a meal when a meet¬ ing is forthcoming, cancelling a much anticipated dinner engagement and in sitting at home with the children while others take his time. This is never¬ theless a good time to think of him in prayer, ask¬ ing for wisdom as he seeks to encourage, direct or guide some student. Someone has said, Life is what you make it. How true! If one wants to bemoan and lament the fact that the husband is not home enough, it tends to make life miserable and unhappy. But on the other hand, if one joyously shares the work of the husband, it will give both of those involved the satisfaction of understanding teamwork. Geteilte Arbeit ist halbe Arbeit. In our shared school activities we find happiness and fulfillment, knowing we are together laboring for the Lord. Mrs. Pearl Plett The other day my husband came back from a conference, and brought me a present. A book! I was so pleased until I saw the title; How to Keep Your HUSBAND Happy. The children dote on him. As I heard the eldest one saying: I change that baby, I rock her, I baby-sit for her, and what happens? When she hears the back door closing, she struggles off my lap, and as fast as her wobbly legs can carry her, she runs off shouting, Daddy, Daddy. Even with a fast and sometimes hectic schedule, we try to do some things together. The morning breakfast worship hour is usually held too, and we enjoy seeing the rapt attention of the little ones as we live together the struggles and triumphs of Joseph, Jonathon, and Samson. Another thing the entire family likes doing is jig-saw puzzles. We did so many for a while, that the girl at the drug store asked: What ever do you do with all the puzzles? Put them together, of course! We had a rule that no children could get at the puzzle without an adult present. However, Daddy got so engrossed in one, we had to change the rule to: no adults at the puzzle table unless accompanied by a child. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that when my hus¬ band gave me that book, he had bought one for himself; How to Keep Your WIFE Happy. Mrs. Kay Loewen

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Usually one thinks of a hobby as some favorite pastime such as painting or golfing which is pursued outside of one ' s regular occupation to serve as a source of leisure-time relaxation. I ' m afraid my husband does not own a hobby of this nature; some¬ how he has managed to get away with so little leisure-time that every few hours can be spent in any type of relaxation. What hobbyists call relax¬ ing activity often results in more strained muscles and greater weariness than does the regular work. Thus in the broad sense of the word, a hobby is any specialized pursuit or interest. It serves not only to give relaxation but also to add enrichment to one’s life. This being the case, my husband’s interest could well be called a hobby. Bill’s interest in the field of music began at the age of twelve when his older brother bought a violin for him. During the first few years of his violin training, he was his own teacher, but later he began taking private tutoring from one of the outstanding musicians in his city. At university Bill minored in music, taking such courses as counterpoint and orchestration. His practical work during his university days consisted of playing in the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, directing a church choir, and serving on the music committee of his church conference. This year he is privileged to devote not only his extra time but also much of his school time to this interest. Certainly Bill’s hobby involves a lot of very hard work, but it has been, and continues to be, a real source of enrichment to his life and to mine as well. Mrs. Mary Rose Derksen This student has a good paper or This one will not make it are remarks which are sometimes heard when my husband marks the students ' papers. Recently he decided upon an improved method of setting up examinations which would facilitate marking. He aims to make them the right kind-not too difficult, and not too easy. After all, they should challenge the thinking of the students. When marking the papers of those who fail, my husband tries to be lenient; perhaps he can still give credit for one or the other answer so as to get the student to pass with a mark of 70%. If this is not possible, he still has a warm heart for that student, provided he has tried his best. Naturally, he likes to see all the students come through with flying colours. He has said, though, with much earnest¬ ness, that good grades cannot make up for lack of character. It seems that nothing wearies him like marking papers but nevertheless he takes it in his stride. May each student do the same; study faithfully through the year, then pray and trust God for the results. Mrs. Mary Hoeppner The best inheritance a parent can give his children, is a few minutes of his time each day. From observation, I believe that this must be my husband ' s motto. With three lively youngsters in the home, he has ample opportunity to put this motto into practise. When will Daddy come home? Is supper ready? Can I go tell him? When will it be ready? Is it dark outside now? The little faces pressed against the window pane, watch impatiently. Finally, they exclaim excitedly, Here he comes! Daddy is here! Daddy doesn ' t forget to glance at the favourite window, smile, and wave. As the door opens, the eager children grab his hands, pull him down, and jump on his back, ready for some fun. It will be either romping in the house, horseback rides on his back, or airplane rides (jump¬ ing into his arms from the top bunk). It might even be a walk outside, building houses out of building blocks, or listening to a story, which always be¬ comes very much alive when Daddy tells it. On special occasions, there are family picnics, a nice long ride in the car, a trip to the airport or to the playground, tobogganing, or a night of tent¬ ing in summer . Clyde Narramore says in his book, Discipline in the Christian Home , Spending time with children not only enables you to influence them but to under¬ stand them.... It is not the quantity but quality of time that is important. Quality time is child-centered-time when you do what your son or daughter likes to do. Mrs. Alma Plett