I Believe – My Values

Arnold Guhr (1923-2007)

Written in Koerner Heights Mennonite Brethren Church (Newton, KS) choir member’s booklet:

“As a 9-year veteran of Celebration Choir, Arnold’s favorite song is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”  He enjoys singing in the choir because of the gift God has given him.”

 

Malinda Guhr (1927-2013)

As part of Malinda’s testimony to transfer membership to Koerner Heights Church, Malinda responded to two questions.

Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die tonight, you would go to heaven?  Yes

Suppose you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to say to you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?”, what would you say?

“Believing by faith in God’s Son, trusting Him to forgive my sins and acknowledging Him as Savior and Lord.”  

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Please describe briefly the experience concerning your decision to follow Christ.

“Although I was raised in a home where we had daily devotion and prayer, attended Sunday School and Church regularly and was exposed to the gospel in many ways, it was not until I attended an instruction class for baptism that I knew that I myself had to make a decision to believe that God’s Son died for my sins and that I had to ask for forgiveness and the new spiritual life He offers.”

 

For a baby shower for Arlene, Malinda wrote a devotional based on Psalm 139:14-16.

God is involved in the development and birth of a child.  The arrival of a baby is one of the greatest miracles that a new mother can be a part of.  In fact, you may be feeling some of the same wonder at the birth of your child that was expressed almost 3500 years ago by the Old Testament author David.  In Psalm 139, he praised the God who had formed him in his mother’s womb.  

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  It is amazing to think about.  Your workmanship is marvelous and how well I know it.  You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion!  You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe.  Every day was recorded in your book!  Psalm 139:14-16 The Living Bible

We wonder about the kind of world our children will face as young adults.  Is this the right time to bring a baby, so fresh from the hand of God, into the world?  But the scriptures are filled with examples of children who were reared in difficult situations.  And because God was vitally involved in those childbearing and child-rearing experiences, it really was a good time to have a child.  Those biblical children experienced good things in their lives and were mightily used of God.

We also can expect God to help us in a similar way with potential problems facing our children and grandchildren in these evil days. 

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6 

God promises,

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  Psalm 32:8

If our children and grandchildren are instructed by our words and our prayers and our lives, if they grow up in the overflow of love, the risk of having children is turned into a challenge.  And the rewards for us can be among the choicest blessings God has for those in His family!

Marilyn Koehn, one of Presbyterian Manor’s staff, interviewed Malinda when she lived in the nursing section of the Manor. This is what Marilyn recorded concerning the way Malinda coped and what her strengths were:

        Malinda says that she “looks up to the Lord” for strength.  She is a positive person who says that she always looks for the best in any situation.  There is “nothing she can do but the best.”  It was when talking about her strengths that Malinda brought up her health.  She told me that they think she has Parkinson’s because her sister has it and she has some difficulty with balance.  However, she did not seem to be disheartened by this—instead mentioned looking to the Lord and the strength that that provides for her.  She also said, “We’ll make it through somehow,” once again pointing towards her positive demeanor. 

  Rose’s daughter-in-law, Marilyn Flaming, said that Rose died in August of 2015, so Rose would have told or written this before that, probably when we were talking about an    obituary with her.

I was born October 27, 1921, to Birkholtz and Eva Goertz Guhr at home on a farm north of Walton, Ks.  I always loved to live on the farm, the big vegetable and flower garden which we loved.  We were a large family and enjoyed playing together and singing together a lot on the porch after chores. I love 4 part harmony hymn singing and instrumental music.  I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior as a teenager at home with the help of Mom. I joined the Tabor Mennonite church later.

Favorite verse:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  Romans 10:9

Second best verse:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”  John 11:25

Another verse:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart.  Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

These were favorite songs of mine:  “This is my Story this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.”  “Gott ist de liebe” –which I can hear my mom and my grandma singing or humming – praising the Lord.  They also know my Lord and taught me and we taught our 4 sons the plan of salvation.

Dick and I grew spiritually when we went to Newton Bible church where Pastors Ted Veer, Bill Regier and Homer Friesen were our Pastors.  We moved a few times on different farms but were always concerned where we and our boys would go to church.

 

The following is a transcription of a recording of what Rose said when she resided at Bethesda Home in Goessel. 

 “Well, hello, my name is Rose Flaming.  And I moved here a while back.  I’d like to stay on the farm, but this was the opening for me and I took it and love it here and all the friends that come to see me, I can tell them about my Lord and Savior.  And I think I will see Him very soon.  You may not, but you better be ready where you are going.  I love you all.”

 

This is my Story and this is my Song     Jesus Paid It All

As told to Tony Guhr

(Please notice the second section’s reference to Uncle Otto’s parents–our grandparents–and his siblings–our parents and aunts and uncles–and their beliefs.)

Life before Knowing God

I grew up thinking everyone was a Christian.  It became clear to me that a person had to make a choice to become a Christian.  The Scripture says,

You can never please God without faith, without depending on him.  Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.  Hebrews 11:6

History of contact with genuine Christians

My mother and father were quiet about their faith, keeping it personal and private as was the custom of their society.  My father did read the Scriptures at the breakfast table each morning.  It was not their custom to quote Scripture out loud.  My parents had each of us children kneel by our beds each night and pray to God before going to sleep.  These prayers were always silent prayers, never out loud.

When we moved in 1942 to the Potwin, KS area, I began to attend a “Memorize the Word” class at the Emmaus church.  I believe it was taught by either Frank Busenitz and/or Henry Thiessen.  This class and the Scriptures memorized were a great impact on my thinking and believing in Jesus Christ for salvation.

The Emmaus church scheduled a series of meetings with “Blind Esau” the Evangelist (John Esau) who preached at the Emmaus Mennonite Church of Whitewater, KS in I believe 1945.  I know that our family and I believe the church as a whole believed that a person had to be good in their behavior to be kept safe in relationship to God and salvation.

Rev. Esau announced on Sunday that his next evening meeting sermon was on the topic of “How to be saved and know it.”  On the drive home from church, my father declared, “There is no such a horse!”  “I may sin tomorrow and would then lose my salvation.”

Once my father and mother and the family heard the teaching of the Scriptures by Rev. Esau, they became fully persuaded that salvation from God is secure and cannot be altered or jeopardized by a person’s committing a sin the next day.  Jesus paid it all.

My first exposure to the Bible before faith

I heard and then read the Scriptures which describes God,

For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them.  2 Chronicles 16:9

This is the summary of the process of becoming a believer in Jesus Christ as God’s salvation offered to me.  I became a believer in Jesus Christ over a period of time as I read, memorized, and understood the Word of God, placing my trust in Jesus Christ for my salvation.  The best summary for my understanding of the Gospel is that there are three parties involved in my salvation.  God the Father, Jesus Christ, and me!  It’s best described by the Scripture,

For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins.  Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us! 2 Corinthians 5:21

Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ.  And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done; so none of us can take any credit for it.  Ephesians 2:8-9

So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 6:23

Faith is the same as believing.  Faith is believing God provided Jesus Christ as yours and my salvation, his payment for all of our sins so that we might have peace with God.  Believing is the decision that each of us must make.  The Scripture says,

All those who believe this are reborn! – not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan – but from the will of God.  John 1:13

Yet faith comes from listening to this Good News – the Good News about Christ.  Romans 10:17

What is faith?  It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen.  It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.  Hebrews 11:1

My experience with God’s faithfulness

I will tell you one of many stories that come to mind.

(Please read Ruben Guhr’s story that follows as told by Otto Guhr.  A cousins to Otto and the other children of Birkholtz and Eva Guhr, Ruben was the son of Ava (Guhr) Voth, a sister to Birkholtz Guhr.)

 

Privilege of service

I was glad to reach out to prisoners, men who had sinned and been caught, explaining the good news of the gospel to each one.  I have had the privilege of meeting some of these men as they returned to visit me once they were set free.  During the 1960s, I worked with the Harvey County court system to have several young men sentenced to live with our family at the farm.  I began jail and prison work in the 1950s at the Butler County Jail with a gospel quartet that included Richard Wiebe, Edgar Thiessen and Milton Guhr.  I would often take my first born son along each month who played with the prisoners through the bars with his toy tractor and wagon.  He was rewarded for good behavior, with the jailer giving him his choice of candy bars from the bottom of his desk drawer.  I had the privilege of serving with Central Kansas Prison Ministries and Lynn McBride by participating in a most rewarding ministry at the El Dorado Prison for 13 years.

I was involved with the beginning of the Newton Bible Church and in years following, the Bible Baptist Church where I was able to take a number of youth to church and youth meetings each week in the back shell of my pickup truck, summer and winter.  During the Chicago years, we attended the Lombard Gospel Chapel where we developed many close friends and enjoyed a wonderful fellowship with the believers there.

My Life’s Favorite Bible Text

For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone, and along with this gift comes the realization that God wants us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and to live good, God-fearing lives day after day, looking forward to that wonderful time we’ve been expecting, when his glory shall be seen–the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-13

My hopes and prayers

My prayer is that each of my relatives, my friends, and my neighbors will yet hear the good news of the Gospel and understand it for the salvation of God can be theirs, and embrace it for themselves, just as I have.  May I ask you, have you placed your trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation?  If you have not yet trusted Jesus for salvation, as long as I am alive, I would be glad to visit with you about any question you may have.

Uncle Otto concluded his story by saying, “I have experienced many good events in my life, as well as a number of very hard times.  When it is all added up and a whole lot is subtracted, this account of how I came to know God and experience His salvation is the very most important of all.”     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruben Voth, son of Henry and Ada (Guhr) Voth (1922-1969)

Story told by Otto Guhr told to Tony Guhr, August 23. 2018

Ruben Voth of Little River Kansas was a cousin of Otto Guhr.  Birkholtz Guhr, the father of Otto, had a sister by the name of Ada. Her husband was Henry.  Henry and Ada had two sons, Ruben and Milford and two daughters.

Ruben and much of his family were living godless, caught up with the world’s attractions and its failed promises. His associations were with other young men who spent much of their time drinking alcohol and involving themselves with sexually active young women.  Ruben was not a believer in Christ, living a life that caused the concern of his mother who at a family reunion at the Military Park in Newton, exclaimed to others, “I wish someone could help him.”

One summer day, Ruben was mowing weeds with a tractor on top of his unfilled trench silo.  The tractor slid and tipped into the trench, pinning Ruben beneath the tractor wheel.  As Ruben hollered for help, a salesman passed by in his car.  Hearing the screams for help, the salesman turned into the farm and drove to the trench silo.  With Ruben greatly crushed by the tractor’s weight, gasping his last breath, and with no equipment to lift the tractor, the salesman spent the last 5 minutes of Ruben’s life explaining the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His offered salvation, forgiveness of sin and the promise of everlasting life. Ruben embraced this wonderful news and asked the salesman how that could become true. The salesman led Ruben in a simple prayer of a sinner asking for God’s forgiveness of sin and thanking God for His salvation in Christ.  Ruben died that day.  His mom’s request at the family reunion years earlier had been answered. Someone did come along and did offer the only help and the very best assistance they could. 

Part 1 – Guhr and Kopper History 

Chapter 1 – Where Do We Find Our Family Names in Mennonite History?

The article, “Mennonite Settlements in Central Poland,” by Erich L. Ratzlaff (see the web link) provides historical facts about the development of the Mennonite communities in which our family names appear.  Mr. Ratzlaff also cites other sources, including the Mennonitisches Lexikon, to give us a more complete picture of these developments.  Here are main points from the article:

• Mennonite merchants from Danzig, Elbing, and Marienburg probably started these settlements along the “Great Road” which were about a day’s journey apart by horses:  Marienwerder; Kulm; Obernessau at Thorn; Neudorf at Brest; Wymyschle at Plock; Kasun near Warsaw; and the Sachsenkempe in Warsaw. (p. 24)
• In the Mennonitisches Lexikon,” we find confirmation that Mennonites traveled up the Vistula River beyond the Schwetz-Kulm lowland and settled in Deutsch-Wymyschle and Deutsch-Kazun around 1750.
• Leo Ewert, the last elder of the church in Deutsch-Kazun, began to write a record of the congregation, which he says was founded in 1762, but did not receive permission to build a house of prayer until 1823.
• In 1776, Mennonite families from the villages of Montau, Schoensee, Przechowka and Obernessau moved up the Vistula and formed the community of Deutsch-Kazun at Modlin.
• Mennonites first leased the land from the king for four years, between 1758 and 1762.  The names of some of the first settlers were Bartel, Schroeder, Guhr, Ewert, Jantz, Stobbe, Klaus, Koppert, Koohnert, and Plennert. (p. 29)
• They then together bought 1,600 Polish Morgens of land.  Elder Leo Ewert saw the deed of sale signed by Bartel, Kohnert, Schroeder, Klaus and Dauter, with the land divided between twenty-three families.
• Subsequently, because the land was not large enough for the settlers, and when Poland land fell into Russian hand, the opportunity to buy more land occurred.  “At the third Partition of Poland in 1795, Warsaw and the surrounding area came under Prussian rule.  A small estate northwest of Kazun belonged to the Russian General Markow.  He found it advantageous to sell his estate to the Mennonites.  In 1798, three years after the third partition of Poland, the Mennonites Franz Bartel, Heinrich Schroeder, Salomon Konnert, Cornelius Foth, Jakob Ewert, Heinrich Bartel, Jakob Matis, and a certain Guhr bought this estate, called Markowczysna.  Soon after, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Czosnow estate, 3 kilometers southeast of Kazun became available.  The land was higher, therefore protected from floods and consisted of soil suitable for wheat.  General Czosnow sold the land to Franz Bartel, Johann Jantz, Gerhard Nickel, David Schroeder, Heinrich Ewert and Jakob Foth.  Later, David Buller, Georg Nickel, Heinrich Kliewer, Cornelius Kasper, Wilhelm Lehrmann, Cornelius Baltzer, Gerhard Koppert and Albert Vogel lived in this village.  In 1803, the neighboring Czastkow was sold.  Half of the estate was bought by the Mennonites who established the village Deutsch-Czastkow.  It was good, flat country, and it wasn’t located in the flood plain of the Vistula.  The buyers were Heinrich Guhr, Jakob Bartel, Peter Frantz, Kornelius Goertz, Heinrich Nickel, Peter Korber.  Later, Peter Wohlgemuth, David Nachtigall, Peter Bartel, Cornelius Baltzer, Heinrich Bartel, Peter Schroeder, Kornelius Plennert and Peter Ewert lived there.” (p. 30)
• In the article, Mr. Ratzlaff refers to P.M. Friesen’s writing in Polish literature.  Friesen says that the Mennonites under Polish rule suffered for their faith, but were defended by the nobles, kings, and cities.  The letters of protection and privileges stated “that the Mennonites must be protected because they were useful people, the ancestors of the kings had invited them from the Netherlands and used them to build the Werder.”  (p. 27)  Under later German and Russian rule, that changed drastically; Mennonites were given a heavy toll tax, men were forcefully conscripted for military duty, and they were limited in purchasing new land. (p. 27)
• Small groups of Mennonites purchased property from Lutheran settlers in the neighboring villages of Grochaly, Malowies, NeuhoferKampe, CzosnowerKampe, Neuhof, Montau, Szamocin, Ozarow, Januszew, Elsenbruch (Olsynek), Targowek, Tomaszew, Josefow, Marcelin and Gluske.
• “The following names were found in the Mennonite community of Deutsch-Kazun: Adrian, Albrecht, Baltzer, Bartel, Block, Buller, Dirks, Ediger, Eckert, Ewert, Flaming, Foth, Frantz, Funk, Gedert, Goede, Goertz, Guhr, Harn, Harm, Jantz, Kasper, Kerber, Ketler, Klaus, Kliewer, Knels, Koehn, Kolmert, Koppert, Lehrmann, Matis, Nachtigall, Neumann, Nickel, Pauls, Penner, Peters, Petker, Plennert, Ratzlaff, Regier, Rosenfeld, Schmidt, Schroeder, Siebert, Stubbe, Tjahrt, Unruh, Vogel, Vogt, Willms, Wohlgemuth, Zimmermann.” (p. 32)
• The community of Deutsch-Kazun expanded under Prussian control, after the third Polish partition. (p. 32)
• The church was known to be Frisian, not “Old Flemish” at the beginning.  A Peter Goertz from Malowies served as one of the preachers, from 1812-1867, when he moved to Russia.

Link to Erich Ratzlaff article: https://www.mharchives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/lmWeichselbogenRatzlaffGHPprofedFinal-reduced-6.pdf

 

“She’s in love with the boy!”  Trisha Yearwood was singing the song out of the boom box as Tim and I danced barefoot in the sand.  “She’s in love with the boy!”  the song continued.  “Come on, Timmy,” Puddin’ said as he got up for a beer and pushed Tim in a little closer to me.  “She’s in love with the boy!”  We were holding hands and moving back and forth from each other.  Tim was twirling me as he led me in a country swing dance.  “And even if they have to run away, she’s gonna marry that boy someday.”  It was our song.  Jen, aka “Shonka-Bonka,” was hosting us and our big group of friends at her parents’ lake house.  The sun was hot.  The sand was hot.  When our song came on the radio, everyone started cheering for us and singing along with the song that is about “Katie and Tommy.” Our gang always changed the words, singing about Katie and Timmy instead.  That was us.  The song ended, and we raced back into the lake and jumped on an innertube.  From the distance, we heard a low rumble that became louder and louder as Bryan and Shonka arrived back on the jet-ski.  “You guys going next?”  “Heck ya!”  Tim hopped on, and I climbed behind him.  He revved the engine, and we flew into the distance.  He took some sharp turns, and I bit my lip.  Then he slowed down and turned off the motor.  We sat there together on the water, listening to the waves, looking up, and feeling the hot sun on our faces.  The song was still playing in my head.  “She’ll follow Timmy…anywhere.  ‘Cause she’s in love with the boy.”

In the summer of 1992, I moved into a duplex in Lincoln with four of my friends.  I was about to start my junior year of college.  I stepped out of the front door and walked down the steps to the end of the driveway.  I eagerly checked the mailbox.  No letter.  The disappointment of the moment washed away as I walked back in the door and saw Michelle, aka Marcia, making an odd expression, and I laughed.  “No letter, girlfriend?” Marcia asked.  “Well, no.”  It was Wednesday, and I was hoping to have a letter in my hand from Tim.  We couldn’t afford to make phone calls very often due to the long-distance phone charges.  So we wrote letters to each other to help us get through the silence and distance of the week away from each other, him in Schuyler and me in Lincoln. I wrote every Sunday evening, hoping he would receive my letters on Wednesdays.  The letters revealed how my heart ached to see him gazing at me again, holding my hand, singing “Brown-eyed Girl” to me.  On Fridays, Tim’s black car would roll into the driveway, and the silence of the week would be immediately forgotten as he lifted me in an embrace and smiled down on me.

The duplex was built for college students.  The neighborhood was filled with twenty-somethings.  “I’ll cut the carrots.”  A fresh bunch of bright orange carrots sat on the counter, and I grabbed one of them.  Eric, aka 1/2 a Bee, was pouring rice into a saucepan of water.  Tim reached for the wine glasses and started pouring from the spout of the Franzia box of cheap Zinfandel wine that sat on the shelf in the fridge.  Soon, the wok was sizzling with vegetables and chicken as Marge stirred.  Eric served plates, and we sat around the old hand-me-down table together, sipping wine between bites.  Nichole got up to go fart in the bathroom, and we laughed about her good manners.  Eating meals with our friends on Friday nights became commonplace.

When Tim drove me to Schuyler to meet his parents, his dad, Ernie, was slow to warm up to me.  I learned from other family members that Ernie didn’t like the idea of Tim having a girlfriend from anywhere but the Czech population of Schuyler.  Ernie and Maxine were so much older than my parents.  In fact, Maxine was the same age as my dad’s mom, Mabel.  They were both sixty-seven years old in 1992.  We walked in the back door and up the steps to the kitchen.  Maxine was prepared with a bucket of chicken from Gene’s, one of a few restaurants in town. We filled our plates with chicken and mashed potatoes. Maxine and Ernie gave updates to Tim about classmates he grew up with and other Schuyler news.  The Schuyler Sun newspaper was sitting in the living room and provided prompts for further conversation after lunch.   I saw pictures of Tim as a child at age four, the year of his dad’s electrical accident.  Ernie was a lineman trained to fix electrical line issues on poles.  He lost both of his arms in 1974 in an accident with a live wire.  Tim was the baby of the family, the youngest of four children, and his life growing up was colored by the aftermath of the trauma of his dad’s accident.  Tim stood up from the couch and grabbed my hand, pulling me up.  “Come here.”  He led me through the small kitchen to the narrow staircase that led to the basement.  The walls were lined with old posters of polka bands.  He explained that his dad had collected these posters of polka bands that had played in Schuyler’s Oak Ballroom over the years.  “Look at this.”  He drew my attention to a crate full of vinyl records.  “It’s all polka music,” he said and laughed.  “You’re gonna have to learn how to polka if you want to be a part of the Hron family.”  He looked me in the eye with a more serious expression, and with a part of his lips, he snuck a kiss, then picked a record and played it loud.

My dad, Jerry, was twenty years younger than Tim’s dad.  Our family culture had a younger vibe all around.  My brother was still in high school, and my parents were in their forties.  A group of my friends came with me to my parents’ house–Marge, Bryan, Tim, and I showed up at the door, and we were loud as we walked past the piano toward the living room.  It was a short visit but long enough to break the ice and make first impressions.  My friends were polite and funny and interested in my younger brother, Jeremy.  We shared some college stories with my parents, and Mom offered us pie.

Tim moved to Omaha in the summer of 1993 to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  We helped move him into the upstairs apartment of the house on 42nd Street.  We continued to live in separate cities, him in Omaha and me in Lincoln.  Weekends were thrilling, full of fellowship with friends, and balanced with time alone as we started to talk about a future together.  My heart started breaking every time we said goodbye on Sundays.  I loved him.  I loved his enthusiasm, his genuine nature, his laugh, his arms around me, and his loving heart towards me.