It was in November 1918 that this illness also found its way to Manitoba, Canada, and it didn’t take long before the entire region was so devastated by it that any sort of medical help seemed to be in vain. Death had converted some homes into houses of mourning where fathers and mothers were torn from their children or parents were forced to give their children up. And so again the threat of a just curse of God broke out because of our sins and our sinful lives, as we read in Deuteronomy 28, where it is written: “The Lord will strike you with a wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, and with scorching heat and drought, with blight, and mildew, which will plague you until you perish” (Deuteronomy 28:22). How sad it was, for this sickness appeared to spread throughout the whole world as a judgment. I was twenty-nine years old when I too contracted it. I was still able, by mustering all my strength, to visit the sick ones in the village once a day. The dear Aeltester Ohm Johann Friesen was also very sick with the disease, so much so that he wasn’t able to visit the church for two weeks. I was forced to miss one of the Sundays. And as soon as I got enough strength back to be able to drive, I was invited to a funeral almost every day. Small children, middle-aged people, and the elderly were all snatched away by the sickness. Most people were only sick for one week before they died. For the first few funerals after I recovered I was still so weak that I had to stand with a chair in front of me and I had to hold it with one hand to prevent myself from collapsing with exhaustion. How many people turned to God during that time, and out of feelings of fear confessed themselves before God and the congregation in an attempt to purify themselves. And as soon as the Aeltester was able to stand and walk, there was a long line of guilt-ridden sinners waiting to be restored to the congregation.

Yes, the Lord is knocking earnestly,
And trying to turn our heads,
Through sickness which touched everybody,
And laid us on our beds.
Yes, many to their deaths were called,
Without checking if they were young or old.
Therefore hear it – man be standing by,
For this is the day that you might die.

None of the dear Ohms died as a result of the sickness. It lasted about a month before the sickness (from Exodus 23:25) was taken from us and those who did not die quickly got better. It seemed that this disease had knocked the Great War to the ground and brought an end to it. And by Christmas of that year, the warring kingdoms had made peace so that everyone was glad and the school children with happiness in their voices let their wishes for the New Year ring out:

The Lord has given once again,
The world a little rest.
The weapons have been laid aside,
One asks, what happens next?

Now one might think it safe to assume that after the Lord had punished all humanity with war and disease that the word of God would be fulfilled, as it is written in Micah 4:3–4: “They will beat the swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.” But how completely differently things actually happened. How quickly this judgment disappeared from people’s hearts, and some among us forgot everything also – how they had promised during their sickness that if God would heal them they would walk with more earnestness and faithfulness before him and the congregation. And according to the previous change they would put off the old self, which they had corrupted through lust and error, and would renew themselves with the spirit of joy, and would put on the new person, which is created in God’s image, in upright justice and holiness. It is described further in Ephesians 4: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:25–32).

What a good lesson, dear children! Everything we need to know to live a godly life and after that a blessed death is in that passage. The poor human has a lifetime to meditate on these few words that I mentioned from Ephesians 4. The Word of God is like a sea that can never be wiped out. Every time a person reads from it he will find something new. Therefore, dear children, allow the Word of God to be the standard according to which your whole lives are lived. And you ought to read it at least once a day, so that if you should become ill or are in trouble or distress, you will remember the beautiful words and will be able to pray to God using them. Do not ever let circumstances or earthly concerns become so pressing that you don’t read a little from the Scriptures before you go to sleep at night. The more you read from the Word, the more God will bless you, both now and in eternity. The time and hour that a person spends in the Word of God, reading and praying, will be doubly blessed. And often in areas where he may least expect it. Do not just read from the hymnal, which is certainly not to be despised, but one can too easily grow accustomed to the beautiful words so that one will forget the Old and New Testaments, or will neglect to read from them. Do not just read from the New Testament, but read often from the Old Testament as well. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). (Read also diligently Menno Simons and the Martyrs Mirror.)

Yes, dear children!
Praise God with hearts and mouth,
For that reason we were given them.
It is a blessed hour,
In which one reflects,
Otherwise all time is wasted
That we live on earth.
We should become blessed
And remain that way forever.

And thus things were again very sad, sorrowful, and pathetic. It was not only that people once again lived so securely, and quickly forgot about the serious disease and the Great War and didn’t want to allow themselves to be disciplined by God’s Spirit and Word (Genesis 6:3), but it wasn’t long before once again the people and kingdoms of this world were preparing for yet another war. And this time they were preparing as they had never done before, and why? Because Germany, with its extraordinarily strong military machine, was almost not defeated. This military might and power in Germany was a result of the fact that an inextinguishable enthusiasm for the art of war, or militarism, was instilled in every child, from a very young age through the schools. And other countries, including Canada, now wished to follow this example. It didn’t take long before one once again began to read in the papers that Canada had decreed and made law that all citizens – even the Mennonites – were going to be made into hundred percent Canadians. Public schools were now to be built among the Mennonites everywhere, including in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The founding of the schools was confirmed with the motto “One king, one God, one fleet, one flag, one all-British empire: love and self-sacrifice for the fatherland.”