by R. H. Hull
Milo Swenson motioned to Abraham that he should be seated while his wife set silverware and napkins and served the warm cherry pie fresh from the oven. She then gave Milo and Jacob their cups of coffee.
Even before Rebecca’s father could begin the discussion of his intent and purpose for being there, Milo began the conversation by saying, “We are very happy to have you with us! If we would have known that we were going to have the pleasure of your visit, we would have met you when you arrived!”
Abraham Yoder had once again attempted to begin speaking, but was so taken back by the warmth of the expressions of Milo, Jacob’s father, that at that moment, he was having a little difficulty maintaining his anger and purpose for being there!
Milo Swenson then continued, “Ruth, my wife or I have not had the opportunity to meet your daughter Rebecca. Jacob has said such nice things about her, that we would most certainly enjoy meeting her! In fact, he has told us how much he admires her, and how kind and gracious she is. So, we do look forward to the pleasure of meeting her someday soon.”
As he leaned forward in his chair, his hands suddenly planted firmly on the table, Milo continued in an enthusiastic manner, “In fact,” he paused for a moment, leaning forward, “I haven’t had an opportunity to discuss this with Caroline, but why don’t you, your wife Elizabeth who Caroline knows well, your son Tom and Rebecca come to our home for dinner sometime soon!” He looked at his wife for a non-verbal opinion, she then responded with a nod and a smile, indicating her affirmation. He then added, “If I can be so bold, and I know this is rather sudden, but perhaps you would do us the honor of joining us for dinner a week from today—Saturday evening?” He then asked his wife and son, “Would that fit into your schedule Caroline—Jacob?” They both smiled and nodded, although Jacob was feeling rather confused at the thought of an evening together with both families.
Abraham Yoder was so astonished by the warmth of the Swenson family, and all that was being said, he momentarily did not know how to respond. His intent in coming to the Swenson’s was to tell them that Jacob was not to see Rebecca again! Now, what was happening? He had not expected such a gracious and neighborly greeting, nor had he expected Jacob to approach him with such warmth, maturity and respect. Jacob had obviously said nice things to his parents about Rebecca, and it was also obvious that he apparently respected her and her upbringing. And, now they were suggesting that both families join together for dinner in a week!
His original and intended mission for coming to the Swenson farm seemed to have faded somewhat. He began to wonder—perhaps what he recalled regarding the discovery of Rebecca and Jacob parked along the side of the road was not as it seemed at first. Rebecca was sitting comfortably against Jacob’s shoulder, which in reality did not involve a compromising situation. Perhaps they did only want to talk, to be together in a quiet place alone.
Rebecca’s father silently began to wonder if his original intent in going to the Swenson farm was the true way of his Eden River Mennonite faith. Those of their Mennonite Order did not respond with such a strong and volatile intent as was his original reaction to something that, as his wife had scolded him, was the result of a false bias against a good farm family?
He had sincerely felt that he had been deceived by both Rebecca and Jacob, but Jacob seemed oblivious to any deception. He seemed to genuinely care for Rebecca, and to respect her. Perhaps all was not as it had originally seemed when he and Elizabeth had seen Rebecca and Jacob together earlier that day.
Milo Swenson spoke again to spark the conversation as they enjoyed the warm cherry pie and coffee. “You have a well-respected family, Mr. Yoder. We hear such good things about you, your wife, your son Tom and Rebecca. You and your family are members of the Eden River Mennonite Church, are you not?” Abraham silently acknowledged and smiled, his mouth at that moment in time was full of cherry pie.
“Fine people and a beautiful church,” he continued as he leaned back in his chair. “Our family has been proud members of this community for nearly six generations, and we have a high level of respect for our neighbors who are members of your church and the Eden River Mennonite Order. Our family was raised in the Lutheran church, and then we moved to the Methodist tradition, but that does not mean that we are not all of the same basic framework—that is, we worship the same God. Isn’t that right?”
Rebecca’s father thought for a moment, and then he became clear to him that what Milo Swenson said was true. They were basically of the same religious faith. The differences lay in their other traditional beliefs. The Mennonite tradition believed in pacifism, and their church has been essentially closed to ‘the world’ except for the essentials that resulted in their having to go to town to purchase groceries and other necessities. But, at the moment, those differences didn’t seem as important to him as they once did.
“Yes,” Milo Swenson smiled as he continued, “We are essentially of the same basic religion. We are all God-fearing people, believing in the same God, and perhaps that is all that is necessary for neighbors. Our family and our ancestors have been here for nearly 110 years, and have great respect for our Eden River Mennonite neighbors. In fact, we feel comfortable attending worship services at your Eden River Mennonite Church when the roads are too bad as a result of snow or rain and we cannot drive to our own church in town. We have attended your church on several occasions. Our basic beliefs are the same, so why should we not feel comfortable as neighbors sitting in the same pew at church, and enjoying our food at the same table? The historical doctrines of our various denominations is what makes them different. All denominations are different whether they are Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, or Eden River Mennonite, with different doctrines—different traditions. But we all believe in the same God!”
As he thought about it, Abraham Yoder, had to admit that what Abraham Swenson said was true. “True,” he replied with a little more vigor than he had earlier imagined that he would, “Perhaps we are more similar than we are different. I am sure that God views us as one, no matter what our church’s doctrines say.”
Then, Abraham Yoder continued. “Let me tell you why I came here today.” The Swenson family looked intently at him, wondering what he might say. His visit was very unusual, having never come to their farm before.
Abraham paused momentarily, not quite knowing where to begin. Then, clearing his throat, he began, “I came here today unannounced because my wife Elizabeth and I saw your son Jacob and our daughter Rebecca together in Jacob’s car earlier this afternoon. They were parked along the side of the road near your farm. Rebecca had told us that she was going to her friend Sarah’s house to visit, but instead, it is obvious that Sarah drove Rebecca to meet your son Jacob. My wife and I felt that we had been deceived by our daughter. However, perhaps your son was unaware of the nature of the situation that was occurring.”
Jacob looked at his parents with a somewhat startled look, began to say something, but their side glances stopped him. So, he listened quietly.
“Please continue,” Milo said gently. “We would like to hear more of what you desire to say.”
Abraham Yoder continued, “After finding Rebecca and Jacob together earlier today, I came here originally with the intent of demanding that Jacob not be allowed to see our daughter Rebecca again. Mennonite young women of our Order are taught to avoid being with non-Mennonite young men, young men who are ‘of the world,’ as we have referred to them over the years. That has been our tradition for many years.”
Milo Swenson asked quietly, “Is that a part of our church’s doctrine?”
Abraham Yoder thought for a moment, and then replied, “I have not found that tradition to be exactly in our church doctrine or bylaws, but we try to be true to our faith, and that tradition is what we have been taught over the years.”
“So,” Milo Swenson responded, “I have a question for you Mr. Yoder. Do you feel that a person can be ‘true to their faith’ with someone who is not a member of your c
hurch?”
Abraham Yoder replied, “Our doctrine stresses that we are to avoid becoming a part ‘of the world’.”
Milo Swenson quickly responded, “Do we look and act like ‘the world,’ Mr. Yoder? We work hard to provide a good and moral home for our family. We believe in the same God as you, and we, I believe, are as good and hopefully as righteous as anyone else in this community, including our Eden River Mennonite neighbors. The fact that we are not members of your church does not make us any less good or kind or thoughtful or Christian. Jacob, our son, is a very good, kind and considerate young man. He, if he chooses, will be the 6th generation of our family on these farms, and I know that he will be successful in all that he does.”
Milo Swenson continued, “Although we are not members of your church, that does not mean that we are ‘of the world,’ Mr. Yoder. In fact, we are far from ‘the secular world’. We are farmers, and proud to be a family of the soil. And, finally, I want to say that our son Jacob admires your daughter Rebecca very much, and respects her highly. He has told us about her goodness, and how much he respects her. I am sure that he would never do anything to impair the relationship that they apparently have developed between them, and have obviously developed without either your or our knowledge.”
He continued, “Jacob and Rebecca have apparently been admiring each other from afar through their high school years. Now, they are young adults. My opinion, Mr. Yoder, since you have introduced the subject, is that rather than causing them to continue to ‘sneak around’ in order to be together, and then feeling guilty about deceiving you and her mother, perhaps we should allow Rebecca and Jacob to be together, to go places together, to even go to church together with our blessing!” He smiled at Abraham Yoder, hoping for an affirmative response, or at least an indication of understanding.
“And,” he continued before Abraham had a chance to speak, “I have a question for you, Mr. Yoder. Have you ever asked your daughter Rebecca about Jacob? I know that she has mentioned him to you when she asked quite a while ago if she could go with Jacob to, I believe, an event at their high school. At least Jacob mentioned to us that she was going to ask if she could go with him. I believe that she indicated to Jacob that you gave a definite ‘No’ to her request. My question again is, have you ever asked Rebecca how she feels about Jacob?”
“Or,” Milo Swenson continued, “And I am not intending to be hurtful when I say this Mr. Yoder, but have you perhaps been guided by a fear of what other members of your church might say if they saw our children together?”
“Well, that is all that I have to say,” Milo Swenson concluded. “Perhaps I have said too much. I hope that you will forgive me if I have been too direct. I did not intend to be hurtful.” Milo then remained quiet, hoping for a response from Abraham Yoder.
Chapter 26
Abraham put down his coffee cup on the table, and was still trying to swallow the piece of cherry pie that had nearly become stuck in his throat as he had listened to Milo Swenson. He was quiet for a moment, not knowing quite what to say. So much of what Abraham Swenson had said was true. He was torn between the strong beliefs that he had established through the years about those who lived “in the world,” and the truths that Milo Swenson had expressed so eloquently.
Abraham took another sip of the coffee that Caroline Swenson had provided him in order to clear his throat, and after another moment of thought, he said to Jacob while looking directly into his eyes, wanting the truth, and speaking as though he had begun in the middle of a sentence, “…and, I am going to ask you directly, Jacob—I am asking you, what are your feelings regarding Rebecca?” He looked directly and sternly at Jacob, waiting for an answer.
Jacob did not hesitate in responding to the question. Looking directly into Rebecca’s father’s gaze, and with his most manly voice, he said, “Mr. Yoder, I want you to know that I respect your daughter highly. She is a wonderful young woman who obviously has been raised in a good and upstanding family, who reflects a strong upbringing, and who has been taught to be thoughtful, kind, and considerate of others. Besides being intelligent and talented, she has my highest respect and admiration. When we talk at school, I am proud to be speaking with her. And, I want you to know that for nearly two years now, we have had the opportunity to spend time together between classes and after school. Now that I am graduating, I will miss talking to and being with Rebecca—very much.”
Jacob continued, “If Rebecca and I are not permitted to be together, I will be very sad. I feel that it is important that we are together,” Jacob said firmly and with conviction as he looked intently into the eyes of Abraham Yoder.
Jacob’s mother and father listened in awe at his direct and well-expressed response to Rebecca’s father. They both continued to remain silent.
Rebecca’s father sensed Jacob’s sincerity, and the maturity of his response. His first thought was, ’Here’s a good young man.’ He had not met young men from their church with the maturity that Jacob exhibited. He recognized that the original purpose, and his determination in coming to the Swenson farm was rapidly diminishing. The importance of what others of his church, the Eden River Alderman Mennonite church, would say if they saw Rebecca and this young man together was likewise beginning to diminish.
Abraham Yoder sat silently for what seemed to be fairly lengthy period of time. He was obviously in deep thought. And then suddenly, as though with a flash of inspiration, he said to the Swenson’s, “Mr. and Mrs. Swenson—may I call you Milo and Caroline?” To which they smiled and nodded affirmatively. “And, of course you can call me Abraham rather than Mr. Yoder. That is much too formal.”
He continued enthusiastically, “Now, would you all, including Jacob, be kind enough to drive over to our farm right now? I would like for you to meet my wife and Rebecca, my daughter. You do know the way, don’t you? Or, would you rather follow me?”
Milo, Caroline and their son Jacob looked at each other momentarily, somewhat startled at the apparent sudden change in Abraham’s demeanor, and then Milo affirmed that there was nothing pressing on their farm at the moment. So they agreed that they could. “Certainly,” Milo and Ruth said nearly in unison, “Jacob and I can get away from farm work for a little while, and we would be pleased to go with you.”
Caroline said rather enthusiastically, “I know your lovely wife Elizabeth, but Milo has not had the pleasure, and we are anxious to meet Rebecca and your son Tom! Can you tell us the purpose of this visit, Abraham? I mean, why will we be going to meet your family?”
Abraham Yoder paused, and then responded, “The reason I would like for you to be in our home is that I would like for you all to be a witness to what I will be saying to Rebecca and Jacob.” That is all that he said while attempting to hide a sly smile.
Looking around the kitchen, Abraham then asked, “Before we go, may I use your telephone? In our Old Order Mennonite tradition, we are not allowed many worldly luxuries, but at least we have a telephone!” as he smiled at the Swensons.
“Yes, please do use our telephone. It is to your right, there on the wall.”
Rebecca’s father walked to the phone, dialed and waited for the operator to handle the call, and then heard their telephone ring at their home. After two rings, his wife Elizabeth answered, “Hello?” Without acknowledging that she had answered the call, Abraham Yoder began, “Mr. and Mrs. Swenson, Jacob and I are on our way to our house. Tell Rebecca that I want you both there when we arrive. We are leaving right now!” Without saying anything more, he hung the receiver back on the phone.
Back at the Yoder household, Rebecca’s mother quickly climbed the stairs to Rebecca’s room, knocked on her door and then entered, “Rebecca, your father is bringing Jacob and Jacob’s parents to our house even as I speak! I am sure they have already left and are on their way.”
“Oh mother!” Rebecca cried out, “Father did, indeed, go to see Jacob’s parents! I am afraid to think of what they will be telling me when they arrive! What has father done? I supp
ose now Jacob and I will never be allowed to see each other again!” and then once again she began to sob.
Her mother placed her hand on Rebecca’s shoulder to comfort her as they sat on her bed. “Perhaps it won’t be as bad as you think, Rebecca. Your father, although stern, is a reasonable man, and will do what he feels is best for you and for us.”
“But,” Rebecca cried out through her tears, “Will he do what is best for Jacob and me?”
“Sometimes,” Rebecca’s mother replied, “Sometimes parents can see further than right now. They can see what is best for the future of their children.”
They both looked up as they heard her father’s pickup truck and the Swenson’s car pull into their long driveway and then stop by the back door.
“We must go down to meet them, Rebecca,” her mother suggested.
Rebecca was silent for a moment and then quickly replied, “No—you go. I’ll stay here in my room.”
“But, don’t you want to greet Jacob’s parents? Don’t you want to see Jacob? After all, he has never been allowed to be in our house before. That has to be a good sign! Just think! Jacob will be in our house for the very first time! Please come with me, Rebecca. It will be expected that you join us. I have never met Milo Swenson, although I know Jacob’s mother from our farm women’s organization. She is a very nice person.”
“Yes—I suppose they are very nice,” Rebecca replied almost absent mindedly.
Chapter 27
Final
They both heard the kitchen door open, and then footsteps. Rebecca’s father called out with his loud voice, “The Swenson’s are here. Elizabeth? Rebecca? Where are you?”
Rebecca’s mother turned and quickly said as she was walking out the door of Rebecca’s bedroom, “Are you sure that you don’t want to come downstairs with me to greet the Swensons?”
