It may have been cool and rainy outside on Saturday, January 21, but inside Zion Mennonite Church there was warm fellowship, a delicious lunch of homemade rolls, soup and pie and amazing stories! About 35 persons attended the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Historical Society <a few photos>. The stories came from Larry Graber who exhorted us to remember why it is still important to teach the peace position in our churches and not to lose sight of the different ways we have to work for peace for those who come after us. He then regaled us with stories of his PAX service in the Congo from 1957-59…a time when MCC sent young people, often fresh off the farm to work in remote parts of the world to do challenging work with little supervision. The climax of the event was when he showed us his 60-year-old slides on a real slide projector, concluding with how those very pictures were “stolen” and found again in Germany on his way back to the States. To hear Larry’s stories, and see those slides, click here.
To learn more, read “Crossing the Loange, Congo Pax Service and the Journey Home” that Larry wrote together with John Janzen, his PAX colleague and fellow traveler. The book was written in 2015 after Larry discovered a box in the attic of his parent’s home. He was amazed to learn that his mother had kept all the letters he wrote home while he was serving in the Congo! The book is available for loan from the PNMHS library or can be purchased from Larry by email.
Gloria Nussbaum