EMMAUS ECHOES E M M A U S M E N N O N I T E C H U R C H

November 2021 VOLUME 74 ISSUE 11

Psalm 44:8

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HOT-AIR BALLOON REFLECTIONS PASTOR TIM

Hot-Air Balloons have long been a thing of interest and charm to Judith. I’ve been glad to share her delight. In our early years of marriage we lived in Broken Bow, Nebraska where I was an Assistant Pastor for Youth and Music. A man in Broken Bow had a Hot-Air Balloon and we would often see, and hear, him flying over our house in the early mornings. Judith wrote him and asked if he would take us up. He did! It was an amazing experience, although our landing was “non-typical,” (meaning: rough, alarming, grit your teeth and hang on). June, 2020 was our 40th wedding anniversary. We wanted to do something special to mark the occa-sion. The International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October seemed the perfect choice! Then COVID happened. The event was cancelled. Anything worth having is worth waiting for so a year later the event was on and we made the trip! Knowing that Lyle and Lisa Miller had lived in Albuquerque for many years, we talked to them and were grateful for their advice to dress in layers for the cold mornings, and allow plenty of time for traffic and parking. The festival runs for 9 days. We were there for four of those days. There were 588 balloons there and 866,414 people! (All the balloons were there at once, but the people were spread over the 9 days.) The lines of traffic for parking are long and slow but the festival did an amazing job of moving people in and out. The 80 acre launch field is completely open to visitors. People would crowd around balloons as they inflated and launched. We sat in our camp chairs and watched as 100s of balloons lifted off and flew. (Check out balloonfiesta.com if you’d like to see some pictures.) It was beautiful and serene and capti-vating. We enjoyed the experience. It was refreshing and reflective. 1. I reflected on the human drive for beauty; the drive to create things that are not just functional, but also beautiful. Most of the balloons we saw were colorfully decorated and some were in special shapes—like Smokey the Bear and a cow and a pig and many more. I think our quest for beauty, and love of beauty, is part of the image of God that we were created in. 2. I reflected on the human drive and ability to master our environ-ment. God’s instructions to Adam and Eve were “Be fruitful and multi-ply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…” (Gen 1:28). Hot-Air Ballooning is one of the many ways humans have learned to master our environ-ment. 3. I reflected on the parallel between overcoming the law of gravity and overcoming the law of sin and death. Romans 8 gives us the thrill-ing truth that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Thanks for your interest in our trip. Thanks to our Echoes editor, Debora Claassen for asking me to write about it. Thanks to Chad Wiebe for a great message the Sunday we were gone. Thanks for your love and joy and partnership in ministry. And thanks for helping each other rise above the pull of sin!

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YOUTH GROUP PARTY

On October 9 at 4:30 the Youth Group met at church for their video scavenger hunt party. We were

divided into 3 groups and given a list of funny feats to do and video. Some of the items included:

having a funeral for a road kill, doing something creative through a drive thru, getting in a tree and

chirping like a bird, eating baby food (+10 points if it was meat flavored), getting in a car Dukes of

Hazard style, and conducting an exercise class for teammates. After our time limit of 1 ½ hours was

up, we came back to church and ate soup and watched the videos each group had made. The spon-

sors graded them. Mason Regier gave the devotional on Hebrews 12:1. He compared our spiritual

race to running cross country and said sometimes we cannot see the finish line, but we need to keep

going. After that we played mat ball and had dessert. -Jill Busenitz

NUMBER ONE FAN!

Did you know that we have a special lady in the church who has 9 great-great nephews on the Be-

rean Junior High Soccer team? That's right, our very own, Gladys Wiebe! Known to many in the

congregation as Aunt Gladys. The nephews include Jace Unruh, Brendan Busenitz, Ryley

Busenitz, Lawson Wiebe, Wyatt Friesen, Treighton Ranfeld, Dakota Braun, Seth Wiebe and An-

drew Busenitz. Gladys Wiebe was able to attend two Berean games this year to cheer the nephews

on. She said the highlight to watching the game was seeing them win the game! Gladys did not

play many sports as a child, but does recall an occasional game of intramural soccer while attending

Berean Academy. When asked what advice she would give these young lads, she replied, “To play

hard, to play honestly and to realize not only to develop physically, but most importantly develop

spiritually. You may not be playing ball down the road at age 60, but following the Lord will still

be the most important.” - Marcy Ranfeld (quote was paraphrased by Marcy)

WEDDING TRIP TO WYOMING Tyler Norris, son of Charlotte (Busenitz) and Titus Norris, married Katie Banks, daughter of Kevin and Lisa Banks in Laramie, Wyoming, on October 16th. (Tyler’s mother Charlotte is Lester Busenitz’s oldest daughter.) Greg and Cheri, Brendan and Krista Busenitz, Chad and Hannah, Ella, Avery, Brantley, and Tessa Busenitz, and Lester and Tina traveled to celebrate part of the week and wedding weekend with family. We were able to watch one of granddaughter Emma’s volleyball games as part of the trip. Tyler and Katie met at the University of Wyoming and share a love for the Lord. The wedding was at the church they attend, Laramie Valley Chapel. Tyler’s two sisters, Katie and Emma, were two of the six bridesmaids. Tyler’s brother Ethan was best man. Niece Avery loved being the flower girl wearing a beautiful long white dress and nephew Brantley did a fan-tastic job as ring bearer. After the church ceremony, a reception was held at the county fairgrounds in a large community room. A barbeque meal was catered as guests and family enjoyed a time of fellowship. God blessed Laramie with beautiful weather for the weekend adding to the blessing of the celebration. Tyler and Katie will live in Laramie while they finish their schooling. We are grateful to have Katie join the family and praise the Lord for the special wedding weekend. - Lester and Tina

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50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF WORLD IMPACT

October 14 was a grand celebration of what God has done over the

past 50 years of World Impact’s existence and looking forward to the

next 50 years. This exciting event was held at Central Community Church with doors opening at 6 pm, the pro-

gram starting at 6:30 pm with dessert and coffee following. Our church was well represented along with many

other churches in the Wichita area with a very good turn out. The program opened with Rev. Andy Entz, Di-

rector of Team Care, welcoming all of us warmly to this exciting and thrilling time in World Impact’s history.

This was followed by Daren Busenitz, Senior Vice President of Ministry Mobilization and David Estrada,

Ministry Developer, each taking turns reflecting about the past 50 years complete with pictures on the two

large stage screens depicting the past ministries of World Impact. This was followed by a very interesting

panel of 4 World Impact staff members, Al Ewert, one of the first staff members who was a student at Tabor

College when then Director Keith Phillips, challenged the Tabor students to take on this ministry with Bible

Clubs for kids in Wichita’s Urban setting which was first started in Los Angeles, California by Dr. Phillips,

Lisa Entz, Senior Vice President of Talent and Culture Development, Rev. Dr. Don Davis, Senior Vice Presi-

dent of Church Resources and TUMI Director, and Tina Busenitz, Director of Retreats and Strategic Hiring.

They were interviewed by George Yunis, Senior Vice President of Advancement who asked very interesting

questions about what their ministry looked like now and how it has changed over the years complete with pic-

tures on the screens of now and then. The program also had videos about different people from World Impact

sharing their testimonies. Dr. Alvin Sanders, Senior Director of World Impact then presented, separately, both

Dr. Don and Beth Davis (45 years of service) and Rev. Al and Ruth Ewert (50 years of service) each with

flowers and a plaque signifying World Impact’s appreciation for their ministry these many years with words of

great appreciation for the great work they had both done as couples. Rev. Andy Entz finished with a prayer of

appreciation for their God honoring, dedicated and glorifying service to World Impact. This was followed by a

powerful and fiery sermon by Dr. Alvin Sanders who challenged us to look forward to the next 50 years and

join World Impact in seeing what God was going to do. The evening was closed by George Yunis challenging

those of us in the audience to give as the Lord directed for supporting World Impact’s future ministry of devel-

oping future urban leaders and churches all over America and even globally to further God’s incredible King-

dom. Closing prayer was done fittingly by Rev. Roosevelt DeShazer, Urban Pastor, who summed up so very

well the challenge before all of us. The warm fellowship following with dessert and coffee was sweet in re-

newing old and making new acquaintances. - Ramona Busenitz

TRIP TO SEATTLE

I enjoyed visiting friends in the Seattle area October 7-13. Cathy and I met over 40 years ago when we worked

together on the Child Development Team at Wesley Medical Center. Cathy and her husband later moved to

the Boston area where I visited them several times and then to the New Orleans area where my godchild,

David, was born. They asked me to be David’s godmother which was an honor and learning experience as I

knew nothing about my new role. They later moved to the Seattle area where I visited them a number of

times. After my friend retired recently, she asked me to come and see their new home. I arranged to be there

for her birthday and we celebrated together for the first time in decades. We went to their church, St. Louise

Catholic Church, and enjoyed short trips around the Seattle area. David lives with them so I spent time with

my godchild, too. There is a direct flight from Wichita to Seattle now (Alaska Airlines) which made the trip so

much easier. I’m ready to go again! - Nancy Entz

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DEADWOOD SOUTH DAKOTA On Oct. 7th my cousin and I set out for Deadwood, SD to attend her cousin’s wedding. We enjoyed stops at Kansas Originals near Wilson and viewed unique creations in Lucas, Kansas. At Fort Robinson near Craw-ford, NE we viewed the skeletons of two mammoths that died hooked together and are preserved in a mu-seum. After arriving in Deadwood, we went to Tatanka:Story of the Bison where we learned about Indian life, viewed artifacts and saw the life size statues of a bison hunt situated on a hill. We enjoyed viewing Mt Rush-more, Custer State Park and Lake Sylvan. We drove several miles of dirt/gravel roads to arrive at the wed-ding venue where we celebrated with Rayann’s family. Driving Needles Highway proved to be a challenge, taking hair pin turns and the sun hitting us in the eyes. South Dakota was the first state to celebrate Native American day instead of Columbus Day so we visited Crazy Horse and experienced their celebration of the day which included prayers, and the Star Spangled Banner in Lakota language. Thankfully our plans were to leave Deadwood Tuesday morning because it started snowing and by the next day they had over 2 feet of snow. On our way home we stopped at Wall Drug, viewed the Dignity statue near Chamberlain, the corn pal-ace at Mitchell and spent several hours in DesMet, touring sites connected to Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are thankful for safely traveling over 2000 miles and the opportunity to enjoy God’s creation! In case you are wondering how covid affected our trip, we did have to wear masks at Mt Rushmore because it is federal property. Hotel breakfasts were mostly individual items and we had to wear gloves to prepare breakfast at one motel. - Debbie Regier

HEARTLAND PREGNANCEY CRISIS CENTER FUNDRAISER

“Gift of Christmas”

KARLIN WIEBE

(son of Lyle & Lenora)

to CAROLINE JERRED

(daughter of Dan & Lillian)

BRITTANY WIEBE

(daughter of Justin & Carissa)

to BRANDON FRIESEN

(son of Paul & Amanda)

Abigail Ruth Carey

born to Nate & Heather

October 6, 2021

CONGRATULATIONS!

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Austin Thiessen was recently KSHSAA Student of the Week. The following is the article that was posted on FaceBook. It is printed here with permission.

FATHER’S AILMENT OPENS NEW DOORS TO LIFE FOR BEREAN ACADEMY’S AUSTIN THIESSEN

Since his family relocated from Alaska in 2015, senior has flourished in school while taking on important role at home. By Scott Paske, KSHSAA

Austin Thiessen is savoring the experiences of his senior year at Berean Academy in the tiny central Kansas town of El-bing.

He enjoys playing the trumpet in Bev Lister's band class. "The greatest band teacher," Thiessen said. "She knows how to conduct."

Thiessen also strums the chords on bass and acoustic guitar for the Berean Academy Worship Team, a student group that leads music services in the school's chapel. In an industrial arts class, he's in the early stages of building a pool table, a project that taps into his penchant for working with his hands.

Other things lie ahead, like Thiessen's final season as a 6-foot-4 center on the Warriors basketball team, and trying to re-turn to the state track meet in javelin. Before that, he will play the role of Baloo, the affable bear in Berean's senior class production of The Jungle Book.

"This is the first time I've ever done any sort of theater," said Thiessen, the Capitol Federal True Blue® Student of the Week. "There's a learning curve, for sure. But it's been a lot of fun, especially with all my friends."

There was a time in Thiessen's life when encountering a bear would have been more likely than performing one in a school play. One of Doug and Crystal Thiessen's four sons, Austin was born in Palmer, Alaska, not far from where his par-ents lived for more than two decades. Doug Thiessen served as horsemanship director at Victory Bible Camp, a pictur-esque retreat at the base of the Talkeetna Mountains about 95 miles northeast of Anchorage.

In that role, Doug guided trail rides for campers and guests, gave horsemanship lessons and led wilderness horse packing trips into the mountains. The Thiessens homeschooled Austin and his older brothers, Carlen and Jared, and younger brother Randall. When they weren't studying, they were immersed in splendid nature.

"A lot of hunting, a lot of trapping," Crystal Thiessen said. "In wintertime, there was a lot of snow-machining or snowmobiling. In Doug's role, every-thing had to do with horses, so there were sleigh rides.”

"There was not a day that went by that they weren't outside, and our huge backyard just happened to have these big, beautiful mountains."

That was the Thiessens' way of life until the summer of 2015. Years be-fore, Doug, who also served as a volunteer emergency medical technician, developed a brain malformation that hemorrhaged, causing him varying degrees of trouble walking and talking. The condition also numbed his hands. He was referred to a specialist in Arizona, and underwent a surgical procedure that restored his health.

When similar symptoms returned, another surgery was performed in Doug's brain stem area. Crystal Thiessen said nerves were damaged dur-ing the procedure, leaving Doug unable to walk, talk or swallow. While his mental capacity was unaffected, he experienced double vision, his head shook uncontrollably and the right side of his body was numb. (cont. p. 7)

The Thiessen family front row, from left, Crystal, Doug and Tiffany. back row, Miranda, Carlen, Randall, Jared and Austin

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(cont. from p. 6) With Doug confined to a wheelchair and needing extra care, Crystal, Austin and Randall, who is now a freshman at Berean, moved to Kansas. Doug and Crystal also went to school at Berean, and with family in the area, they relocated near Whitewater, within a mile of the farm where Crystal grew up.

“Our older boys still live in Alaska," Crystal Thiessen said. "Because of Doug's situation, Austin has really had to step up to the plate and become the man of the house. He has taken that on.”

“He's so responsible, and very willing to help with whatever I've needed him to do – things that most teenage boys don't have to worry about."

Thiessen, who spends the summer and fall helping uncles with farm work, is Crystal's guy when a faucet needs tightened. Or when tires need air. He also helps his father with transportation needs.

"I think Austin took a lot of his cues from his older brothers, and they in turn helped him understand things when they changed for us," Crystal Thiessen said. "These things happen. It's part of life. God is going to pull us through this. He really did a good job of accepting that.”

"Austin is very social, and that helps, too. So he was able to talk about it. He's thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be with so many people at school, and that really helped him to be able to adjust so quickly."

Austin entered seventh grade after the Thiessens relocated. In Alaska, his athletic opportunities were limited to little more than playing hockey on a frozen lake. He tried out for Berean's junior high basketball team, and made a slow and steady climb from the C team to a reserve role on the A team.

"My first game, I shot at the wrong goal and fortunately I missed," Thiessen said. "Through some good coaching, espe-cially from Coach (Paul) Rust, he really got me into it and just developed that passion."

Thiessen received honorable mention on the Heart of America all-league team last season, helping Berean post a 19-3 record and reach the Class 2A sub-state finals. In track, he finished 11th in the 2A javelin with a throw of 148 feet, 6 inches.

"He's a good, hard-working guy," Berean basketball and track coach Lewis Wiebe said. "He's got a very pleasing personal-ity and he loves to compete and play. He's a fun guy to coach."

Thiessen cherishes that his dad, who competed athletically at Berean, can witness his performances. Doug Thiessen has remained influential in his family's lives – and those of others – by communicating on an iPad. Using the Predictable app, he has written six short, faith-based books and started a Facebook page called Doug's Ruminations in which he offers de-votionals and reflects on his Victory Bible Camp years.

The father-son bond remains close, as well. Austin throws the discus – an event Doug competed in years ago – and occa-sionally works on his form under his dad's watchful eye.

"The wonderful part is that his thinking is perfectly OK, and that has really helped a lot," Thiessen said. "He's still my dad. He likes to hear how my day is going. I still ask for his advice. I can understand some of the things he says, but if the an-swer requires a little bit of length, he writes it out on his iPad."

The relationship matured Austin, made him more compassionate and strengthened his faith. It has also broadened his ability to accomplish new things.

"Before my dad's situation, if I saw somebody in a wheelchair, I didn't really know how to approach them," he said. "It's made me a lot more comfortable around people who have other disabilities and allowed me to be able to interact with them a little better.

"When we were in Alaska, we thought we were doing what God called us to do. It took us about a year or so to figure out that God had a different plan, and we just had to be willing to change and follow where He was leading us."

“For more coverage of high school student-athletes visit www.kshsaacovered.com presented by Capitol Federal”

November 2021 Page 8

OCTOBER WILLING WORKERS

Willing Workers met October 7 at 7:00 p.m. Debora Claassen, prayer leader, opened with the theme song and

verse. Prayer followed for missionaries Daren and Tina Busenitz, Cliff and Connie Harder, Allen and Mara-

beth Busenitz, Joel and Elaine Loewen, and other needs that were mentioned.

Brenda Harder interviewed 3 nurses; Marlys Unruh, Lenissa Busenitz, and Erika Albrecht using the theme

“Faith in the work place.” Some of the questions posed and answered by each nurse were: How did you de-

cide to enter the field of nursing? Where did you get your nursing degree ? How do you prepare mentally for

meeting people's needs? How can you show your faith in the work place? Can you share an instance where

you were able to assure/calm someone?

Nellie Myers gave a book review. She introduced books written by Michael Dawson who grew up among

and was a missionary to the Yanomamo jungle people in Venezuela: “Growing up Yanomamo”, “I can see the

shore”, and “By Faith Not by Sight”. Nellie reported on the book “By Faith Not by Sight” which was a collec-

tion of different stories about their work and experiences among the Yanomamo. The author lost his wife to

malaria while serving there.

Brenda conducted elections for next year. Shari Regier will be president, Terry Wiebe vice president,

Ramona Busenitz secretary and Debora Claassen treasurer. Projects worked on were wordless book bracelets,

necklaces, and jump ropes. The monthly project was baking supplies for local food pantries.

Hostesses Terry Wiebe and Maria Reimer served pumpkin cake for refreshments. - Shari Regier

SAM ROTMAN CONCERT “It is worth living for Jesus Christ! He is light and life of the world!” With those words, Sam Rotman, pianist summed up his concert at our church, October 16. Sam Rotman was invited to our church to share the piano music of Ludwig van Beethoven in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth and share his amazing testimony. Sam stated he played 44,000 notes on the piano that evening. Rotman is world re-nowned for his piano concerts and he has performed in 61 countries. Beethoven wrote 32 sonatas each dedicated to someone special in his life and in total wrote 855 pages of music. Rotman has memorized them all as well as music from other composers. Beethoven lost his hearing and became totally deaf but still continued writing his great masterpieces because as he said” You hear the music in your head.” Rotman uses the avenue of music to share his testimony and weaves it into the life story of Beethoven. His parents were very reli-gious Orthodox Jews who left Germany in 1940 because of Hitler and moved to Ecuador and then moved to New York in 1950. Rotman attended a Hebrew school 5 days a week from age 8 to 16 where he learned the Torah. In his words, he stated “ it was easy to be a sinner. “ He was very moral and religious but not clean on the inside. Because of his amazing musical ability, he was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. He attended for 5 years and diligently practiced piano playing for 10 hours a day. It was there he met 3 students who prayed and read the Bible. They talked about “Jesus and more Jesus.” They challenged this young Hebrew man to read the New Testament they gave him beginning with the book of John. He was amazed to learn that Jesus is the light and life of the world which made the Torah very relevant to this Jew. On May 21, 1971 he prayed to receive Jesus. His father and mother disowned him after he became a Christian. In fact his father did not even want his son to attend his funeral and Sam honored that. After his father’s death, his mother rekindled her relationship with him and prayed to receive Christ as her Messiah before she died! Won’t you accept Jesus Messiah today? - Mabel Penner

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E M M A U S M E N N O N I T E C H U R C H

Editor………………...……..…..…Debora Claassen

Youth Reporter…..................................Jill Busenitz

Staff Writers........................................................You

Layout/Circulation Editor………...Wanita Busenitz

Please send articles to: emmausechoes@gmail.com

REMEMBERING A LIFE WELL LIVED

Marvin E. Kaufman, 76, of Atlantic, Iowa and formerly of Newton, Kansas went home to be with the Lord on

Sunday, October 3, 2021 at Atlantic Specialty Care in Atlantic. He was born to Marvin J. and Elsie Kaufman

on February 12, 1945, on his mother's birthday, in McPherson, Missouri.

In his elementary years in the rural Newton, Kansas area, Marvin attended the Candy, Kelly, and Pleasant

Acres schools. He graduated from Newton Santa Fe High School and then attended Ozark Bible Institute in

Ozark, Arkansas, Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from Calvary Bible College in Kansas

City, Missouri. He received his Master's Degree in Educational Administration at Pensacola Christian College

in Pensacola, Florida.

During his time in Missouri, Marvin attended the wedding of his uncle and met the bride’s lovely niece,

Marilyn Harder. Romance was certainly in the air and the younger couple were soon united in marriage them-

selves on June 9, 1967, at the Emmaus Mennonite Church near Whitewater, Kansas.

Marvin taught at Citadel Bible College in Ozark, Arkansas and was Director of Admissions for ten years.

He later worked as a school principal for over 30 years in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. He was al-

ways thrilled to hear from his former students and made a host of friends while working as a sporting goods

sales associate for seven years at Walmart in Newton, Kansas. While in Atlantic, he kept busy buying and sell-

ing on the local swap site and worked as a funeral assistant at Roland Funeral Service for several years.

Marvin had a multitude of interests and hobbies. He loved fishing, hunting ducks, geese, and coyotes.

Raccoon hunting was tops! He was also known to treasure hunt with his metal detector in hand and grandkids

by his side; they also helped more than one friend find their lost valuables. He enjoyed collecting Hot Wheels,

Indian arrowheads, knives, old fish tackle, car license plates, and working on his Corvettes.

He loved church and would often say, “I can hardly wait till we can go to church Sunday.” Active in

church all his life, he served on numerous boards and came to their aid as Assistant Pastor on many occasions.

Marvin was most recently a member of the Evangelical Free Church of Atlantic, Iowa.

Sharing Jesus with others was very important to him. “To know God and to make him known” was his

goal in life. He was constantly reaching out to those who

seemed to have few friends. Helping and encouraging others

was his pleasure and in turn, his ready smile and constant

jokes made the day of everyone around him!

His wife Marilyn and his family were his greatest joy.

Taking Marilyn out for a cinnamon roll or out to eat was al-

ways a highlight and Sunday afternoon drives were a regular

occurrence. Combing the beach with his son Monty, bass

fishing with his son Myron, and “antiquing” with his daugh-

ter Mindy were his delight. Words can’t describe the elation

he found in his grandkids; attending their ball games, fishing

or watching the ducks and geese land on the lake at dusk to-

gether and teaching them how to identify various birds, were

enthralling.

Christmas is coming and we have

cookbooks ready for your gift

giving. They are $10 each and

available in the church office.

Good for many other occasions

also. Don't forget to pick some

up.