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Boissevain, Man.
Finding God’s goodness in the midst of change

Aggie and Glen Buhler

“Washing dishes sure beats shovelling grain,” quips Glen Buhler. He and his wife Aggie own Windy Willow Catering near Boissevain, Man. The Buhlers made the transition from grain farming to catering in the spring of l999.

“It’s only up. It can’t get any worse,” Aggie chuckles, as she reflects on the courage it took to quit farming and find something that would work. “There have been desperate cries to God for strength,” she admits.

Prior to making the change from full-time farming to catering, the Buhlers ran themselves ragged trying to fix things on their own. Glen’s health suffered due to the financial stress. At first, Aggie wasn’t willing to take the risk of making a change. She didn’t think she had the faith to let go of the farm and still know that everything would be all right. Peace came to the family when they both were at the same point of trust.

“The moment we decided to let go of the farm and let God be in control, instead of trying to fix it though all of our efforts, we found peace,” she says. The day this decision was made, Glen was offered four different jobs.

The ability of the family to stay on their farm, where they’ve put in a lot of hard work over the years, has been a blessing. The Buhlers, who are members of Boissevain Mennonite Brethren Church, still have the same church family and friends. Aggie is thankful that, with God’s timing and goodness, they have found a way to earn a living while staying at home with their four school-aged children, who also help with the catering.

Options for the farm came from talking to farm consultants and caterers. In the first transition year, Glen worked at four different places using his construction and farm skills to give his family financial security. Selling some land and renting out the rest allows him to work at the catering alongside Aggie as well as do custom work for a neighbouring farmer. The Buhlers also run a two-acre strawberry farm that sees lots of action in July.

They were able to put together a commercial kitchen at a low cost. When calls started coming in, Aggie prayed about every job because she felt inadequate. However, her childhood years of working alongside her mother, Kaethe Loewen Epp, at North Kildonan MB Church in Winnipeg proved an excellent training ground for her catering business.

Windy Willow Catering’s first client was served bison burgers at a workshop in February l999. Since then, word of mouth has grown the business. Today, a staff of eight to 10 caters whole-hog barbecues, weddings and private dinners in a newly renovated one-room schoolhouse. The Buhlers also cater corporate events and conferences at the nearby International Peace Gardens, including the Western premier’s conference last May.

The Buhlers enjoy what they do, especially meeting new people. They even had complete strangers hug them after a function – which is affirmation for their new line of work.

“Even if you quit farming, maybe you don’t have to move,” Aggie stresses. “You can wake up every morning and look out the same window. The change has been for the better. The main thing was to let go and trust.”

The Buhlers are experiencing God’s goodness in real ways as they find new opportunities at Windy Willows Kitchens.

 – Elaine Froese

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Last modified August 2, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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