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Cast your bread upon the waters

Rachel M. Bryant

The year was 1944. War was raging in Europe. Gasoline, meat, butter and sugar were rationed. There was a feeling of tension in the air. A young minister, with his wife and two little children, was pastoring a very small church in a very small town in northern Alberta. They lived in a storefront building which opened onto the board sidewalk of Main Street. Money was scarce, but they were happy ministering to the spiritual needs of the community.

Christmas was rapidly approaching. The pastor’s wife was practising a Christmas program with the Sunday school children and wanted to give each child a bag of treats at the program, but how to manage it was a problem. The Sunday school had no spare funds with which to buy candy and fruit. They prayed about it, and the answer seemed to be, “Use what you have. It will be enough.” They had earlier bought a box of C grade green MacIntosh apples for themselves, far cheaper than choice quality red ones. They had also bought two pounds of peanuts as a Christmas treat for their own children. They used their precious ration coupons for enough sugar to make popcorn balls and peanut brittle. Forty bags were made up, each with a green apple, a popcorn ball, a few peanuts and a bit of brittle. On Sunday morning, the program went off very well, and the children were happy with their bags of treats.

On Monday morning, a Native mother came calling. After a few minutes of small talk about the cold, snowy weather, she came to the point of her visit. “Missus, I got nine kids, and they won’t have no Christmas a-tall. Kin I borrow ten dollars?”

“Oh, Mrs. K—, I don’t have any money.” Then, thinking fast of what she had that she could share, she went on, “But do you have any apples?” The answer was no, so she quickly filled a paper sack with most of the rest of the green apples. The box was nearly empty now, just four or five apples left.

Tuesday was train day, when the twice-weekly train came in from Edmonton. Shortly after the train arrived, the express wagon drew up at the minister’s front door with a great snorting of the horses in the frosty air. The driver delivered a big parcel into the living room. The little family gathered round while the minister opened the box. The top layer contained beautifully wrapped gifts. There were knitted mittens and slippers for the children, toys and colouring books, even a doll. There were hand-embroidered pillow cases and toiletries of various kinds, even a white shirt. How could anyone know that the minister’s only Sunday shirt had frayed cuffs and the collar had already been turned? These were put under the little tree to await Christmas morning. The lower part of the box contained ten pounds of mixed nuts, five pounds of peanuts, a variety of hard candies and chocolates, raisins, dates, cheese, canned goods and even a well-wrapped chicken ready for the oven. A group of students in a college in central Alberta had chosen this family to be recipients of their Christmas parcel. What excitement!

Wednesday was Christmas Eve. As was their usual custom, the couple put their little ones to bed and went out caroling. She had her violin along, and they sang in the frosty air for several elderly folk and shut-ins. Their final stop was a small hospital, where they sang in the main hall so all the patients could hear.

On coming home, they nearly stumbled over a big box inside the back door. “Who has been here?” they asked their babysitter.

He replied, “It was Mr. Kerr the storekeeper, bringing a Christmas present for you.” It was a 40-pound box of Red Delicious apples.

What a Christmas that was! They stood with their arms around each other. With tears, the minister’s wife said, “We gave away the little that we had, and God gave us back so much.” The young minister quoted reverently, “Cast your bread upon the waters, and you shall find it after many days” (Ecclesiastes 11:1).

How do I know the details of that Christmas so intimately? I was that minister’s wife.

Rachel M. Bryant is a member of Chilliwack Central MB Church in Chilliwack, B.C.

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Last modified December 7, 2001.

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