Kelly Hofer: Calgary Flood pt 1:3

Kelly Hofer, the Hutterite photographer, captured the floods inundating Calgary, Alberta, late last month.  With his permission, we are sharing his experience and a few of his images with you revealing the flood and its impact on the community.

Part 1:  Inundation and Quiet 
          ne Äwaschwaminj enn ne stell Tiet


all images used by permission and (c) Kelly Hofer, 2013.

Rhubarb

 Rhubarb Ru'boaba 

  It is still rhubarb (ru-boaba) season in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Manitoba -- and it seems to be a bumper crop.

2 1/2 gallons of raw chopped rhubarb makes 20 2-cup packages

   My friend Steve Dahl returned from Wisconsin with three paper grocery bags filled with rhubarb and so we had a chopping party and decided to split our harvest into three products -- two gallons of chopped rhubarb were dry frozen (without preservatives, liquid or syrup) in 2-cup amounts for use in pies, cakes, muffins, breads, ice-cream and other delicacies.  

    Dry-frozen rhubarb should be frozen in zip-lock baggies or in freezer bags.  The goal is to remove as much oxygen as possible to prevent discolouration.  

    Dry-frozen rhubarb may be kept for up to six months... longer than that and one might want to consider freezing the rhubarb in a protective mixture of fruit juice or fruit syrup.  Dry-frozen rhubarb may freezer-burn but should be ok as long as it is used within the six-month period.

    Note that I heartily and unofficially endorse the Cuisinart line of chef knives available at Macy's and at Lowe's as being one of the best, most comfortable and edge-retaining chef knives for the money.  One might spend more, but I have found that Cuisinart are easily cleaned, require minimal maintenance and sharpening, and easily fit the hand.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Dump Cake 

4 to 5 cups of cubed rhubarb (raw) (two frozen packages)1 cup sugar 
1 (3 oz) package of strawberry Jello 
1 white cake mix 
1 1/4 cup water 
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

    Put ingredients in a buttered 9 x 12 x 2-inch pan in even layers in the order that they are given - do not mix. Bake in a 350° oven for about 1 hour. 
    Delicious served warm with ice-cream, half-and-half or cream.

Rhubarb Sauce uses about 1/2 the sugar of a true jam.

    BUT our hearts were truly set on other things. 

Jams require twice the sugar as a preservative.

      Being Mennonite, one can hardly go through the summer without rodercoca and rhubarb sauce or rhubarb sauce on bread, cake or ice-cream.  So... we pulled out my Great-grandmother Mercedes Knuth - Conatser's recipe for rhubarb sauce (recalling Gladys Kauffman's secret of adding just a few raspberries for color and a more fruity taste).

    We will make 1 gallon of rhubarb sauce and 2 gallons of rhubarb - berry jam, adapting a recipe Nancy Wall collected from an old issue of Country Woman Journal.  

    In the city, Aldi's tends to have the best prices on produce... so we will scout the Asian markets for berries and probably purchase from Aldi's a mixture of blueberries and strawberries to add to the jam mixture.

    Before hand, we have packed both rhubarb mixtures in appropriate amounts of sugar to help break down the juices.  Jams take about twice the amount of sugar as does a sauce.  Sauces require sugar as a sweetener, while jellies and jams require enough sugar to act as a preservative.

    Caution:  like other fruits, rhubarb will darken if left out in the air, so we placed a layer of plastic wrap directly over the sugar-fruit mixtures with an additional covering to stop air flow.

    But, we will have to keep you in suspense until tomorrow to see how this all turns out.  Happy Rhubarb Season!

4th of July, 2013, in Egypt

    From the Bible Society of Egypt... As Americans celebrate the birth of their Democracy and the spirit of Freedom in America, so too, others are celebrating around the world.  Bruderthaler is sharing this post to help get the information out regarding what fellow Christians are saying about the situation in Egypt.  The impression is far different than that shared on Fox and CNN. 

   This is shared both to help spread the good word and to encourage those who support the Bible Society of Egypt and its work.

 ~ Bruderthaler

(taken from  Bible Society of Egypt Newsletter)

July 03, 2013

Dear friends,

Thanks for your concern

You undoubtedly see the images of what is happening in Egypt on TV and worry about us and pray for us!

The real picture

What you do not know is that the real picture from the inside is radically different from what you imagine.  The pictures you see in this newsletter are of happy people - including Rebecca and myself - participating in the demonstrations demanding the resignation of our President.  Unlike previous demonstrations in which I participated at this very location in front of the Presidential Palace (when there was barbed wire, riot police and tear gas), these demonstrations have been, for the most part, unusually peaceful.

The crowds around us were in a festive mood, parents, children, old people, all chanting for the fall of the Government and enthusiastically waving flags and banners.  As Rebecca and I walked through the crowds we did not feel unsafe in spite of the incredibly crowded conditions and the complete lack of any police or army presence.  On the contrary, we all felt very proud to be Egyptians and to be among so many wonderful compatriots from Christians to conservative, Muslim, veiled women! The  concern, enthusiasm, passion and love for our country which we all shared was exhilarating and made us all the more loyal to our great nation.

frolichen jeburtsdach Kanada - Steinbach Style!

en wofeldach en Laundeskaunslasch

    The Mennonite Heritage Village Museum which preserves the history of the Manitoba's Mennonites in Steinbach, retaining both the rich heritage of the Prussian and Russian migrations, and the contributions of these industrious and faithful folk to Canada, celebrated Canada Day (01 July) in style with traditional Mennonite waffles, tractor rides, political stumping and all the joys of life in the new land.

    The following is a photo journal of this celebration, taken from the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum Facebook page.  For more information, please visit:  Mennonite Heritage Museum

  

At the starting gate.... the main entrance

Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen

MP Vic Toews

 

Phoenix 2013, Mennonite Church - USA Convention

Phoenix Convention Center courtesy City of Phoenix

PHOENIX   2013 

and the Ghosts of 1898

    In choosing to maintain Phoenix, Arizona, as the location for the national Mennonite Church – USA conference, over the objections of many in the Hispanic, immigrant and pro-LGBTQ Mennonite community, church leaders have resurrected age-old conflicts and divisions that have often haunted those in the Mennonite diaspora since the first national conferences beginning in 1898.

   In 2011, Iglesia Menonita Hispana, MC-USA’s Hispanic identity, confronted the national church over the then-scheduled Phoenix Convention for 2013.  Iglesia was concerned about recent Arizona legislation putting Hispanic and minority or immigrant Americans at risk for being detained by Arizona law enforcement officers and being forced to carry and demonstrate proof of legal citizenship.  At risk were numerous Mennonites in the United States who lack proper citizenship papers, not just those of Hispanic culture. 

    Iglesia was concerned about the risks MC–USA was asking Latino Mennonites to endure in order to travel to Phoenix.  Responding to MC-USA’s decision, Iglesia responded that it was “hurt by the symbolic message this sent to Latino Mennonites,” and that it would not participate in the conference.  (Sarah Thompson, Christian Peacemaker Teams).

 “In order to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are undocumented, we choose to stand with them and advocate on their behalf before the church and government, and also choose to abstain from attending the 2013 convention if held in Phoenix.  If the Phoenix site is chosen, we will bless the people who will be attending the event and will continue to pray.  While we are blessing the people and the event, it does NOT mean that we endorse the location.  We would also ask that ANY staff or board member (of any ethnicity) that would choose not to attend the convention if held in Phoenix be allowed to do so without question.” (quote from IMH letter of Dec 2011)

Members of the Iglesia Menonita Hispana board and other leaders at IMH’s May 3–4 “Celebrating Immigration” event: Gilberto Cortéz from Oregon, IMH Board; Soledad López from Pennsylvania; Stanley Green of Mennonite Mission Network; Samuel López, IMH moderator from Pennsylvania; David Maldonado, IMH moderator-elect from Florida; Madeline Maldonado, IMH director of finances from Florida; Leona Diener, board member from Texas; Juanita Nuñez, board member from Florida; Tania Guzman, board member from New York; Nicolás Angustia, board member from New York; Juan Montes, California board member, and Rafael Barahona, Mennonite Education Agency. (Photo: Rafael Barahona) courtesy MC-USA.

    As early as 2010, other groups voiced their support for Iglesia noting that they share in a common cause.