Page 73 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels
P. 73
The churches in this district were built of stone and were typically simple
rectangular structures with a peaked slate roof, a modest steeple, and no
heating. In the winter, the humidity could condense and freeze on the
walls, making a crust of ice! To keep warm, people used foot stoves. The
stoves were wooden boxes with air holes and a metal liner. Into the box
you placed an earthenware receptacle filled with glowing chunks of peat.
These "warme stoven" could be rented for two or three pennies from a
little store next to the church. If the peat was not hot enough it would
smoke terribly and give a most unpleasant odor. The women were
prepared for this, and brought cologne, which they sprinkled upon their
handkerchiefs and waved to freshen the air.
Children can have some rather creative interpretations of their religious
faith, and Willem was no exception. He recalled a childish notion he had
about the location of God. "The church building was behind the
parsonage and could be clearly seen from the upstairs bedrooms.
Halfway along the edge of the roof was a box-like catch into which the
eaves poured the rainwater." Perhaps it was the strange noises it made
in the rain, or perhaps it was the mystery of a small box able to accept
limitless amounts of water. In any case, he said, "I often looked at this
box and thought of it as a place where God was. Anyway, it gave me a
sense of his nearness."
An early portent of Willem's future in the ministry occurred when he was
perhaps six years old. The church services usually lasted for two hours.
There were some preliminary activities that preceded the entrance of the
pastor. Typically, the village schoolmaster would read a chapter to the
congregation before the clergyman entered to give the sermon. It was
at the end of these preliminaries that young Willem decided to take
charge. In his own words: "One Sunday morning I managed to slip away
from my mother and went to the pulpit of my father's church. I had to
stand on a stool to be seen, and announced a hymn to the congregation
and they sang - that pleased me. After the hymn I offered a prayer, (and)
after that I announced a second hymn. During the prayer I noticed my
father standing in the rear. During the singing of the second hymn he
came to the pulpit and carried me down to my mother's pew. I don't
know what I would have done beyond announcing a hymn because I
couldn't read."
One morning, when the children were walking to the Christian school in
the other village, they could see that they would pass near a group of
cows in a pasture. For some reason they felt intimidated or afraid of this
herd. They decided to close their eyes and pray for the scary cows to go
away. When they opened their eyes, they were pleased to see that the
cows had turned around and were walking away. Though it may seem a
childish incident, it served to reinforce their belief in a God who answers
prayers.
- Childhood - page 6 -