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Jennifer Smith
jsmith@pennfoundation.org

Charismatic. Selfless. Fearless. Great sense of humor. Deeply spiritual. Larger-than-life. These adjectives describe a man whose gifts and calling touched more lives than he ever realized. They tell the story of a devoted husband, father, grandfather, clinician, and colleague who had an eccentric affinity for chasing storms during his leisure time and an even stronger passion for serving others while “at work.” These words don’t reveal the deeply troubled part of a genuinely compassionate man who spent his life helping others but who, in the end, could not help himself.

On February 16, 2007, Bill Blumenthal, Associate Director of Penn Foundation’s Recovery Center, chose to take his own life. He left behind a shocked, angry, and grieving network of family, friends, and colleagues struggling to understand Bill’s decision and to overcome their own feelings of helplessness and guilt at not being able to save him. As one man put it at Bill’s memorial service, “Bill lost his way. That means I also lost my way.”

About Bill
During his 15-year tenure at Penn Foundation as an addictions counselor and administrator, Bill positively impacted countless persons struggling with debilitating addictions and their families.

He brought a unique perspective to his role; like many of his clients, Bill had struggled with addiction and depression. Through his experience of recovery, Bill heard his calling to become an addictions counselor.

Where Were the Warning Signs?
“How could this happen, especially in an environment
like Penn Foundation where there are countless professionals trained to detect signs of suicidal risk?” The answer lies deep in the despair of a man suffering from a recurrence of depression that led him, unknown to those around him, back into relapse.

People, both at work and at home, had noticed Bill struggling with an increased level of stress but nothing that signaled the depth of the problem. He had gone back to his psychiatrist and was being treated for depression. What no one suspected was that, at some point, Bill had also started self-medicating with prescription medicines his doctor did not prescribe and that he was, in fact, in active relapse. Until the night before he took his life, Bill kept this fact hidden from everyone around him. When it came to light, Bill could not face the implications this had for his family, his work, and his life. And his depression had narrowed his ability to conceive that there might be a way out of his despair.

As hard as it is to understand and accept, what happened to Bill happens to a lot of people with the difficult and complicated illnesses of addiction and depression. They often believe that there is no resolution to their pain.

Picking Up the Pieces
After learning of Bill’s tragic death and acknowledging the range of emotions that would inevitably follow, John Goshow, Penn Foundation CEO, immediately sought outside professional help for Bill’s colleagues. “I did not try to control anyone’s feelings,” explains John. “The important thing was to give staff time to heal and the opportunity to grieve in their own way.”

In addition to offering individual and group counseling to employees, staff were invited to 15 minutes of daily prayer every morning for two weeks. Although he was struggling with his own unanswered questions and emotions, Chaplain Carl Yusavitz found comfort in talking with staff. “We were all having the same emotions and in that, learned to take care of each other,” says Carl.

Moving On
“The important thing for any church or organization
forced to endure a tragedy like this is to be open and honest about it,” advises John. “It’s acknowledging that emotions are going to be raw; it’s embracing those emotions; and it’s providing several different avenues to navigate the overwhelming grief.”

Adds Carl, “Scripture can offer tremendous comfort in the midst of a difficult time such as this. It can come alive in a way that it never did before. God uses life situations to speak to us, and the Bible provides the text.”

“When I was fighting cancer, Bill once asked me ‘Where’s the gift?’” says Cyndy, Bill’s wife of 21 years. “At the time, that was the last thing I wanted to hear. But it stuck with me. I think about that question now as I deal with Bill’s death. There are gifts even in the hardest times. If we can learn something from Bill’s experience that can be used to help others facing these issues, then that is truly a gift.”

Mark Derstine
markd@soudertonhomes.org

I turned 60 years of age last month. It is an important marker indicating how far I have journeyed in the path of life. For those of you who are younger, it may seem that my journey is already a long one. Many of the older adults I serve with as chaplain at Souderton Mennonite Homes, in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, remind me that God may yet grant many years of life and service.

In Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” he speaks about two roads diverging in a yellow wood. One could not travel both, one needed to make a choice. I have experienced many such choices. Sometimes these choices have been difficult because both pathways may appear to be within God’s will and are encouraged by others. Sometimes these choices are even more difficult when there are more than two pathways to choose from. Sometimes one has to choose when no pathway is visible, plunging into the brush with fear and trembling.

But the paths I have experienced have been far from straight or easy. There have been many turns and detours and new directions. An unexpected fork in the road that had profound impact occurred during my first year at Eastern Mennonite College. I received my military draft notice. I was not granted student deferment and needed to leave college after my first semester. I was clear about my conviction to serve in the way of peace and non-violence and chose two years of alternate service as a psychiatric aide.

Following these two years, marriage to Carolyn Mininger, daughter of Harold and Myrtle Mininger of Souderton, PA, joined our paths together for the journey since that time. It has included finishing my college studies at Eastern Mennonite College, then moving to Washington, DC where I served as “congregational coordinator” at Hyattsville Mennonite Church for two years, then working in a “youth counseling” program for two years at a Family Service Agency on the outskirts of Washington DC, and then a move to Elkhart, IN where I completed my seminary degree at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

My first clear call and service in pastoral ministry began in 1978, when I responded to the call to serve as Associate Pastor at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church. I was blessed in many ways to be able to share in ministry at Blooming Glen because I felt the encouragement and support of many members. During these years I also became aware that the calling and responsibilities of pastoral ministry increasingly became a personal struggle and stress. I came to the conviction that I needed to leave the pastoral ministry for my own healing and wholeness.

I joined an insurance agency in Souderton. It became a very different kind of ministry. I had the opportunity to serve and relate to many different kinds of persons. It became a place of healing and renewal for me that would be the focus of my vocational life for the next 18 years, much longer than I would have imagined.

Several years ago I felt the restlessness of God calling again. At first I didn’t know what this new path would be. The more I searched and received the counsel of others; I was drawn to reclaim the calling to pastoral ministry. This time, I was led on toward ministry with older adults.

It has been a joy to be part of the ministry at Souderton Mennonite Homes. It is to learn spiritual wisdom from older adults and learn what joys and hardships are part of the last stages of life. It is to be given the special privilege of representing the presence of Christ in those holy moments when one’s journey in this life comes to an end and one’s spirit is surrendered to God.

There are many roads that diverge in our lives. I could have chosen other roads too. But I have learned it is not necessary to ask if all the roads were the best. What I have learned to be of the most importance is the faith that God’s guidance, love, and grace will be with me whatever the path. And that has made all the difference.

Jessica Walter

“Any place where one is working for the Lord, one will face challenges and joys,” states Pastor Hien Truong of Vietnamese Gospel Mennonite Church, Allentown, PA. Hien would know. Since his commitment to Christ as a law student in Vietnam, his journey has been marked by the struggle of persecution and the joy of following God’s call.

Hien was born into a struggling Buddhist family who hoped that one day he would become a Buddhist monk and bring success to the family. When he returned home to share the Good News with his family he was asked to choose between them or his newfound faith in Christ. Hien could not deny the call of Christ in his life. However, a year later he came home to take care of his mother who was ill and through the devotion he displayed to his mother, his family relationships were restored.

After graduation from law school, Hien began to reach out to the poor in his community. He offered legal assistance, taught the Bible to illiterate children, and began to work with the Vietnamese Mennonite Church. In 2004 the pastor, Nguyen Hong Quang, Hien was working with was arrested and Hien fled to Cambodia in the face of his own arrest. From Cambodia he continued his ministries with the Vietnamese church until coming to the United States in 2005.

These experiences of faith and persecution shape Pastor Hien’s ministry at Vietnamese Gospel. He continues to be concerned with and provide support for the Vietnamese Christians in Cambodia. “The Vietnamese and other Christians in Cambodia are disadvantaged economically, ethnically, educationally, and are persecuted and harassed by authorities.” Hien is disturbed that human rights organizations give more to these brothers and sisters in Christ than do churches from the United States. He hopes that he can help motivate others in Franconia Conference to expand their ministry not only to the Vietnamese community in Allentown but also to those in Cambodia and Vietnam. He notes that the Mennonite church he recently visited to help plant in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, is young and needs not only financial support but also prayer, training, and guidance.

Some of the members of Vietnamese Gospel are concerned that Hien’s heart is still in Vietnam. However, Hien reassures them that while the support he provides to the under-privileged Vietnamese in Cambodia is a significant part of his calling he also is called to pastoral ministry in Allentown. He is deeply committed to Vietnamese Gospel and is thankful for their support, respect, and patience as he learns English and ministry in a new context. He hopes that Vietnamese Gospel can grow and reach out to their surrounding community. He works to challenge them while also seeking to meet their needs where they are.

Hien feels grateful for the way God has worked in his life and knows that God’s hand is guiding him along his path. He is thankful to have been spared the trials of his peers, acknowledging that while he has suffered some persecution others have experienced worse. “The Lord knows me and has shown me mercy. I feel satisfied with His blessings and where He has led me.”

Editors Note: According to Mennonite World Conference there are 12,882 Mennonite and Brethern in Christ members in Vietnam. Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang was eventually released from prison and continues to lead a house church. However, his church, located in Ho Chi Minh City, continues to be harassed by local officials. Recently several members were arrested and detained for hours while local authorities tore down renovations made on the building in the summer of 2006. For more information
visit www.mwc-cmm.org.

David Landis
dplandis@mosaicmennonites.org

“Our theology and identity is fundamentally Anabaptist, and justice is the model of Jesus,” states Ofelia García Hernandez, moderator of the Conferencia Iglesias Evangélicas
Anabautistas Menonitas de México (CIEAMM), the Mennonite conference in the Mexico City region. She also serves as the pastor of Pueblo en Transformación, which vibrantly expresses itself as an Anabaptist agent to promote social justice in the surrounding neighborhood.

Living up to its name as a people of transformation, this church of around 60 persons on the southwest side of Mexico City has started initiatives to meet the needs of the local community. They have invested much by countering drug trafficking with youth, offering summer Bible Schools with a peace education component, and providing support programs for single women who suffer from family violence, sexual assault, and poor economic status.

Ofelia is one of three women pastors in CIEAMM. She admits that being a woman in church leadership has at times been challenging in relating to church leaders in both North American and Mexican contexts. With around 90% of the church being made up of women and children, having a woman in leadership has provided an atmosphere of hospitality and approachability within the community as they addresses women’s needs in the neighborhood.

Vicenta Camacho is currently one of the deaconesses of the church, coming to the Anabaptist faith from a Baptist background. She’s passionate about serving the needs of the community of God, something she had difficulty doing in previous church experiences as a woman. At Pueblo en Transformación, Vincenta sees her ability to use her abilities and skills as a deaconess, as an expression of the Anabaptist value of justice, promoting gender equality in leadership roles. She says, “If someone works in this church, it is because of the gifts they have.”

Since 2004, a relationship with Deep Run East Mennonite church has been budding with Pueblo en Transformación. Both groups have had opportunities to visit each other’s congregations over the past few years, supporting each other by helping with service projects, exchanging prayer lists, and providing financial resources.

With the difficulty for Mexican youth to travel together to the United States due to stringent visa policies, the partnership has been embodied through service with the
MAMA Project in Honduras, where members from both Deep Run East and Pueblo en Transformación can travel freely.

Ofelia’s dream for the developing relationships between Deep Run East and her congregation in Mexico values everyone at the same level, utilizing gifts with mutual respect, and sharing resources. While Pueblo en Transformación may not be able to contribute material resources in the same way that is possible for Deep Run East, they are able to offer an opportunity to volunteer, serve, and learn in the Mexican context, deepening the understanding of what it means to be a global Anabaptist community.