Winter Storm

Share a story about a severe winter storm.

We probably had several severe winter storms in Dayton, Ohio during my childhood and teen years, but they have not left ugly memories. I delighted in the snow and slid on the ice. Snowballs were what winters were made for!

The snowfall I remember best occurred in San Antonio, Texas, while Larry and I were teaching there in our Hispanic seminary. Most of our students had never handled snow before so the day turned into a snowball picnic. Students even climbed up on the dorm roof and scraped off snow to be sure they got it all. I arrived in my classroom about 8:00AM and immediately was greeted by a snowball that flew over my head, hit the blackboard, then splashed into pieces on my desk! I knew there was just one person on campus who could aim that well. Sure enough, it was Joe Rodriguez! Dr. Jose Rodriguez had thrown that snowball from the opposite side of the campus - a long distance. He's a real pro! When we reached home, a cute little neighbor kid came over and asked politely, "Can we borrow your snow?"

First Job

Tell me about your first job.

I was still in high school and hoping to go to Olivet College, so took a job at Metropolitan Clothing Co. My first assignment was to work at the cash register. This included the job of doing gift wraps, other than during pre-Christmas rush, when a special group of workers was assigned to the this job. Little by little, I became acquainted with the salesmen. I took their merchandise bagged it or gift-wrapped it, and rang up sales and gave change. But one day during the Christmas rush, and unknown "salesman" came to me and asked me to do a gift-wrap for his customer. In a business-like voice, I said "Gift wrapping is being done over there," and pointed to the table designated for that job. The man meekly walked to that table, but my shocked fellow worker said, "Do you realize that that man is the president of this store?" (He didn't fire me!)

Chores and Allowance

What chores did you have to do when you were growing up? Did you get an allowance? How much was it?

One of our chores, of course, was to make our bed before going to school. No allowance for failure to make it up! We also washed and dried dishes very frequently. Our pay was the delicious food that Mother had served in those dishes. Lois and I found ways to have fun on that job, flipping tea towels at each other, reciting Latin verb conjugations, or teasing unmercifully. On one occasion our fun was so intense that we broke a dishpan full of dishes. We had to pay for those out of our very slim income. One of my duties was to do the Saturday dusting. (No pay!) The one pleasure this job afforded at appropriate times of the year was that of picking fresh flowers and arranging them in vases before doing the dusting. It was a pleasant way to procrastinate! I did get a nickel a week for scrubbing the kitchen floor.

Pet

What was the name of your favorite pet? Why was it your favorite?

Mitzy was my favorite pet. Our parents (especially Dad) didn't want our pets in the house, but Mitzy got by disobeying the house rules much better than the four Kendall kids did! Perhaps her disobedience was one of the reasons why we liked her so well.

She had several litters of kittens, so that we learned from her some of the basic facts of life. One of her personality traits was strong perseverance. If she was lucky enough to get into the house and to find the closet door in our patents bedroom open at delivery time, she would joyfully give birth to at least four kittens right there under Dad and Mom's clothes! And when we would dutifully move that tiny quartet to an equally nice nest outdoors, she would stubbornly return her family - one at a time and by the neck-to that favorite closet upstairs. I think her middle name was "Never Give Up"!

Favorite Meal

What was your favorite meal when you were a child? What made it your favorite?

Homemade ice cream was my really favorite meal. In many cases, my parents brought in snow right after it had fallen, then made delicious ice cream in our simple way. It was fun to stand over the register and feel the warmth from the furnace while we ate our snowy ice cream.

In summer our parents made ice cream in a regular ice cream maker. In either case, the product was "a bit of heaven on earth."

Helping to bring in the snow, or in summer helping to grind the ice, made this food preparation a family affair. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why home-made ice cream was a favorite meal. But letting that delightful delicacy melt slowly in our mouths lengthened the time of our delight. Perhaps this also explains our preference.

Getting To School

How far did you have to travel to attend elementary, junior high, and high school, and how did you get there?

I went to Jackson School for first and second grades. The school was less than a half mile from our home on Ardmore. I walked either through the fields or on the railroad track a part of the way. That trip was fun. Gathering wild flowers or balancing on rails or walking with friends made those trips special.

When we moved to Woodward Avenue, I still could take a part of my trip to school through a field or on the railroad tracks, but we were only about 3 blocks from the school.

Roosevelt High (including both junior and senior high) was only 2 blocks farther! Our parents never owned a car. So we weren't even tempted to want a car ride to school.

Valentine

Describe a memorable Valentine you received.

Of course, we exchanged valentines all through grade school. I was proud of the number of valentines I received each year. Valentines from Paul Nock meant the most to me, because he was my first boyfriend. We were in our early teens. Paul was a fellow Christian and was generous with his gifts. I wonder how much delicious chocolate I enjoyed because of Paul's expressions of love! We never held hands, nor hugged, nor kissed each other. We were simply good friends.

Perhaps the best "valentine" from Paul was the small note he put on his heart when he learned that "unus" meant one. His Latin teacher gave him a romantic idea (without knowing it!) He explained to me that I was unus=Number One - First on his heart. I think that was the nearest moment to romance I had during my teen years!

First Bible

Who gave you your first Bible and how old were you when you received it? How did it influence your life?

I really don't remember when I received my first Bible. It has been an integral part of my life as far back as I can remember. My parents both took family devotions quite seriously and helped us develop a love for the Word of God.

I recall the shock I received when I discovered the contempt which some of my junior and senior high school teachers showed toward God's Word. My chemistry teacher made fun of me in front of the whole class, simply because I believed in the Biblical account of creation. My 8th grade English teacher caught me reading my Bible during a free reading period and told me I had to bring another type of book for that weekly assignment. I wonder what she would have said if I had brought a volume of Wesley's Works!

Becoming A Christian

When did you become a Christian? How did your life change?

I was 5 years old. I had a brand new baby sister, Esther Frances. I was jealous of her and of my popular sister Lois Faith, who was 16 months younger than I. My anger and jealousy found expression in disobedience and rebellion. I walked through Mr. Brown's carefully trimmed hedge, mistreated Lois, and was disobedient to the lady who was caring for mother and the new baby. (Mrs. Ganther) But the Lord convicted me, and I finally shared my situation with Mother. I confessed my sins to her, and she wisely recognized that I had reached the age of accountability. She instructed me to kneel by her bedside and ask God's forgiveness. And there, next to Mother and little Esther at her side, I was born again. The newborn was no longer a threat, because my own birth in Christ changed my outlook. God's love and peace erased the ugly resentments and anger. I was a child of God!

God

Who was the first person to talk to you about God? What effect did this have on you?

Both of my parents took quite seriously their responsibility of training us in basic Christian beliefs. Family prayer was an integral part of our daily life. We had family devotions twice a day, and our parents took us to church twice on Sunday, to prayer meetings on Wednesday, and to revival services every night during protracted meetings - sometimes 2 or 3 weeks long, and occasionally as long as six weeks.

We were introduced to Wesleyan theology as soon as we could begin to understand spiritual matters. Consequently the Lord saved me when I was five years old, and sanctified me when I was 12 (Dec. 21, 1930)

The clear concept of God's love and holiness created in me a strong desire to be like Him and a wholesome vision of my own evangelistic responsibilities. Such spiritual preparation made it natural for me to say a joyful "YES!" when God called me as a missionary to Guatemala.

Memory of Grandparents

Share a memory of your grandparents or an older person you loved

I loved Grandma Kendall and Grandpa Bond, and admired them, but early in life I sensed a special attachment to my Aunt Frances, a sister of my father. Grandpa Kendall had died when my father was only four years old. Aunt Frances took a role of mother - father- aunt, and more. She took responsibility at home but earned the family income as an outstanding public school teacher. People in Cynthiana, Ohio recognized her skill and admired her. After she had taught for several years the local politicians tried to force her to vote in favor of their candidates. Aunt Frances was willing to lose her teaching job (25 years of first -class service) rather than yield to unethical political pressure. But God supplied her needs. She continued to care for her invalid mother and for other members of the family who came to her for help. She was very active in her church (Church of Christ in Christian Union). The church folk and all the rest of us admired and loved her. She was Christlike.