As a missionary/volunteer with Western Tract Mission, I’ve come to know and appreciate our director, Arnold Stobbe, quite a lot. At least I thought I did. Attending the birthday party his family put on for him was an eye-opener for me this past Saturday. I began to understand him in a new light. He is really an amazing and unique person!
The party was held in a small fellowship hall in the large Forest Grove Community Church. He was right behind the guest register desk greeting people warmly as he always does with “Good morning!” As always, he was dressed informally with a plaid cotton shirt. His wife Helena, with her halo of white curls, was busy welcoming people with hugs.
They have raised ten children, about half of them are missionaries and one a minister, and of those three were too far away to come. (One in the Carolinas, one in Alaska and one in northern Quebec). I had met a few of them, but was tickled to see what poised and capable people they all are. They were busy greeting people too, and setting up for a slide show.
Arnold’s birthday actually falls in April, and his children had gone together to give their Dad a gift of a trip to the Holy Land. The youngest son, Nathan travels a lot with his business/work and it was arranged that Nathan and his Dad would make this ten day trip together. It was arranged very quickly, and according to their reports went very well, except that the timing might have been a bit better. They arrived in Jerusalem in Passover week, and this meant that some services were not available.
Nathan was the M.C. for the program the family was putting on to honour their Dad. After his introductory remarks about the trip to Germany (where they made a quick visit to Dachau during their lay-over) and the Holy Land, and some stories to show how surprised he was that his 80 year old Dad could out-last him and many others around them, he called upon his sister Priscilla.
She also works as a missionary at W.T.M. so I thought I knew her a bit already, but was astonished at her dramatic skills. She came to the mike in a plaid shirt and light pants, and her Dad’s red mesh baseball cap. She put on a strong, in-charge kind of voice, and demonstrated how their father had always called all the children up (out of bed) and down (for breakfast), but shouting “Good morning,..” and the name of each child. Each had to respond, or he came looking for them. She showed how he shaved in the kitchen while starting the porridge. His workers needed porridge!
Ah, that explains why he always greets us with “Good Morning,” no matter what time of day.
Priscilla talked of how they had to work, and since those were lean times, payment was small. The girls got a penny for every fly they killed, and the boys got 25 cents for every pail full of nails they pulled from some old buildings their Dad had been able to obtain. With that lumber he built other buildings on their farm.
She described how he would go shopping for groceries, and would entertain the shopkeeper with his guessing games as to what items he was looking for.
(I’m afraid I wasn’t taking notes so I don’t recall everything Priscilla described).
This explains why we don’t go into debt at the mission. We make do with what we have and we do not feel sorry for ourselves.
I believe her brother Dave from Manitoba got to share some of his memories next, and I recall that he was most touched that his Dad would give him assignments but would not be down on him if he didn’t get them right the first time. But he did grow from those jobs and learned to know that if he had to ask if his work was good enough, then it wasn’t.
This is something I’ve seen too in our W.T.M. family. Arnold has great skills at delegating work, and trusting us to do our best. If it isn’t done right, he is able to show us that without hurting our feelings, but he does allow us to take ownership of our responsibilities which gives us room to grow and to do better at them.
Their son Daniel, a minister in North Battleford, and his wife Kathy, put on a puppet show. It looked like it was going to be a roast at first, but they shared more loving information about this beloved and very special man named Arnold.
We learned that Arnold always wrestled with his sons, and played games with his kids, and is very competitive. When he started losing at ping pong he sold the table. 
There were some grandchildren who performed in between some of these sharing items. Dallas, a teen fellow with a black cap pulled on backwards sat down at the piano and played a classical piece quite well. Another two women, I think a sister-in-law and niece, played “The Holy City,” as a piano duet. JayCee, a granddaughter in her early teens recited “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”
There was an open mike time where others could share unplanned items. Several did, including Arnold’s brother and older sister. (Naomi had asked me when I arrived if I might share something so I gave a few comments about how Arnold has made the staff at W.T.M. feel like family too, and now I can see where he learned his leadership style).
He used to load tools and kids into his car and take them up north in spring to fix and prepare some Bible camps for the summer ministry to kids. That so man of their children are missionaries appears to be a natural consequence of his own interest in evangelism and ministry.
We learned of the church he started in Hafford when he discovered there were no Christians there. The pastor of the Blaine Lake Church reported how Arnold kept way ahead of him in doing visitation all over that larger town, when they retired there and everyone - but everyone knew Arnold!
Now they live in the city here, and they are working in a new church plant near them.
The oldest grandson, from Manitoba, shared how much it meant to him that his grandparents make an effort to be at his graduation, and every grandchild’s baptism, if possible, etc. That is outstanding. I do know they have made trips for such reasons.
It was neat to see too, how when Arnold’s grandchildren were performing a special item, he was one of the first people to jump up with his camera and take a photo of them.
It seemed to me that just about every piece of good parenting advice I’ve ever heard, seemed to be exemplified in Arnold’s life. Age 80 is but a milestone he is passing as he continues strong and resilient, and I can safely speak for the staff and missionaries at W.T.M. that we are very fond and proud of our fearless and cheerful, hearty father-director too!
Oh, of course, there was a long table laden with sweets and veggies and dips, etc., with lots of visiting happening among the guests afterward. The daughter Naomi had organized this, and it was very well done. They were planning another event for the following afternoon, to celebrate Naomi and Carl’s son’s wedding - which happened further away a week or two ago.
P.S. Whew, this got longer than I’d expected, but now I don’t really have time to edit it down, so you get the longer, raw version.
Sunday afternoon she whined and begged by the back door like petulant two-year old. So I put on the harness and leash, but then she would lie down, and wait for me to pick her up. I sat on the back step to have my bowl of soup with her in my lap. By the evening I decided it was time to take a lawn chair out. Yesterday, we had another two sessions. I even carried her to the neighbour’s fence to say “Hi” to Snickers, the chocolate Lab. Snowflake stared her down.
Now I think of her as a very brave seven-month old cat. The burrr of fear in her belly is as strong as her loudest purr indoors, but if I hold her, she is game to go outside and take in all the sights and sounds and smells. You should see how busily her pink nose twitches!