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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) to the Call of God

by Cornelius Friesen

80 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #05-3047; ISBN 1-4120-8049-5; US$17.35, C$19.95, EUR14.25, £9.98

An interesting account of one Mennonite man's struggle with attention-deficit disorder to the call of God, and how God used various individuals to help him overcome it.

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About the Book

About the Author

Excerpts

About the Book

This book is an interesting account of a Mennonite boy who was born on his grandfather's farm during the 1930's depression era. It tells of his struggle with Attention Deficit Disorder to the call of God and how various individuals in his life were used to help him overcome it. Stories about his family, relatives, friends, teachers, employers, famous sports figures and others who played a great role in caring for his physical and spiritual welfare take the reader from a small Mennonite community where the writer spent his childhood, to several large cities where he matured into manhood. He tells of meeting people of various cultures and backgrounds and how they influenced his life. Readers are taken through humorous and serious experiences including being brought face to face with death.

One event details coming close to death while working in a grain elevator on the Canadian prairies as a youth. Another gives an amusing account of a swimming contest he participated in while working at one of Canada's largest steel companies.

Throughout the book the author weaves a tapestry of incidents that shape his life and continually confront him with the all-important question of dealing with his attention deficit disorder to the call of God.

Readers will sense the author's intimacy with creation in his descriptive scenes of nature; revealing the importance it played in shaping his life.

The book delights, awes and inspires its readers with this wonderful true story of one man's battle against a disorder plaguing much of mankind throughout the ages.

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About the Author

Cornelius (Neil) Friesen was born on the Canadian prairies during the 1930's depression era. He grew up in the small Mennonite communities of southern Manitoba; then later moved to Hamilton, Ontario where he obtained a much coveted job at Stelco. In 1961 he married Elfrieda Enns and together they have two sons.

After marriage, he worked for Manitoba Hydro as a mechanical maintenance tradesman on the Nelson River Hydro Project. In later years, as an inventor, he became the first Canadian to be registered with the USA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for his patented silver-impregnated carbon water filter. This achievement was noted in a Silver Institute of America publication. He also received a USA Industrial Design patent for a filter holder. He is known for his pioneer work in water filtration in Canada and served as an applications specialist consultant to Clearwater Systems as well as other companies.

Throughout his adult years, he enrolled in college and university courses to obtain various certificates and licences, including in the mechanical trades field, which resulted in a part-time teaching plumbing position; in the real estate field after receiving a real estate and broker's licence; and others. Wherever he was active in sales, he achieved reaching top salesman status and won many awards.

He is well-read, and his love of the written word is evidenced in letters and articles he has written which have been published in several newspapers in Canada. Recently, he completed a university course in English 209 and creative writing.

His zest for life and thirst for knowledge is demonstrated by the enthusiasm manifested in any venture he undertakes as is evidenced by the stories in this book.

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Excerpts

The Toronto Maple Leafs And Hockey Night In Canada

I was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. We had a great hockey team called the Rosenfeld Hawks. How I enjoyed seeing our local team play while at the same time dreaming of the day I would be old enough to move to Ontario to be in Maple Leaf Gardens on Saturday nights, to watch my beloved Leafs play! Eventually my dream would come true. Ted Kennedy and Max Bentley were my favourite players.

One Saturday night Ted Kennedy did not arrive for a game. No one knew why. Later they announced that he had been involved in an accident. I wrote him a letter to tell him how sorry I felt for him. He wrote back to me. It just thrilled my heart! What an example he was in the way he conducted himself on and off the ice!

In those days Con Smyth had complete control over the conduct of his players on and off the ice. I just wished he had paid them more money to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of course now the salaries are out of line. I really believe Max Bentley would have played without pay for them. I'm convinced that's how much he loved the Leafs.

Hockey Night in Canada's Opposition

Hockey Night in Canada did not agree with mother. I loved to listen to Foster Hewitt announce the Toronto Maple Leaf games on Saturday nights. My mother did not share my appreciation for the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada! She just couldn't understand why that man had to yell so much. Whenever I could, I went to Hintz's grocery store to listen to the game there. He had a potbelly stove with a roaring fire on the go. The locals had their own hot stove league. I liked it but I didn't enjoy it as much as listening to the game on my own.

I had been receiving the Mechanical Illustrated magazine. In one of them I found a way to make a crystal set. I ordered all the parts I would need to make one. Then I'd be able to listen through the ear phones so as not to disturb my dear mother.

I had just turned fourteen. I told Mom that as soon as I turned eighteen I would move to Toronto. It amused my mother. (This was during the nineteen hundred and forties.) I remember her saying, "I don't believe that will ever happen." I assured her in no uncertain terms that I definitely would move! Now you must remember, for a young Mennonite boy to move from Southern Manitoba to Toronto during the forties was a bit farfetched. Since there were still four years until my eighteenth birthday, I must go on with rest of the story.

War Too Close To Home

It was just before Christmas, December 7, 1941, when the Japanese crippled the United States Pacific fleet at the S Oahu THE naval base in Pearl Harbour, and now the allies declared war on Japan. This happened just at the time when we thought the war with Germany would soon be over, and we would have peace in the world at last.

Having been taught in Sunday school to love all mankind, as well memorizing the Ten Commandments which include "Thou shalt not kill", I just couldn't fathom that anybody would be so bad as to kill someone. June 20th, 1942 was a real scary day for me when we were told that Japanese submarines had tried to shell an Estevan Point Lighthouse on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Thank God they missed.

God was certainly getting my attention. We were very uneasy! It wasn't something that my young mind could fathom. Would we have to suffer as the British did? The evils of Hitler came to mind. That's when I thought of Canada's friend, Mr. Roosevelt, who at this time was the United States' President. He would protect us! We lived approximately twelve miles directly south from the USA border; the first town across the border was Neche, North Dakota.

President Roosevelt died on April 12th, 1945. Mr. Harry Truman then became President. I had always loved Mr. Roosevelt, and felt sorry for him being in a wheelchair. He was like a grandfather figure to me so when he died I was sad. President Truman was in office at the conclusion of World War II. He was the first man to authorize the use of an atomic bomb in warfare and did so on the two Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

That created a whole new set of uneasy thoughts in my mind; so many people killed with just one bomb! And what would happen if another country had this bomb, and used it on us in Canada? That was a time of deep concern for me. Of course, the peace loving people all over the world were happy when the war ended. We all looked forward to some measure of stability in our lives.

Floods

Spring arrived, the snow houses melted away, and from time to time floods followed, bringing disorder to our town. It wasn't fun for our parents, but it was fun for the young people. (photograph: Jim on a barrel on Main Street during flood)

Since the sidewalks were wooden, they floated, so we had ready-made rafts. It was a lot of fun to frolic on them with our friends as we pretended we were going on a slow boat to China. We also loved to go along the tracks on the railway ties. The poor mice and gophers would be trying to stay alive on the railway tracks as the flood waters were rushing underneath them. (pictured here).

We were happy summer was coming because it meant the cold weather would be leaving us for almost half a year before returning for another season. I would be able to work in the elevator, hoe beets, go swimming in the pond and play baseball. Winters were cold in Manitoba, so one year after the flood came in spring, the waters froze, and we were able to skate for approximately three miles along the highway, which indeed was fun! Of course we loved all the seasons. Each one brought new horizons to explore and enjoyment of its own kind.

(This was a summer day's enjoyment at Bob Smith's Bush, after church. In their Sunday suits having a wiener roast are my brother Abe on the left, Bill Klassen in the centre, Bill Kroeker on the right side.)

A Job At Oglivies Elevator

When I was fifteen years old, in nineteen hundred and forty seven, I was asked to be second man at the Rosenfeld Oglivies elevator by the agent, Mr. Braun. I was proud to take the job. I had gained experience at the Lake-of-the-Woods elevator by helping clean out bins as well as doing other jobs for Mr Dyck, the agent there. I became familiar with grain elevators while working for him and thus was prepared to accept the position being offered by Mr. Braun.

Farmers Rebuilding Britain After The War

Working at the Oglivies elevator wasn't an easy job because the elevator was old and it was built on wooden blocks which were rotting away. This made the elevator move eastward which affected the scale. I had to saw the plank away, sometimes an inch at a time, because it was affecting the weight of the farmers' trucks which in turn had bearing on the amount of money they would get for their grain.

One day we received a package of wheat from the wheat board which had graded it to be Number One wheat. I asked Mr. Braun if I could send it back to them to see what grade they would give it, since they would think it had come from our elevator. He said, "That's a good idea." So I put the contents of their package into one of our packages and sent it back to them for grading. When we got the report back they had graded the same Number One wheat as Number Two. It really bothered me that they were doing this because they were selling the wheat for one dollar a bushel to Britain. Although I felt empathy for the British people, I didn't think our farmers should have to carry such a heavy load. I had a hard time getting over that the farmer was being paid only a dollar a bushel.

One Monday morning while walking to work; I came to the corner of the street where the elevator was located and realized something looked odd. The elevator had fallen off of its wooden blocks, and had moved about six feet over, staying upright but leaning to the east.

As I have thought about this over the years, I have concluded that it was a blessing for Mr. Braun. I believe it weighed heavily on his mind when farmers told him their wheat was of a better grade then they were given. Mr. Braun was a kind man and his customers were important to him.

It was certainly God's protecting hand that allowed the elevator to shift from its moorings between Sunday night and Monday morning when no one was around to get hurt. God certainly looked after everyone concerned. Had it happened on Saturday during the daytime, I may not have been alive today because I was underneath the elevator oiling the bearings on the pulley that moved the conveyer belt which in turn moved the grain to the top of the elevator and into the bins.

I was happy to be alive! However, needless to say, I didn't make Mr. Braun very happy when I told him I was quitting my job. He wanted me to stay and help clean the grain out of the elevator into railway cars, which would then be shipped to other grain elevators, but I was offered a job in Neche, North Dakota, USA, which paid more money than I was making at the time.

I didn't like leaving Mr. Braun. I certainly will never forget him, nor his kindness to me. He had a beautiful Chevy with a fluid drive. While I was working for him he let me drive it to the post office to get his mail. Not just anyone would trust a young lad with his or her car.

God Speaks To Me About The Brevity Of Life

I got to work early one particular morning, when I heard an explosion in the building next to ours. It sounded like a bomb. It rattled our windows and so I hurriedly ran outside. I was not prepared for what I saw! The explosion had blown out the wall immediately next to ours. It looked like a war zone! I was the first one on the scene. When I looked at the destruction and debris all around, I saw what I had dreaded most! There on the sidewalk, lay a lifeless young man.

It troubled me. This could have been me! This definitely was too close for comfort. The police arrived on the scene and questioned me as to what I had heard or seen. I told them when and what I heard and saw, and what time I had arrived on the scene. I was visibly shaken, so they said they would obtain more information from me later.

Further on in their probe, they discovered that a gas pipe had leaked gas into a storage room; and when the young man lit a cigarette, it ignited the gas, which in turn resulted in this catastrophe.

How many times did God have to speak to me about my life? Are there any tomorrows in my life? We have no guarantees. That includes all of us! The Bible says in Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Is this not so true? We see this when we look at this young man who perhaps had dreams of all kinds; but they were all gone in an instant.

And we all know too well the uncertainty of health and circumstances. Is there any more crucial urgency, than the here and now? Even the wisest of men are ignorant of time. Beyond this very moment, that is only known to God!

Fire

One night I was walking along King Street in downtown Hamilton. I saw a bit of smoke coming from a building. It was coming from between some bricks and was barely visible. I made sure there actually was a fire before I went looking for a fire alarm. I pulled the alarm and waited for the police to come. When they arrived they interrogated me. They said they couldn't see a fire and asked me whether I knew what the consequences were for calling the fire department when there was no fire. They told me I could be sent to jail.

By now the fire truck had arrived and many people were taunting the police. "Why don't you leave the poor fellow alone and attend to the fire?" Some of them agreed there was smoke coming from between the bricks. When the fire department put up its ladder to the second story window they saw there really was a fire. Flames shot out of the window when they broke it and let oxygen in. The crowd let out a shout and said, "Why don't you apologize to the poor kid!"

Thank God there was no one in the building at the time. It was a business and was closed for the day. I never got an apology from the police. I certainly appreciated the many people who felt sorry for me. There were a few mothers in the crowd. I felt like hugging them for their support of me.

I could not adequately express my gratitude to all the people who came to me and told me how sorry they felt for me that I had to go through all that harassment from the police. I couldn't sleep much that night thinking about all that had happened. And what would have happened if they had put me in jail.

My parents would have been devastated. God became very real to me that night. I received His comfort through the kindness of all the wonderful people who stood by me.

Astronaut Jim Erwin And Psalm 121

Later on in our married life, the Lord gave us another extraordinary gift in allowing me, along with our two sons, David and Darryl, to meet astronaut Colonel James B. Erwin, who walked on the moon. Ten years after our marriage, on July 30th, 1971, he had landed on the moon as lunar module pilot for Apollo 15. From the moon, he read Psalm 121 to the entire world. I had prayed that I would be able to thank him for that some day. God was gracious in granting this privilege to me. Col. Erwin had been invited to preach at a Baptist church in Calgary, Alberta, where we were living at the time. It so happened that the sons of Hildor and Leo Janz of the Janz Team, missionaries to Europe, were to sing at that very church. Years earlier, Hildor and Leo, in coming to Plum Coulee just after my conversion, were instrumental in inspiring me to live for Christ.

Mr. & Mrs. Erwin autographed Elfrieda's Bible which I had taken with me for that purpose. She couldn't be there because of her commitment to play the piano for the choir and congregation at our church.

I asked Col. Erwin what he thought of the comment made by the Russian cosmonaut when he returned from space saying he hadn't seen God anywhere when he was up there. Col. Erwin explained he saw God everywhere in His great creation. He said only God could make the universe and all existing things, including the heavenly bodies, the earth and all its creatures.

Then he told me how much he loved Psalm 121 and how we had something in common because of our love for this Psalm! Truly the Lord has the whole world in His hands! I was thankful for this special time I had with Col. Erwin. God had answered my prayer! Col. Erwin passed on to his heavenly home on August 8th, 1991. All the things that were then not completely clear to him here on earth; are now known to him since God has called him home.

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