Hildegard is celebrating her 50th wedding. Not something to be taken lightly in a world of divorce and infidelity. But has she truly met all the ideals of the Proverbs 31 woman? I’m sure her friends and family gathered at Hog Heritage Hall have an opinion on that.




LIBRETTO

CHARACTERS

Hildegard Hamm: a German immigrant living in Southern Manitoba
Harmony Hamm: her daughter; evangelist to the Jewish people




Many are gathered at a formal banquet to celebrate Hildegard’s 50th wedding anniversary. This is the first event hosted at Hog Heritage Hall, a community venue sponsored by Manitoba Pork.

A German polka plays as Hildegard walks to the microphone at the front to make a speech.


Hildegard:

Oh my, isn’t that the same polka they played as I got off the ship at Montreal in 1948?

I became a Canadian Citizen and British Subject of the Dominion of Canada by Naturalization in 1955. That’s what the certificate said. Quite a mouthful isn’t it?

But it wasn’t a bed of roses.
I was already an old maid (I was literally a maid to a prominent Jewish family in Winnipeg!).
I prayed that God would send me a farmer.
He answered my prayers. And we had all these beautiful children who gave us beautiful grandchildren!

And we are all people of the book.
Some time ago I started reading the One-Year Bible.
I’d fall behind, but always managed to catch up. It’s my spiritual food.
And I wanted my grandchildren to have that same food!
When they turn 12 I give them a One-Year New Testament.
And if they read it according to the prescribed schedule, I reward them with $100!

Oh, and hymns and gospel songs have also been my spiritual food!
For many years I had a double trio with some other farmers’ wives.
And they’re all here this evening!
Come on up ladies!
We didn’t have a chance to rehearse, but we’ll do our best, by the grace of God.
This was my mother’s favourite song: Heiland, Führe du dein Kind.
Oh, that’s my daughter there at the piano.

Oh wait, another of my daughters would like me to invite you to visit the Pig Pen—Ha ha, what a name! That’s the room right over there, where they keep all trophies won by Manitoba Pork farmers. Yes, my daughter Harmony is waving her arms at the entrance. She will be talking about her new ministry to the Jews of Winnipeg. She’s got quite a few scrapbooks and displays. She’s actually just returned from a trip to Israel.


Double trio performs “Heiland, Führe du dein Kind”


Harmony:

Welcome! Shalom! Please, come in! That’s right just cram right in—oh, watch the trophies.
On my recent trip to Israel, I learned this beautiful song written by a Messianic Jew!
Feel free to grab a tambourine. My daughter will be dancing while wearing a traditional Israeli costume. Imagine we are entering the gates of Jerusalem!
Don’t be afraid to jump up and down a little!

Harmony sings “Gol al Adonai”

Isn’t that great! Our God lives! He is the God of the Gentile and the Jew!
Something spectacular happened when I was swimming in the Sea of Galilee during my morning prayer time.
Some back story first: For some time, I felt God was asking me to start a ministry to the Jews at home, in Winnipeg.
By faith, I asked for a sign—a big sign. Something that would be impossible to miss.
Well, back to the Sea of Galilee.
I was kicking and diving and up popped a ragged old sandal.
Strange.
It didn’t look like anything you could buy nowadays. More like something in a picture from Bible times.
Well, I brought it to a Messianic archeologist, and she used carbon dating to confirm that it was from the first century AD!
And not only that, but the Spirit had impressed upon her that this was Jesus’ sandal!
Hallelujah!
So I have started my ministry to the Jews of Winnipeg, called Messiah’s Sandal!
We train believers to prove that Jesus is the fulfillment of the messianic promises made in the Old Testament. Then we will have blitz weekends where we go all over the city looking for Jews to talk to.
I know of a few homes that celebrate Shabbat with a traditional meal, so I might just give them a ring and if they invite me in, I can explain the messianic meaning behind everything.
Who would like to join us on the first Messiah’s Sandal blitz this coming weekend?
Wonderful. Praise the Lord. All of you can fill out this form with your contact info before you leave.
Now, let me bless you with another beautiful Messianic song. Oh, and thank you to my sister for sharing her gifts at the piano.

Harmony sings “El Shaddai”

It’s very hard to get through to Jews these days.
They are traumatized by the Holocaust.
They won’t believe in any God, whether of the old covenant or the new covenant.
But I tell them God has been guiding them, the escape from Egypt, through the Red Sea, to the rebirth of their state in 1948 and up until the present time.
I have a whole scrapbook detailing instances of God’ faithfulness to the Jews.
Newspaper clipping and things I cut out of history books. A few photos I’ve taken in Israel.

And I have another scrapbook showing God’s faithfulness to my mother, leading from her German village in Poland, to the home given to her family after the occupation in 1939, to her born-again conversation as she sat in the rubble after the bombing of Dresden.
And his faithfulness in bringing her safely here, and building a legacy of obedience to God.
And I continue that legacy with Messiah’s Sandal.

Sings “Great is Thy Faithfulness” a cappella. All join in.