Vinna's FOURSCORE and SEVEN years

To my three loving daughters --

     Evelyn, Elvera, and Kathleen--
    who have given me the encouragement
    and help when spirit wavered.

To Jeanette Strausbaugh who has become
    my fourth daughter and her family
    who calls me Grandma Rarick.

To my pastors who read much of the
    manuscript.

To my Friends who manifested their
    faith in this undertaking.

CONTENTS

 

Foreward		viii
Preface		x
1.	Birth and Early Childhood in an Expanded Brethren Community	1
2.	Building and Moving into a New Home	9
3.	Pre-school Years 3 - 6	13
4.	More Pre-school Memories	17
5.	My School Days at Pleasant Hill, and Girard High School	25
6.	Sixteen Months in California and Our Journey There	33
7.	The 1913 Tournament of Roses	47
8.	Residence Established Again at Girard, Illinois	51
9.	Annual Conferences -- Their Beginnings	55
10.	Other Conferences: Niagara Falls and Washington, D.C.	57
11.	Visiting in Virginia	65
12.	Home Employment and a Visit to Bethany	79
13.	The "Prince Charming" and Winona Lake Conference of 1916	79
14.	A Year at the Seminary	91
15.	Wedding Preparations	97
16.	Our Wedding Day	101
17.	Two Years of Service and Adventure	105
18.	Experiences in Alabama and Mississippi	109
19.	The Stanley Years	131
20.	Back Again in Indiana and Muncie	141
21.	Various Activities and the Evangelist's First Idaho Tour	143
22.	Two Flights, Our New Baby and the Lone Eagle	147
23.	A Summer Pastorate, More Meetings and a Student Pastorate	149
24.	Building A New Home and Two Manchester Conferences	153
25.	West -- Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Carlsbad	159
26.	Carlsbad Caverns With Fran and Eddie	165
27.	Two Summers in the Canadian Northwest	169
28.	The Century of Progress on a Shoestring	175
29.	The Mexican Welfare Home	181
30.	The Strange Case of Jimmy Speed	189
31.	The Syracuse Church Pastorate	193
32.	Traveling and More Meetings, Graduation, A Funeral and a Wedding	199
33.	Chambersburg	207
34.	Communion Observances and Our Silver Wedding	215
35.	More of Chambersburg: Kathleen's High School Graduation	221
36.	The Hollidaysburg Term	229
37.	The Goshen Meeting and My Father's Death	245
38.	Journeying West	249
39.	The Live Oak Pastorate and Conferences	255
40.	More Live Oak Living and Kathy's Wedding	273
41.	Traveling Again, Tuscon and Grand Junction, and Trips	281
42.	Back Home in Indiana, Michigan City, Baugo, Camp Creek	289
43.	Fifty Years in the Ministry	309
44.	Building Again; Karen's Wedding; The Florida Interim	317
45.	The Preacher and I; Our Yesterdays and Todays	323
46.	What Have I Forgotten?	343
47.	A Place in the Procession	353
48.	My Cup Runneth Over, with Joy	361
49.	One More River to Cross ................................................................................................	365

How extremely fortunate are the readers who will share the life and times of a tremendous woman of God.  In the following pages, you will be introduced to Vinna Rarick.  You will travel through her fascinating memory as she recalls her childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, marriage, and the raising of her family.  Your will share moments of a lifetime as Vinna puts you in an ever-so-warm rememberance.

    She shares from her heart incidents of humor and tragedies.  They become so real it seems at times as if you are there witnessing it firsthand.  She relives the pages of history as she opens up the details of life as an Evangelist's wife.  There were many times when the going was not easy buththe strength from this womans's life and faith always prevail.

    What started out to be short story has ended up to be beautiful biography of warmth and feeling.  I count it an extreme reward to have been given the opportunity to proof this book and to write a foreward byt a far greater reward is that of serving as Vinna's pastor for the past eight years.  I have come to know and love her and to count her a dear friend.  She, herself, is warm, open, and loving to all who grace her life.  She has given of herself so many times and so unselfishly.

    It was a great privilege to present to Vinna this year the distinguished recognition of Senior Citizen of the Year 1980 Winding Waters Brethren church.  There was unanimous confirmation by the Board of Directors, and Vinna's faith and perserverance was highly applauded by the entire Church as she was given this coveted award.

    I have met her family on many occasions.  Her late husband, Ralph, gave many a kind word and instruction to me as I began my first pastorate.  Her daughter, Elvera, has been our organist since our Church began.  Evelyn and Kathy have visited from time to time as they have been in town.  Each one of them reveals a warm spirit and vibrancy of life.  Each one is extremely dedicated to their Mother and is quick to share their love for her in many ways.

    I'm sure that as you begin reading this book, you, too, will meet this fine woman of God and discover her faith as a blessing.
 

Dr. Frederick J. Finks
Senior Pastor
Winding Waters Brethren Church

The Lord gave me a glorious opportunity to witness for Him in one of the most challenging positions in the world.  It was my happy privilege to be the wife of a minister of the Gospel.  Therefore it is fitting that this story of my fourscore and seven years should be interwoven with the incidents of the life of another, he who shared, either directly or indirectly for fifty-eight years, in making my life what it has been--my devoted husband, Rev. Ralph G. Rarick.

    We had to be "all things to all people".  Our marriage had made us a gospel team.  We traveled together into many places.  When convenient, our three daughters accompanied us.

    Our children have now established their own homes.  Visiting them has brought out the fact that our more than fifty-eight years of service has included many things of which they know nothing or at least only in brief detail.  My daughters have been urging me to write of these incidents and the stories that often were related at family gatherings or in adult Sunday School class sessions.

    For several years, I was listless to these requests.  Then one night the Lord spoke and said, "you have lived longer than many of your family.  Do you not realize you are spared for a purpose?  You should write that book."

    I was now wide awake.  "Yes, Lord, I will write!  What shall my book include?  What shall I use as a title?"  Almost instantly the thought came; I will call it Vinna's Fourscore and Seven Years, which is my present age.

    In the seminary we often used the song "I Want My Life to Tell for Jesus".  Its message has been a part of my life's philosopy.  These are a few of the words that come to me (not quoted verbatim):

We have many similes of life.  It is like a book--a new page for a new day or a new year.  It is like a weaver making a piece of cloth.  The dark threads are as needful as the thread of silver and gold and only the weaver know the pattern.  It is like the pioneer building a bridge so the younger one who passes later may have an easier and safer crossing.  Each one of us must choose our path and our goal.

    Someone in a radio message said, "life is a grindstone; whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what you are made of."

    I can begin to see the end of my journey.  As I pass on, you who are younger will be chosen to take my place in the line.  Be faithful!

        "Thou dost show me the path of life;
        In thy presence there is fullness of you,
        in thy right hand are pleasures forevermore."
                                                    --Ps. 16:11

Vinna C. Rarick
May 1979
 

Author's Note:

    In writing this life story, I had to depend largely on my memory.  There were a few old pages and some diary books.  The dates may not always be quite accurate, although they should not vary more than a year or two.  Even so they should not be used for historical data.

    The Scriptures quoted are from various translations or at times are a paraphrase.  Usually King James or American Standard translations are used.