The following allegory is a break from my normal style of allegories. I wrote it on Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day as it is called in the USA). A day set aside to pause and remember the sacrifice of those who have fought for our freedom.
As we gathered around the breakfast table, my husband turned on a live stream of the Remembrance Day Ceremony happening in Ottawa. (TV at meal time is extremely rare for us, but what do you do when you are in a different time zone and your kids need to eat during a live event?)
This year, we had special interest in watching the preamble of the ceremony in Ottawa.
I glanced at the screen between spreading slices of bread for my kids and eating my own breakfast.
Suddenly, I pointed at a man on the screen chatting with two others, both of whom were smiling. “There he is! It’s Elmer Friesen!”
I grabbed my phone to snap a quick photo.
As the screen shifted to show other people, I turned to my daughter, “Do you remember Mr. Friesen? You know him.”
Elmer Friesen is a war veteran from World War II whom I have had the privilege of knowing since I was young. He is 103 years old now, but still sharp-minded and doing well for his age. He is a godly man and always has a cheery word to share.
As we continued to eat breakfast and watch the preamble, we listened to various veterans being interviewed and watched the soldiers marching to their positions for the ceremony.
Then they did it, they mentioned Elmer by name!
They shared a pre-recorded segment on his story before interviewing him in person.
His story goes something like this:
Elmer Friesen joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1940s eager to serve. He really wanted to go overseas.
However, he was assigned a maintenance role in Canada.
After a year and a half of maintenance duty, his tendency to always be singing was noticed and he was recruited into the Royal Canadian Air Force entertainment group. Their mission? Raise the morale of civilians who were in the midst of wartime tensions.
They traveled around performing variety shows in Atlantic Canada.
Elmer never did get deployed overseas the way he had wanted. He served in the homeland.
When the interview ended, the reporters shared their thoughts regarding how a wide variety of duties are valuable, even the kind Elmer was assigned to.
How would I describe Elmer Friesen today? A man in whom the joy of the Lord is evident. He seeks to share Jesus with those around him wherever he goes, and enjoys life along the way. One of his favorite hymns is Count Your Blessings.
Why do I share this?
Because I see an allegory here for me.
How many times have I wanted to be someone or do something God hasn’t called me to be or do?
How many times have I read an inspiring missionary or hero of the faith biography and said, “Here, Lord, send me?”
But no call came.
I love this quote from Elmer: “‘I really wanted to go overseas,’ he said. ‘But you go where you’re told, you go where you’re asked to serve.'” (Quote from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/alberta-veteran-103-recalls-war-service-spent-boosting-morale-at-home/ )
Elmer Friesen was a soldier. When you are a soldier, you do what you are told.
We too, as Christians, are instructed to live as soldiers seeking to please our commanding officer (2 Timothy 2:3-4).
We go where we are sent and stay there serving faithfully until we are called somewhere else.
Our commanding officer (God) has perfect foresight. He knows the big picture and He knows the intimate details of how He has created each of us.
God assigns to each of us a role. Each role is unique based on our talents and the big picture that only God can see.
(1 Corinthians 12 uses the body as an illustration of this. We are not all eyes or feet. The body is a functioning whole because each of us has been given our own role to play.)
Even if I have not been called to be in the “front lines” of Christian service, I can help support those who are. I can offer friendship, financial support, and, most importantly, prayer support.
One way to get in the habit of praying for missionaries and pastors, etc., is to collect a photo or prayer card from each person you want to pray for. Choose a meal that you are typically at home and not in a big rush – for my family this is supper, but for my grandparents, who taught me this habit, it was breakfast. Then everyday when you sit down to say grace for that meal, pull out the top photo and pray for them. Return that photo to the bottom of the stack to be prayed for again in a week or two.
How have you made it a habit to pray for missionaries? Let us know in the comments below.
Today, may I join with Elmer Friesen in willingly submitting to the role God has given me in this season.
As I do so, may my heart remember to count my many blessings (because there are so very many).
Here’s the clip related to Elmer Friesen from the CTV News coverage of the Ottawa 2025 Remembrance Day Ceremony. Here’s the link to the full 2 hour recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/L1JFjJGDIUw?si=Qeff4Zu3kv_juS1K
Link to a short article referencing Elmer’s story: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/alberta-veteran-103-recalls-war-service-spent-boosting-morale-at-home/
The hymn: Count Your Blessings
