My Life Partner - Part 9

Looking for life partner

Now being exempted from military service, I decided to get married. To remain faithful to my vow and promise, as you'll read below and with a prayer in my heart and my mouth to God to lead me, and to show me the right person to be my life partner, I started to look for such a person amongst believers. In May of 1915 myself and seven other young and older people, declared to the church, of our desire to be baptized by our fate, in the Lord. Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

The day before baptism to be performed on 23rd of May, in my father's house gathered elders of our church and also elders of Russian Mennonite Church from Arelee, invited my brother Ivan to be on a Council board, to investigate our faith and fidelity to the Lord. While doing their duty questioning me on the subject of faith and prayer the elders of Arelee also put a question of marriage before me. Stressing upon the duty of believers to be united with believers, so I promised to them; “when the time comes, I will be looking for such a person.”

As Arelee district was settled since 1903 with many Russian farmers, so there was already built church with a choir of young people, what we were lacking yet at Lizard Lake, so as a young boy's myself and my cousin Paul Zadko during following years of 1916 and 1917 though rarely, but from time to time visited Arelee Mennonite Church, to have a contact with young people there.

Humorous and adventure on the road to Arelee

I had a three-year home raised horse named Ben, as his father bought a new buggy, so by such combination once on Sunday morning we were on our way to Arelee (known as Eagle Creek). At first we were going fast, but on reaching Arelee plains, and seeing there is enough time, and we don't have to rush ourselves, so we are going slow.

From the side road appeared an elderly man sitting in a buggy drawn by a horse, and when he reached our road he turned on it, and was riding behind us. As we were going slow, so he wanted to pass and turned his horse to the left (but not enough) then he whipped the horse to go faster. I did not see it all; as I was sitting on the right side and had reins in my hands (Paul saw it all). I just felt this catastrophe wondering what happened. As he did not turn his horse enough to the left, so his right front wheel rode over our left rear wheel, then our rear wheel, rode over his front wheel, so our buggies were like in the air nearly tipping over. As our buggy was new, so nothing happened, but his front wheel was bented, but not broken, so though wobbling from side to side, but slowly he got to church too. I was sorry for this elderly man as I knew him well, he was one of pioneer Christians, at first living in Winnipeg together attending the same church with my father and brother Ivan on arriving from old country, so I don't want to mention his name.

Queer question and decision

When we arrived at the church site (or yard) and unhitched the horse, one elderly man came to us and ask “you Lizard Lake boys, why are you coming to us? “It was a silly question to ask; as this man, well known to me, had adult daughters already, and he should know why, and he knew; but the question had different meaning; that you boys from Lizard Lake aren’t worthy of our girls.

Then another man approached us and asked “did'nt the snow fell at Lizard Lake?” Luckily these men weren't the same that were present on 22^nd and 23^rd of May 1915 when I was accepted and baptized. Well this was diversion, to ask in July if snow did fell at Lizard Lake. As the elevation of lizard Lake District was higher than Arelee, so we had later spring and in the autumn earlier frosts, so our crops were of poor quality, or completely frozen, so we were poor, though poorer people are more merciful and sociable but due to location of place more wealthy people looked on dwellers of that district with humiliation.

In writing about this wrong understanding of people, comes to mind a conversation of a disciple of Jesus Philip with Nathaniel. (John 1:45-49) Once I wrote about it in Christian Herald. “Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, we have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him. Can there any good thing, out of Nazareth?

Philip saith unto him, come and see. When Nathaniel came and saw Jesus, and heard His words, so he saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. So it's a good thing not to be hasty to judge the people by location place, but to judge them by their characteristics.

The end of search and marriage

There were no more trips to Arelee by myself, and the Lord, truly showed me the right person, amongst the choir of Russian Mennonite Church. Shortly after, I found my way to residence of her father. On reaching their abode I find out that her parents are leaving for Saskatoon immediately, so this time I had no chance to talk with them, but their daughter with their smaller children stayed at home. Now I had a chance to propose to her, but there was another obstacle. At their place lives for a while a young boy was attending Russian studies, conducted by Rev. Herman Fast at the church building, so he was following me everywhere I turn, I couldn't get rid of him. So then we went to a barn and I took my horse out and hitched him in a buggy as though going home right away, then I gave him a reins to hold the horse until I get my things out of the house. By doing so, I got rid of him and had a chance to talk with a girl and to propose to her, and asked for her hand, which immediately slipped into my hand.

Now on a later visits, I revealed my intention to her parents, and yet asked them for the hand of their daughter saying; that I proposed to her already, and she accepted, so we are both together now asking for your consent and blessings. Response was favorable and later in due time, the date of our marriage was set for Sunday, March 31^st of 1918, and it was Easter Sunday that year.

Michael and Lucy Shakotko 1918

Now during 1916-1917^th year there was built in this district Russian Baptist church, in which on a set date our wedding was preformed, by officiating minister Rev. M. N. Kriewetsky from Winnipeg. For celebration there was prepared a stately wedding feast at the farm home of bride parents on which there attended a great crowd of well-wishers of the Arelee and Lizard Lake districts, as the day was sunny and warm.

P. S. Later the above mentioned church was burned down by some unknown arsonist

Bringing home my newlywed wife and settling down to farming

On the next day (April 1^st) bridal couple were getting ready to go to bridegroom abode at lizard Lake. As I came there with a team of horses and wagons, so we hitched them and climbed in a wagon box, and off we went. There was no snow at Arelee plains, but there was still a lot of snow at Lizard Lake, though mixed with water underneath, and the air was raw and cold. So my newlywed wife sitting on a trunk got chilled with cold, so I'm passing by we pulled on to Zadko’s place.

My aunt Mrs. Evdokia Zadko received us cordially saying “my poor child, you are nearly frozen!” After warming up a bit we continued the last 3 miles, of 30 or 35 miles trip, to my parents’ home. Now on reaching our destination, we were welcomed by my parents, and for some years it was our home too, living together with my parents.

Before my marriage we had with father some cattle, 4 oxen and five horses to home raised Ben and Jesse and a colt but as it was all in common, I didn't know what is mine. Only one thing I knew it was mine, one red horned ox by the name of Fred, donated to me as a calf by brother Ivan, when they moved in 1914 from Lizard Lake to Saskatoon. Now my wife's dowry was a cow and a mare by the name Fanny, and also I bought three more cows for $250.00 dollars. As it was springtime, so we had to roll our sleeves and get to work picking stones and preparing the land for sowing time.

After seeding I also bought a Ford touring car, and secondhand gang plow. Maybe in your mind will appear a thought, “where the money came from, in those early years of hardships?” Well the hardships we had, not only the first years of our settlement, but later we had hard times too, due to frosts, dry years and the low low price for grains. Even there were years when there was no price at all for barley and oats only a few cents. Do not forget that it was eight years since we started to farm this district and though in 1917 on my new breaking the crop dried out a bit, but on other fields was good, and the main thing the price for grain was good, due to first world war. By these circumstances, I had enough money to get married and to buy the above mentioned things and cattle.

My first trip by car to town of Biggar

Shakotko Brothers - 1917/1918
Paul, Eli, Ivan, Michael

As my brother Rev. Ivan Shakotko one Sunday visited our Lizard Lake Church, and the next day I had to take him to Biggar to catch early morning C.P.R. train, so I was preparing my car for a trip. I had to check the oil and add some but in those cars it was everything simple, but awkwardly inconvenient. I had to climb underneath the car to open two small oil taps, and then add the oil and check the taps lower and upper to see if it will start to drop, or run slowly. While I was filling it started to drop at lower tap, so I closed it, and added some more oil till it will start to drop at upper tap. Just at this moment father called me to attend to the cattle across the lake, so in losing no time I jumped on horseback galloped to chase the cattle back and thinking on returning back to close the oil tap, but as I came to the yard, they called me hurriedly for the breakfast, otherwise it will be too late, as the others had their breakfast already, so I had my breakfast in a hurry, and my father and brother Ivan and myself as a chauffeur climbed into a car and off we went. There is a Russian saying: Nocnewew, Iygeu hacmewew.

All was well up to about halfway to Biggar and we were passing the people going to town with a team of oxen or horses, until my car started to heat and lose power and started to knock, then I remembered of not closed oil tap, and the result! two front connecting rods burned out. Leaving my passengers sitting in the car on the road, I went to a farmers to buy some oil and of course I got only machine oil, but I was glad to get any oil, so by closing oil tap now, I filled it up with this oil and slowly with knocking engine we proceeded our journey again.

Of course the people whom we were passing and while we were standing, they were passing us with a smile in their faces. It is needless to say, that we missed early C.P.R. train, and on reaching Biggar I pulled in my car into a garage to be fixed. Can't remember now how much it cost me, my forgetfulness but it was a good lesson, and in later years I always had a spare quart of oil in my car. By the way brother Ivan took a C.P.R. afternoon train to Saskatoon, and myself and father returned safely home.

P. S. I want to mention that gasoline price was .50 cents a gallon.

Dreaming of own home

Now as I was exempted from compulsory military service and got married, we both set our thinking of being a real farmers now. After seeding our crops I continued to work on the land, and my wife began to adjust herself in new surroundings and helping mother in all kind of work in the house and beyond the house, and bringing me my lunch to our farm where I worked. Thus working we imagined about our future home, and happy life together, as we loved each other dearly; of course not knowing what is in store for us in near future.

At conference in Alberta

As this year there was 10^th conference of Russian Ukrainian Baptist Union of Western Canada in Merry Land Alberta, so we decided to attend on set date of June 8-11 1918. So off we went by train from Biggar with in-laws from Eagle Creek, and other believers, happily singing in the car Christian hymns, while others were listening to us in wonder. At the conference as always gathers many Christians, to have a joyous brotherly reunion each year. At the services, after each sermon, the mixed choir from many churches sang beautifully under the leadership of my wife's brother, being Bible student at that time George Skondin.

It is always uplift of a Christian life from attending such conferences, but we can't be always on the mountain of blessing, we got to go down, as there is work to do we got to attend to our daily task, and to our local churches. So like all others, be returned to our home and our daily task.

Remark: this is the first and last time we ever cross borders to Alberta, or West coast. Many times we had been in Manitoba and Ontario but never more to West.

Call to military service

Shortly after arriving from conference in Alberta, I received a letter with a fare ticket to appear in Regina on 29^th of June for compulsory enlistment to the Army for military service. It was unexpected and sad blow to us and our imagination, of having our own happy home and more over that killing wars is against my conscience I was conscientious objector. In getting ready to go, I obtained a copy of conscientious objector rights on the grounds of Canada laws, and went to a reeve of our municipality and asked him to sign it. Being an Englishman he became angry and of course did not sign it.

Remark:  There is laws that good only in peaceful time, but they overlooked in wartime. However he wrote me a letter of affirmation that I am needed on the farm.

To a military Center, located at exhibition ground

In due time I went by train to Regina with whatever papers I had, thinking that if I present them my papers as: my exemption letter from our reeve and marriage certificate, that they will take into consideration my case. On reaching the rendezvous I saw many young people there stripped to the skin waiting their turn for examination of their fitness, as health etc.

When my turn came, I presented them my documents, which they took, but examined me and found fit for military service. At another point they supplied all of us with military uniforms and equipment, and assigned us to the tents, giving us some bedding, and rubber sheets, gray blankets etc. and a cover mattress, to be filled with straw. It also happened that in my tent besides a few others, was a Russian boy well known to me, so when the farmer brought a hay rack of old straw, so everybody from the camp ran to fill their mattress covers with their straw, elbow out all others to get first to the shed where the straw was piled. “Kmo npobopheu, mom a goborhguk.” 

Michael Shakotko - 1918

Myself and my acquaintance yielding the way for others, found out that there is not any straw left for our mattresses, so we had to sleep on the ground without mattresses. Once there was a pouring rain and in our tents water was knee deep, so first night we slept at barracks; the following night we slept already in a wet and muddy tent myself and other boy, with only rubber sheets and mattress cover underneath. In the other day on marching exercises, I had a blackout (dimness) and have to sit down. So they gather a sick parade and take us to a doctor, where each of us gets a glass of Castor oil, no matter what ails you. Afterwards we decided with this boy to combine our beddings and sleep together, so though no mattress, but thickness of underneath bedding is doubled.

In marching exercises some boys acted cunningly, especially this my friend, always turning to opposite side. As to myself, I am of different nature even if I wanted to subtilize, I could not do it, my conscience wouldn't allow me. So seeing that I was good in marching exercises, Corporal picked me from our detachment, and wanted to unite me with earlier detachments, that was ready to send them overseas. Though meek spirited I took a courage to stand firm, that I belong to detachment 29^th of June, which is not ready yet for overseas, so they left me in peace. Once you have been conscripted, it is hard to get out.

Many times I have been knocking to them for my release from the Army on the grounds of my papers and my need in agriculture. At least after one month and a half instead of release, I got a leave of absence and before expiration of my leave, I asked for extension of leave, which was granted to me, and then.... the end of the war. It is hard to describe now, what emotional torment I went through and also my wife, during this short period of uncertainty.

Thanks be to God for his caring. He led us through all this safely, and mostly I am grateful to God for keeping me from training with the gun in my hands, as it was against my conscience. On returning home, there was lot of work to be attended to, as my mother said “bez xazeuna u mobar nlache.”