Franz Wiens
The life of Franz Wiens is an example of what happens when an individual fully understands that God owns all. His commitment to God and family is a legacy that is reaching far beyond his lifetime and will continue in perpetuity because of decisions he made more than 150 years ago. It is even more impressive considering a specific snapshot of his life journey: his immigration from Russia to North America.
Franz was born in Friedensfeld, South Russia, in November of 1839. In 1860 he married Maria Enns. Maria died in 1870, but in those ten years they had eight children. With a young family to care for, Franz married his second wife, Susanna Enns, that same year. He was 31 years of age.
In 1878 Franz and Susanna made the decision to leave the comfort of family and friends and immigrate with their children to North America, specifically to York County, Nebraska, a location near the town of Henderson.
Franz and Susanna made many sacrifices in order to give their family the best life possible. Both devoted their lives to providing their children with love and opportunities for the future. Most importantly, they desired to show them the love of the Lord with the hope of passing that desire on to future generations. Oftentimes in Mennonite homes, children had to be given away or “farmed out” because of financial need. Despite financial concerns, Franz and Susanna worked hard to cultivate a Christian home where their children could grow up and stay together.
In 1890 after 20 years of marriage and 14 children together, a successful immigration from Russia, and the establishment of a farm in Nebraska, Susanna was taken from her family to be with the Lord. Once again Franz was left without a wife and a mother for his children. In that same year, he entered his third marriage, with Widow Katharina Buller. Both Franz and his new bride continued to build a home that was spiritually rich and filled with love. Katharina loved Franz’s children and invested in them. She prayed for and with the children and encouraged them to lead Christian lives. After 14 years of marriage, Katharina passed on to her eternal home in 1904. Franz had outlived three wives who were all great mothers to his children. In all of this, God and family were two of the most important things to him. He worked hard to honor God while providing for his children and leaving a legacy that would last a lifetime.
After Franz had given up farming, he spent his time visiting his dear children and grandchildren and serving the Lord. He also had a strong passion for missions and spent a vast amount of time and energy praying for the work of the Lord and those in the mission field. He engraved in his children’s minds and hearts the teaching of never overlooking the poor and praying diligently for those who did not know the Lord. By being a faithful follower of Jesus, Franz was richly blessed in many ways, and in turn, he wanted to be a blessing to others.
Considering that stewardship was not commonly taught during his lifetime, it’s surprising that Franz would understand the importance of endowment, and as a result, establish the first known planned gift with the Conference to ensure current and future missionary support. In 1904, the year Katharina passed away, he gifted 80 acres located in Hamilton County, Nebraska, as an endowment to the Conference for its benefit. Five years later in 1909, he gifted 40 acres located in York County, Nebraska, as a Life Estate for his daughter Marie. At her passing, it would go to the benefit of the Conference. The third gift came in 1910, the year Franz died. He gifted 60 acres located in York County, Nebraska, as an endowment to the Conference, for the benefit of missions.
The initial gift in 1904 is considered the first MB Foundation endowment. Today MB Foundation continues to manage the Franz Wiens Endowment and ensures the income is used for missions until Jesus returns.
Franz passed away September 20, 1910, but these decisions he made during his lifetime have fueled ministry for more than a century and left a legacy for us to follow today.