Mennonites came here because of their Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith and established Christian communities. Some wept as they said farewell to Russia and later, as they saw the endless miles of raw prairie and encountered prairie fires, grasshoppers, droughts, floods, blizzards, or experienced personal tragedy. At times there were differences but also spiritual renewals. Through it all, they grew in Christian faith and worked diligently to achieve a better life. The future depends on whether highest priority is given to God as revealed in Jesus Christ, whether Mennonites remain true to the Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith rather than becoming so acculturated as to be unidentifiable, whether a simple lifestyle based on personal integrity, community well-being, and world brotherhood is perpetuated, and whether God as revealed in Jesus Christ in the New Testament is repeatedly rediscovered when faith erodes under the temptation of living in a changing world. The hope and prayer is that the distinctive Anabaptist emphasis in education, missions, peace, relief, and service will grow in His spirit so that the Lord's Prayer may increasingly be fulfilled: "Thy Kingdom come: Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." "So faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." I Corinthians 13:13