View source for Kehler, Lydia Pankratz (1927-1978)

[[File:KehlerLydia.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Lydia Kehler'']]
Lydia (Pankratz) Kehler: missionary and pastor's spouse; born 1 April 1927 in Davidson, Saskatchewan to Frank Henry and Justina (Rempel) Pankratz. She was the sixth child in a family of four sons and two daughters. Lydia married Peter Kehler and they had three sons and two daughters. Lydia died 8 December 1978 in [[Newton (Kansas, USA)|Newton]], [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]], USA.

In 1929 the Pankratz family moved to Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. Lydia was baptized on 1 June 1944 in the [[Parkerview Mennonite Church (Fitzmaurice, Saskatchewan, Canada)|Parkerview Mennonite Church]], Fitzmaurice, Saskatchewan by Jacob J. Nickel, and in 1948 the family moved to Chilliwack, British Columbia. In her teens Lydia felt God's call to foreign missions. She prepared by studying at [[Rosthern Bible School (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada)|Rosthern Bible School]] and [[Canadian Mennonite Bible College (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)|Canadian Mennonite Bible College]], Winnipeg, Manitoba. There she met Peter Kehler, who shared the call to mission work.

Lydia and Peter Kehler were married at the East Chilliwack Mennonite Church (now [[Eden Mennonite Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)|Eden Mennonite Church]]) on 29 June 1952. After Peter took teachers' training in Vancouver, Lydia and Peter went to [[Bethel College (North Newton, Kansas, USA)|Bethel College]]. They returned to BC in 1956 to pastor the Vancouver Mennonite Mission Church (later [[Mountainview Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)| Mountainview Mennonite Church)]]. While there, they received an invitation from the [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]] [[Board of Missions (General Conference Mennonite Church)|Board of Missions]] to go to [[Taiwan|Taiwan]] as missionaries. After a year at [[Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, Indiana, USA)|Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries]], Elkhart, Indiana, they left for Taiwan in 1959.

Lydia was a faithful and committed co-worker in ministry with her husband, both in [[Canada|Canada]] and in Taiwan. She was a gracious and thoughtful hostess whose smile and home-baked refreshments awaited everyone who came to her home, whether a fellow missionary who wanted to chat or a group of Taiwanese pastors coming together for a business meeting. Lydia spoke the Taiwanese language well and loved the people of Taiwan. She used her gifts to supervise a church kindergarten, lead Bible studies, teach English Bible classes, play the organ for Sunday school, and visit people in the community. Lydia and Peter became associate members of the Ta-Tung and Sung-Chiang Mennonite Churches in Taipei.

In Taiwan, Lydia also tutored her sons in the early years of their schooling, helped with Pioneer Girls at the school her daughters attended, co-edited ''The Taiwan Home Bond'', and helped plan Women's Prayer Retreats for missionaries and other English-speaking women. Although busy in the church and community, Lydia gave her time, interest and a listening ear to her five children. 

After serving as missionaries to Taiwan for 16 years, with two furloughs (1964-66 and 1971-72), Lydia and Peter settled in Abbotsford, BC. In 1977, they moved to Newton, Kansas, where Peter was working for the [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)| General Conference Mennonite Church ]]Commission on Overseas Missions at the time of Lydia's death. Lydia's warm personality and life of service were an example and an inspiration to many who knew and loved her.
= Bibliography =
Sprunger, Janet. "Lydia Kehler—A Tribute." ''Der Bote'' (13 March 1979). (Also printed in ''The Mennonite'' in March 1979).

Personal papers and family documents with Peter Kehler in Abbotsford, BC.
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[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[Category:Missionaries in Taiwan]]