My Story

Born to Catholic parents, my early recollection of “Church” was the incense they used, as it frequently made me quite ill.  It was our custom not to have breakfast before going to mass and that may have had something to do with it. My mother’s family was Roman Catholic and my father’s family was Greek Orthodox. My parents would split their visits between both places of worship. Nevertheless, each “church” made uncomplimentary remarks about the other.

When I was in my early teens, we had the visit of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses at our farm home, in northern Saskatchewan.  He was an older man and was illiterate, but he had a marvelous memory.  He would cite a Scripture, and give a brief summary as to its contents, and then he would ask my father to read it.  After several visits, he brought another Witness friend who could read and write.  This fellow started a Bible study with my parents.  My older sister, Frances, would join the study, and my older brother and I would frequently sit in on it as well.  Ultimately, the Witness brother and his wife conducted a Bible Study with my parents quite regularly, while their eldest daughter did the same with my sister, brother and me.

My parents, but especially my older sister, made excellent progress.  They began to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall almost immediately, and even participated in the preaching work.

However, as we lived on a farm, and had animals to care for, there were times that my parents did not go.  However, Frances went quite regularly, and I would often accompany her.  The hall was about 12 miles away and we would frequently take our bikes.  If it rained, that would make cycling very difficult, as it was only a gravel and dirt road, so we would walk.

As there were several nuns and a priest on my mother’s side of the family, my sister’s goal was to become a nun, but as she began to study the Bible, her goal changed, and she now wanted to become a full-time “pioneer minister” with JWs, sharing the message of God’s kingdom with other people.  Therefore, about two years later, she was baptized, together with my parents.  She was 14 years of age at the time.  As for me, I was baptized at the age of 15.

At the age of seventeen, Frances entered the “pioneer” ministry. This involved door to door preaching and conducting Bible studies with interested families. She worked in this field near home at first, and later went to the Atlantic Provinces.  However, most of this time was spent in the Province of Quebec.  Naturally, I missed her when she left, because we could no longer attend meetings together.

I was nineteen years of age when I entered the ministry.  My chosen territory was located in the southern part of Saskatchewan, and within a year, I was appointed presiding overseer of a congregation in Wynyard.  Those were such happy times for me.  Not owning a car, I walked most of the time.  However, from time to time, I would borrow a bicycle as there was a great deal of rural territory.

When I was twenty-one, Frances encouraged me to come to Quebec.  Therefore, I joined her and a few other “pioneer/missionaries,” in the city of Montreal.  In those years, the Catholic Church opposed Jehovah’s Witnesses most bitterly.

After several months, I was invited to serve at the Canadian Headquarters of the Watch Tower Society, in the city of Toronto.  To the Witnesses, such a place is known as bethel.  In Scripture, it is known as “House of God.” There I remained for the next six years, and it proved to be a wonderful experience.  When I first arrived at bethel, I was assigned to the print shop.  Not very long afterward, however, I was transferred to the kitchen.  After a year or so, I was trained to take over as chef and cooked for about 55 people.  On certain occasions, there would be special courses at bethel to teach the French language to those who were only English-speaking but chose to serve in the Province of Quebec.  From time to time, there also were “Refresher Courses” for traveling representatives of the Society.  Whenever such courses were being taught, there would be about 120 people to cook for. That was challenging, but also very interesting, as it allowed me to meet many new people. 

There were so many good things that I learned while living and working at bethel.  Not only did I learn to do things of a secular nature, but more importantly, I learned so many wonderful, spiritual things.  We had a ministry school every week, as well as a weekly Bible study.  Both of these meetings were practical and instructive.  Besides learning many interesting things from the Bible, we were also trained in public speaking.  On weekends, we were occasionally sent out to visit congregations located within a radius of 150 miles from Toronto.  I enjoyed that a lot.

Every morning, breakfast was served at 7 am.  Before breakfast, there would always be a discussion on different Bible topics for about a half hour.   It is incredible how much of the Bible can be covered within a year by having such regular discussion.

Three years after I arrived at bethel, I met a lovely Christian sister who was engaged in the “pioneer” ministry in the Province of Quebec.  Her name was Gwendolyn Allison.  Not only was she beautiful in appearance, but she also had an endearing personality.  She was kind, warm, and gentle. I was very much attracted to her, and three years after we met, we were married and sent out to serve a circuit of 18 congregations in the Province of Manitoba.  That was a big responsibility for both of us.  My job was to take the lead in “field service” in each congregation (i.e., door to door witnessing).  I also had to give talks, that is, admonition from the platform, as well as to give counsel privately.  My wife would take the lead in the ministry with the sisters.

Not long after we began that activity, I had the privilege of going to our world Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, to attend a special Bible School ‘Refresher Course’ for traveling representatives of the Watch Tower Society. Meanwhile, my wife remained with a local congregation and continued to assist the sisters in the field ministry.  The course lasted only two weeks, but was packed with instruction.  Moreover, it was so very intense that toward the end of the term, some of the older students were getting ill.  Personally, I found the course most interesting and refreshing.  Mind you, I was only 27 at the time.

While I was there, the President of the Watch Tower Society asked many of us to respond for ‘foreign service,’ so when I got back to our circuit, I discussed this with my wife and she was very eager to go.  I immediately wrote to the President’s Office to inform them of our decision, and subsequently, my wife and I were assigned to the Branch Office in La Paz, Bolivia.  La Paz has the distinction of being the highest capital city in the world (at over 12,500 feet).  It is situated in a very deep valley, with a towering, snowcapped mountain (“Illimani”), on the east side. The airport is on the “Altiplano” (high plain), about a thousand feet above the city. We were required to take full medicals in order to ascertain our physical fitness for that climate.  After overcoming that hurdle, we had to attend the Watch Tower Society’s Bible School in Brooklyn, New York, for about six weeks.  That was so interesting and helpful, but before long, it was over and we were on a plane, headed for South America. 

Being missionaries in a foreign field was exciting, as everything was a new experience.  We found the Bolivian people very friendly and helpful.  That was fortuitous because we had to learn a new language, i.e., Spanish.  For my part, I grew up with two languages, English and Ukrainian, so within a few months I had a working knowledge of the language.  My wife picked it up quite quickly too.  Of course, when we first arrived in La Paz, we had a tutor to teach us the Spanish language. We studied for 135 hours during the first month, and 75 hours in the second month.  We also were helped to learn a brief presentation (in Spanish) which we used rather liberally in the door to door witnessing work, immediately upon our arrival. 

My wife served as a missionary, devoting 150 hours to the field ministry, i.e., door to door witnessing and conducting Bible studies with people in their homes.  I worked in the Branch Office, part-time, and in the field ministry, part-time.  Some of the time, I would work with my wife and, at other times, we would conduct our individual studies with people who showed interest in learning what the Scriptures teach.  I also had the privilege of visiting different parts of the country as “District Overseer.” This office requires that one visit assemblies, or gatherings of local congregations for special Conventions or Bible Conferences, in order to take the lead both in the field ministry, and in giving talks from the platform.  Sometimes, my wife would come along with me.  On one such occasion, we visited the city of Oruro, located on the “Altiplano” or high plain.  We stayed with some very humble brothers, and the place had only a dirt floor.  There was no toilet, not even an outdoor toilet.  But we got through that with a smile and many fond memories.

After a couple of years, my wife and I were expecting our first child, Lyndon. However, as there is no provision within the Watch Tower Society for missionaries with children, I had to look for work, or we would have to return to Canada.  Fortunately, I was able to find work, so we moved to a city in the southern part of the country, called Cochabamba, near Argentina.  It is known as the “flower city.”  We liked living and serving there.  Our second son, Randal, was born in that city.  After four and a half years or so, we visited Canada and moved to Montreal to help with establishing the company’s office and business in that area.  Nevertheless, about two years later, we were able to return to South America in order to do the same in Quito, Ecuador.

We loved Ecuador, and were able to continue our ministry (part-time) in the Spanish tongue.  The country was economically more advanced than Bolivia, and the people were very friendly as well.  The countryside around Quito is just beautiful.  Like Bolivia, Ecuador also has snow-capped mountains.  However, it is not as dry as Bolivia, i.e., the “high plain,” where its larger cities are located. (An exception is the city of Santa Cruz, located in the jungle area). At any rate, because Quito gets rain on a regular basis, it has lush valleys, making it an ideal area for the dairy business.  Quito is located at a height of about 9,500 feet, and the temperature is moderate throughout the year.  If one desires warmer weather, it is found at a much lower elevation, toward the coast, in the jungle, about an hour away by car. And a couple of hours further, toward the coast, you will find yourself in the midst of banana plantations, for that is a chief export of Ecuador.  Guayaquil, the largest city of the country, is located right on the Pacific coast.  The climate there is very hot and humid. However, my wife and I preferred Quito, the capital city, as it is nestled in the mountains, and the climate is moderate.

Quito is outstandingly beautiful. It is located in a rather long valley, with snow-capped mountains practically surrounding it.  Some are located nearby, and others at more of a distance. A German author who lived there, once wrote, “Germany is my mother, but Ecuador is my sweetheart.”  We shared that sentiment.

I served as presiding overseer of a large congregation in the central, newer part of the city.  There were several other congregations, and a missionary home.  We would often visit with the missionaries and, frequently, we had them over to our home for dinner.  My wife was a very good cook.  We had a live-in “house maid,” so my wife had plenty of help when our children were very small.  She liked that, although at times she missed her privacy.  Nevertheless, this arrangement gave us the freedom to go out on our own every now and then, and that was good for both of us.

Our third son, Jeffry, was born in Quito. The doctor and attending nurse knew that we had two sons, and that a baby girl would be most welcome.  Therefore, she came into the waiting room (where I waited with keen anticipation), and announced the birth of another boy.  Then she teased me, saying, “It is not a girl. Shall we put him back?” The Latins have a good sense of humor. 

Shortly after Jeffry was born, the company for whom I worked decided to close its business operations in that country, so we decided to move to Spain (Canary Islands).  By this time, we had spent about ten years in Spanish-speaking countries, and moving to Spain seemed practical, as we could assist with the preaching and teaching work on the islands.  We decided to go by ship, an Italian line.  The ship set sail from Quayaquil and sailed up around Columbia, to Panama and through the Panama Canal.  That was so very exciting!  After crossing the Panama Canal, we stopped at some of the islands in that area and, at each place, we were able to disembark and look around for a while.  We found that very enjoyable! 

Our next stop was, Maracaibo, Venezuela.  This gave us the opportunity to take a taxi to visit Caracas, the Capital city.  We spent a whole day there as they have so many historical sights, and this is also the home of Simon Bolivar, a prominent figure in the development of many South American countries.  We returned to the ship at the end of the day, and later that night we set sail across the ocean.  It was interesting to learn that they set the ship on a course toward South Africa.  Upon reaching the African coast, the ship turned northward, and headed for the Canary Islands. 

Our first stop was Santa Cruz (Tenerife), which is the second largest island of that archipelago.  As we approached the island at dusk, we were able to get a glimpse of its rugged, mountainous terrain silhouetted against the sky, giving it a slightly mystical appearance. Our next port of call was Lanzarote, where we would later live for a couple of years. This island is covered with lava flows and is truly exotic.  That night, as we set sail for Barcelona, Spain, the trade winds were whipping the Atlantic into a frenzy of waves and swells.  The ship actually had to steer on a diagonal course, in order to prevent being capsized.  Most of the crew was sick, and everything on deck had to be tied down. It was almost impossible to sleep, as Jeffry was sleeping in a play-pen which I had to hang onto for most of the night. If unattended, it would slide from one side of our cabin to another, depending on whether we were ascending or descending a giant swell. The following morning, when I went on deck, the swells must have been at least 250 to 300 feet high.  The ocean liner was like a small cork as it went up, and then down these long and high “mountains” of water.  Later that day, we sailed past Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea, headed for Barcelona.  There, the sea was serene.  It truly was “the calm after the storm.”

Our visit to Barcelona was relatively brief, as it was suggested that we move to Alicante, on the east coast of Spain.  After we arrived, however, there was a new directive that we return to Grand Canary, in the Canary Islands, as they were in greater need of help in many of the congregations there.  Therefore, we settled in Las Palmas, the capital of Grand Canary, the largest island of the group.  That was a most interesting time to live there because the Suez was closed to all shipping.  Consequently, ships would sail around the Cape of South Africa, always stopping in Las Palmas, on their way to Europe, or the British Isles.  We lived at a rather high elevation and had a panoramic view of the shipping lane.  It was like watching the world on parade.  Many passengers would disembark at Santa Catalina Park, and walk around that part of the city.  Very often, that place resembled a united nations.

The preaching work on this island was interesting, to say the least. We would travel to various parts of the island in order to speak with people.  Many Bible studies were conducted with interested persons.  Naturally, Spain is quite Catholic, but its inhabitants are always willing to have a good discussion. They are also very hospitable.

Unfortunately, we were unable to get a visa for a prolonged period of time, and because work was very scarce, we decided to join my sister Frances and her husband in Malaysia. Her husband worked with a company there, and told me there was an opening for me as well.  Eventually, he and I worked between Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), and Singapore. Finally, we decided to settle in Singapore as our company wanted us to set up an office there.  We remained in the Far East for six years.

During that time, Jehovah’s Witnesses had been placed under ban in Singapore.  There was much influence on the Government by the Methodist Church in order to make the ban effective. Malaysia was somewhat different, as one could preach with the Bible in hand, but mainly to the Chinese and East Indians, many of whom could speak English.  On the other hand, because the Malaysian people are Moslem, it was unlawful to proselytize among them.  Nevertheless, we did have some interesting conversations with some of those who were willing to talk.

When we lived in Singapore, the ban was not really enforced to any degree, and we would preach publicly, without being hindered.  After we left that part of the world, we learned that things had changed, and the Government began to fine and imprison those who dared to defy the ban.  At any rate, when we lived there, it was fairly easy to start a conversation on Scriptural matters and many people were often willing to have us come and study the Bible with them.

Eventually, we were unable to renew our visa anymore, so we decided to return to Lanzarote (Canary Islands), as a friend told me of a job offer on that island.  We loved living there, and our children were being schooled in both English and Spanish, so that was good.  The people on that island were very friendly and witnessing was always such a pleasure.  Many of them were also willing to study the Bible.  Of course, we were able to have meetings quite freely so that was a big change from Singapore.

After two years, my wife became pregnant with our last son, Adrian.  Therefore, the doctors advised us to seek help in London, England or Madrid, Spain, as they felt the baby would probably require a C-section birth for which they were not equipped.  As our two older sons were finishing high school, (and about to enter University), we decided to return to Canada.  Therefore, it was here, in British Columbia, that Adrian was born.

We chose Vancouver, British Columbia, because it happened to be the warmest place in Canada.  This was important to us, because we had spent about 20 years in tropical and sub-tropical weather. Even so, this was a very big change in terms of climate. There were other advantages in coming to B.C., as well. My Mother, and other members of my side of the family were already living in this Province.  Nevertheless, it still was somewhat of an adjustment to get used to living in Canada again.  But the children adjusted quickly, and the two older boys soon entered University.

Our spiritual life continued as before, and I was appointed “elder” in the congregation we were assigned to attend.  Before long, however, my sister Frances’ husband began to be more vocal in questioning some of the Watch Tower Society’s teachings. Of course, he already had certain misgivings about some of these things for quite some time, long before he and my sister had returned to Canada. My sister was also questioning things, and together they searched the Scriptures for answers to some of these matters, but especially the teaching that the 144,000 (mentioned in Revelation), is a literal number. The implication of this is that only such a literal number can become “sons of God,” members of the “body of Christ,” “Abraham’s seed,” and so forth. Of course, Clifford and Frances maintained that such a belief actually challenges certain Scripture texts.  For example, Galatians 3:26 states: “You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus.”  That same chapter, verse 29 states: “Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.”  The book of Romans (8:14) also shows, very clearly, that “all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons.” Therefore, they reasoned that it is impossible to have genuine faith in Christ Jesus, and yet not “belong” to him, or to be “God’s sons.”

At this juncture, it is, perhaps, appropriate to mention that when I was first baptized, I  happened to have a discussion with an Evangelical Minister who questioned me on this very issue.  He asked me if I believed the book of Revelation is highly symbolic, to which I agreed.   He then asked, “In that case, why do you hold so firmly to the idea that the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation, chapters 7 and 14, is a literal number?”  I told him he seemed to have an interesting point and that I would think on the matter.  Well, I often did. 

Of course, there were so many, many other teachings of the Watch Tower Society that were clearly and unmistakably supported in Scripture.  Consequently, I reasoned that even if this particular belief was incorrect, the fact that other religious groups espoused beliefs like trinity, immortal soul, hell fire and so on, I felt I was still better off with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Therefore, this issue was, (in my mind) comparatively minor.  I also reasoned that there are (obviously) things in Scripture that we do not, as yet, fully comprehend.  The critical issue, in my opinion, was that we not only are to live our lives in harmony with what the Scriptures teach, but that we must share these things with others. In this regard, I have always felt (and still do), that the Watch Tower Society, and Jehovah’s Witnesses as a whole, consistently set a good example in speaking to others about God’s Kingdom.  Mind you, there are thousands of Christians who are not JWs, but who zealously talk to others about God, Christ Jesus, and God’s kingdom.  However, rather than go from door to door, they witness primarily to family, friends, work-mates, and to whomever they meet.  Of course, most of JWs are not aware of their activity.

One day, my sister’s husband challenged the Society’s” belief, that the United Nations will destroy all of “organized religion.”  For this, he was disfellowshipped.  Another brother, in turn, questioned the Scriptural basis for such action.  For this, he was “stripped” of his privileges in the congregation, and very closely watched by the Congregation Elders, even to the point of spying on him. Eventually, he too, was cut off.  I strongly disagreed with the Body of Elders, and reproved them for spying.  I also told them that when I was in Brooklyn, (JW World Headquarters) many years before, the Watch Tower Society’s President said, most emphatically, that spying was wrong. He had also told us that wrong-doing, if done in secret, will be found out by the angels, so we were not to act as “spiritual policemen.” Nevertheless, the Elders responsible for such activity insisted they were right, and that if I would not support them, they could not work with me.

As a result of their action, I wrote the Society, but for about six months there was no reply.  Meanwhile, I was being pressured by the local body of elders to conform to what they were doing, and if I did not, then they could not work with me. Consequently, I resigned my position as Elder. And while I continued to attend meetings, participate in the field ministry and so on, I was not treated with the kindness, respect and love that was shown to me before this happened.  The situation deteriorated from bad to worst, and finally, the brothers just ignored me as well as my family.  This experience was so “traumatic” that we felt we had experienced something akin to death.  Finally, we found it impossible to find any spiritual encouragement or comfort in that environment.

Perhaps I should make another important point here.  Most of Jehovah’s Witnesses are, in my opinion, fine people, and this is true of the many congregations scattered throughout the earth. That was my experience when I served at the Watch Tower Headquarters in Canada. And it was also my experience while visiting congregations in the circuit in Manitoba, and later in the missionary field in Bolivia, as well as when serving at the Branch Office. Nevertheless, JWs are not permitted to exercise their own conscience in matters of belief.  In order to be considered “in good standing” with their organization, one must adhere to every tenet of their belief system, even though one may feel (in one’s heart) that certain beliefs are not supported in Scripture, and that some of these even contradict it.  There are many among JWs who just go along with things because they have their life-long friends and family there.

It has been my observation, and hence my firm belief, that Jehovah’s Witnesses have only one serious fault.  It is not that some of the things they teach find no support in Scripture. That is not it, because many other groups have the very same problem, and in most cases, that problem is even more serious among them.  What I specifically refer to is that the Watch Tower Society does not recognize conscience, and in this they are not alone, as most other religious organizations do not either. However, in the case of the Watch Tower Society this is a great irony, because as a religious body, they have had to fight court battles in order to gain the freedom to exercise their own conscience. Now, then, even though they have had to fight such a critically important issue in the courts, they can see no reason, whatever, to extend such a fundamental need to fellow believers.  This is incomprehensible, to say the least.  Indeed, such behavior is truly reprehensible!

Sadly, they seem to forget that conscience is a gift from God, and that it must never, ever be violated. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul makes this point quite clear.  He discusses the matter of eating meat that had previously been offered to idol gods. Paul’s whole point is that, while such meat can be eaten by Christians, one must never do so if it upsets the conscience of another. He writes: “If anyone of the unbelievers invites you and you wish to go, proceed to eat everything that is set before you, making no inquiry on account of conscience. But if anyone should say to you: ‘This is something offered in sacrifice,’ (to an idol), do not eat on account of conscience. ‘Conscience, I say, not your own, but that of the other person.”  (1 Cor. 10:27-29) 

In Romans, chapter 14, Paul discusses this very same issue.  In verse two, he acknowledges that a brother may have a “weak” conscience.  In verse 13, he admonishes “not to put, before a brother, a stumbling block or a cause for tripping,” and continues in verse 15:  “For if because of food your brother is being grieved, you are no longer walking in love.  Do not by your food ruin that one for whom Christ died.”  He then explains the reason for his counsel in verse 17, and says:  “For the kingdom of God does not mean eating and drinking, but (means) righteousness and peace and joy with holy spirit.” 

The point being made by Paul does not, in itself, have anything to do with food.  Rather, it has everything to do with conscience, that is, the need to respect another’s conscience, especially if that conscience happens to be “weak.”  If this counsel is ignored, we may be “ruining that one for whom Christ died.”  This is very serious, for Jesus said that while “It is unavoidable that causes for stumbling should come… woe to the one through whom they come.” (Matt. 17:1,2)

Let’s look at the application of the foregoing counsel in a practical way, among Christians today.  Sadly, it has been my experience, and that of many other sincere Christians, that conscience is often not taken into account.  And yet, it is so very important that this be done. There are certain truths in Scripture that are crystal clear, while other things are not so clear. For example, that our Heavenly Father is God Almighty is clear; that his Beloved Son, Christ Jesus, died for the human race is clear; that the ‘kingdom of God’ is the legitimate administration for this earth is clear; that when we die, we go to the grave, and that there will be a “resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous” is also clear.

However, there are some areas in which the Scriptures are not specific. For this reason, Paul wrote: “For at present we see in hazy outline.” (1 Cor. 13:12)  Paul explains that in the future, we will be able to see clearly.  Likewise, the apostle Peter acknowledged that “there are some things hard to understand.” (2 Peter 3:16)   Therefore, if it is our conviction that a brother has an incorrect understanding on some point of Scripture, yet in his conscience he is convinced that it is so, we should acknowledge his conscience, (perhaps, even his “weak” conscience), although that may not be our own understanding of the matter at hand.  But we should never reject such a person, simply because his conscience “sees” some matters in a way that is different from our own perception of things.  Surely, if that one’s heart is right with God, the holy spirit will reveal what is true, to such one, in God’s due time.  Furthermore, we cannot, in this age, judge the hearts of men.  That is not our prerogative, and we are specifically told, in Scripture, not to judge another.

The Scriptures help us acquire a proper perspective in such matters.  That perspective is love.  We are to love one another. Jesus said: “By this all will know you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:35)  Christians who love one another ‘send out a signal,’ so to speak, that they are truly the followers of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul recognized this fundamental truth, and for that reason, he wrote to the Colossians and admonished them: “Clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.” (Colossians 3:14)  Such counsel is practical, for it is helpful and enlightening as to how Christian unity is achieved. It has been my experience that if such advice is taken to heart, it successfully overcomes division, providing a genuine basis for unity amongst believers. 

Advertently, or inadvertently, the Watch Tower Society attempts to “force” brothers, who may not see eye to eye with them, to violate their conscience, and if that is not successful, they cut them off.  Of course, those who do obey their conscience will pay a very heavy price, for it usually means the loss of family, life-long friends and the comfort that such people can offer, and in a way that only God, himself, has ordained.  Mind you, Jesus did say that the Christian course would not be an easy one. 

Having said that, however, I have learned many good things because of my association with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and for that I am grateful. I continue to love them, and pray for them, even as I do for all true believers. Moreover, it is my firm conviction that if we obey Jesus’ injunction to love one another, from the heart, such an obedient course will bring glory to our Heavenly Father, and it will result in a blessing to others.  It is just as Paul wrote Timothy: “Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Stay by these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.”  (1 Timothy 4:16) 

In conclusion, I mention with sadness the absence of my late wife, Gwendolyn, who fell asleep in death more than four years ago. My sons and I miss her very much! She was a wonderful person, an exceptional wife, and a very tender and loving mother to our children.  She was kind, gentle, merciful, forgiving and always in good spirits.  She was a true companion, and  a loyal confidante.  I just loved being with her.  While she is sorely missed, it is a great comfort to know she will be back.  Her hope was to be among those who will receive the “better,” or “early,” resurrection, the resurrection of the “righteous.” What a joy it will be to welcome her back, together with other loved ones who will also be raised up! Of course, I am cognizant of Jesus’ words concerning this hope, when he said: “…In the resurrection (in the “age to come”)  neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage…” (Matthew 22:30) 

Consequently, about two years ago, (and on numerous occasions), I have prayed to my Heavenly Father to help me cope with my grief. I have also prayed that God send someone into my life who loves him, even as she did. 

Shortly after this, I met a fine Christian lady, Marina von der Ruhr.  She had contacted our web site, (homechristians.net), and requested certain Bible talks, (on audio tape), that had been announced there.  Among these was a talk I had given on the topic, “One Body in Christ.” This sparked her interest even more, so she wrote again, asking many good Bible questions. After several months in corresponding with her on spiritual matters, I encouraged her to attend a Bible Conference we were having on the mainland, so she decided to come.  She enjoyed it immensely, and has since returned to subsequent Conferences.  What is more, she was baptized at a Conference we had last July. 

Marina is intelligent and witty, with a great sense of humor.  She is also very gentle, kind, and compassionate, qualities that are most endearing to me. We became engaged several months ago, and will be married this coming August.  After that, God willing, our story will continue to unfold together.