While growing up on the farm in a small community in the state of Washington many lessons and
experiences were formed in my life. As one looks back on their life, you can see how the Lord
was with you in the many situations of life. I was raised in a small country Methodist church. I
attended many revival meetings when guest minister would travel to the camp meetings. The
music was either piano, organ, guitar, violin, trumpet and other brass accompanied as guest
singers and large congregations would sing the hymns of the church. Afterwards the minister
would preach repentance in the hellfire damnation sermons, if you didn't change your life, and
accept Jesus and be saved. The altar calls were always given and people called forward to
accept Christ. Many times the people and myself included went forward, but later we were back
to our old sinful ways. Some lives were changed, but for me and others so much of the
conversion was more emotion then genuine change.
After receiving my Associate in Arts degree in college, I was drafted into the U. S Army and
served from 1954-1956. During that period of time, I went the way of the world. I thing that I
remembered were the words of my mother, Vita Hagensen. She said, "If you can't take Jesus
with you, don't go." We'll I went many places that I felt very uncomfortable at first, because I
knew I was doing wrong. Gradually, I was having fun with friends, and I became dulled or it
didn't bother me anymore to be in those places. The night I was leaving Fort Ord, California, a
Christian friend whose bunk was next to mine said, "You Jack, this is the first night that you
have been home before lights out." Lights out was at 10 P.M. I felt very guilty, but I am glad he
said what he did because, even though I continued in the ways of the world I could feel God
wasn't through with me yet.
After an honorable discharge from the service, I went back to my old job, working with a
company that made paper products. I saw this very attractive young lady, stacking paper bags
in bundles and tying string around them to hold the bags together. This lady, turned out to be
my future wife, her name was Lois. When we started dating I was very active in my Lutheran
Church. In fact I had completed enough college that I was thinking about becoming a Lutheran
ministry and had an application to attend the seminary in Berkley, California. But, praise God,
He had other plans for me.
I asked Lois in one of our initial dates, “What church do you go to?” Her reply, “I attend the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” My response was, “What's that?”
She explained about the idea that we need 12 Apostles and other ministers as Jesus built his
New Testament church. It sounded pretty strange to me. After becoming engaged, we had
many interesting discussions. Lois decided that she had enough of me and gave me the
engagement ring back. After receiving counsel from Elder Paul Fishel of Vancouver,
Washington, that he felt it was okay for her to marry me. We got married on August 17, 1957.
We went to California for our honeymoon and met some friends in San Francisco. I promised
Lois that I would never drink again. But during that evening with our friends, not of the RLDS
faith, we had a few drinks together. Lois was devastated and cried most of the night. Our
marriage continued to be very unstable at the best. We argued about our differences, and Lois
many times wanted a divorce. But, I didn't believe in divorce, but the way I was treating her, it’s
a miracle that we stayed together.
Before we were married we promised each other that we would study each other church so that
we could at least understand each other. Lois studied the Lutheran Church faithfully, but I
refused to study her church. Lois then started putting tracts out and leave the Bible open to
certain scriptures. This irritated me, and I again refused to read them. Then all of a sudden
there were no more tracts or open Bibles left on the table. I learned several years later that
she decided to give me to the Lord. She said in her prayer, "Lord I can't do a thing with him,
he's yours." We lost our first baby in May of 1958. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around
his neck and he died during delivery. This of course broke our hearts, but when we looked
back on that occasion, the Lord used that to bring us closer together. Even though I was still
preparing for the Lutheran ministry, we started praying together. On Sunday, I would drop Lois
off and her church and go to assist the pastor at the Lutheran church where I would give the
liturgy.
One day I was home sick from work, and at that time I was coaching summer baseball. I read all
of the sports illustrated that I had and was getting bored. I asked Lois if she had anything for
me to read. She was back in a few seconds with a book, entitled "The Call at Evening." I wasn't
sure want kind of a book it was, and started reading. I couldn't put that book down, I read it all
the way through it was so interesting and answered many questions that I had, and had never
received an answer to, until I read that book. Lois could see that my life was changing. She
asked if I would be interested in having cottage meetings with Brother Fishel. (He married us)
I said yes I would be very interested.
After about 6 months of study Paul said, “I have taught you everything I know. You are going to
have to ask God if these things that I have taught are true.” We'll everything seemed to fit in
place; all the pieces to the puzzle seemed to be there, so I knew that I had to ask God if these
things were not true. I shall never forget my prayer. I was lying in bed, and I said Lord, “I don't
care if my friends or my family disowns me, I have to know is this work true”. The power of the
Spirit of our Lord was so great and intense, that I was lifted up off of my bed and I thought I was
going through the ceiling. The first thing the Lord told me was that I was forgiven of my sins, I
knew beyond any doubt that I was now truly, "born again." I felt totally free, I knew that Jesus
died for my sins, and that I was forgiven, a new creature in Christ. Then the Lord spoke again
and said, "This work is true, and I have a work for you to do." My life has never been the same
since that wonderful day; I was now a son of God, a citizen of His Kingdom.
My plea to every soul now, is to ask the Lord to forgive you and ask if the Latter Day work is not
true. He will answer and claim you as His own. A citizen in His Kingdom and the promise of
eternal life with Him.
experiences were formed in my life. As one looks back on their life, you can see how the Lord
was with you in the many situations of life. I was raised in a small country Methodist church. I
attended many revival meetings when guest minister would travel to the camp meetings. The
music was either piano, organ, guitar, violin, trumpet and other brass accompanied as guest
singers and large congregations would sing the hymns of the church. Afterwards the minister
would preach repentance in the hellfire damnation sermons, if you didn't change your life, and
accept Jesus and be saved. The altar calls were always given and people called forward to
accept Christ. Many times the people and myself included went forward, but later we were back
to our old sinful ways. Some lives were changed, but for me and others so much of the
conversion was more emotion then genuine change.
After receiving my Associate in Arts degree in college, I was drafted into the U. S Army and
served from 1954-1956. During that period of time, I went the way of the world. I thing that I
remembered were the words of my mother, Vita Hagensen. She said, "If you can't take Jesus
with you, don't go." We'll I went many places that I felt very uncomfortable at first, because I
knew I was doing wrong. Gradually, I was having fun with friends, and I became dulled or it
didn't bother me anymore to be in those places. The night I was leaving Fort Ord, California, a
Christian friend whose bunk was next to mine said, "You Jack, this is the first night that you
have been home before lights out." Lights out was at 10 P.M. I felt very guilty, but I am glad he
said what he did because, even though I continued in the ways of the world I could feel God
wasn't through with me yet.
After an honorable discharge from the service, I went back to my old job, working with a
company that made paper products. I saw this very attractive young lady, stacking paper bags
in bundles and tying string around them to hold the bags together. This lady, turned out to be
my future wife, her name was Lois. When we started dating I was very active in my Lutheran
Church. In fact I had completed enough college that I was thinking about becoming a Lutheran
ministry and had an application to attend the seminary in Berkley, California. But, praise God,
He had other plans for me.
I asked Lois in one of our initial dates, “What church do you go to?” Her reply, “I attend the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” My response was, “What's that?”
She explained about the idea that we need 12 Apostles and other ministers as Jesus built his
New Testament church. It sounded pretty strange to me. After becoming engaged, we had
many interesting discussions. Lois decided that she had enough of me and gave me the
engagement ring back. After receiving counsel from Elder Paul Fishel of Vancouver,
Washington, that he felt it was okay for her to marry me. We got married on August 17, 1957.
We went to California for our honeymoon and met some friends in San Francisco. I promised
Lois that I would never drink again. But during that evening with our friends, not of the RLDS
faith, we had a few drinks together. Lois was devastated and cried most of the night. Our
marriage continued to be very unstable at the best. We argued about our differences, and Lois
many times wanted a divorce. But, I didn't believe in divorce, but the way I was treating her, it’s
a miracle that we stayed together.
Before we were married we promised each other that we would study each other church so that
we could at least understand each other. Lois studied the Lutheran Church faithfully, but I
refused to study her church. Lois then started putting tracts out and leave the Bible open to
certain scriptures. This irritated me, and I again refused to read them. Then all of a sudden
there were no more tracts or open Bibles left on the table. I learned several years later that
she decided to give me to the Lord. She said in her prayer, "Lord I can't do a thing with him,
he's yours." We lost our first baby in May of 1958. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around
his neck and he died during delivery. This of course broke our hearts, but when we looked
back on that occasion, the Lord used that to bring us closer together. Even though I was still
preparing for the Lutheran ministry, we started praying together. On Sunday, I would drop Lois
off and her church and go to assist the pastor at the Lutheran church where I would give the
liturgy.
One day I was home sick from work, and at that time I was coaching summer baseball. I read all
of the sports illustrated that I had and was getting bored. I asked Lois if she had anything for
me to read. She was back in a few seconds with a book, entitled "The Call at Evening." I wasn't
sure want kind of a book it was, and started reading. I couldn't put that book down, I read it all
the way through it was so interesting and answered many questions that I had, and had never
received an answer to, until I read that book. Lois could see that my life was changing. She
asked if I would be interested in having cottage meetings with Brother Fishel. (He married us)
I said yes I would be very interested.
After about 6 months of study Paul said, “I have taught you everything I know. You are going to
have to ask God if these things that I have taught are true.” We'll everything seemed to fit in
place; all the pieces to the puzzle seemed to be there, so I knew that I had to ask God if these
things were not true. I shall never forget my prayer. I was lying in bed, and I said Lord, “I don't
care if my friends or my family disowns me, I have to know is this work true”. The power of the
Spirit of our Lord was so great and intense, that I was lifted up off of my bed and I thought I was
going through the ceiling. The first thing the Lord told me was that I was forgiven of my sins, I
knew beyond any doubt that I was now truly, "born again." I felt totally free, I knew that Jesus
died for my sins, and that I was forgiven, a new creature in Christ. Then the Lord spoke again
and said, "This work is true, and I have a work for you to do." My life has never been the same
since that wonderful day; I was now a son of God, a citizen of His Kingdom.
My plea to every soul now, is to ask the Lord to forgive you and ask if the Latter Day work is not
true. He will answer and claim you as His own. A citizen in His Kingdom and the promise of
eternal life with Him.
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