I accepted the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour at the age of fourteen and joined the Baptist Church. Three years later I felt the call of God to give my life to the gospel ministry and began preaching immediately. After four years in the ministry I came to the realization that certain positions held by Baptists were at variance with what I believed, and in my search for truth I left them, and began to preach for one of the smaller Pentecostal groups, finally joining the Assemblies of God. I was still connected with this church when I made my decision more than a year ago to accept the third angel's message. I received my training at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
My first contact with the Adventist message was in Alaska in 1936. A layman gave me weekly Bible studies for about three months, but for some reason failed to convince me on the distinctive Adventist doctrines. I sincerely and honestly could not see that it was the truth. However, this experience did have the effect of completely destroying my prejudice against
Adventists, and caused me to regard them as genuinely converted Christians. Previous to this, I had rather vaguely considered them as an obscure group of Judaizing heretics, who depended entirely upon the observance of the Mosaic law for salvation, with nothing to do with Christ as the Saviour.
My reaction to the studies in Alaska was to write a tract entitled "Should Christians Keep the Sabbath?" My conclusion, of course, was that they should not. This tract was published and is still being circulated, I regret to say.
My next definite contact with Adventists was in South Dakota about 1940. The only Adventist in the community was a vegetable gardener, who came to our house once a week to sell vegetables. We became friends, and he brought me a Signs of the Times each week. I greatly enjoyed the paper in general, but usually avoided reading the articles about the law or the Sabbath, and would not discuss these subjects with him for fear of hurting his feelings. On. one occasion when I was visiting in his home, he told me that he loved me as a brother in Christ, but was greatly concerned about me because I was not keeping God's Sabbath. I was touched by his concern for me, but was rather amused at his idea that the matter was so important. I thought of this occasion many times afterward. One thing, however, which made a rather vivid impression on me was the way the Lord preserved this brother's crops. There was a plague of grasshoppers which caused great destruction to his neighbors' crops, but did not harm his: then there was a hailstorm which caused widespread damage, but left his crops unharmed. After I left the community, he continued to send me the Signs for two years.
In the year 1943 I went to Costa Rica, Central America, as a missionary for the Assemblies of God. There I became acquainted with a number of Adventist missionaries in the course of my work. After one attempt by Orley Ford to straighten me out on the law of God, they all left me strictly alone on doctrinal matters, having decided, I presume, that I was a hopeless case. However, I was greatly impressed by their helpful, practical Christian spirit, as well as by the efficiency and success of their methods of work.
The local Adventist pastor of Puntarenas was Gonzalo Gonzalez. We became good friends, and he introduced Jose Canjura Aguilar to me. He was a native evangelist who had lately come from Guatemala, and was conducting an evangelistic effort in the local Adventist church. After some general conversation Elder Aguilar asked me whether I could help him to find a suitable room to rent, as the place where he was staying was very uncomfortable. We had a large house, and my wife and I, remembering the many kindnesses shown us by the Adventist missionaries, both felt definitely impressed to offer him the free use of a large room in our home; also we offered to give him his meals without charge. He was delighted with this offer, and accepted. It was really a pleasure to have him in our home. However, I was severely reprimanded by my mission superintendent, who tried to persuade me to ask Brother Aguilar to sign an agreement not to try to win over any of our constituents.
Elder Aguilar was conducting services nearly every night, and so was I; but I usually finished first, and when he came home I would offer him a cup of hot chocolate before retiring. This was always the opener for a discussion, or perhaps I should say an argument, with each of us, Bible in hand, trying to convert the other. I was very hard to convince, but Elder Aguilar had the force of the truth behind his arguments, and gradually began to win me over. He emphasized and reiterated the distinction between the ceremonial and moral laws, and the immutable character of the law of God, including the Sabbath commandment.
When the time came for him to return to his home in San Jose, I accompanied Elder Aguilar, for I had some business to transact in that city. I visited in his home, was present at his family sundown worship, and went with him to the Sabbath services in the Adventist chapel. He introduced me to some of the other workers, among whom were Elders J. L. Brown, F. W. Steeves, and Alvin J. Stewart. Each of these men contributed his bit toward clearing my convictions.
The climax of my conviction as to the perpetuity of the Sabbath commandment came in a rather unusual manner, as a result of my having missed the train back to Puntarenas. Elder Aguilar had presented me with a book in Spanish called Hacia la Edad de Oro (Toward the Golden Age) and an old copy of Bible Readings, which he had in his home. When I missed my train, instead of returning to his home, I rented a hotel room, and spent the day praying and reading in these two books, especially the portions concerning the raw 4nd the Sabbath. I was forced to the irresistible conclusion that I was obliged before God to keep the Sabbath. I did not, however, make my decision known to anyone, not even my wife, as I still had points of difficulty to clear up in regard to other doctrines. But on every Sabbath that came around, after that, I felt twinges of conscience.
Shortly after this we returned to the United States, and settled in. Greeley, Colorado. Before we left Costa Rica, Alvin Stewart gave me a Pacific Press catalog, and advised me to look up a Book and Bible House, and secure and read The Great Controversy, as well as certain other books. For some time I had no opportunity to do this, but in a bus station somewhere in our travels before settling in Colorado, I picked up a copy of Present Truth on the 2300 days and the investigative judgment, which truths I had never been able to understand clearly, and this paper made the matter clear to me.
One day soon after this I felt a sudden urge to drive to Denver, look up the Book and Bible House. and buy the books which had been recommended to me. There the attendant introduced me to the conference president, who told me that there was a man located at that time in Greeley who was just the person to help me solve my problems—Alfred W. Peterson. While we were there conversing, in walked the subject of our conversation, and we were introduced. Elder Peterson gave weekly Bible studies to my whole family all winter.
I was already convinced about the Sabbath, and about two weeks after meeting Elder Peterson I began keeping the seventh day. At first my whole family opposed me in it, but as Elder Peterson continued giving us studies each week, usually accompanied by his good wife, I was soon joined in my faith by my two younger children. Elder Peterson helped me to see the truth about the nature of man, the state of the dead, the punishment of the wicked, the millennium, the Spirit of prophecy, and so forth. I had never met a man so completely ready with a satisfactory Bible answer for every question. I feel humbly grateful to him for his willingness and patience in helping us to see the light. Not only did he guide me in getting my bearings doctrinally, but by his faithful, friendly interest and wise counsel he helped me to orient myself in the channel of the Lord's plan for my life and future ministry.
In the meantime I read The Great Controversy, Daniel and the Revelation, and The Great Judgment Day. These excellent books made clear to me the doctrines of the sanctuary service. The Secret Rapture and the Antichrist, by Varner Johns, made the important doctrines with which this little book deals as clear as the noonday. Besides these, I read a number of other books, all on subjects relating to the Adventist message.
After a few more weeks my two younger children and I joined the local S.D.A. church, and I began doing colporteur work. After about four months in this work we went to California, where I took summer courses at La Sierra College on the Spirit of prophecy and the book of Revelation. My wife and older daughter also have now accepted the message, so we are now all rejoicing in being a part of the remnant church. At the time of writing this I am enjoying the privilege of attendance at the S.D.A. Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., preparatory to returning to Central America to carry a really "full gospel" message of present truth to needy souls there.
As I analyze my experience, several facts stand out prominently ; the first of which is that it was not any one individual or experience which alone brought me to the truth, but rather a chain of providential circumstances.
A second important fact may be expressed in the words of our Lord in John 7 ;17 : "If any man will to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." I was honest in heart, and was seeking the truth, though it was not at all easy to convince me of my errors. This leads me to think that there must be many honest hearts in other churches, and among ministers, who' would receive the truth if it were faithfully, prayerfully, patiently, tactfully, and persistently presented, as it was to me. It took about ten years to win me, so let us not be discouraged if people do not accept the message immediately upon its initial presentation.
A third point we should bear in mind is that people in general are grossly misinformed as to what Adventists believe, teach, and practice. In the first place, many who are not of our faith do not even know that we believe in Christ. They think that we deny the atonement, that we make Satan our sinbearer, that we believe in salvation solely by works, and that we believe that everyone who worships on Sunday has already received the mark of the beast. We should Utilize every possible means to clear away these and other misconceptions of our message which Satan has implanted in people's minds to keep them from giving heed to the truth for this time. Let us present our message so clearly that people cannot misunderstand our teaching.
