Occupation: Factory Worker (Now with the Lord)

    I was born and raised on a farm just north of Greenville, Michigan, and was the fourth of five children.

    When I was just 1½ years old, my dad was tearing down a building on the farm, and did not know that I was right behind him. He swung around with a board that had a nail sticking out of it, and it hit me right in the eye. I spent several days in the hospital as they tried to save it, but I never regained enough sight in that eye to really see anything with it. Do you have your full eyesight? Are you looking ahead with your eyes to what eternity will hold for you? Or are you using your eyes to get your fill of sin? "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire." (Bible, Mark 9:47)

    My mother died when I was 6 years old, so we all had to help around the farm. It was not easy, because we did not have electricity until I was in the 6th or 7th grade.

    When my mother was alive, we attended church when it was convenient, but I never remember hearing how to get to heaven.

    I got married when I was 21 years old, and we had one son. He started going to church, and when he was 8 years old, he received Jesus Christ as his Savior. He would beg us to go to church with him. We did go once in a while with him, but nothing seemed to penetrate. I figured that all of the people sitting around me were educated enough to understand what the preacher was saying. I just sat there thinking about my farm. A man there in the church lent me some farm equipment when I needed it, so I figured going a little would keep us on good terms. But then the Lord began to get my attention.

    One day when my wife and I were out ice-fishing, I fell through the ice. A lot of things went through my mind as I struggled and finally got out. "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (Bible, James 4:14) Have you ever had a close call with death? Are you really ready to die? "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Bible, Hebrews 9:27)

    On another occasion, I went out fishing with a relative who had been drinking some alcohol. While we were out on the lake, he fell overboard, and he could not swim. I grabbed him by the head and dragged him back up into the boat. That was another very scary situation.

    That evening, we drove into the driveway and sat there talking. There was a storm, and our power was off. My wife’s nephew said that it looked like a light was on in the barn, so we checked it out. Lightning had struck the barn, and it was on fire! We quickly pulled equipment out of the barn, while my wife drove to get help. A hole was burnt through the roof before help arrived.

    I was getting to the point in my life where I was ready to fall down on the ground and give up. The next day, a man selling lightning rods visited the farm. I told him that he was a day late. What will happen if you die and are a day late in getting your sins forgiven? "Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation." (Bible, II Corinthians 6:2)

    In a few weeks, a neighbor invited us to go to some meetings at church. The first night, I thought that someone must have told the evangelist all about my life, the way he was preaching against sin. That was the first time I ever remember hearing that I was a lost sinner; that Jesus died on the cross to save me; that He arose from the grave victorious the third day; and that if I would repent and ask Him to save me, He would do so.

    At work the next day, I kept thinking about what he had said, and decided that Jesus was exactly what I needed. When I got home, I found my wife thinking the same thing.

    That night we went back to the meetings, and received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. We praise God for the peace that He has given us in our hearts, and how He has blessed us over the years since that time.