Grandpa K's Full Memoir Combined (not in parts)
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HILLS, MINNESOTA 1930 – 1935 In June 1930 I graduated from Calvin Seminary with a Th. B. degree and shortly afterwards became a candidate for the ministry of the Gospel in the Christian Reformed Church. I was eligible for a call on July 1. My boyhood pastor the Rev. Wm. Bajema invited me to spend a few weeks at their home in Sheldon, Ia. so that I could accept preaching invitations in that area and thus become acquainted with the churches who were looking for pastors. The invitation appealed to me and I took the train to Iowa. One of the churches which invited me to preach was Hills, Minn. in the Southwest corner of the state. It was a small church of about 40 families. It required two Dutch sermons per week and one American per month. On July 1 they extended a call to me. This was quite an experience because we had been taught at Seminary that a call from a congregation meant that God called us to the ministry. Now I knew that God wanted me to be a minister, I was called. I had three or four weeks to consider this call and since no other call came during this time I was certain it was the Lord's will that I accept and so I did. However, before I could begin I had to be examined by Classis Sioux Center early in September. I had a couple of weeks to make arrangements. I bought my first car a 1928 Essex coupe with a rumble seat for about $175.00. I also packed my books and bought a few pieces of furniture. The examination by Classis was held in the Dutch language and I had to preach a Dutch sermon. It took nearly all day and in the end I was declared ready for ordination. It was a happy day but it was tough. After the exam I decided I would drive back to Randolph, Wis. and prepare to move. It was an allnight trip and early the next morning my parents welcomed me home happy and thankful that I had passed another hurdle. After a few days at home, during which time I prepared my inaugural sermons and was given a farewell party by my relatives with a gift of a chime clock to remind me that a minister must be on time, I left for Hills. Due to the fact that the depression was very severe at that time my parents could not afford to go with me. On the 12th of September 1930 I was officially ordained for the ministry of the word and the sacraments by the Rev. Wm. Bajema and a couple other ministers and my career as a minister began.
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2 The parsonage at Hills was a very humble abode. It had a kitchen, a living room and a study downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs. There was no running water, no bathroom, and no furnace and all the floors were bare. There was an outhouse in back. Instead of a furnace I bought a stove which burned wood, coal and cobs. I furnished the living room as sparsely as possible and fixed up one bedroom and the study and that was it. For my meals I was invited to Mr. and Mrs. Tim Fikse who lived across the alley. For a good bath I went to the Barber shop down town where for 25c I get a bath with towel and soap provided. After the ordination service there was a reception for the congregation and it was my pleasure to meet most of the people. But at that reception I ran into my first problem. I had been forewarned that the church had one man who was a trouble maker and he would most certainly try to get me. At the reception he felt that a lady of the church had slighted him and he became very angry. I became involved when he brought his case to the consistory, but the consistory could not satisfy him and he became still more angry. Some time later we had a congregational meeting to consider the possibility of doing something about the christian school. At this meeting Mr. D.V. objected to everything and was constantly on his feet so that he got on my nerves and I said to him, "Mr. D. you have said enough sit down." He sat down as if shot, but got up at once and walked out of the meeting. He was red as a beet. I knew I was in for trouble. However, he came right back into the room and said no more. For weeks I kept wondering when I would get it from him, but nothing happened until it came time for the annual family visit. I went with fear and trembling. The visit went off rather nicely. Then at the close I asked him if he had anything to suggest. He said, "Yes pastor, if Mr. V, D, ever bothers you, just say "SIT DOWN" that was all. And from that day on I could do no wrong. He was cured. The salary at Hills began with $1800 per year, but the depression was so severe that the congregation could not raise it. Farmers could not make enough money to pay their rent. Grain was sold for about 5 cents per bushel, corn was only about 10 cents and milk was very cheap. Once a farmer brought me half a pig, it was worth only $1.50. People could not buy shoes for their children. The Consistory struggled with the problem, they could not pay the salary. Finally they asked me what to do. I told them to reduce the salary to whatever they could pay, but they did not dare to promise anything so I suggested that they give me one offering per month. They didn't like that, but since they could not offer anything better, they agreed. The offering amounted to $35 to $55 per month. However, people brought food and fuel in abundance. We never
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3 In the spring of 1931 I was appointed to spend two weeks at Eagle Butte S.D. to preach for a few Christian Reformed families who had settled there. While there I made a trip to Timber Lake, S.D. because I heard that a couple families had settled there also. There I heard that the family of John Schaap was going to move back to the Sioux Falls area. They had a daughter who was teaching on the Sioux Indian reservation. I did not meet the family, but kept them in mind. Some weeks later I saw the Schaap family in church and since my parents were visiting at my house I invited them over for coffee after church. I had seen Kathryn from the pulpit and was glad to get acquainted with her. I was thrilled with her and if there ever was love at first sight it was here. However, I was careful and made no date, but since I was to make a sick call about half way to her house I asked her to ride with me to the place where I would have to turn off. From that time on I saw her in church and at Y.P.S. but no dates. In June or July I had to preach near the Black Hills and at church I kidded her about going along, but of course that was out. I thought of her often during the trip and wondered. Late in August we had a missionfest in Sioux Falls and about the same time the Schaap family membership papers arrived and they were to join our church. I decided that since the Schaaps lived near Sioux Falls I would arrange a welcome visit at their home that evening, an elder agreed to go along or to meet me there. At the festival I made an appointment with the Schaap family and asked Kathryn to ride with and to show me where they lived. On the way Kathryn told me that she had applied for a teaching position at Ash Creek, Minn. and also at Ashley, N.D. and that in a day or two she would know which if either was going to ask her. Well, the visit at her home was pleasant and we gave the family a warm welcome. Later I had a little time with Kathryn alone and I told her, "I think I love you." and she said "I know I love you." She promised to call me when she heard from the school. The next afternoon she phoned that she had received the appointment from Ashley and would have to leave in a day or two. That night I drove back to Rowena and we agreed to write each other and to pray that God would make his will for our lives known to us. We decided that every night we would fix our eye on one certain star and pray that God would guide us to make the wise decision. When the news leaked out that I was keeping company with Kathryn there was excitement in the church. Some people were happy others were disappointed. Some mothers had been grooming their daughter hoping that some day I would ask one of them and now their hopes were lost.
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4 One mother came to tell me that her daughter was in love with me. At another time I asked a man to remove a tree from my garden and although he agreed to do it nothing happened. Finally I asked him why he did not remove the tree. His reply was "because my hired man won't help me, because his girl friend loves you." It was fun. Meanwhile our love grew and we began to think of marriage. I saw her on Thanksgiving Day and again at Christmas time and kept writing letters. That Spring I was appointed to preach two weeks at Lark, N.D. and since her school let out at about the same time, we planned to meet at Timber Lake where she could stay with Rev. and Mrs. L. Green, with whom she had been staying during her High School years. I picked her up and we drove to Lark where we had been invited to stay with the Vogel family who had lots of room. After preaching there the first Sunday we took a couple days to visit friends in Lodgepole, S.D. and on the way we toured the Badlands of North Dakota. One night in Lark I was to conduct a Bible class at the home of one of the ranchers, but the threat of a storm made it necessary to leave for high ground. We drove to a school and decided to wait out the storm.
While there I proposed marriage to her and was accepted. We set June 9 for our wedding day. The next Monday we drove to Ashley, N.D. where we spent the night with friends and early the next morning we loaded up her belongings and informed the school board that she would not return the next fall. Then we went on to Rowena, S.D and told her parents and family of our plans. I also wrote my parents of our plans and invited them to come for our wedding. We decided to have a church wedding and invited William Vervolf and Fannie Haveman old friends of mine to be our attendants. Rev. Wassink of Inwood, Ia. performed the ceremony. Afterwards we held a reception for the congregation and friends in a vacant lutheran church. It was a very simple affair because money was very scarce. The food for the reception cost less than $50.00. Gifts were very cheap, but greatly appreciated. After the wedding we drove towards Wisconsin where a reception had been planned by my relatives the next night. On the way we spent a night in Emmetsburg Iowa. We stayed in a Tourist home. After the reception in Randolph, Wis. We planned to take a honeymoon trip around Lake Michigan and into Canada. While in Grand Rapids, I think I preached for the Burton Heights church. We stayed with a family which had befriended me often during my Seminary years. They had a daughter about my age, and now her father asked us if we would be willing to take her along on our trip to Canada. It was a strange request, but in view of the fact that they had always been so very kind to me, we decided to take her along. Our first stop was Blackwell, Ont. where I had preached one summer as a student.
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5 We spent the weekend there and I assume I preached for the Sarnia church which had replaced the Blackwell church. We had a good time. From there we visited several other places and of course viewed the Niagare Falls. On the way back we dropped our guest off in Grand Rapids and continued our trip around the Lake. About the 1st of July we arrived safely back in Hills and our life together began. We were extremely happy and the church rejoiced with us. On the 7th of July we had a rain and thunder storm. We noticed there was an awful lot of noise, but had no idea what it was, but shortly after the storm passed we got a call telling us that a tornado had struck our community and that one of our deacons was hit. After hurriedly putting chains on the car we hurried to the farm. Just as we arrived they were carrying Mr. Fien to an ambulance. I followed to the hospital in Sioux Falls where I saw him die. It was a very sad experience, but the Lord gave wisdom and strength to handle the situation. I think the next big event in our lives was the birth of our first son, Sherwood Jay on July 15, 1933. Our joy overflowed, we were very happy and thankful for our son. Not long after Sherwood's birth I began to receive calls from other churches but I was happy that I was able to decline them because we enjoyed our work in Hills and were greatly appreciated. However, about midwinter 1934 after I had declined another call we decided it was time to make some calls which had been neglected during my struggle with a difficult call. As we stopped at the first home, the lady said, "We were so happy when you declined that call, but the Banner just came and I see they have you on trio in Bellflower, California, why don't they leave you alone?" Shortly after we returned to our home the telephone rang and the operator informed me, "I have a telegram for you, shall I read it?" She told me it came from Bellflower and she read, "You Are Called." signed by the clerk of First Bellflower. We were stunned, but soon I said we don't have to consider this call, I will write them that we can't consider this call because we wouldn't be able to come for a long time because we are expecting a baby. This was in January and we expected a baby sometime in April or there about. But the Consistory wrote back "take your time we can wait." So we began to consider, but we felt no desire to leave Hills and to go to California. Interestingly we received some letters from Bellflower which were aimed to discourage us. We were told that the church was in a hopeless condition. Many families had left and others were on the verge. The Protestant Reformed church had been formed and another group had left with the pastor who was released to join the Reformed church.
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6 One man warned that it would be a sad mistake, if I moved my family into that situation and he urged us not to come. Well, we were not inclined to come, but the discouraging letters made us feel that the church really needed help, but why me? Then one day my boyhood pastor Rev, Wm. Bajema came for a visit. He asked how I felt about the call. When I told him that I was hoping to be able to decline, he said "Gareth, I think you are the man that church needs. It is in a very sad condition and I believe you are the man they need" and he urged us to accept. We became convinced that the Lord wanted us to accept the call and so we did. On the 29th of March baby James Robert was born and we made plans to move. We decided to sell most of our furniture and ship the rest of the things by rail. Our old car was not fit for the big trip so I asked the Bellflower Consistory what to do about transportation. They advised to buy a new car and they loaned us $300.00 for that purpose. We bought a new Ford for $700.00 and set out for California. Since Kathryn was still very weak we decided to spend the first weekend with friends in Denver. We traveled slowly first of all because Kathryn and baby Jim needed extra time, but also because the new car needed breaking in. The first night was spent in Rowena with the Schaaps who were staying in the old Rowena Bank building. I think we slept on the floor. The next night we reached Grand Island, Neb. where we stayed in a cabin. Hotels were either non existent or very few, The next day we drove towards the Rockies and perhaps it was the next morning that we first saw the Rocky Mountains and were thrilled with our first view of a mountain. I think it was Long's Peak. In Denver we stayed with Newton Alsma who were old friends from Wisconsin. I think I was asked to preach for the First C.R.C. church. On Tuesday we continued our trip driving as far as just west south of Cheyenne. We spent a day in Salt Lake City to visit the Mormon Tabernacle. From there we drove South by way of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. The main reason for going by way of Zion was that I wished to see the mountain that had thrilled me when I saw it in a picture as a child. It was the Great White Throne. I have seen it many times since and it always excites me. From there we drove as far as Las Vegas which was a small town at that time, but we first spent a night in St. George. It was Saturday when we arrived in San Bernardino where we decided to stay until Monday. We worshipped with a Lutheran church. Early Monday morning we found our way to Bellflower which at that time boasted 7000 people. Our first stop was the Post Office where we were told that our mail was at the Geo. Velle home just north of town. We were given a warm welcome and saw our first California dairy.
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7 BELLFLOWER, CALIFORNIA 1935 – 1946 Since our furniture had not yet arrived we were told that Mr. and Mrs. G. Haakma of Hawaian Gardens would entertain us until our things arrived. They entertained us royally and we drank milk by the long gallon. We bought furniture from a Los Angeles factory and before long were comfortably settled in our new home. The installation service was held early in May. If I am not mistaken the Rev. B. Stryuk was in charge. After the service I met an old friend with whom I had become acquainted at Calvin, Dr. Jack Hoekzema. He had written me that if I would accept the call to Bellflower he would consider setting up his practice there. He kept his word and the next week we rented an office for him and we had a very fine family doctor and as I am writing these lines he still is our doctor and a close friend. A couple years later he married Anne Cooper also a Calvin friend, and they lived with us until they found a house for themselves. Our ministry in Bellflower was very pleasant and extremely busy. We began with 70 families. I preached two sermons Dutch in the morning and American at night. During the depression and the drought out east people began to flock to California and many settled in the Bellflower area where work was available for dairy workers. In 1937 - '38 First church more than doubled its seating capacity by building two wings on the building. The congregation grew to about 300 families. In 1937 we added a third service so that we began with a Dutch service at 9:30 and held an American service at 11:00 and at 7:30. So I preached three times every Sunday for about 10 years. My first project in Bellflower was to promote a Christian School. There was a school society and they had bought a piece of land. We encouraged the people to make plans to build and to open a school as soon as possible. I spoke in the Reformed Churches as well as in our own churches and before long ground was broken and by September the school was ready to open. We had planned on two or three teachers, but the enrollment was so great we had to hunt for one or two more teachers. The school flourished and within a few years a High School was added. God blessed our efforts far beyond what we had dared to expect. When we came to First church they had only one society, a ladies aid. Before long Kathryn got busy with starting other ladies groups and I started a Young Peoples Soc. and a Men's Society. Kathryn made it her practise to lead a society during its first year and then she would turn it over to others. In that way she started several societies for all ages. Meanwhile she also started a Women's Missionary Union and became its first president.
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8 On March 11, 1938 the Lord blessed us with the birth of Faith Ruth. Kathryn chose the name Faith because she wished that more than anything else she would have faith, but she said faith and love or friendliness go together and therefore she also called her Ruth. Then on November 3, 1941 Gareth Wayne was born and more joy came to us. December 7, 1941 was Pearl Harbor Day when the Japanese made their attack upon our fleet in Hawaii and the Second World War began for us. There were many rumours of attacks upon the West Coast. We had blackouts and alerts, but there were no attacks. The war years were very busy. We entertained many servicemen, hardly a week went by without some of them staying at our home. Some 50 of our own men either enlisted or were drafted. I kept contact with all our men by writing them letters. Some of our men were wounded, some became prisoners of war, and one was killed in Germany. During the war years I had several calls to other churches, but we felt we should remain with the congregation during the war. Also our congregation grew very rapidly and I was the only one who knew where our families lived. We had no directories and many of our people had no phones. So I declined many calls. But finally the war ended and our boys came home again and shortly after we had welcomed the last one home calls came again and we felt that after serving Bellflower for nearly 12 years it might be wise to make a change. The Call from Maple Ave., Holland, Mich. seemed to be a call from God and we were led to accept it and in October we bid farewell to our beloved Bellflower and moved to Holland, Mich. It was October 1946. MAPLE AVENUE, HOLLAND, MICH. It was a beautiful October day when we rolled into Holland. Our house was ready, the furniture was in place and we could move right in. Soon we noticed things were different than in California. We had a furnace which burned coal and I had to shovel coal in and take the ashes out. It was a new chore. Sometime later our first snow fell and the children had their first experience with snow. Life in Holland was much quieter than it had been in Bellflower. Many of the activities we had in a rapidly growing church were missing. We had fewer callers and fewer calls to make. Kathryn said once, "we really don't belong here because these people don't need us." In Bellflower everybody needed us for almost everything. The phone was always ringing and every day people stopped by the house to ask for help of some sort. In Holland this rarely happened. In a way it was a nice change we had more time for other things.
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9 On May 31, 1949 the Lord blessed us with the birth of Kay Joy. It was a difficult birth. Kay came into the world with a broken shoulder and Kathryn showed the strain, but we were thankful and happy. Kathryn did not regain her strength as well as we had hoped she did not have the pep and was often very tired. The next year we planned a trip to Bellflower, but I felt that Kathryn needed rest, so I suggested that we leave Kay with my sister Jessie in Randolph, Wis. and this was agreed on. We had a wonderful trip by way of Yellowstone, Bryce and Zion and had a most enjoyable time in Bellflower. I preached for my former congregation and we visited as many families as possible. Time went very fast and before long we were back in Holland. Kay had enjoyed her stay with aunt Jessie. However, Kathryn did not regain her old strength. Not long afterwards she said that her lower lip seemed numb, later one hand was numb and still later one leg became numb. She could not feel heat or cold. She would get severe headaches in the middle of the night, but she used to say, "They are not like ordinary headaches they are deep in my head." We had the custom of reading Psalms 23 and 90 during the closing hour of the year, but at the close of 1950, I advised her to go to sleep because she had her head pain, but just before 12 she came to the study "I want to read and pray with you as usual for this might be the last time." After midnight we retired, but she was restless because of pain. Early the next morning I called the doctor. He suggested that we take her to the hospital. So on January 1, 1951 she went to the Holland Hospital. She stayed there several days, but found no relief and no explanation for her head aches. After that she spent a few days at the doctor's house, but finally returned home. One Sunday I had to preach for a church in Canada. Kathryn insisted that I go. The doctor volunteered to drive for me. Kathryn's sister Johanna came to stay with her. We returned home late Sunday night. I planned to sleep on the couch downstairs so as not to disturb her, but before long I heard that she was awake and found her in great distress, her headpains were unbearable. When the doctor came he discovered that there was pressure on her eyes and he suggested that we put her in care of a brain specialist in Grand Rapids and later that next night she entered Butterworth Hospital. Dr. List discovered a brain tumor and operated a day later. The report was favorable, but we later discovered that it was not true. We had been told that there was no malignancy, but in fact there was and the doctor knew it. She recovered rapidly and seemed to get along quite well. She even went to church again, but soon the severe headaches came back.
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10 and we knew she was very sick. People suggested to go to another doctor, but Kathryn kept saying, "We have consulted a very good doctor and I trust the Lord will work this out in the way that is best. I feel no need of another doctor." Later we were persuaded to consult the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and to make the trip by ambulance. The trip went well, but when we got to Rochester it began to snow and before long it was a blizzard. This was the week before Palm Sunday. She submitted to various tests and on Sunday morning I found her very happy. She said the doctor had visited her early that morning and had told her that she could go home, because there was nothing they could do for her and he had said that she might be able to live for six more months. But she was so happy because the doctor was a christian and he had told her the truth in a comforting christian way. I was stunned but began to make plans for the return trip. I found that all the roads were closed by the blizzard, the airport was closed and the train from the west was a day late. On Monday we got on board. There was no pullman, but we were given the nurses room which was not too clean, but they gave us clean sheets and so we were on the way home. For dinner I ordered two complete dinners, but my darling could eat only very little. By this time I had to feed her. Before we ate we prayed and thanked God for his wonderful grace. I asked if she would like to sing and she sang "MY JESUS I LOVE THEE" one of her favorite songs. She ate very little dinner even though it was very good. I had to eat her desert. When we arrived in Chicago the ambulance was waiting and soon we were on the way to Holland. Kathryn was very happy to see her children again but her health did not improve, finally she would lapse into spells of coma. We had a nurse day and night to stay with her. On Sunday April 15 she woke up for a little while. Woody said to her "Can you smile for us mother." and she did. I spoke to her a few words and read some favorite scripture selections and prayed with her. I asked her to respond by squeezing my hand which she did and then she went into her final coma. I stayed with her until the nurse finally suggested that I should retire and she would call me if there was any change. Before I retired I as usual knelt at my bed and I prayed that if the Lord would not restore her to health, I wished that He would take her to himself soon. A few minutes later the nurse called me and when I saw that she was dying I gathered the children except baby Kay at her bed to see mother going to be with Jesus. Rev. Van Peursem came to comfort us. My comfort was that the one I loved most on earth was now with the Lord she loved.
Page 11 I do not wish to describe my sorrow, words would fail. God gave the strength and comfort I needed but life was not the same any more. I prayed a great deal for guidance and grace to carry on. I tried to take care of the church which was at that time in the beginning of a big building program a new church was under construction and a new parsonage. The old parsonage was moved . To make things worse for weeks we were without a home and the children were scattered about. Faith. Gary and Kay were taken to relatives in Wisconsin for awhile and I and Woody and Jim stayed with people in Holland. It was a very disturbing experience. After we had settled in our new house I began to look for a housekeeper. I made up my mind to seek one who would not be a candidate for marriage. I found one in Wisconsin. One day my mother said to me, "Gareth you should look for a new wife ." My response was, "I am not going dating because I know the talk it would cause ." However, I did think of what mother had said and one night I prayed, "Lord if you want me to have another wife please direct me to the right one without requiring me to go dating." A few days later my attention was directed to Ada Timmer with whom I had become acquainted at Calvin in 1929 and whose husband had died in 1948. I had not heard of husband's death, but a mutual friend told me about it. I stopped at her home one afternoon to express my sympathy. About a month later I met her again at a Calvin reunion meeting and I invited her to go for dinner with me some Saturday night. This was in August or early September. We had our dinner in Grand Haven and that was the beginning of more serious talks and visits and we were led to believe that the Lord was bringing us together and on December 16, 1952 we were joined in marriage . Our honeymoon trip was taken down south and just before christmas we gathered our large new family in the Parsonage and our happy married life began. Jim and Woody were at Calvin, but on weekends all 12 of us were together at home. It was an exciting and busy time for us and it was fun. Not long after we were married I received a couple calls, but in atleast two cases we found the parsonages were too small for our big family and we did not want the churches to enlarge their parsonages for us and so we felt free to decline. Then came the call from Edgerton 1, Minn. it had a big house and for other reasons we were led to accept and in September 1954 we moved to Edgerton.Our Holland chapter ended. EDGERTON, MINNESOTA 1954 - 1960 It was not difficult to feel at home in Edgerton. The children loved it from the beginning. School and church life was pleasant. . The congregation was pleasant to deal with. There was a good spirit in the church.
Page 12 Again the Lord was with us and life went on very smoothly and we were happy and our work was appreciated. While we were in Edgerton Woody and Ruth were married and also our first grandson Robert Jay was born and our tribe began to increase. Later Faith and Wayne De Kam followed suit and Debbie was born. Those were two big events as far as our family was concerned. One of our main projects as far as the church was concerned was the building of a beautiful new stone church building. It was a wonderfull undertaking for the church. During that time I experienced a slight heart attack which slowed me down for awhile, but I was able to stay on the job. The Lord gave strength according to my needs. While we lived in Edgerton Ada had close contact with her mother and sister who lived in Corsica. S.D. We went there as often as possible because her mother was in the 80s and quite frail. She died at the age of 83. Early in the spring of 1960 a call came from Hanford California. After struggling with it for some time I decided to decline it and wrote to that effect to the consistory. But during the last week of consideration I had a change of mind and felt that the Lord was directing me to accept. It was not easy because we would have to leave Faith and her family behind, but we were sure it was the Lord's will that we go. So in June 1960 we moved to Hanford, California. HANFORD , CALIFORNIA 1960 - 1969 On the 20th June we arrived in Hanford. The furniture was all in place and the ladies were busy unpacking the dishes and were ready to go to work. T he Installation service took place on the 26th. Hanford was a very friendly and appreciative church. Everything possible was done to make our stay pleasant. Soon after we came it was suggested that we go live on radio. Arrangements were made with KRDU of Dinuba to broadcast our evening services live . This was a blessing in more ways than one, for one thing we were able to broadcast the gospel over a large area and also it encouraged the creation of a good choir. We continued this broadcast for as long as we were in Hanford, and I continued on radio for two years when we moved to Hemet. It was my privilege to preach on the radio for more than 10 years. One of the great experiences we had in Hanford was the celebration of the 35th anniversary of our ordination. The congregation held a special service of thanksgiving and they presented us with a check for more than $2000 with the suggestion that we use it for a trip to Europe. During the
Page 13 the reception Mr. L. Vaalburg suggested that we join them because they too were planning to go to Europe and the Bible lands that summer. It sounded good to us but I said $2000 won't pay for that much, but he said, "You use that money for Europe and I will take care of the rest."He then arranged a wonderful trip which included a leisurely tour of the Bible lands including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Greece and Rome. It sounded too good to be true, but in May we flew to Holland . The Vaalburgs met us at Amsterdam with a new Mercedes and after spending a couple days in the area of Amsterdam we were on our way along the Rhine. We visited several countries and finally left the car in Rome and flew to Cairo where we arrived on Saturday. We were met by Rev. and Mrs. LaFont who formerly lived in Hanford and had heard of our plans. They invited us to spend Sunday with them and told me that I was scheduled to preach for him Sunday night. This was a complete surprise for me. That morning we attended an Arabic church with them and had our taste of Turkish coffee after the service. The dinner was very good. Later we visited the city of the dead a Moslem cemetery. I preached that evening in the church of Scotland near the university. Most of the worshippers were students and profs who understood the American language. The next day we toured Cairo and visited the Museum. The next day we looked at the Pyramids and had a ride on the Camels and saw some other places of interest. Later we flew to Luxor and visited King Tut's tomb and several other places and the Temple of Luxor. From Cairo we flew to Beirut which was our headquarters while we toured the area and Sidon. Next we drove to Damascus via Baalbak and the Bacha valley and Mount Hermon. While in Damascus we toured the country-side and saw Syria the way it was during the days of the patriarchs. We visited one little city where we were told that they spoke the same language which Jesus had spoken. In Damascus we visited the places made famous by Paul. We traveled south along the road Paul may have taken and on which he met the Lord and was converted. We stopped at Amana and saw the brook where Jacob may have wrestled with God. We saw mount Nebo and the plains of Moab where Israel had camped and where Moses died. We crossed the Jordan by bridge, stopped at the Dead Sea, viewed the ruins of the wall of Jericho, saw the Good Samaritan Inn and after a brief stop in Bethany where Lazarus and his sisters had lived and where Jesus had raised Lazarus; crossed the Mount of Olives and landed in a good hotel on Mt. Scopus on the edge of Jerusalem in Jordan. From there we visited the places made famous by divine revelation especially through the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw where God's only begotten Son was born in human flesh. We stood near where many years ago people had stood
Page 14 as they watched The Lamb of God bring the one and only sacrifice that took away the sin of the world. We looked into the empty tomb where they had laid him and from which on Easter morning Jesus arose as victor over satan, sin and death. Then we climbed Mt. of Olives stopped in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus had sweat great drops of blood and where Judas Iscariot betrayed him with a kiss and then we stood on the top of the mountain from which our King, the King of Kings had ascended to highest glory at the right hand of God, It was awe inspiring. We felt we were on holy ground. Later we crossed over to the other side of Jerusalem and walked the Via Dolorosa, saw the temple grounds and the Moslem Mosque on it. We had delux rooms at Hotel David . On the sabbath our driver took us to several other places of interest in the Jerusalem area. Then we drove through the area where John The Baptist was born and raised and to Nazareth. In Nazareth we visited a place where Jesus may have lived with his parents and where Mary had been promised his birth and from where Jesus began his public ministry. From there we drove through Capernaum to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee where we stayed at a fine Hotel on the shore of the Lake. On Sunday we crossed the sea and remembered some of the things that happened on and near that Sea during Jesus ministry. That afternoon we ate dinner in a Kabutch near Capernaum . The following morning we drove by way of the Mount of The Beatitudes and other places to Mt Carmel made famous by Elijah. The following days we visited various places of interest and finally landed at Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea. Enroute we had also stopped at the sight of Ceasarea where Paul had been imprisoned. We flew from there to Greece. From the air we saw the isle of Patmos where the apostle John had received the material for The Book of Revelation. From Athens we viewed the sights of historical interest including Corinth and then flew back to Rome . We had seen the Bible Lands where nearly all the special revelation of God which we find in the Bible was given. There God in Christ did all that was needed for our salvation. There Jesus lived, preached, suffered, died and rose again and went back to heaven to prepare a place for us. Amazing grace. After seeing what tourists usually see in Rome we drove through various interesting parts of Europe back to Holland where we spent a few more days and then we flew to London and Shakespeare country and saw the things and places tourist usually see including the changing of the guard Westminster Abbey etc. BOAC flew us back to Chicago and after visiting all our relatives enroute we were welcomed back home in Hanford. We thanked our God for a tremendous trip.
Page 15 The sixties were interesting years from many different points of view. The Vietnam war was of special interest to us. Three of our sons served in the army during that time, Woody served two terms in Vietnam Bruce was stationed at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona and Douglas served his term in Panama. While Woody was in Vietnam his family lived in Hanford and we enjoyed our grandchildren very much. About 1964 I was invited to go deepsea fishing with a number of our men and while out on the ocean I suffered a heart attack. It did not seem very severe, but I laid on deck the rest of the day. I felt no pain until the next night, and the following day the doctor told me that I had suffered a heart attack. He advised me not to stop working but to take it easy and to avoid all undue tensions and excitement. My blood pressure was found to be high and I was put on pills. It took a long time to get my strenght back, but by the grace of God I was able to keep working. During this time Jim and Linda, Mary and G, Zwaanstra and Gary and Shirley were married and some more grandchildren were born. I also reached my 65th birthday and was thinking of retirement when I was called to serve as Home Missionary for Classis Southern California at Hemet. This looked better than retirement so we moved once more. Before moving to Hemet we took a vacation in Hawaii, which was agift from the children. We enjoyed that very much especially since Karen was a student at the university of Hawaii. HEMET 1969 - 1971 The work at Hemet was quite different . We did a lot of calling and other work to stimulate the growth of the congregation and did many other things. I went on radio and preached every Sunday morning. However the work was discouraging and the prospects for growth were so poor that Classis decided to give it up and for that reason I decided to retire on January 1, 1971. However, after retirement we continued to serve Hemet for about six more months. We had bought a house in Bellflower and moved into it in Oct. 1970. We commuted back and forth to Hemet for six month. We would spend about three days a week in Hemet and for this service we were paid $25.00 per week. While we were in Hemet, Bruce married Annie Cassidy in Arizona and settled in Southern California to work for AeroSpace. About mid 1971 we were ready to begin retirement life. Also during our time in Hemet Marvin and Barbara Klein were married in Michigan.
Page 16 RETIREMENT JANUARY 1, 1971 The Lord led us to a very nice house in Bellflower conveniently located near our church in the heart of town. It was just what we wished and could afford. We soon found out that retirement did not mean being idle and rusting away. I preached every Sunday and also was requested to help out vacant churches. We served the following congregations: Quincy, Wash. Yakima, Wash. Scotsdale, Ari., Honolulu, Ha., Bakersfied, CA., Hanford, Ca. Ontario, 1st Bellflower, Rehoboth, Bethany etc. Our last place was Alameda where we served from September 1982 to April 1983. That very likely was our last appointment. In 1978 we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Bellflower. All 10 of our children and many of the grandchildren joined us to praise God for his wonderful kindness towards us through all these years. And in 1980 the congregations of Bellflower and many others helped us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my ordination. It was an unforgettable experience and we praised God in a special worship service. Many of our friends from Hanford and some from other congregations joined us and on the following Sunday I preached on Romans 1: 16,17 "THE GOSPEL THAT I PREACH." On December 16, 1983 we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with an open house at the First Christian Reformed Church. Faith and Alissa came from Edgerton to celebrate with us. We had a dinner with the family in this area and also had a get together and dinner with the family in Michigan, Kay and Barry were there too.
