Sabbath Faithfulness Honored

In response to the editor's request in a recent issue, several readers wrote inspiring accounts of their personal experiences.

1. From Jan S. Doward, Ferndale, California: "Help from a Convict."

Shortly after being baptized in Okinawa during the latter part of World War II, I experienced my first and only real conflict over Sabbath observance. It taught me a precious lesson about God's kind providence.

At the time, I was assigned steady kitchen duty ("KP"), one day on, one day off. It didn't take much arithmetic for me to figure out that very soon I would be in trouble. Even before a workday fell on a Saturday, sundown would arrive during working hours on a Friday afternoon.

Thus on the very first Friday after my baptism, I announced to the mess sergeant that when the sun went down that day, I would no longer be washing pots and pans. His stern reply got my attention.

"Listen, soldier, we are in a combat zone. You disobey orders and I'll have you shot!"

As a brand-new Adventist, I didn't have a backlog of Bible promises stored away in memory. I had no idea how God was going to lead me out of my predicament, but I did know that God had led me this far.

When I went back to work after the noon break my facial expression must have conveyed my deep concern, for the man assigned to work with me quickly noticed something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Doward?" he drawled.

"Tennessee" was a tall, broad-shouldered, freckle-faced, tough, no-nonsense type; but right then he looked down at me solicitously. I never did learn his true name, but I did know that he was a convict, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment at Fort Leavenworth for killing three officers in cold blood. The authorities had promised to reduce his sentence if he volunteered for overseas duty, and by some unique providence the two of us were now working side by side.

Tennessee listened intently as I tried to explain as well as I could the meaning of the Sabbath and my desire to worship the Lord. I can still see the look on his face, with those two front teeth of his spread so far apart. When I finished, he turned back with a vengeance to scrubbing a huge pot.

"Ah don't know about the Sabbath," he said firmly, "but you'll get the day off, or Ah'll smash 'em."

I got the day off! I don't know what Tennessee said to the sergeant or to anyone else in command, but never again did I hear any threats or have any trouble about Sabbath observance in the army. The ways of God are past finding out (Rom 11:33). He can cause even the wrath of men to praise Him (see Ps 76:10).

2. From Mrs. Mildred J. White, Redding, California: "Spared from a Saturday Exam."

While attending an Adventist boarding academy, I gave my heart to the Lord and caught a vision of service. After graduation, I entered a public university to prepare for the teaching ministry. All went well until the first quarter exams were posted. To my dismay, I found one of my exams was scheduled for Saturday. I didn't know what to do; but one thing I did know, I would not dishonor my Lord by writing that exam on Sabbath. Like the three Hebrews of old, I knew my God was able, but what He would do I did not know.

Like the three Hebrews of old, I knew my God was able, but what He would do I did not know.

My roommate from a Sunday-keeping church couldn't understand my problem. She would be willing to write an exam on Sunday, so why shouldn't I on Saturday? Or why not talk with my pastor and have him give his approval?

I gathered up all the courage I could and talked to several of the teachers involved and to the registrar, but none of them could help me, because the exams were prepared and scheduled at a sister university. Finally, with the Lord holding my hand (Isa 41:13) I went to see Dr. Doucette, the president of the institution. He received me kindly and told me that, although he knew nothing about Seventh-day Adventists, he would take my request to the board, which was meeting on Wednesday night.

Thursday morning Dr. Doucette called me into his spacious office. "I've got good news for you," he said smiling. "Last night at our board meeting I found we have a teacher here on our staff, Dr. Scott, who once taught in a Seventh-day Adventist community. He told us that Adventists are such honest people we won't even have to make up a special test for you, which would be costly. Dr. Scott volunteered to supervise your test himself on Friday afternoon. We trust you not to tell another student about the contents."

I gave him my word of honor and fairly floated out of the room, praising the Lord.

Throughout the year, every time I had a Sabbath exam Dr. Scott supervised it for me on Friday afternoon. The next year, at the general assembly of students, Dr. Doucette in his opening address mentioned Seventh-day Adventists and welcomed them to the university.

3. From Laurie C. Dixon, Danville, Virginia: "So Glad Not to Have Compromised."

My introduction to the sacredness of Sabbath observance came when I dedicated the rest of my life to Jesus Christ and became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Finding the church that lived according to the truths of the Bible was an answer to heart-felt prayers that I had offered over many years.

My husband was a businessman, founder of Crown Engineering Company in Detroit, Michigan. The firm employed 25-35 tool-and-die designers to do work for the automotive industries and related enterprises. As is so often the case, orders for work were obtained through lavish entertaining in supper-clubs and night-clubs, impressing the "right" personnel in the "right" settings. Friday and Saturday evenings were designated for these affairs. Being an integral part of the business, I helped our business manager plan for these gatherings and acted as hostess to the guests and prospective customers.

But then I found Jesus! I shared my Bible studies with my husband, so he would fully understand why my choice was to follow Jesus Christ in full surrender, why I could no longer be in places where drinks flowed freely. The Sabbath hours were sacred, and I would worship my God. I loved Jesus, and I loved my husband dearly. My decision created much dissension in our personal relationship and home life.

Years later, two days before he died of a massive heart attack, my husband felt the need to reach out for Jesus. What if I had compromised to please him and neglected the will of God? He would never have known the truth.

I have been a faithful Sabbath-keeper for over 30 years now. Yes, even the fringes of His day are special too. There is no room for compromising on any phase of God's requirements, if we will one day be with Him for eternity. The truth will triumph!

Years later, two days before he died of a massive heart attack, my husband felt the need to reach out for Jesus. What if I had compromised?

4. From Marguerite V. Knauft, Mead, Washington: "From Conversion to Marriage to Service."

While I was a junior in high school, a young man, an excellent student in the senior class, asked me if I would like to study the Bible with him. I had become acquainted with him in the typing room during the noon hour through the exchange of poetry.

We decided to study on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons. I knew that he was a Seventh-day Adventist, but almost all I knew about Seventh-day Adventists was that they didn't eat pork and that they attended church on Saturday.

Even after we had studied more than six months, I was still not convinced that the true Sabbath was for me, until one day I received two poems, "Just Outside the Door," and "Almost Persuaded." All alone in my room, God by His Holy Spirit spoke to me! The impression was so great that without hesitation I committed myself forever to His holy Sabbath.

My decision led to a great gulf between me and my entire family---no dancing, no theater, no shopping on Saturdays, and so on-though I am glad to say that after sixty years they have mellowed some.

Separated from my blood relatives, I found friends among my new fellow believers. On August 25, 1934, I was baptized at the Central Church, Spokane, Washington---and five years later I married Elder Emil Knauft, the young man who had given me studies. We have served the cause of the true gospel now for fifty-five years, in Europe as well as America.

God's word is truth (see John 17:17). I have never regretted my choice. "Hold fast till I come."

5. From Jean M. Cleary, Sechelt, British Columbia: "Protected by a Dream."

An elderly Sunday school teacher encouraged me at a young age to commit to memory God's ten commandments. Giving each child a small Sallman picture of Christ, she assured us of God's love, stating that it was His will that we live by these precepts. I am thankful for her faithful witness, and I hope to meet her among the redeemed.

Near the end of World War II, a conversation between two elderly ladies, not of my faith, also had an impact upon my life while I was still a child. I was skipping on the sidewalk one day when a squadron of aircraft flew over our neighbourhood, bringing people out of their homes to observe the ominous spectacle. Two neighbours spoke together of the war as evidence of the "Battle of Armageddon," an unfamiliar phrase to me, and used other unfamiliar expressions, such as "doomsday" and "false prophets." One of the two women thought that there was no time allotted to our present world beyond the year 2,000.

At the end of the day, as I prayed at bedtime, I remembered that frightening conversation. Counting on my fingers to determine what my age would be in the year 2,000, I concluded that I might still be alive to see all the horrors the ladies had spoken of. My eleven-year-old concept of a false prophet was a creature from out there somewhere, in league with the devil, wearing a cape, and toting a pitchfork. Earnestly I prayed for protection from "false prophets" and committed my life into Jesus' care. Our God, who sustains the whole universe, does not pass by a child's prayer. He set the direction of my life toward His truth.

Job 33:15-16 says, "In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction."

Our God, who sustains the whole universe, does not pass by a child's prayer. He set the direction of my life toward His truth.

It was five years later, when I was sixteen, that this promise in the book of Job was fulfilled to me. In a dream I saw two slim young men, dressed in black suits with capes over their shoulders, communing with my parents in their home. They were in the living room, which seemed to be in disarray, with something falling from the ceiling or walls. In that setting my parents and several family members were being persuaded by these men to accompany them to where Jesus was. I hesitated to follow, and as I finally turned away I saw that Jesus had been standing a short distance behind me. His countenance radiated immense love and tender compassion for us in our confusion. I awoke from the dream with the distinct impression that the men were false prophets and that the Bible held the key to truth.

I related this dream to my twin sister and, later, to the lovely lady who had married my favourite uncle. My immediate family did not share my admiration for my aunt, because her religion was peculiar. She worshiped the Lord on Saturday, and we Anglicans knew that the Sabbath was the day observed by the Jews, who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. When I asked her if the dream might have some meaning, she replied, "I don't know, dear, but it is a strange dream for a young girl."

Some years later, after I had married and moved to my own home outside the city, I stopped one day at my parents' home to visit and there was the scene that had been presented to me years before! The furniture in the living room was covered with sheets, for my parents were redecorating. Some family members were helping them remove several layers of old wallpaper from the walls, which had been soaked with water; some of the paper was in bags, some on the floor, and some strips of it were hanging down from the walls. Two young Mormon missionaries had knocked on the door and had been invited in, regardless of the condition of the room, and were using a flannel board to demonstrate their understanding of Daniel 2. Only two details of my dream were missing, the capes and the pitchforks which I had associated with false prophets as a child.

Startled, I was lost for words and barely able to concentrate on

the young men's message. When a return visit was arranged, I became alarmed, and after the missionaries had departed, I explained my concern. My twin sister, who knew of my dream, was not involved, for she was not living in the area. To my disappointment, my parents were not inclined to heed a young person in such a matter. They were impressed with the sincerity of the two young men and questioned why the Lord did not caution them personally in regard to them. Before this meeting we were all unaware of their religion, and my parents were determined to investigate it.

With a heavy heart I returned to my home and took the matter to the Lord in prayer. I could not reply to the logical question of my family as to why the warning dream had been committed to me, because at the time I had forgotten my youthful request. But our gracious Lord has promised, "Yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands" (Isa 49:15-16). As I was falling into a troubled sleep that night, God brought sharply into focus the events of the long-ago day at the end of World War II and my specific request for protection from false prophets. Unfortunately, my parents disregarded my explanation, and at this point in time half of my family are Mormons, now training up third and fourth generations in a faith which denies the authority of the Bible. Please pray for them.

I felt I had come home to where I belonged, with these Christians who loved the Bible as the Word of God.

After that experience I became interested in my aunt's Adventist faith, and she shared her wonderful truth-filled literature with me. Later, as I walked into my first Adventist meeting, conducted by Pastor Fred Crump, now deceased, the congregation was singing, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face," and I remembered seeing Jesus in my dream. The Spirit spoke to me, "This is the way; walk ye in it." I felt I had come home to where I belonged, with these Christians who loved the Bible as the Word of God.

6. From Beatrice Reinke, Myersville, Maryland: "Tina's Story."

It began one Sabbath afternoon in our living room about five years ago. Present with us were our son and his wife and three newly baptized young church members. The question of proper Sabbath observance came up. How should one keep the Sabbath? What is lawful to do on the Sabbath? And so on. All at once, someone said, "If you take any pay at all for work done on the Sabbath, it is no longer God's day, but yours."

There was a moment of shocked silence. Not even the speaker had pre-meditated the statement. Everyone felt that God had spoken. At last our daughter broke the silence. "Oh," she said, "then I shouldn't take pay for the day-cares I keep over the weekend!"

The discussion that Sabbath afternoon in our living room was not the end of the matter. It was continued with a select group of friends, some of whom were working at a nearby Seventh-day Adventist hospital. The friends who were working at the hospital talked to their supervisors and expressed a willingness to take their turn for Sabbath duty, but could they please not be paid for it? The supervisors replied that the laws of the state required the hospital to pay for all work done. Our friends asked, "What about the Pink Ladies? They work on a volunteer basis."

The supervisors eventually agreed that if employees worked in a different department from the one regularly worked in, they could do Sabbath duty on a volunteer basis. One man was able to do this. A problem that confronted others, however, was that if they did not take pay for Sabbath work, they lost two days' pay instead of one, for they were still required to take their scheduled week-day off.

"God does not desire His creatures to suffer an hour's pain that may be relieved upon the Sabath or any other day," says The Desire of Ages, p. 207. The same page also says, "The toil that gains a livelihood must cease."

A report about our conversation and the various experiences that grew out of it was written up and duplicated and found its way into many hands. Some readers fought it, some scorned it, some dismissed it as unworthy of notice, but many responded gratefully and humbly and with a determination to follow what they believed was the Lord's counsel. Among these was Tina.

"... if you are truly convinced you should not take pay for Sabbath work, hold fast to your conviction and God will work for you."

Tina was the mother of three elementary-school-age children and the wife of a college student. She desperately needed an income. She had applied for a job at the hospital and had been offered a good one. But when she asked not to be paid for Sabbath work, she was told that this was impossible. The law required the hospital to pay for all work. In the meantime, I had moved to another state; but Tina called me. "What shall I do?" she asked. "I have to work."

"Tina," I said, "I cannot tell you what to do. But I can tell you that if you are truly convinced you should not take pay for Sabbath work, hold fast to your conviction and God will work for you."

It was not more than two days later when I had another call from Tina. She was so excited she could hardly talk. "I can't believe how fast the Lord has worked!" she bubbled. "I told them I would not take pay for Sabbath work, and they just said, 'That's no problem; go to the business office and ask for a certain form you can sign, and it will be taken care of."

Some months later, I got a chance to talk with Tina face to face. She told me that on the Sabbaths when she was on duty, there was almost nothing to do. She was free to read her Bible and commune with the Lord. The others who worked in the department could not understand it, for whenever they had to work on Sabbath (for pay), they were kept unusually busy.

She believed that God was honoring her Sabbath keeping.

I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.... And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb (Rev 14:1-4).