T WAS 1890, AND THE MICHIGAN WINTER HAD BEEN cold and icy. To 13-year-old Henry it looked like a winter wonderland as the sleigh slid quietly over the deep snow. On this sunny February day he and his dad were on their way to pick up hay. "We'll take your oxen and see if they're worth the feed and time you've put into them," his father said.

Henry was proud of his yoke of oxen, which he had raised from calves. They responded to all his word commands and were so well matched that only he could tell them apart.

Under the midday rays of the sun the surface of the hard-packed snow melted. At 2:30 Henry and his dad loaded up the hay and started home. By 4:00 the sun moved lower in the sky, and its rays lost their power over the ice. The melted snow turned hard again, and the oxen's feet made squeaking sounds on the ice. A half mile from home they came to a steep hill, and the oxen's feet began to slip. The weight of the sleigh became too much for them, their feet slipped outward, and they fell and slid back down the hill. Henry got them up to try again, only to see them slip and slide backward. Henry's father cursed the oxen and took a sip from the bottle he always carried. Henry got the oxen up a third time to repeat the scene again.

His father was enraged. "Henry, that's enough; they're worthless," he replied, then cursed. "I'm goin' home to get my knife, axe, and lantern. Build a fire and melt snow for warm water. We'll butcher 'em right here. I'll get the horses and get this hay home in the mornin'!"

Henry's world was falling apart. He sat down between his beloved oxen. They groaned as he placed their heads one on each of his legs. Henry cried. Suddenly he remembered his last day at Catholic school when the sister had said, "Henry, if you ever get in trouble and need help, remember, you can pray to God, and He'll help you."

So Henry prayed his first prayer. "If there is a God, please help me now. When Dad gets back, let these oxen get up. And when I tell them to go, make them run up the hill so fast we can't keep up. Make them go all the way home, turn straight through the gate, and stop in front of the hay window to unload." Then Henry sat peacefully stroking his oxen.

His father returned with all the butchering equipment, angry that Henry had not built a fire. Henry nudged the oxen to get up and told them to go. They went up the hill so fast his father had to jump out of the way. As the sleigh passed him, the load of hay brushed against him and knocked him into a ditch. Cursing, he jumped up and shouted, "Run and stop 'em. They'll bust down the gatepost, run into the barn, and tear it up!"

Henry remained confident. "Don't worry, Dad. They'll stop at the hay window to unload." And they did.

Life Decisions
After years of logging, clearing land, and farming, Henry made his way to South Dakota, where he met a young woman named Katie Suttman at a basket social. Henry got a job working on Katie's father's farm, so he could be closer to the attractive young woman with the captivating German accent.

After a period of courtship, Henry asked Katie to marry him. "I like you," Katie answered, "but I'll never marry a man who smokes." Over the years smoking had become second nature to Henry. He tried to persuade Katie to marry him in spite of his smoking, but he couldn't make her yield. Neither could he quit smoking.

One day, while walking next to a small stream, Henry picked up a small stone about the size and shape of a penny. He put it in his mouth to ease his craving for a cigarette. As he sucked on it, it seemed to take away his craving. He began carrying that stone in his pocket, and popping it into his mouth whenever he felt the urge to smoke a cigarette. When he was sure he had gained the victory over smoking, Henry again proposed marriage to Katie. This time she said yes. Henry and Katie were married on Henry's 30th birthday. Katie was 19.

The married couple made family worship part of their daily routine. They visited various churches in the area, trying to find one that came closest to their personal understanding of Scripture. In the process they became confused. They agreed to buy no more religious books because of the contradictions they found in them.

One-armed Visitor
One day, while plowing on his homestead in Langford, South Dakota, Henry noticed a one-horse buggy coming toward the house. When he returned in the evening, Katie told him that a visitor had stopped by, selling religious books. She knew they had agreed not to buy any more books; however, this salesman had only one arm, and he seemed so sincere. She brought out two books for Henry to see. One was entitled Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation and the other was Patriarchs and Prophets.

Questions for Reflection or for Use in Your Small Group 1. Do you know the story of how your family came to embrace the Seventh-day Sabbath? Tell it briefly. 2. What are some of the pivotal events of your life that put you on the path of discipleship? 3. Have you been able to influence others to follow Christ? How so? 4. Name three individuals who have modeled Christianity for you, and tell how their lives influenced yours.

Henry examined the books, and they decided to study them in their worship hour. Soon they became convinced about the seventh-day Sabbath. After much consideration, they decided to sell everything and move to Washington, where Henry had heard there were farms of various sizes for sale. On a visit to Washington, Henry signed papers for a plot of land and returned to South Dakota for the rest of the family. In October 1920, seven months after the birth of their ninth child, Henry and Katie left for Eltopia, Washington.

At Eltopia they had been told that a wagon with horses would take them to their new farm. It wasn't there. They huddled under the shelter of the train station until morning. Henry went into town and found the project office gone. He had been a victim of land sharks. Their savings were gone.

After a second night on the train platform, Henry and Katie went to a town called Elk, where they heard logging jobs could be found. They bought a small place and went shopping for a cow and some chickens. It was Sunday. With the family in the wagon, they rolled along exploring their new location. They saw a man chopping wood.

"Henry," said Katie, "he probably won't mind selling us a few chickens on Sunday." Stopping the horses, Henry jumped down from the wagon and walked toward the man.

"Howdy, stranger," the man greeted him. "You caught me working on the Sabbath."

Henry replied, "Not in my way of thinking. I think yesterday was the Sabbath."

They introduced themselves. The wood chopper's name was George Watson.
Mr. Watson said, "So you're a Seventh-day Adventist."

"I don't know anything about Seventh-day Adventists," Henry responded, "but I believe the seventh day is the Sabbath."

"You're an Adventist," Watson insisted. "My mother's one. She's in the house; come in and meet her."

Henry felt joy in meeting someone else who kept the true Sabbath, and a strong relationship grew. Henry and Katie met other relatives of Grandma Watson in the area.

After three years of logging, the family moved 200 miles to Brewster, where there were schools for the children and plenty of work in the orchards. They sold their chickens, cows, horses, and wagon to make the move. I was 3 years old, and I remember the man who bought the horses, and how we younger children hurried to the barn to bid the horses goodbye. How sad we felt! I remember the beautiful horses had bright-colored rings on their harnesses.

The Circle of Life
Henry had no experience driving a motor vehicle, but in Spokane he bought a new 1923 Model T Ford truck. With all of the household goods, 10 children, and the family dog, Henry and Katie ventured off to be the only family of seventh-day Sabbathkeepers in Brewster. Some of our family still live there and call it "back home."

After they'd been keeping Sabbath seven years, a Seventh-day Adventist minister named Elder Marsh and his intern, Jerry Hebbard, came to Brewster and held a series of meetings in the movie theater. Elder Marsh baptized Henry and Katie and their seven oldest children in the Columbia River. For the first time in his life, Henry belonged to a church organization.

As the years rolled by--through the Depression and afterward--the Bible remained the family's rule and guide for life. Of Henry and Katie's 14 children, four became teachers, two farmers, two nurses, two orthodontists, a physician, a builder, a plumber, and a homemaker. Today the Seventh-day Adventist offspring of Henry and Katie's 14 children would fill a large church. They are all the fruit from the visit of a one-armed book salesman so many years ago.

As number nine of the 14 children, I have lived halfway around the world from the United States for more than half of my life, so there are many near relatives I do not know. I hope we can all meet our one-armed brother, the book salesman, soon after the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are fulfilled. I think it'll be soon.

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Clark Lamberton, 83, still practices dentistry full-time in Chiang Mai, Thailand.