teve H. Petr was born in the Czech Republic. After 20 years of serving his native land as a pastor, he was sent by the Lord to serve the people on the northern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. His territory included the Nimpkish Reserve; Coal Harbour, where whalers of yesteryear operated; Fort Rupert, where a Hudson's Bay Company trading post was located; Kelsey Bay, the home of a famous Native Canadian totem pole burial ground; and Tsasqualty Reserve, where he baptized the grand chief, the chief's wife, and several others.

At the time of his arrival the territory featured only logging roads, and the civilization was primarily that of the Native people. Pastor Petr used as his guiding text 1 Corinthians 9:20-22: "And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, . . . that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."

"I lived with them, ate with them, shared their heritage," Pastor Petr says. To earn their confidence, he participated in their fishing trips on open sea and officiated at their weddings, baptisms, and funeral services. "More than once I was invited to their longhouse (a primitive building with no chimney). At one meeting I was made an honorary member of their tribe and received the name Father Seventh Day (small boys have called me Seven Up ever since)."