My Faith - The Steam in my Pipes - The Joy in my Heart

A person is totally defined by what makes him tick. At the very heart of a person is his Faith and Beliefs, even if they are only in himself. Faith is, as the Apostle Paul put it, "The Substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen."

With me, I was weaned on Faith from the earliest of my days. It wasn't the kind of "Go to Church" kind of faith, though I have no problem with those who have been forced to go to church as a child, and therefore, their ability to choose has been stymied to a great deal. I, on the other hand, gained my faith, from the lessons I received from my grandparents and also my own parents.

Although my father, when I was young, was not a church goer, he seemed to get the Christian Truth into my head from an early time, for I can't truly remember not believing in Christ or His Promises.

Yet, the Church my family adhered to did not have the answers I was seeking, I felt I had a wonderful and strong foundation upon which to build upon once I was able to make choices on my own, regarding Faith and Understanding of the Gospel of God.

My father, when I was around the age of 14 or so, returned to Church and membership, and from that period until his death at the age of 51 in 1968, remained steadfast in the Lutheran Church.

It was because of him, that I probably gained my desire to search truth; my dad wasn't satisfied himself in what was his religious tradition; yet because of his second marriage to a charter member of the local congregation, he decided to stay put.

I, on the other hand, being adult and free to make my own choices, decided to go looking for a Church that I could believed in.

Often in life, people eventually come to the crossroads of their lives, and find themselves members of something they never really believed in, but did so, out of the traditions of the family. Christ once taught, "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition" Matthew 15:6. So I decided not to join any formulated Church until such a time that Truth rang true to my ears.

When I was in High School, I met a group of kids who stood out among the rest because they seemed to have "something" that the others lacked. This intrigued me. I therefore started to take up with them. They were wholesome kids; I never heard one curse word come out of their mouths, nor see them do anything questionable. I soon learned what was unique about these kids, that made them stand out above the others. They were LDS - Latter-day Saints, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This intrigued me even more. Soon I found myself dating one of the girls. She wanted to share what she had with me, but at the time, I still was heavily influenced by my dad. She handed me a copy of the Book of Mormon to read, but I never opened the cover. Like the normal youth, I was attracted to the wholesomeness of these kids, but not necessarily attracted to the faith they lived by, or the faith that made them stand out unique in this world.

This short-sightedness caused me some years of not finding what I was looking for. In a few months time, I was to graduate from High School and I never saw nor heard from my "Unique" friends again.

I continued in the "World" for quite a few years, until the time I returned to California, and just before the Sylmar earthquake which I alluded to in My Biography. I was out of work in late 1970, and went in to talk to my old boss at the City of Glendale, about having missed the Exam for the Meter Reader position I had applied for. He was saddened to learn of my failure to take the exam, and knew there was nothing he could do for me, but he told me I could come over to his house on the weekend and paint it to make a few bucks.

I didn't mention that my friend was the City Controller for the City of Glendale, but more importantly, he was a member of the High Counsel of the Glendale California Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Another Mormon!

I told him "Great! I'll be over on Sunday to paint your house." He told me, "Oh, no Ken, you cannot work on the Sabbath." I understood what he was saying, though in my own church, the Sabbath isn't as religiously interpreted, nor practiced. When this man told me the urgency of NOT working on Sunday, it became one of the Nails in the Box that sealed up my Testimony in the authenticity of the LDS Church. This gave me even more fuel to look into this "unique" Church and Faith.

But I told him, "That may be true, George, but I'm only pulling an Ox out of a Pit!" - he looked at me in amazement and then sighed his "Alright then... pull your Ox out of the pit..." and let me work on Sunday.

The "Ox and the Pit" story can be found in Luke 14:1-6.

So Brother Carlisle had the chance to teach me about the Gospel and the LDS Church. He also gave me another copy of the Book of Mormon. This time, I began to read it diligently. It was like a Light came on in my head!

I read it 2 other times before I could put it down, so much was it true to me.

I kept the Books he gave me in the glove compartment of my '52 Chevy Truck, and read it on my lunch breaks, while working for my brother at his shop.

Then came a rainy night late after I had come back from a night out partying. I had not long been sleeping when I heard a siren in front of the house and looking out the window, through the downpour, I noticed my truck was on fire. The rain had shorted out the electrical system in that old truck, and it was "toast" - along with my books.

Then the Sylmar Earthquake struck in early March of '71. We headed to Wisconsin (see Bio) and after awhile, my brother returned to California, and I stayed, living in a lonely hotel room for awhile until I could find a nice apartment - that was in West Bend, WI.

I began to be lonely; I remembered what Brother Carlisle taught me about the LDS Church, and on Sundays, I heard Church Bells, and wanted to go back to a Church. But this time, I didn't want to go back to the Lutheran church. I decided to write Brother Carlisle and tell him the story about the Books and the Fire. He sent me two more books; soon two young men knocked at my door and gave me two more books, and soon I had enough Book of Mormons to give to my friends. What a wonderful event in my young life. I was only 25 then.

I failed to mention that I was sent two more Books from Elder LeGrande Richards, an Apostle of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City.

So now, I had three copies of the Book of Mormon and the "Marvelous Work and a Wonder" by Apostle LeGrand Richards.

I had lots to read; but even better, I found a Ward of the LDS Church was located right in West Bend, and decided to go on Sunday. Soon I was taking the Discussions and Baptized. From that day till now, I have never denied the Truth that I learned when I read those books. I suggest you do likewise. If you are looking for truth, you can find it 100% in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for they are lead by living Prophets, and it is the Restored Church on earth today. Read Acts 3:19 - 23. You will never be sorry.

So it is my testimony that the Church of Christ has been restored on the earth, and was that special Wonderful "Thing that those kids in High School had in such abundance, and what I wanted to possess as well. All these things that happened in my young life were only part of the making of my Faith. This Faith is what drives me; it is what will propel me into the Eternity's ahead, and it can YOU too!

Ken "Jake" Jaccard
10-15-04

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