Hymn sung by all the Workers (No. 282) “I Listen to the Master’s Word”
Kenneth Olson (prayed & spoke): We are gathered to pay our respects to our brother–a brother in the human family and a brother in the divine family. I’ve been noticing some who were able to lend a helping hand to Jesus when He was here on earth. A woman lent her home, a man lent his boat, a man lent a donkey. Different things people lent to Jesus. Thinking of the first passover feast which His disciples and of things people let Him use. Our departed brother had a life that he could lend to God and God was able to use that life to reach out to men and women through the gospel of Jesus Christ. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” There is no sting in this death here today.
I’m sure there’s not one of us here today, but that we appreciate every sacrifice and self-denial our brother was able to make, giving himself freely and gladly, and then through sickness he maintained a spirit that was true to God. It’s good to have something to lend to God so we can have a reward at the end of life and all through eternity.
Matt 25: 42 Some say the sacrifice is too great, but everything we do, we are going to receive a reward for it.
I hope this experience today will just draw us closer to our Heavenly Father and help us to give him a better service.
I was privileged to be Henry’s companion, and he was a good companion. I’ll always remember the days we spent together.
Ernest Nelson;
Matt 16: 24, 25; Luke 18: 28-30; II Tim. 1: 7-12; I Peter 1: 3,4 At the beginning of life, we have a reasonable hope for the future–we look forward to life. Life has always been given to mankind, we take hold of life and use it in the way that we feel is most acceptable to ourselves. That’s the natural course.
The world is full of uncertainty and we all must remember that life sometimes doesn’t develop as we thought it would. I don’t suppose our brother Henry would have thought of such a possibility of what he experienced in the last years of life. It’s a good thing that God has hid some of those things from us. We read and are thankful that there’s more to life than just human life.
Very young in years, Henry looked down on this world as he saw it then, the Seed had been sown in his heart that brought compassion to his heart for others and a real hope. It moved him with a desire to do something for others.
I’m sure he knew the scriptures that we read, the words Jesus spoke to his disciples–“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” What would that mean to follow the Master, in what He had revealed to them, in the will of God? Henry followed his master in the path of homelessness, in the path of poverty. Jesus made Himself poor for the gospel’s sake. Putting God first in his life He turned his back on his flesh and blood. Henry followed his master in dying as a corn of wheat as Jesus did. The only way a seed can be preserved is as we learn to sow.
There are many choices that affect our whole future and we maybe are unaware of what transpires, but it’s part of our whole future. I suppose we could say that it’s settled according to the priorities we have established in life.
Thinking of inevitable things that happen in life, limitations come. The body was never meant to stay on this earth forever. It wasn’t easy for Henry to lie there through the years and know he couldn’t do the things he used to do. We are thankful for the faithfulness and earnestness in the life that has flowed over to all of us that are here today. We are thankful that he lifted up his eyes and made his choice to give his life to God. We think of the reward, an abundant entrance and life everlasting.
We think of Jesus’ disciples. It didn’t finish with those faithful men. It kept on for the years to follow. Peter said, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” He was talking to a younger man, that had been able to see in the lives of those who brought the gospel to him, the value of giving his life. Paul was now encouraging him in the path, with the hope that the very thing Jesus lived and died for, and gave to this world might still be here when every other thing is folded up.
I Peter 1: 3,4 There are lots of things that man has lived for that are destroyed at death. God has provided an inheritance that is not destroyed when life is over. It is never destroyed by the thinking of man. It can change the thinking of men and women. It will never fade away, and will always have the same value. What’s in this world doesn’t last very long, but that inheritance is reserved for those that serve the Lord.
We are thankful for the testimony of our brother who has gone on, and in spite of all the things that entered into his experience that brought frustration and pain, his chief joy was the joy of having come to know the Lord and having the privilege of serving Him. We know the promise of God will remain the same.
Hymn by all the Workers (No, 403) “Impelled by Love”
Gilbert Ricter: John 11: 11-14 His disciples thought he meant he was resting, but he said plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” We think of this little family in Bethany, a brother and two sisters, and of the family of God.
Eighty-two years ago, a little boy was born to the Hagen family. Last Saturday, that circle was broken. Sixty-three years ago, that little boy heard the gospel. A love was created in Henry and he was born into a family of brothers and sisters, friends and co-laborers, which make up the family of God. That circle is not broken. We are part of a family that’s in heaven and in earth, not only in North Dakota, Norway, Italy, and British Columbia. We think of the great family we have a little part of.
When wise men came from the east, they found a mother and a father and a child–a family. The Lord ever brings wise men and seeking men to His family and it’s of His Holy Spirit they are brought into this family and there’s no parting. It’s eternal life.
Last Saturday, Henry was through with the world. There will be no more walkers, or wheelchairs, or canes. No more silent tongue. Then how did he communicate with us? By way of his spirit. I still feel the grip of those hands.
In 1951 when Henry was leaving for Italy, seeing him, going off to learn that language, that life that was given, it impressed me.
In John’s gospel, there was a day when the sisters and the brothers received and listened to Jesus while Mary sat at His feet. Then we have the 12th chapter when they are together in the home and there’s no smell of death there. Death is conquered, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He could say that Lazarus was asleep because he had the power to wake him and we can look forward to that day when there will be a waking up. Psalms 17:15 “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.”
There’s an overcoming (Rev 12: 11) we need that covering for our walk. The word of our testimony is expressed in our purpose: “I will continue” and “I will be true.”
We are thankful today, as we see Henry come to the end of the journey, like the little sheaf of wheat, we looked at in the casket, and now like a shock of grain. He is safe. May we go on.
Workers present:
- Ernest Nelson
- Jenith Hamon
- Jean Larson
- KK Boe Herbert (?)
- Beth Virgie
- Lacy Pearl Hanson (?)
- Gilbert Ricter
- Kenneth Olson
- Stanley March
- George Fournier
- Rollin Mader
- David Bergh
- Steve Krack
- Wilfred Goecke
- Paul Severud
- Steve Blubaugh
- Leroy Sandford
- Roxanne Kooy
- BethArlene Pierce
- Elissa Erickson
- Joyce Naber
- Melinda Yule
- Cocha Smith
- Twyla Veldkamp
- Gwen Aarestad
- Brenda Lackman
(IICII?)
During the last month of Henry’s life, he seemed much more aware and alert than he had been the previous two months. He responded more to conversation and was able to listen to letters and seemed to comprehend quite well. It wasn’t difficult to see that his main interest was the things pertaining to God’s kingdom and scriptures that were mentioned.
Henry had been his usual when they got him up for the day on January 26, 1991. When the nurse came in a few minutes later to put drops in his eyes, he quietly had passed away.
Henry’s appreciation shown, made our trips well worthwhile, but only sorry we couldn’t have done more for him.
Julie, we appreciate so much your correspondence with Weeda’s. I know the workers surely appreciated this also.
Henry’s family was here for the funeral and burial. He was buried in the Mandan Cemetery. There were about 200-250 at the funeral. Well, we better go here. Greetings from all to all!
Love, P.S. Thanks for the poems, of late (?)!
The Weeda’s, Joyce, Merdy (?)
Truth Archive 