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John's father was the sheriff of the town where he grew up. John has many stories to tell about some of the things his father was involved in as sheriff of the town. But life was not all dangerous and tedious work. There were finer things in life to be enjoyed. His father played the guitar well and taught young John to play. For years, John played professionally with a group. For a while, he was accompanying us with the electric guitar when we sang at the Cedar Hills Nursing Home. As a young child growing up in Virginia, John enjoyed hiking through the woods summer or winter. He hunted wild turkeys, rabbits, and squirrels. He knew the woods well, and he explored all the caves in the area. He remembers picking all kinds of berries in the woods for his Mother. She would make delicious berry pies and other goodies for the family. John remembers her to be the best cook ever. She made the most delicious cornbread you could ever taste. He remembers looking forward to coming home from school in order to partake of a sumptuous feast of cornbread, real butter, and savory pinto beans. John is a very independent and a self-reliant individual even at a young age. Even though he did not finish school, he was able to fare well for himself. He worked at a restaurant for a couple of years and would have become the manager had he not been drafted into the United States Army and deployed to Europe during the war. John eventually took the GED test and passed it.
God definitely had a plan for John because despite many close calls in the war, his life was spared. He remembers coming out of the foxhole momentarily, and a bomb exploded nearby sending thousands of shrapnel everywhere. His best buddy was mortally wounded, while he, who was standing close to a large tree, was spared. The tree took the beating and busted to shreds before his startled eyes. No doubt, he was frightened to death. His buddies in the fox hole immediately got out, grabbed him inside the foxhole and started checking him for injuries. There were none. Many times John reflected upon how his life was miraculously spared. He knew that the Lord had spared his life for a reason. What would be the reason? he pondered many times. He couldn't figure it out then, but he would find out somehow. John loved the Lord and loved to read His Word. He had a rare and special gift of being able to memorize chapters in the Bible and retain them. He spent hours with His Bible. The Lord had given him light and wisdom and understanding on His Word. For several years, John was a cab driver and shared Bible texts with his passengers. He pointed them to the Saviour who alone is able to save them from their sins. He related to them the history of the Christian church from its inception in New Testament times to the dark and middle ages when paganism crept in to the church and on to the end of time--what will transpire before the literal and visible return of Jesus Christ in the clouds of glory. John obtained his knowledge about end-time prophecies from the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. He loved history and had taken supporting material from The Great Controversy, as well as Daniel and the Revelation by Uriah Smith. John memorized chapters from these books and shared them with his friends and passengers.
In the summer of 1992, John was diagnosed with malignant cancer. I had read a lot of books and articles on alternative medicine and was convinced that the way to go was the alternative way. But could I convince John to go this route? I had previously tried the natural way to healing cancer with my father, but his cancer was too far advanced to be helped. What about with John? How advanced was the cancer? Would alternative medicine work for him? What if it didn't work? Would I blame myself for suggesting we go this route? But people that we knew who had cancer and gone through the conventional treatments had all died. We had to do something different. We needed to be in harmony with nature, not against it. More than ever we were convinced to go the alternative way. But then, something would come up that would cause us to change our minds. I felt that I was playing doctor, and I was scared. Oh, it was difficult to make a decision on what to do. There were times when we scheduled the surgery, then canceled it the day before the surgery. We did this so many times, it was unreal. John's tumor was the size of an orange in his left kidney. The doctor, of course, recommended surgery, then chemo and/or radiation. From my readings of alternative medicine, all medication including chemo, radiation, drugs, antibiotics, etc., deplete the immune system. You do not want to deplete the immune system if you want to experience good health. The key to optimum health, free of cancer and other debilitating diseases, is a good working, uncompromised immune system. I found out that to boost the immune system, one needs to eat raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and sprouted grains, exercise properly, get enough rest, fresh air, plenty of water (inside and out), vitamin D from moderate exposure to the sun, etc. Juicing raw fruits and vegetables constitutes a big part in alternative medicine. Cleansing the intestinal track is also a part of the program. For more details on alternative medicine click here. You will be provided with sites that support alternative medicine.
It just so happened that about this time, we received a brochure in the mail about a Health Retreat in Webster, Florida, conducted by Dr. Jerry Hoover, a Naturopathic doctor and a minister of the Gospel. We decided to go. We stayed at the retreat for about four days. All that I have learned about alternative medicine were being discussed. Health is impaired when the health principles outlined in the Word of God are knowingly or unknowingly violated. This was all familiar territory, and John and I were very excited. The doubts that plagued us earlier were dispelled. We began to have hope that all would work out. It was wonderful to know that there would be a support group to encourage us when the going was rough. Attending this Health Retreat confirmed in our minds what we needed to do. I went on the program with my husband. We juiced fruits and vegetables like they were going out of style. We ate nothing but raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains. We shredded collards, kale, swiss chard very fine and put a whole avocado, lemon juice, and herb seasoning. We ate sparingly of proteins (nuts). We sprouted lentils and beans and added them to our salads. We ate this way for over two years. People over the years have asked us if we got tired eating this way during the time we were doing it. No, we did not. We had a goal in mind, and we were going to reach it. The goal was healing for John.
It seemed like the Lord just gave us ideas after ideas on how to fix some of the vegetables that on the surface seemed hard to make palatable--raw eggplant, rutabagas, turnips, squash, etc. Part of the program was going twice a week to the Jacksonville School of Massage for sauna and once a week for massage and colonic for John. So, did John get better? Yes, he did. We were thankful to God that our allopathic doctor was very understanding and cooperated with us. He probably thought that we were weird and crazy people, but on the next scan result, he asked us to tell him in detail what we were doing. At the time, we were reading and following the health principles in the book, Ministry of Healing by Ellen G. White. Another book we were reading was Counsels on Diet and Foods by the same author. The doctor wanted to see the books. Today, nine years later, John is doing well as far as the tumor is concerned. Recently, however, he was diagnosed with borderline Alzheimer's disease. As with the cancer, we turned it over to the Lord. This would be another chapter in the life of my husband. For now, we enjoy the present for that's all we have. We walk together through the valley holding hands, reflecting, enjoying the beautiful flowers along the path, listening to the carols of the birds, feeling the warmth of the sun on our faces as we slowly trudge on -- a great white, rushing waterfall is just beyond.  flower strewn pathways all our lives through. God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow peace without pain. But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way, grace for the trials help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. God hath not promised we shall not know toil and temptation, trouble and woe; He hath not told us we shall not bear many a burden, many a care. But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way, grace for the trials help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, swift, easy travel, needing no guide; never a mountain rocky and steep, never a river turbid and deep. But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way, grace for the trials help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. --Annie Johnson Flint 
   
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My Husband John was born in Washington County Virginia. He is the oldest in a family of eight
children. He has a younger brother named Lawrence who currently
resides in Maryland. He has six sister--Francis (deceased), Maxine, Ruth, and Margaret who are all living with their families in Virginia. Carol lives near central Florida, and my husband John and I live in North Florida, near Jacksonville. John has two children--Ralph and Kendall. Both are living in Virginia.