Lari Lepisto

Late in the fall of 1935, an old steam engine was pulling railway cars on the ten-hour trip from Helsinki to Vaasa in Finland. Among the many passengers was a man and his young son. The father of the man had passed away and they were going to his funeral. But this was not the only thing troubling the hearts of the father and son. He had just been released from a hospital, where the doctors had discovered cancer in his lungs. They had told him that he needed an operation, but even surgery would not be a complete cure for him. The hospital had made him sign a document that if he left the hospital without having surgery he would be responsible for the outcome and could not seek help from them anymore.

This scene is very clear in my mind, for I was the young son. The situation made me sad and quiet. I remember thinking that soon I would be attending my father’s funeral as well.

The car we were in was not full so we sat next to a window, wanting to be in peace. After a while a man came and sat across from us. He looked like a foreigner, but at the same time he looked familiar. I noted that he had a foreign accent when he spoke Finnish. We talked about the bad weather, and then sat quietly for a long time. Then the man across from us reached for his case, took out a paper, and gave it to my father. He pointed out that it was a religious paper printed in the United States. It was from the Apostolic Faith Church. He proceeded to tell us a wonderful story.

He had been healed by the power of prayer.

His name was William Jacobson. He was born in Pietarsaari, a small coastal town in Finland. He had immigrated to the United States, as did many Finns after World War I. He had traveled across the country, finally arriving at Portland, Oregon, where he came in contact with the Apostolic Faith Church. There he experienced salvation and was established in the Gospel. While in Portland he was involved in a car accident. Several ribs were broken, one cracked badly in two different places and another one that had gone through his lungs. He was taken to a hospital and they thought he was going to die. After the initial first aid and emergency care, he was taken to his room to wait for morning. The congregation heard what had happened, and several people from the church visited him, promising they would pray for him. The saints gathered and spent the entire night praying. During the night he also prayed and asked God to help him. Then all at once the room was lit up just as though it was daytime, and he felt the divine, healing power of God. Praising God, he called the night nurse and told her what had happened. He asked for his clothes so he could go home. This nurse thought that he had had some kind of an attack and talked him into staying in the hospital until morning. She promised that they would let him go home then if he really was healed. He finally agreed and slept well the rest of the night, waking up in the morning a healthy man. He had been healed by the power of prayer. In the morning he was examined, discharged from the hospital, and he went home.

At the time of the accident his insurance company was notified. After a few weeks he received a check from them. He visited the insurance company and explained that he was not sick anymore, that God had healed him. The insurance company told him that the police had informed them about the accident and the hospital and doctors told them about his injuries. They said it was not their business how he had been healed and that he should keep the money. So he kept the money, but decided to put it to good use. He traveled to Finland to tell people what God had done for him.

As we listened to this story and marveled at what had happened, my father felt hope begin to grow within his heart. After the train reached Vaasa, my mother met us at the railway station. The minute my father met my mother he told her what we had heard. My mother was quiet for a long time. She knew of the Apostolic Faith Church. They had a mission on one of the main streets of the city. The Apostolic Faith people were known to pray so loudly that if you walked past on the sidewalk you could hear them praying inside. My mother finally told my dad to go anywhere else but that place. Her mother was a well-known actress in that small city, and most people knew her and her family.

Despite all this, my father decided to visit the Apostolic Faith Mission, and he was saved. That was a miracle. Then he wrote to the Apostolic Faith Church in Portland, Oregon. He told them of his cancer and asked them to pray. They prayed for him and my father was healed of the cancer that would have claimed his life. Not only was he able to go back to work, but he lived another fifty years, a healthy, Christian life. After a time, my mother was also saved.

When I went to the Apostolic Faith Church meetings I also was saved. I had been baptized earlier in the Lutheran State Church but I wanted to be baptized again—this time the way the Bible tells us to be baptized. The baptismal service was to take place in the city of Vaasa. It was summer and we went to the river that flows through the city. My mother knew that an event like that would interest people. She was afraid that the townspeople might ridicule them because her family was so well known. Indeed, when the baptismal service started there were many people watching: not just the congregation. But when we went into the water, all the men watching took their hats off to show respect. There was no sign of mockery. When the service was over and we started toward the riverbank something strange happened. As my father, mother, and I approached the riverbank we found hundreds of coins in the water. I thought then that it was a sign from God that He would take care of us and we would not be in need of anything.

I told him that I was a Christian and that God had saved me and commanded me to love my fellowmen and enemies.

I was only seventeen when the war broke out in Finland. I loved God and my fellowmen, and I did not feel that I should take part in the war and kill anyone. I loved my country and wanted to protect it. I told the Army officials that I did not want to kill and that I would like to work as a medic. At first they accepted this, but after the war had gone on for three years, they told me that I had to bear arms or I would be court-martialed and thrown into jail. And that is what happened. I wound up at a prison camp with hundreds of men. Along with others, I was assigned to dig a ditch ten feet deep and twenty feet wide. Every prisoner had to dig his share, otherwise the entire group of men could not return to the camp. There was hardly any food. All the men lost weight very quickly and soon you could see the ribs and the bones under the skin. I was no exception. I got so weak that I could not dig my share of the ditch. Other men helped me but they were also weakening and suffered because of the lack of food. I remember praying hard and asking God not to allow me to die digging the ditch.

Soon after those prayers, I was transferred to the office of the prison where I became a clerk. It was significantly easier. One time during the winter I was walking along the fence of the prison camp, dragging my feet and kicking the snow. All of a sudden I hit something. I started digging and soon I found a complete loaf of bread. It was frozen and in good condition to eat. This meant much to me since our daily ration was only one slice of bread the size of your palm, per day. Another time when I was walking along the fence a big bird flew into the barbed wire and was killed. It fell at my feet. I cleaned the bird and cooked it in one of the potato pots of the jail kitchen.

Finally, the President of Finland pardoned me. I was returned to my unit and I served as a medic until the war was over. Then one day after the war ended, a police officer came to my door. He said that he had a message for me from the government. They would clean up my criminal record and make sure that nobody knew of my wartime jail sentence. All I had to do was to agree not to sue the government and seek compensation. I told him that I was a Christian and that God had saved me and commanded me to love my fellowmen and enemies. There was no bitterness in my heart to anyone.

In time I married a girl who had been baptized in Vaasa at the same time that I was. We were very happy. Later, God gave us a son. Since then, God has been with us and helped us in many ways. We have served Him for many years and have been able to trust Him in every situation. I have had many wonderful experiences and blessings from God while doing His Gospel work in Finland. Praise and glory to God!