Participants:
Series Code: SF
Program Code: SF000040
00:01 It was the encouragement in the ministry of Jack Blanco
00:04 that kept my eyes fixed on Christ. 00:06 Jack's allegiance is absolutely to God 00:10 as his King and Savior and to the Scripture 00:13 that reveals God to him. 00:15 He really was a living example 00:17 of what it meant to be a devoted follower of Jesus. 00:21 The story that they want to tell others, 00:27 not of themselves, but of God. 00:33 I think that's what's one of the geniuses of his ministry, 00:37 were he was truly interested in other people. 00:41 In my life, here I saw God's teacher. 00:46 He seems to be uncomfortable 00:48 when people praised the "Clear Word" and he said, 00:51 "You know, it's God, it's not me." 01:03 Jack Blanco story is filled with extraordinary experiences. 01:07 He seized the hope that God brought into his life. 01:11 You and I can also have a story 01:13 of extraordinary experiences 01:14 if we accept the hope that God has for our lives. 01:19 That's what makes this story important to tell, 01:21 embrace hope in your life as you watch 01:24 the Jack Blanco story and be blessed. 02:53 A person's life story never stands alone, 02:57 just as creeks and tributaries 02:59 from across the continent flow into rivers 03:01 and eventually merge into the ocean. 03:04 There are always others who influence 03:06 and impact an individual in ways that make a difference. 03:10 The life of Marion Blasius was a river 03:13 that flowed into Jack Blanco's life 03:16 and together through the years, 03:18 they emptied themselves into a ministry for God 03:21 that spanned the globe. 03:23 Having a godly mother and grandmothers 03:25 influenced Marion and help prepare her 03:27 for a life of service as a Bible worker, 03:31 teacher, missionary, mother, 03:34 and wife of a pastor. 03:36 Growing up in Chicago during the 1920s 03:39 was a dangerous affair. 03:40 Corruption, crime and violence seem to ooze 03:43 from crevice in the city. 03:45 In the midst of this chaos, 03:47 Mother Lilly taught young Marion to place her trust 03:50 in a God loyal to His promises. 03:54 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! 03:56 His mercies never cease. 03:59 Great is His faithfulness. 04:01 His mercies begin afresh each morning. 04:03 Marion recalls her grandmother fondly. 04:06 I remember one day I said, 04:08 "Grandma, it's starting to rain." 04:10 She said, "Don't worry, we're not made of sugar. 04:14 We won't melt." 04:15 We would go down to catch the streetcar, 04:19 and then ride the streetcar to the end of the line, 04:23 then get on the Chicago-Milwaukee Railroad 04:26 and ride that 'til the tracks went up, 04:30 then we'd get off and walk down the stairs 04:34 to the North Shore Church. 04:36 Mother Lilly always had Bible study interest. 04:39 During her childhood and teenage years, 04:41 Marion trained for ministry, leading others to Jesus 04:44 as she watched her mother and grandmother 04:46 reach out to people. 04:47 When I was in high school, 04:50 our church had evangelistic meetings. 04:53 We invited the church members 04:56 that were baptized to come to our house to worship. 05:00 I made a little goal device. 05:03 When we made our goal for Sabbath School, 05:06 I'd turn on the light. 05:08 Although Marion and her mother were faithful to their beliefs 05:11 and told others about Jesus, 05:13 there was a shadow in their family life. 05:16 Marion's parents were separated. 05:18 Daily, Marion prayed that her father 05:20 would make a decision to follow Jesus. 05:22 It wasn't easy to wait for an answer. 05:25 As a youth, Marion discovered 05:27 God doesn't always answer a prayer 05:29 according to human time. 05:31 She developed a willingness to wait on God 05:33 which built a foundation for her 05:35 to lead others to Jesus. 05:38 In North Chicago, Katie Keissling, 05:41 a teenage German immigrant struggled to survive. 05:44 My mom came over from Germany when she was 17, 05:48 so she came about 1922. 05:52 She was working in a bakery in Chicago, 05:55 working 10 hours a day 05:57 and like many, many immigrants had to work like that. 06:01 Katie arrived in her new country with little money 06:04 and was often bewildered by the big city. 06:06 It was nothing like the quiet Bavarian hills 06:09 she had left behind. 06:10 Shortly after she arrived in Chicago, 06:13 Katie med Fredric Ross, 06:14 an immigrant from Vienna, Austria, 06:16 who had been in the United States 06:18 for several years. 06:19 Katie was impressed with Frederick's knowledge 06:21 of American customs and language. 06:23 He advised Katie on where to apply for work 06:26 and helped her find lodging. 06:27 Together, Katie and Frederick 06:29 talked about their hopes and dreams. 06:31 They enjoyed warm spring nights and crisp autumn days. 06:34 Although Katie spend long hours at the bakery, 06:37 she looked forward to her time with Frederick. 06:39 Little by little love began to grow. 06:43 Sadly Frederick took advantage of Katie's love. 06:46 One day Katie could no longer ignore 06:48 what she didn't want to admit, even to herself. 06:52 She knew she was pregnant 06:53 and would have to tell Frederick. 06:56 How would he receive the news? 06:58 Did she have the courage to form the words 07:00 and say them out loud to someone else, even Frederick? 07:03 One evening, Frederick suggested 07:05 they take a walk in the nearby park. 07:07 Katie knew the time had come. 07:09 They had spent many special moments together there. 07:13 Once the words were spoken, 07:14 Katie felt as though her secret was lighter. 07:17 Frederick seemed pleased 07:18 and they discussed what would happen next. 07:20 Katie even allowed herself the luxury of daydreaming about 07:23 the new little family unit they would become. 07:26 Her fantasies would soon be replaced with bitter tears. 07:30 One evening she called his apartment 07:34 and there was no answer. 07:37 That was little strange. 07:39 And you know, in those days 07:43 you go back through the 1920s, 07:46 you know, everybody didn't just own a car 07:49 and whizzing wherever, 07:51 you know, where they wanted to go. 07:54 So you had to get on the streetcar 07:56 and do this and that. 07:58 So you know, she called, next day 08:01 she called again and no answer. 08:04 Fear began to overwhelm Katie. 08:06 Could something have happened to Frederick? 08:08 Was he ill or worse? 08:11 She waited another day and said, well, 08:12 I think I need to go over there to find out. 08:16 Talked to landlady, what's happened, 08:17 so she went over there and landlady said, no, 08:22 he left a couple of days ago. 08:25 You mean he's not here. No. 08:26 Where did he go? I don't know. 08:29 What about all his things? 08:31 No, he took them with them or sold them, whatever. 08:34 So she took my mother upstairs in his apartment 08:39 and the apartment was empty, nobody there, 08:41 no forwarding message, nothing, gone. 08:44 So here you have a single mother 08:46 and of course pregnant. 08:48 As Katie stumbled out of the apartment, 08:50 her soul felt as cold as the Chicago wind 08:53 that whipped her small frame. Frederick was gone. 08:56 Alone, Katie would face the stigma 08:59 of being an unwed mother. 09:00 In spite of the heartache and hurt, 09:03 the tiny baby made its way into the world 09:05 on a hot June day in 1929, 09:07 rejected by his earthly father even before birth, 09:11 little Johann Jacob Kiessling was loved dearly by his mother. 09:15 I was born premature, 09:17 born weighing only about 4 pounds. 09:21 And, but I'm still here. 09:25 Obviously, I survived. 09:27 What do you know about your father? 09:28 I know nothing about my father. 09:31 My mother was so hurt over 09:34 what she called the betrayal, 09:36 she didn't wanted to talk about it, ever. 09:40 She finally told me his name. 09:42 His name was Frederick Ross, 09:45 but he was from Vienna, Austria. 09:48 And of course, my mother was originally from Bavaria, 09:52 southern part of Germany, 09:54 but it was here in this country that they met. 09:56 Katie Keissling loved her little son 09:58 and didn't want to be separated from him. 10:00 Without money, Katie and baby Jacob 10:02 would nowhere to live. 10:04 Mom having to work 10 hours a day in a bakery, 10:07 she had to find babysitters to care of me 10:10 while she was working, 10:11 then she'd pick me up in the evening. 10:13 But one time she came home early from work 10:17 and as she approached the door, 10:20 she could hear me crying inside, 10:23 and so she knocked on the door 10:25 and the people opened the door 10:27 and they were sitting around the table eating supper. 10:30 And my mother could tell I was crying 10:33 because I was hungry. 10:35 I mean, there is a certain cry 10:36 when the baby is hungry and she says, 10:39 "Oh, haven't you given him anything to eat yet?" 10:42 They said, "No, we told him if he stopped crying, 10:44 then we will give him food to eat, 10:47 but if he keeps crying 10:48 we're not going to give him anything." 10:50 So this is the kind of treatment, 10:52 you know, that I had from some of the babysitters. 10:54 Katie was appalled that her precious son 10:57 was being treated so callously. 10:59 It wasn't long before her boy had a new caretaker. 11:02 And then she found some other babysitters 11:04 and this was in the apartment about three stories up 11:10 and as she came home early 11:11 and I like to play out on the porch. 11:15 The slats covering the porch 11:19 must have been farther apart 11:22 and I was out there playing 11:23 and there was a broom out there 11:25 and I was trying to get that broom loose 11:28 which was stuck under a chair 11:30 and pulled real hard and the broom, 11:34 you know, gave way and I just felt backwards 11:40 and fell through the slat. 11:42 As Jacob tumbled off the porch falling three stories down, 11:45 his mother was returning from her work day to take him home. 11:48 Just about that time, my mother was coming the stairs, 11:53 and she sees this bundle, 11:55 okay, flying through the air hitting the ground, 12:00 bouncing off the ground and oh, 12:04 she looks and it's, you know, it's her baby. 12:08 And so she turns around and runs down 12:11 almost tripped on the way down, 12:13 almost fell, and there I was, 12:17 you know, unconscious and I don't remember 12:23 any other thing that she told me. 12:26 All I remember she said, you were unconscious, 12:28 we rushed you to the hospital. 12:30 How long I was in the coma, I have no idea. 12:33 Katie had an Aunt Katie and Uncle Jack 12:35 who also lived in Chicago. 12:37 Baby Johann Jacob was nicknamed 12:40 Jacky after his uncle. 12:42 The couple saw the stress and strain 12:44 the young mother was under 12:45 as she tried to raise little Jacob, 12:47 now Jacky, on her own. 12:49 My mother's aunt felt sorry for her, 12:53 and said, "Why don't you come and live with us.'' 12:56 My great aunt and great uncle, 12:57 they love me, I love them, 12:59 and their kids love me and yeah, 13:01 it was a sort of a happy family situation. 13:04 During those years of struggle, 13:06 Katie clung to her faith in God. 13:08 It gave her hope and peace. 13:09 She wanted her son to come to love God as she did. 13:12 The whole family was Catholic. My mother was Catholic. 13:15 I went to the Catholic Church, 13:17 and so I went to Catholic parochial school. 13:19 What I remember about school is the kindness of the nuns. 13:23 Every morning they would come and ask us, 13:28 first, second graders, whatever and even older ones, you know, 13:31 how many of you did not have breakfast this morning? 13:36 Now it's not that I didn't have breakfast 13:38 but sometimes I purposely ate very little breakfast 13:42 so I was still hungry 13:45 because I loved the attention of the nuns. 13:48 And they were so kind and so gentle, 13:50 I will never forget them. 13:53 I can't. 13:54 No, there are some very good people there 13:56 in the Catholic Church, absolutely. 13:58 As Jacky grew up, his mother Katie 14:01 longed to return to Germany to visit her relatives, 14:04 she wanted him to know his extended family. 14:06 Katie saved every extra dollar 14:08 she could afford until she had the exact amount 14:11 needed to purchase two tickets. 14:13 At first Jacky wasn't sure about leaving home 14:15 and going to a far country, 14:17 but his excitement began to grow 14:18 as he thought about visiting his grandparent's farm. 14:21 In 1938, Jacky and his mother said goodbye to Chicago 14:25 and left for Katie's homeland. 14:27 He was enthralled with the adventure 14:29 of traveling by boat and train. 14:32 When we arrived in Germany, 14:34 the train of course pulled into the station. 14:37 As soon as the train stopped, 14:39 my grandparents got on the train 14:42 and my grandmother went ahead first, when she saw me, 14:46 you know, when she saw us, 14:48 she gave my mother a big hug 14:50 and then she reached down and gave me a big hug and, 14:52 you know, and she seemed to be so proud 14:55 of seeing a new grandson and then of course 14:58 with the name Keissling, member of the family. 15:02 Jacky loved being with his uncles Fritz and Joseph 15:05 and his Aunt Connie at their home in Hohenberg, Germany. 15:08 Well, when I stayed here at the farmhouse, 15:10 I stay on the second floor. 15:12 The farm was in the back of the house, 15:14 you know, that's where it started 15:16 and went clear up to the woods way back there. 15:19 In the winter it got very cold, 15:21 and there was no heat on the second floor. 15:23 There was actually ice on the inside of the window, 15:27 not only thin ice but I mean thick ice. 15:31 Living on the farm 15:32 was a new experience for little Jacky. 15:34 There was much to explore when he first arrived. 15:37 Being in this barn after all these years 15:40 brings back a lot of memories. 15:41 Farm work filled Jacky's days. 15:44 Wheat and hay were two of the main crops 15:46 his grandfather raised. 15:47 Even though it has been more than 75 years 15:49 since Jack worked on the farm, 15:51 he hasn't forgotten the skills he learned as a boy. 16:04 Jacky learned many new things on the farm. 16:06 When his uncles were called into the army, 16:08 his responsibilities grew. 16:10 And so to run the farm, it was just grandfather 16:13 and myself and my mother's younger sister 16:17 and she was only about 4 years older than I was. 16:20 So there's a lot of work to do, 16:21 so it wasn't long before my grandfather taught me, 16:23 you know, how to plow, 16:24 how to use the oxen in the field and all that. 16:27 Anyway, it was feeding time, they were hooked together, 16:31 okay, so there was a little wagon 16:33 and they took off running. 16:35 Time to go to the barn. 16:36 And time to come home to eat, and there was a little fence 16:40 just on the other side of the barnyard. 16:43 And I knew at the speed they were going, 16:46 they wouldn't be able to stop, 16:48 they'd plow right into the fence 16:50 and what do you do, 16:52 you know, with subsistence farming 16:54 when two oxen are hurt and those are the only ones 16:57 that we could use for the plowing. 17:00 And so I ran as fast as I could to try to keep up with them 17:04 and I caught up with them just before they got to the fence 17:08 and I was able to stop them. 17:09 When the time came to return home to America, 17:12 grandfather persuaded Katie to let the boy remain 17:15 for a year on the farm. 17:16 You know, she kissed me and huged me 17:19 and then said goodbye 17:20 and stands on the back platform of the train 17:25 and the train pulls away and she is going like this, 17:28 I said, oh my man, I broke down and cried. 17:31 I cried for three days, literally. 17:34 The values of self respect 17:35 that Jacky's mother and grandparents 17:37 instilled in him served him throughout his life. 17:40 They taught him to live 17:42 in a way that honored the family name. 17:44 One thing about my grandfather, 17:46 he was a man of faith. 17:49 And if there's one thing 17:50 that he taught me is honesty, okay. 17:53 No prevarications, no lying or whatever. 17:57 Even my mother was the same way. 17:58 Taught me what was right, 18:00 to be honest, not lying, not stealing or whatever. 18:03 And my grandfather reinforced that, 18:06 and I think that's a very important lesson 18:07 for people to learn, young and old. 18:09 While world politics grew tumultuous, 18:12 life on the farm continued. 18:14 Jack attended the village school. 18:16 It's amazing to come here 18:18 and see the school still standing, 18:21 you know, the school 75 years ago. 18:24 Like many boys, Jack had a bit of mischief in him. 18:27 The teacher did not like mice. 18:31 Somehow she was just... 18:33 and so we brought a dead mouse 18:36 to school one day, okay, 18:38 and word got back to my grandfather, 18:41 and I tell you he really gave me a good talking to, 18:43 he knew how to talk where it sank in, 18:46 and so he would say, you know, what have you done, 18:48 first of all to do to this good teacher. 18:51 And second of all, 18:52 what have you done to our good name. 18:54 So I learned my lesson of family responsibility. 18:58 Faith was an important part of the family's way of life. 19:01 Jack attended worship services with his relatives each week. 19:04 It was an honor to be asked to be an altar boy. 19:08 As an altar boy, of course you serve the priest. 19:10 When I come into this church, 19:11 I have a sense of, sense of respect, 19:14 the sense of honor, dignity, sense of holiness. 19:19 On September 1, 1939, 19:21 Adolf Hitler invaded Poland and World War II began. 19:25 For 12 years the events 19:27 of the Holocaust terrorized Europe. 19:29 Hitler wanted to create the superior Aryan race 19:32 by eliminating those whom he felt were inferior, 19:35 11 million people including 6 million Jews 19:39 and 1.1 million children would eventually die 19:42 because they were targeted by the Nazi regime. 19:45 As war began to impact the family, 19:47 life in the village became more difficult, 19:49 church bells were being claimed by the Nazis for ammunition. 19:52 I was working in the field with my grandfather, 19:55 and all of sudden we heard the bells ring 19:58 and my grandfather stopped working 20:01 and took off his cap 20:02 and we heard a couple more rings of the bell 20:05 and then all the sudden, crack. 20:06 And now we know that the German Wehrmacht 20:10 came here to smash the bells and take them away, 20:12 and that really hurt my grandfather. 20:15 I'll never forget how he took off his cap 20:17 and bowed his head and prayed. 20:19 With the attack on Pearl Harbor, 20:21 the United States entered the war. 20:23 Little Jack was now considered an enemy of Nazi, Germany, 20:27 and things would rapidly become too dangerous for him 20:30 to cross the border and return to America. 20:32 This also cut off communication with his mother. 20:35 Well, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor and so on, 20:38 and of course, it came over the news 20:41 and my grandfather heard about it, 20:43 and he was very sad. 20:45 And he came over to me and told me about it 20:47 and gave me a big hug. 20:49 I could just feel his sorrow over, 20:56 you know, what happened to America. 20:57 Jack progressed in school 20:59 and finished his course of study. 21:01 He wanted to continue his education 21:03 but that would mean leaving the farm. 21:05 Jack applied to a trade school 21:06 and received a letter stating that he was accepted 21:09 into the aeronautical engineering program. 21:12 Eagerly Jack boarded the train 21:13 and made his way to Konigs Wusterhausen, 21:15 located just outside of Berlin. 21:17 A man met him at the station. 21:19 He had a brown shirt on and he had an arm band 21:22 on with a swastika and a visor cap 21:26 and black trousers and black boots. 21:31 And he said, yes, you know, 21:33 you're Jack or Jacob as they called me, 21:36 are you Jacob? Yes. 21:38 Come, follow me. 21:40 Okay. 21:43 I applied to go to school. 21:44 Just come and follow me. 21:47 So he didn't walk very far and, you know, 21:51 and there was a barbwire and the guard dogs 21:54 and everything else. 21:56 And that was the first taste of a labor camp. 22:00 Jack couldn't believe he had been duped. 22:02 This wasn't a school at all. 22:04 He had just lost his freedom. 22:06 Life in the crowded camp 22:08 became a depressing pattern of hard work, 22:10 little food and ill-treatment from the guards. 22:13 The guards would like some entertainment. 22:16 The in thing in sports 22:17 in those days of course was boxing. 22:21 You know Joe Louis was world champion, 22:23 and he defeated the heavyweight champion, 22:28 the German heavyweight champion 22:30 and so anyway they thought, well, boxing is a thing, 22:33 so they arranged us according to our weight. 22:37 The reward for winning the match would be extra food. 22:40 Every time I was put into the open space, 22:43 you know, I would knock the other guy down, 22:45 so then the commander put me into a little heaver weight, 22:48 little heaver weight. 22:49 Next time he put me into, you know, fairly heavyweight. 22:52 Well, I wasn't able to knock that guy down, 22:55 but he wasn't able to knock me down. 22:57 Enraged at Jack's performance, 22:59 the commander entered the ring and beat Jack severely. 23:02 Jack lay bleeding on the ground, 23:04 staring at the black boots straddling his body. 23:07 And the one thought that came to my mind, 23:11 you may kill this body 23:13 but you're not going to kill my spirit. 23:15 I am an American... 23:18 and I am going to stay an American, 23:21 and it's same thing when I think, 23:23 you know, of the history of Christians through the ages, 23:28 mean lot of persecution 23:29 and some were executed and whatever. 23:33 You know, all these Christian martyrs. 23:35 I know, they must have had the same kind of thing that, 23:38 you know, you can kill the body, 23:40 but you can't kill my spirit. 23:41 My spirit is committed and dedicated to Jesus Christ. 23:45 Early one morning the guards awaken Jack. 23:48 He learned that he was being transferred 23:50 to another labor camp. 23:51 Upon his arrival at the Leipzig camp, 23:54 Jack had an experience that allowed him to escape. 23:57 When we got there and headed towards the camp, 24:01 I never was in the camp because what happened, all the sudden, 24:07 I found myself outside of the camp, 24:11 some distance from the fence, all by myself. 24:16 I couldn't believe it, I still remember this day, 24:18 I looked around, there was nobody there. 24:21 In 2012, Jack and the documentary team 24:24 found the place where he was supernaturally transported away 24:27 from the labor camp. 24:29 It now serves as a governmental scientific research center 24:32 in Leipzig, Germany. 24:34 It was an emotional moment for Jack 24:36 as he remembered his near death experience at the hands 24:39 of one of the Third Reich's most lethal labor 24:41 and concentration camps. 24:43 Jack's experience is like the biblical story 24:46 of Philip found in Acts 8, 24:48 when God took Philip, bodily from the road by Jerusalem 24:51 and placed him in another city. 24:53 You must have gotten close to this 24:55 before you found yourself inside of this wall. 24:58 Well, that's the point, yeah. 25:00 Wow. 25:02 I'm getting the chill. 25:04 This would have been the main entrance. 25:07 You had to have been close to here. 25:08 I'm going to kneel down here and have a word of prayer. 25:10 Okay. 25:33 Jack was free. 25:35 During the next two days, 25:36 he made his way back to his grandparent's farm. 25:39 Surprised to see him, 25:40 they thought he had been at school. 25:42 The next morning grandfather had bad news for Jack. 25:46 Son, I can't keep you here. 25:51 If they know that I am harboring a runaway, 25:55 I may be arrested and there's nobody here 25:59 to care of the farm. 26:00 No, son, you need to turn yourself in. 26:04 But, yeah, to turn myself in for the sake of family, 26:08 knowing what lay ahead. 26:12 Jack was sure he would be returned to Leipzig, 26:14 instead he was sent to the munitions factory 26:17 at Pegnitz which was near Nuremberg. 26:19 We had to work 12 hours a day from six to six. 26:23 For breakfast we would get a cup of black coffee 26:27 and a slice of bread. 26:29 For lunch you got a bowl of soup, watery soup, 26:36 and then in the evening a cup of black coffee 26:38 and a slice of bread. 26:40 When I came out of the area, 26:42 I think I weighed about 85-90 pounds 26:44 or something like that. 26:46 By that time I was about 16, 17 years old. 26:50 Day after day, Jack had to listen 26:52 to anti-western propaganda. 26:54 He began to worry about how his mother 26:56 was being treated back in America. 26:58 He had to make a deliberate effort 27:00 not to believe the words he was hearing. 27:02 There has to be a concentration, 27:05 a conscious concentration of setting your mind 27:09 against what is evil and wicked. 27:13 We need to set our mind against 27:15 what we hear and see on the media 27:17 if it's not right and good. 27:19 Survival became the watchword for Jack in the new labor camp. 27:22 Food was scarce. 27:23 The work was hard and life was cheap. 27:26 Those who collapsed were carried away 27:28 and never seen again. 27:29 Jack longed for freedom and came to find it 27:32 in an unexpected way. 27:33 One day a German military officer told Jack 27:36 and two of his friends they were needed. 27:38 And so he says, yeah, we want you, okay. 27:42 Hitler needs you and we're going to draft you 27:45 into the German military. 27:46 Here is your uniform. 27:48 All they had these skinny guys, wear uniforms that didn't fit. 27:52 I remember very clearly marching along the road 27:56 which went right by the medical center 27:59 where wounded German soldiers were sitting on the porch 28:03 and they were looking out at the scraggly bunch of people 28:07 that's supposed to be, you know, win the war. 28:10 I can still see the smirk on their face. 28:12 I mean it was obvious. 28:14 Once again God intervened in Jack's life. 28:17 Instead of being transferred to the frontlines, 28:19 Jack and his two friends were sent back to the labor camp 28:22 where they waited for orders. 28:24 With Jack's change in status 28:26 from prisoner to German soldier, 28:29 the guards at the gate became less vigilant in his presence. 28:32 One day Jack and his two friends 28:34 were visiting with the only guard at the gate. 28:37 Suddenly the guard was called to a situation in the camp. 28:40 And he said, listen, I've got to go, okay. 28:43 There's nobody else here right now. 28:44 You stay here. 28:46 Keep an eye on the gate, 28:48 and I'll be back and he took off. 28:51 We looked at each other. 28:55 Looked around and looked straight ahead 28:58 and there was a woods not far away 29:01 and we said, okay, 29:04 we'll watch the gate and put it behind us. 29:09 And off we took. 29:10 Before long it was time for the three friends 29:13 to go their separate ways. 29:14 With many miles to cover, the danger increased. 29:18 Jack never knew when he might run 29:20 into either German or American soldiers. 29:23 I remember walking through the woods 29:24 and all the sudden I hear some noise behind me. 29:28 You know, I got behind the little bush 29:30 and I looked and were tanks, 29:32 American tanks because the American army 29:34 was pushing up into Germany in small trees like this, 29:39 I mean a tank, no problem. 29:41 As Jack neared Hohenberg, 29:43 he had another encounter with American soldiers. 29:45 And as I came out of the woods, 29:49 I came to this bank 29:53 and little cliff and I looked down 29:57 and there I saw American trucks 30:01 with GIs on it, 30:04 and one fellow looked up at me and gave the hitchhiking sign. 30:12 Oh, did that bring back 30:13 a lot of warm memories of home, of America. 30:17 After days of walking, 30:19 Jack finally arrived at grandfather's farm. 30:22 With freedom and the end of fighting, 30:24 Jack wanted to return home to America 30:27 and be with his mother. 30:29 The war was drawing to a close. 30:31 Well, I had forgotten my English after so many years. 30:36 And I had no papers because the Nazis took the papers away. 30:41 And so I went to the military up 30:43 in Hohenberg and they said, 30:45 you were born in America? And you can't talk English? 30:50 You have no papers, you know, go back to the farm. 30:55 And so I did and just a little while later, 30:59 I get a letter from the German mailman 31:05 from my mother in the United States. 31:08 For years there had been no contact 31:09 between Jack and his mother. 31:11 Then God intervened and made the impossible happen. 31:15 When Jack went to the American military authorities 31:17 with the letter from his mother, 31:19 they couldn't believe he had received correspondence 31:21 through the private mail system during war time. 31:24 Jack was instructed to go to Frankfurt. 31:26 So, Jack, it's been a little while 31:29 since you've have been here 31:30 in Frankfurt, Germany, 67, 68 years. 31:34 What's it like to be here today 31:35 and what was the city like back then? 31:38 And I tell you, this city was just a mass of rubble. 31:41 It had been bombed so severely, 31:44 you know, I asked directions to the military, 31:49 I had to climb over rubble in order to get there. 31:52 And of course when I got there, I gave him the letter. 31:55 How did you get that? 31:56 Well, I said the German mailman. 31:57 There is no private mail coming through. 32:01 The letter needed to be verified 32:03 before anything further could be done. 32:05 So I sat there and I must have been waiting 32:07 there for 2 or 3 hours. 32:09 Finally they said, we checked it out 32:11 and it is genuine, 32:13 go back to the farm and we'll contact you. 32:16 I give credit to the Lord for getting that mail 32:19 through, that letter through. 32:20 Jack couldn't believe it. He was going home at last. 32:24 Weeks later as the ship entered the New York harbor, 32:27 seeing the Statue of Liberty, 32:29 he appreciated freedom as never before. 32:32 The God he had yet to know deeply 32:34 had made a way for Jack to be free. 32:38 Marion was busy as a Bible worker 32:40 in Chicago, Illinois, 32:41 while Jack struggled with his situation in Germany. 32:44 She faced her own set of dangerous and challenges. 32:48 I was giving studies to a mother 32:50 and her divorced daughter. 32:52 They lived in a apartment up over a store. 32:56 As I was driving to their house 32:59 I noticed that every time I stopped at the stop sign, 33:03 there was a young man at the wheel of the car. 33:06 He'd smile at me. 33:08 I thought it was funny at first 33:10 because it just happened at every stop light. 33:13 This continued on and on and I thought, 33:16 "If I go fast, he goes fast. 33:19 If I go slow, he goes slow. 33:21 Well, I got to turn off of this road 33:23 pretty soon to get where I'm going." 33:25 So when I turned off, 33:26 I turned very quickly and went down the hill. 33:30 Well, he was in the left lane 33:32 while I was driving down the right lane 33:34 and I went down to the first house 33:37 at the bottom of the hill and I said, 33:39 "Quick, quick, look at your front window.'' 33:42 Eventually we saw the car turn around. 33:45 Marion experienced one miracle after another 33:48 on the rough Chicago streets. 33:50 One night I was coming home from that area 33:53 and I saw a net across the road 33:57 and as I approached it I thought, 33:59 "I'm not stopping here." 34:01 I just stepped on the gas 34:03 as fast as I could and took off. 34:06 When I got home I told my mother and she said, 34:09 "Call the police." 34:11 The police said, "They stop cars and take the cars 34:15 and sometimes even hurt the people." 34:18 Despite these experiences, 34:19 Marion loved telling people about Jesus 34:22 and she wanted to study more, 34:24 so she could share more about Him. 34:26 From her youth, Marion had been trained 34:28 first by her grandmother and mother, 34:30 who all worked as a team to reach Bible study 34:33 interest around the metropolis. 34:35 Her formal training came at Emmanuel Missionary College, 34:38 now Andrews University, where she studied 34:41 under the great evangelist, George Vandeman. 34:44 My mom went to college 34:45 in an age when a lot of women didn't, 34:49 and she graduated and was one of the first 34:52 Bible workers in the denomination. 34:55 I had gone to Moody Bible Institute 34:58 to learn how to do chalk drawings. 35:00 So the pastor asked me to do the hand 35:05 that was nailed to the cross. 35:07 I said, "It's hard to draw a hand." 35:09 But, he said, "I'll pose for you." 35:12 And all Sunday morning he posed 35:15 and I practiced drawing the hand 35:18 and that night I was able to do the hand nailed to the cross. 35:24 Little did Marion know she would soon receive a letter 35:27 from a young man requesting that she visit his mother. 35:31 That letter would change Marion's life forever. 35:36 When Johann Jacob Kiessling left the shores of Germany 35:40 to return home to the United States, 35:42 he could hardly contain his excitement. 35:45 He was going to be reunited with his mother. 35:47 His family has expanded to include a stepfather, 35:50 Lee Blanco, a half sister Marie, 35:53 and stepbrother Mike. 35:55 Jack still felt a shadow 35:56 from never knowing his biological father. 35:59 Well, all my life I had been using 36:01 my mother's maiden name Kiessling. 36:04 And so when I came back from the war, 36:06 I still had the name Kiessling, 36:07 but now I found that I had a stepfather, 36:10 and I had a little stepsister, Marie of 4 years old 36:16 and my mother I think still a little bit hurt 36:22 over the whole betrayal thing for whatever reasons. 36:26 She didn't wanted to have different names in the family. 36:30 So she asked me, "Would you be willing to change your name, 36:33 okay, from Kiessling to Blanco." 36:36 I said, "Mother, anything, 36:37 I mean, I'll do anything for you, sure, no problem." 36:41 So my name was legally changed to Blanco. 36:44 Now Jack John Blanco was fully part of the family. 36:48 He was thrilled to have a younger sister. 36:50 The two spent many happy hours together. 36:53 Jack's stepfather Lee 36:55 suggested that Jack work for him in his parent's diner. 36:58 Jack started as a dishwasher 37:00 and eventually became a short order cook. 37:03 I saw some things in Chicago south side 37:07 after the war that I never wanted to touch, 37:12 I remember one time a fight developed 37:15 right there in the restaurant 37:16 between a husband and a wife. 37:19 And I went there to try to separate him 37:23 and calm him down and so on. 37:26 The man looked at me, 37:27 he said this is a family business 37:28 and then if you get involved in it, 37:29 you're gonna be in it. 37:31 Jack witnessed many conflicts like this 37:33 and each one left a strong mark on his memory. 37:36 When I saw all the effect of hard liquor, 37:40 I said forget it, I'm not touching it. 37:44 Many of his friends had rough reputations. 37:46 During one party, three buddies 37:48 invited Jack to join them in their car. 37:50 Jack innocently followed them. 37:52 A flask of alcohol was passed around. 37:55 Jack took one drink thinking it wouldn't affect him. 37:58 I took a little swig. 38:00 It sent me for a loop. 38:02 Jack returned to the party 38:04 but learn something frightening. 38:05 He was no longer in control of himself. 38:08 The next thing I knew is 38:10 I was the laughing stock of the party, 38:12 and I was saying things and doing things 38:14 that I was ashamed of, 38:15 and I wanted to stop and couldn't stop, 38:18 there was somebody else in control. 38:19 The incident made a lasting impression 38:21 on Jack's teenage mind. 38:23 He'd never tasted liquor before and he never touched it again. 38:26 God was preparing Jack for a life 38:28 he couldn't even imagine. 38:32 With the end of World War II, a new kind of war, 38:35 the Cold War began developing. 38:37 The United States reinstated the draft 38:39 and 19 year old Jack Blanco became nervous. 38:42 He had grown 6 inches and gained 50 pounds 38:45 since returning from Germany. 38:47 Uncle Sam looked at me and said, 38:49 "Oh, where have you been." 38:50 And I said, "Oh, my, I'd seen enough of war 38:53 and I'd rather not go into the infantry." 38:57 Anyway, volunteered for the air force. 38:59 Then I was shipped down 39:00 to San Antonio, Texas for a boot camp. 39:02 Although Jack left the trouble of Chicago, 39:05 it seemed he was drawn to fights. 39:07 During basic training, 39:09 Jack became involved in an altercation 39:11 and he was thrown down on the floor face first. 39:13 His nose was broken. 39:15 That injury would affect Jack for years to come. 39:18 From San Antonio, Jack traveled to Cheyenne, Wyoming 39:21 to receive more training in aircraft communications. 39:24 He also hoped to find role models. 39:27 He keenly missed a father figure in his life. 39:30 One evening I was lying in my bunker 39:33 and thinking about this, 39:36 because my father had left before I was born, 39:39 so I really didn't have a model to go by and didn't feel, 39:44 didn't feel like I had a "father" 39:47 and as I was thinking about this, 39:49 you know, a thought came to my mind 39:52 and I know it was the Holy Spirit. 39:53 Have you ever thought about 39:57 using Jesus Christ as your model? 39:59 Jack wasn't very familiar with the gospel stories, 40:02 but he remembered that the nuns talked about Jesus 40:04 and said that He was honorable and trustworthy. 40:08 And then the thought came to me. 40:11 Yeah, if I had been-- 40:13 if I had been there 2,000 years ago 40:15 and walking by the Sea of Galilee, 40:17 and He would look at me and He would say, 40:19 "Jack, come, follow Me." 40:22 And then I thought, well, now wait a minute, 40:23 I mean that was 2,000 years ago. 40:27 Okay. 40:28 Yeah. 40:31 Forget it. 40:32 Then the Holy Spirit, I know, spoke to my conscience 40:35 and my heart again and said, 40:38 He is not dead, He is alive. 40:42 Jack began to imagine walking along with Jesus in daily life. 40:46 He couldn't envision going to a bar 40:48 or smoking a cigarette with Jesus. 40:51 Jack determined that he didn't want those habits 40:53 to be a part of his life. 40:55 Visiting the base library regularly, 40:57 he began to read books. 40:59 He discovered a rebound book with the green cover 41:02 and the word Bible on the spine. 41:04 Just one word. 41:06 Well, I had never held a Bible in my hand, 41:09 I never read the Bible. 41:11 And so I took it, and I took it 41:14 over to the reading table, and I opened it up. 41:18 And I'll never forget, 41:20 I saw a picture there of Jesus standing 41:25 with his arms outstretched like this, 41:28 and all kinds of people either sitting or kneeling before Him, 41:33 crippled people, young people, old people, 41:37 and they're all looking up to Him. 41:39 And I looked at that picture, 41:41 and I pictured myself, yeah, 41:46 being right there in front of Him, 41:48 looking at Him, and I started to cry. 41:52 Jack wanted to keep his new found book for himself. 41:55 Tempted to lie that he'd lost the book, 41:58 he realized that he couldn't do that. 42:00 Reluctantly, he returned the book to the base library 42:03 before he departed to his next station. 42:06 Little did he know 42:07 how much this mislabeled little book 42:09 would change his life's direction. 42:11 Jack scoured many bookstores on his furlough back in Chicago 42:15 to find a copy of the book he'd read in Cheyenne. 42:18 With time running out before he left for Guam, 42:21 he took a train to a used book store 42:23 on the north side of Chicago. 42:26 And I got there and there was a sign 42:28 on the door, out to lunch. 42:30 You know, be back at 1 o'clock. 42:34 Went back at 1 o'clock he wasn't there. 42:37 So I paced up around the sidewalk. 42:40 Jack waited and watched the door for nearly an hour. 42:43 Just as he was about to give up, 42:45 at 1:45 he saw an elderly gentlemen 42:48 hobbling down the sidewalk with the cane in hand. 42:51 I was standing there by the entrance, 42:54 and he looks at me, he says, well, young fellow, 42:56 what can I do for you? 42:58 I said, well, I'm looking for a Bible 43:00 in question and answer form. 43:03 He thought a minute 43:04 and kind of scratching his head. 43:08 Well, he said, I may have something for you. 43:13 The clerk pulled a ladder over to a set of dusty shelves 43:16 and climbed up to the highest shelves 43:18 at ceiling level and selected a book. 43:20 Placing it in Jack's hands he asked. 43:23 He said, is this the book? 43:25 Is Bible the question and answer 43:26 that you're looking for? 43:28 And I kind of hesitated 43:29 because it wasn't the same size. 43:32 Jack read the cover and saw the title 43:35 Bible Reading for the Home Circle. 43:37 I said, well to the old man I said, 43:39 let me check it out. 43:40 So I turned to the section 43:41 that had to do with the State of the Dead. 43:44 I said, wow, I don't understand everything 43:47 but I know this is the same, 43:48 it says the same thing that the other one said. 43:50 Yeah, I said, I will take it. 43:52 How much? 43:53 Jack was ready to pay $20 or more. 43:55 He couldn't believe his luck when the man said, 43:58 well, for you soldier $2. 44:01 I want to be clear to our audience. 44:02 Yeah. 44:03 This is the Bible Readings from that bookstore that day. 44:07 No, this is it, absolutely. 44:10 With the precious book in his possession, 44:12 Jack was soon on his way to Guam 44:14 at the onset of the Korean War. 44:16 Though his communications responsibilities 44:19 on the airbase led to long and tense hours, 44:22 Jack quit drinking caffeinated beverages. 44:24 Step by step he was changing 44:26 what he put into this body. 44:28 Other airmen noticed the difference. 44:30 One day a friend Carl Pintredge called Jack aside. 44:34 I understand you're religious. 44:36 I'm taking a correspondence course 44:39 and I'm learning a lot of things. 44:41 But listen, he said, if you're religious, 44:44 let me loan you this book. 44:45 It's called Desire of Ages. 44:47 That night Jack began to read the book 44:50 and couldn't put it down. 44:51 He was impressed that the author 44:53 was inspired to be able to write such words. 44:56 Carl soon invited Jack to study the Bible with him. 44:59 Jack learned about the Sabbath, 45:01 but it brought a crisis to his new faith. 45:03 When I read Catholic Bible, 45:06 Ten Commandments were little different 45:07 than what I was taught. 45:09 And I said, oh, they lied me. 45:13 No, I mean it was just like taking a knife 45:15 and stabbing it in my chest. 45:17 I thought, what am I gonna do, 45:18 I mean, what church am I gonna belong to? 45:21 So I said, I know what I'm gonna do, 45:24 I'm going to keep God's commandments 45:27 including the seventh-day Sabbath. 45:29 If I'm the only one in the world 45:33 and that is still my conviction today. 45:38 Carl announced one Friday he had met people 45:41 from a church on the island who believed the same things 45:43 that the young airman had studied. 45:45 The two were excited to know they were not alone, 45:48 they had no idea, 45:49 they were about to be introduced 45:51 to a family of millions of like believers. 45:54 The next day they attended the church 45:56 with the Sabbath keepers. 45:57 They began to unwrap the truth as it is in Jesus. 46:00 This truth brought perfect peace to him 46:03 in spite of the war time setting. 46:04 With this encounter, friendships grew, 46:07 Jack and Carl chose to be baptized 46:10 at the foot of suicide cliff in the Pacific Ocean. 46:13 Jack eagerly wrote to his mother 46:15 about his new hope in Jesus. 46:17 He was now a Seventh-day Adventist. 46:20 Soon Carl shipped out to Korea. 46:23 Alone Jack had to take his stand for the Sabbath. 46:26 His commanding officers were unhappy with this, 46:29 but Jack could not be moved, 46:31 even if meant a court-martial. 46:33 Our early Adventists who stood firm 46:36 for their faith really pioneered a way 46:40 that helped the military come to understand 46:44 religious accommodation better. 46:46 And I believe that Jack Blanco 46:49 and his experience during the '50s, 46:52 as he stood up when it was most difficult, 46:55 helped to make it easier for others that followed. 46:58 Jack was able to hold his ground 47:00 for his new faith in God. 47:02 That test was less difficult for Jack to deal with 47:05 than the letter he received from his mother that read, 47:09 "I raised you as a Catholic, 47:11 if you change your beliefs, I'll disown you." 47:18 What would Jack do with such a response? 47:20 He had been separated from his mother for years 47:23 while confined to the German labor camp. 47:25 Would he risk losing his relationship again? 47:28 I remembered reading in the Bible where Jesus said, 47:30 "If any man sets his hand to the plow and looks back, 47:35 he is not worthy of me." 47:37 Whoa. 47:38 So I set my face like a flint, looked straight ahead, 47:44 went ahead and was baptized. 47:45 In the mean time of course, I didn't hear from my mother. 47:47 I mean, I wrote her every day for 6 months, not an answer. 47:53 Half a year later, 47:55 Jack received the long-awaited letter 47:57 from his mother with the message 47:58 that he was welcome to come home 48:00 while on furlough. 48:01 Ooh, there is a breakthrough. 48:03 Jack decided to contact the Adventist Church in Chicago 48:07 and asked them to send someone to visit his mother. 48:09 A letter of response arrived 48:11 from a young woman named Marion, 48:13 who had taken up the task. 48:15 I got a letter from the Bible worker, 48:19 and I read it, and well, I went to see your mother 48:23 and I had a warm welcome 48:26 but she's really not interested in Bible studies 48:30 or visits, whatever and so on. 48:34 That was disappointing. 48:36 Jack tossed the letter into the trash can. 48:38 Then he felt compelled to retrieve it 48:40 in what later came to light as a providential move. 48:44 During Jack's furlough his mother cautiously embraced him. 48:47 She also shared that she thought 48:48 he should meet the Bible worker 48:50 who had visited her several months before. 48:53 Jack called Marion and made plans to see her 48:55 at church the following Sabbath. 48:56 So I went into the church sanctuary 48:59 and sat near the front and just little while later 49:02 this young woman comes up to me, 49:05 taps me on the shoulder and said, 49:08 'What is your name." 49:09 I said, "Well, Jack Blanco." 49:13 Over the weeks a sincere friendship 49:15 developed between Jack and Marion. 49:17 She began to teach him how to give Bible studies. 49:20 Marion Blasius was Jack Blanco's 49:22 first Bible teacher. 49:24 Quickly they grew in the word while they slowly fell in love. 49:28 When it came time for Jack to return 49:30 to his military assignment, 49:32 he wondered if Marion was interested 49:34 in a deeper relationship. 49:38 I said goodbye to Marion. 49:39 And I was packing and all of sudden 49:42 I felt this impression, call Marion. 49:46 I said what for, in my mind, you know. 49:50 Call Marion. 49:52 So I pick up the phone 49:54 and I called her and she answered. 49:56 Jack and Marion met under the quiet trees 49:58 here at the University of Chicago. 50:01 Jack broached the subject of keeping in touch. 50:04 Marion's response was cautious. 50:06 She needed time. 50:07 Marion wanted to get the advice 50:09 of her former pastor, Elder Osgood. 50:12 He said, "I'm going to be interested 50:13 in the man you marry." 50:16 And I said, "Well, I appreciate that." 50:19 She took me to the train station 50:22 and we said goodbye. 50:24 So I expected her response not to be so cautious, 50:28 so I'm thinking about all this on the train 50:30 and I started to cry. 50:33 I still remember. 50:34 Tears start coming down, of course soldiers don't cry, 50:39 so I wiped the tears away. 50:41 Jack was faithful in his church attendance in Washington. 50:44 After Jack shared his personal testimony at a youth meeting, 50:48 the pastor Elder Osgood suggested 50:50 Jack get to know his former Bible worker from Chicago. 50:53 He thought they would make a good fit. 50:56 Jack's heart was as light as a feather, 50:58 for he already knew her 50:59 and now he had Pastor Osgood's stamp of approval. 51:02 Jack proposed and Marion said yes. 51:06 They were married on September 28, 1952. 51:10 In fact, at our wedding 51:16 Jack said, "I don't want to kiss you publicly 51:23 until after we're married." 51:25 So after we were married the pastor said, 51:30 "You may kiss your wife." 51:36 We didn't know how-- 51:40 We went from side to side and people laughed. 51:47 The Lord could not have given me a better companion. 51:52 I knew that she would love the Lord 51:54 more than she loved me, 51:56 and she knew that I love the Lord 51:58 more than I loved her. 51:59 Following the wedding, 52:00 Jack and Marion returned to Washington State 52:03 where Jack had to complete his time in the military. 52:06 The couple knew that they were being called to ministry. 52:09 But what exactly did that mean for them 52:11 at the onset of a life together. 52:15 If you really want to be effective 52:17 and really want to reach people, 52:19 you need to get your education. 52:20 The pastor of the Chicago Church suggested that 52:25 I go to Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. 52:30 He was impressed by what they were doing 52:32 and all that. 52:33 And in those days if you were new Adventist 52:39 and you were interested in taking theological training, 52:43 they were looking for recommendations. 52:45 When the registrar learned 52:46 that Jack was married to Marion, the Bible worker, 52:49 that was recommendation enough. 52:51 Once again Marion was helping 52:53 to launch Jack into his calling to ministry. 52:56 I was eager to get into fulltime ministry. 52:59 And so what I did is I took, you know, 53:02 the heaviest load I could get in courses. 53:04 After graduating from Union College, 53:07 Jack headed to seminary. 53:09 As a military veteran, 53:10 Jack could attend college on the G.I. Bill. 53:13 But that didn't pay all the Blanco's bills 53:15 especially with the new born Cheryl Anne. 53:18 In those days they didn't sponsor you to the seminary. 53:21 If you went, you went on your own. 53:22 I drove to Washington D.C. and then I had to get a job 53:26 and the only job I could get was delivering milk. 53:30 So that meant getting up at 2 o'clock in the morning, 53:35 going to the place, loading my truck. 53:37 At one house, they had put in a new lawn, 53:41 and they had little sticks 53:42 and they had a wire around those little sticks. 53:46 Well, at 3 o'clock in the morning, 53:48 I didn't see those little, tiny sticks 53:51 and those little wires and I grabbed the milk bottles 53:55 and start running towards the front door 53:57 and I tripped on one of those-- splash, on the sidewalk. 54:02 I want to tell you, I cut my hand, 54:06 I ran back to the truck real fast and got the milk 54:08 and delivered it at the house, but then I had to clean up, 54:10 I had a bunch of rags in the truck, 54:12 but I had to clean up 54:13 because I didn't want to lose a customer. 54:15 Every penny counted and so I would drive with one, 54:18 standing up driving with one hand. 54:20 My hand would fill with blood and I would just dump it out 54:25 and drive some more, I had to fill up 54:27 and dump that, drive some more 54:29 and then went to the emergency room 54:31 after I unloaded the truck 54:32 and they looked at it said, boy, I'll tell you, 54:35 you are very fortunate because you just by a fraction, 54:40 you miss cutting the tendon. 54:42 You still have the scar? 54:45 Yeah, you ask me, now, was it the right hand? 54:48 Yeah, I still had the scar. See it. 54:50 Yeah, I do. Right there. 54:52 When Jack and Marion left the seminary, 54:54 they received a call to the New Jersey Conference. 54:57 The conference president held the meetings. 54:59 We helped out and did Bible work 55:01 and visitation, Bible studies. 55:03 With the church planted in Morristown, 55:05 Jack and Marion branched out to Summerville, 55:08 Flemington and Woodbury to raise up 55:10 and serve and congregations in these communities. 55:13 It was during these early years in ministry 55:16 that Steve John was born. 55:18 Jack's deeper passion for people also developed 55:21 in his first pastoral districts. 55:24 It began on April 8, 1960, 55:27 I was involved in an automobile accident which was tragic. 55:30 I had severed injury to my cervical neck area 55:35 as well as the lower lumbar area of my back. 55:38 The night before my surgery, 55:40 God sent an unknown messenger 55:43 to my bedside at 9 o'clock at night 55:46 and offered a short word of prayer, 55:49 asking God's will to be done in my life, 55:52 and that I may just surrender my life to Him, 55:54 it was a very short prayer. 55:55 Walt credits that compassionate prayer 55:58 with his commitment to Jesus. 56:01 He said, "You need to keep your eyes fixed on Christ." 56:06 One day as Marion was sorting the mail, 56:09 she opened an envelope containing information 56:11 that would change the lives of the Blanco family. 56:14 After reading its content, 56:15 she sent 10 year old Cheri to ask her daddy a question. 56:19 She says, Cheri, go ask your daddy 56:21 that if he got a call to be a missionary in Africa, 56:24 if he would go. 56:26 So the little one comes into my study and said, daddy. 56:31 Yes? I have a question. 56:33 Okay. What? 56:34 If you had a chance to go to Africa 56:36 to be a missionary, would you go? 56:38 And I said absolutely. 56:40 That was a life changing letter. 56:42 Leaders of the General Conference 56:43 of Seventh-day Adventists 56:45 had observed the Blanco success in New Jersey. 56:47 They believed Jack's soul winning skills 56:50 could be used as a model for others. 56:53 The purpose of going to Africa was to train 56:55 the local people in evangelism. 56:58 Excited about their new adventure, 57:00 Cheri, Steve, Marion and Jack set out 57:02 for what was then known as Southern Rhodesia. 57:05 We were one of the last missionaries 57:07 to go on a boat, on a freighter. 57:10 After a trip across the ocean, 57:11 the Blancos arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. 57:14 From there they traveled over land by car to Solusi Mission. 57:18 They traveled in their new Volkswagen, 57:20 with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. 57:23 In 2013, the documentary team along with Steve's wife Kelly, 57:28 returned with Jack and Cheri to retrace the journey 57:31 to Solusi University, formerly Solusi Mission. 57:35 It's almost unbelievable that I'm back here after 48 years. 57:40 I mean in 2 more years 57:42 it would be 50 years since I arrived. 57:45 You know, when of course, when I came to Solusi Camp, 57:49 as I thought well, 57:50 we'd be living in sort of primitive housing, 57:52 you know, in a hut or something 57:54 and then they showed us this house, 57:56 and I thought wow, I mean, 57:58 looking at the African situation and so on, 58:03 I mean this is really a treat to be living in this house. 58:10 So Jack and Cheri, we're about to go into this house here 58:13 on the campus of Solusi where you lived, 58:16 lived here 48 years ago. 58:18 That's true. 58:19 And so this is the first time you've been back inside. 58:21 Oh, yes. 58:23 Let see what kind of memories we can remember. 58:25 All right, let's go inside. Oh my. 58:28 Oh my. Oh my. Oh my. Oh my. 58:32 That brings back a lot of memories. 58:36 Yeah. 58:37 Now, of course there was one thing here 58:39 that wasn't here before and that is the television. 58:42 In those days we didn't have televisions. 58:44 But there is a fire place. Yeah, I remember. 58:46 Fire place, that was our only way of keeping warm 58:50 because there was no heat. 58:52 Yeah, there was no heat. 58:53 So that's, you know, we would hobble here 58:56 and then quick, run to bed. 58:58 Southern Africa's cool evenings 59:00 gave the Blancos the opportunity 59:01 to welcome students into the warm 59:03 fellowship of their home. 59:05 I can imagine knowing Marion, the hospitality 59:07 she just had to-- probably put on and spread for them. 59:09 Sure, you get very close to students. 59:12 And so we would invite the students over, 59:14 you know, and part of the family 59:16 and have little vespers together. 59:18 I remember worship here. 59:21 Dad sitting in the chair, we'd sing our family worship, 59:24 you know, we'd sing, I'd play the piano 59:26 and he would sit in the chair and read to our family. 59:30 To keep up with all of the daily tasks in the home, 59:33 Marion was blessed to have a capable assistant. 59:36 Ketty worked with Marion as the Blanco's house girl. 59:39 Jack welcomed Ketty back into the Blanco home 59:41 in an emotional reunion almost 50 years later. 59:44 Whenever Ketty came, 59:47 it was just like sunshine coming into the house. 59:50 She had such a warm personality and friendly, energetic, 59:54 I mean, oh yes, just fill the house with her personality. 59:59 There are some people who are very loud, they're noisy. 01:00:02 Mrs. Blanco was very peaceful and quiet. 01:00:08 She could talk, but, I mean she wasn't that loud. 01:00:13 I enjoyed being with her. 01:00:15 I remember she would always ride out 01:00:17 to the school there on her bike. 01:00:20 The chores of running a household are the same, 01:00:22 no matter the location. 01:00:25 Well, I used to come to his house 01:00:27 to help do the laundry. 01:00:29 So to clean up, vacuum the carpets, 01:00:32 and dust the floors, dust the furniture. 01:00:36 I still remember there was a beautiful light 01:00:40 blue carpet in this room 01:00:43 and green sofas, light green sofas. 01:00:48 While Marion was teaching, 01:00:50 Ketty was skilled at keeping the home in order. 01:00:52 She showed off her astonishing ability 01:00:54 to carry a milk jug on her head 01:00:56 from the farm cow to the Blanco home. 01:00:59 Cheri and Steve were in awe of the sights 01:01:01 and sounds of their new life in Africa, 01:01:03 including the animals and the landscape. 01:01:06 One of my brothers and my favorite activities here 01:01:09 was climbing copies. 01:01:11 They're large piles of rocks. 01:01:13 I mean, the rocks are huge 01:01:15 and we would ride our motorcycles 01:01:18 or get somebody to drive us and climb these rocks. 01:01:21 One of the things that we found was some cave paintings of, 01:01:25 it looked like a battle. 01:01:27 The children persuaded their parents 01:01:29 that they needed a pet or two. 01:01:31 When I thought of going to Africa, 01:01:34 a picture that came to mind was a monkey. 01:01:37 And I thought some of them were so cute 01:01:40 and I really wanted one. 01:01:42 So we found one at a pet store in town 01:01:47 and I brought her home, 01:01:50 and we chained her to a big tree 01:01:53 in the back of our house. 01:01:55 And she would fill her pouches full of food 01:01:59 and her cheeks would get really big. 01:02:02 And then she would get-- if we did anything 01:02:05 that wasn't quite what she wanted, 01:02:07 she would get really angry and she would make these faces 01:02:10 and she'd jut her jaw forward like this 01:02:13 and pulled her eyebrows back and go... 01:02:19 As an eager 7 year old, 01:02:21 Steve had a world to explore and was always on the go. 01:02:24 Once he came home from school it was bike time and 01:02:28 he was out, come in and run around 01:02:31 for a few minutes and he was out. 01:02:33 He didn't spend time in the house. 01:02:36 He didn't spend time in the house. 01:02:38 But he was such a joyful child. He was happy boy. 01:02:44 I just have those memories of him. 01:02:46 And I always wondered, "How does he look now? 01:02:52 How old is he?" 01:02:54 Steve after practicing medicine in the States lost his battle 01:02:58 against Lou Gehrig's disease in August of 2009. 01:03:02 We always wanted to come back here 01:03:04 so that he could let the experience, 01:03:07 what he experienced growing up. 01:03:11 It's helped me to connect and realize a little more 01:03:17 of what made him the wonderful person that he was 01:03:23 because he was an amazing man. 01:03:26 One that I wish more people could have known 01:03:30 and more people that he could have cared for 01:03:34 because he was also an amazing physician. 01:03:37 It wasn't long before 01:03:38 Marion took on additional responsibilities. 01:03:41 Mom stepped in wherever she was needed. 01:03:44 So at one point they needed her, 01:03:47 there was no grade school teacher 01:03:49 for the missionary family children, 01:03:53 so she taught. 01:03:55 Jack's initial responsibility was to be 01:03:57 the head of the religion department for the school. 01:03:59 He eventually was asked to pastor 01:04:02 the 1,000 plus member church 01:04:04 and lead out in the annual field school of evangelism. 01:04:07 Ten years to train the theology students for city evangelism 01:04:12 and also the pastors are coming in from the village, 01:04:18 train them for city evangelism 01:04:19 because the cities were expanding 01:04:21 and we need to reach the people in the cities. 01:04:23 Jack was determined to find a meaty location. 01:04:26 So we started the meetings there, start at 7 01:04:30 and for about an hour and half. 01:04:33 Well, the church was packed, they sat in the aisle, 01:04:37 they sat on the rostrum, 01:04:40 they were standing by the open windows to listen 01:04:44 and so I said to the team of students, 01:04:48 no, we got to do something else. 01:04:51 Why not we cut the meeting time down to an hour, 01:04:55 and then have main meetings at 6 o'clock, 01:04:57 one at 6 and one at 7. 01:04:59 So we have one at 6 and one at 7. 01:05:01 And the same thing happened, 01:05:02 I said, well, let's have one at 5. 01:05:05 And the same thing happened, 01:05:06 so we had one at 4, 5, 6, and 7. 01:05:09 And that is meetings every night for three weeks. 01:05:12 The meetings resulted in hundreds of baptisms 01:05:15 of both new and former members. 01:05:17 During a door to door visit in Harare, 01:05:19 Jack and one of the students met a girl 01:05:21 and her mother, Mrs. Jeffries who is quite ill. 01:05:24 This encounter would allow Jack to demonstrate 01:05:27 to the students the power of persistent prayer. 01:05:30 And as she walked past me, 01:05:32 she held out her hands like this 01:05:33 and I noticed they looked like she had leprosy. 01:05:37 There were big holes in her hands. 01:05:40 The daughter explained her mother had been afflicted 01:05:42 for more than 2 years with what began 01:05:45 as an itch in her hands and developed into deep sores. 01:05:48 So I said, we need to pray about this. 01:05:50 So, you know, we had prayer before we left. 01:05:56 We invited the girls to the meeting. 01:05:57 The daughter invited Jack to return to pray 01:06:00 for her mother again. 01:06:01 She couldn't read the Bible, 01:06:03 so I started telling her stories about Jesus 01:06:05 and so on and His healing. 01:06:07 And then asked her, I said, 01:06:09 "Ma'am, do you believe that Jesus loves you? 01:06:12 She kind of hesitated. 01:06:14 So I prayed, we left. Jack returned daily. 01:06:17 With each visit, Mrs. Jeffries responded 01:06:19 a little more to the idea of a savior who loved her. 01:06:23 So we'll have the same thing repeated every day. 01:06:26 Next time we went back there, 01:06:28 do you believe that Jesus loves you? 01:06:30 Well, the nod was little firmer. 01:06:32 Next question I asked her, 01:06:34 do you believe that Jesus can heal you? 01:06:38 Slight little nod. 01:06:39 Jack continued the visits 01:06:40 and Mrs. Jeffries' faith began to grow stronger. 01:06:43 She had a black band around her wrist. 01:06:46 That black band was an indication 01:06:48 that she had been to the witch doctor. 01:06:50 Ma'am, you don't, really don't need this. 01:06:53 I didn't ask her to take that black band off. 01:06:57 Next day back again, and the black band was gone. 01:07:03 And every evening, of course, the girls came to, 01:07:06 came to the meetings and they said, 01:07:08 "Pastor, oh, the itching didn't returned 01:07:12 second day, third day, fourth day. 01:07:15 Wow, praise the Lord. 01:07:17 On the fifth night, 01:07:18 the girls retuned to the meetings with bad news. 01:07:21 I could see there was something wrong. 01:07:24 I could tell in their face. 01:07:27 So I ask them, I said, "How is ma'am?" 01:07:31 They closed their eyes and they shook their head, 01:07:34 they said, "Pastor, the itching has come back." 01:07:40 How do you explain that to somebody? 01:07:42 She can't read the Bible, can't talk English. 01:07:45 What do you gonna say? 01:07:46 Well, I guess, the Lord doesn't love you. 01:07:49 Oh, He can't heal you. 01:07:50 Oh, my word, this was the person, 01:07:53 the lady's soul that was at stake, right? 01:07:58 Oh, so we had-- we got the team together 01:08:00 and we prayed all night till 4 o'clock in the morning. 01:08:04 We went there early in the morning to the house, 01:08:07 knocked on the door, the door opened 01:08:10 and there stood ma'am, little ma'am, the biggest smile 01:08:14 that I had ever seen from east to west. 01:08:16 She pushes me aside, runs out to where they do the cooking, 01:08:22 reaches down and picks up a heavy iron plaque 01:08:26 and lifts it up in the air. 01:08:27 And then I said, "Ma'am, can I see your hands?" 01:08:29 And she pressed her hands out. 01:08:32 Those hands were just like baby's hands, fresh, clean. 01:08:39 Oh, ma'am, totally healed. I want to tell you. 01:08:43 Wounds like that do not replace themselves overnight. 01:08:49 That was a miracle. No doubt about it. 01:08:52 I want to tell you that set that evangelistic team on fire. 01:08:57 They came up with a little song. 01:08:59 My God can do anything, anything, anything. 01:09:03 My God can do anything. 01:09:05 He healed the sick, He raised the dead, 01:09:08 He caused the blind their eyes to see. 01:09:11 My God can do anything. 01:09:13 And they sang that 01:09:14 as we concluded the evangelistic series. 01:09:20 That same song that they wrote, 01:09:23 they brought back to Solusi right here, 01:09:25 and it set the whole campus on fire. 01:09:27 In the mean time, Jack trained young students in evangelism 01:09:31 and many went on to become church leaders themselves. 01:09:34 One student was Forus Muganda, father of three children. 01:09:38 And he start taking Greek, 01:09:39 and he was getting A's in Greek. 01:09:43 So I called him to my office one time, 01:09:46 I said, "Muganda, how? 01:09:49 I mean, you're getting better grades 01:09:51 than some of these young men 01:09:52 who just came out of high school. 01:09:55 How do you do that?" 01:09:56 He called me pastor, he says, pastor, 01:09:59 I pray before I study. 01:10:02 Oh, well, that's good, I understand that. 01:10:06 No pastor, you don't understand. 01:10:08 What do you mean I don't understand? 01:10:10 No, pastor, I take my Greek book 01:10:14 and my I put it on the chair, the seat of the chair 01:10:17 and I get down and I kneel 01:10:19 or I put my Greek book on the floor 01:10:22 and I kneel down and pray 01:10:24 and I study my Greek on my knees. 01:10:27 Muganda was determined 01:10:28 to share the story of Jesus with everyone he could. 01:10:32 For that summer he went out and did colporteur work 01:10:34 and out showed all the local, 01:10:38 all the local colporteurs in that mission area. 01:10:41 Jack's influence in Muganda's life 01:10:43 extended to that of Muganda son Baraka. 01:10:46 During Muganda senior year in college, 01:10:48 his son was also a student at Solusi. 01:10:52 Jack and my father were very good friends. 01:10:56 When I arrived at Solusi College, 01:11:00 my father kept talking of Jack, every time Jack. 01:11:04 "I said, "Who is this Jack?" He said, "He is a man of God." 01:11:07 He was a well-beloved teacher 01:11:11 who had a very strong evangelistic outreach. 01:11:14 Every year he took out students and faculty from the religion 01:11:18 or the Bible department to places 01:11:22 where they would do evangelism. 01:11:23 He would go out with students 01:11:26 on various evangelistic campaigns 01:11:30 or efforts or meetings. 01:11:34 He would come back enthused, vibrant. 01:11:41 And he would continue preaching to us 01:11:44 with power and conviction. 01:11:47 What I remember most was the song 01:11:51 that he would lead out. 01:11:54 Then sings my soul 01:11:57 My Savior God, to Thee 01:12:03 How great Thou art 01:12:07 How great Thou art 01:12:10 That made a tremendous impact on us. 01:12:13 There were sobering reminders about others 01:12:15 who had labored in this part of the world. 01:12:18 You know, when I'm losing my bearings, 01:12:21 I go there to the cemetery 01:12:22 and be reminded of the spirit of commitment. 01:12:29 I am aware that some of the men 01:12:30 who are resting there, came after they had learned 01:12:34 that their predecessors had died. 01:12:39 But still that did not deter them from coming here. 01:12:45 They were willing to come and replace those 01:12:47 who had rested here. 01:12:48 And they're resting there 01:12:50 while waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus. 01:12:54 To me, that is invaluable. 01:12:56 You need to walk in the footsteps 01:12:58 of those spiritual giants. 01:13:01 When I said there is a spiritual giant 01:13:04 who is bigger and taller than anyone, 01:13:09 that big giant, Jesus Christ, 01:13:12 it's His footsteps that you need to walk in. 01:13:15 Throughout their ministry, Jack and Marion maintained 01:13:18 that kind of commitment to tell others about Jesus. 01:13:21 Yeah, there were times we had our health struggles, 01:13:24 particularly Marion. 01:13:25 Her sacrifice wasn't even in her mind, in her thinking. 01:13:29 She just was driven to support the mission. 01:13:31 No, the sacrifice wasn't in her mind. 01:13:32 No, she was just driven you know. 01:13:34 And when she was sick, yeah, 01:13:35 I need to get well, to put her heart and soul into the work 01:13:41 and that was her passion. 01:13:43 Jack and Marion's time in Africa came to an end 01:13:46 when they were asked to relocate to the Philippines. 01:13:49 There Jack would take up his duties 01:13:50 as head of the graduate study program 01:13:52 at Philippine Union College. 01:13:54 I was involved in administration here as well, 01:13:57 that's at Solusi. 01:13:59 But, yeah, it broadened there 01:14:01 because they had started 01:14:03 a master's program in Philippines, 01:14:06 and the master's program was approved by the states. 01:14:12 Jack's responsibilities became increasingly heavy. 01:14:15 He was asked to fill in as president of the college. 01:14:18 During this time Marion needed surgery for cancer in her neck 01:14:21 and this added to Jack's burden. 01:14:24 These professional obligations and health concerns 01:14:27 began to take a toll on the man 01:14:28 who had dedicated every thing to his heavenly Father, 01:14:32 leading to one of the most poignant 01:14:33 and testing moments of his ministry. 01:14:35 I was about 40, mid 40s. 01:14:38 One morning I had my personal devotions 01:14:41 and I was praying about 01:14:43 all the responsibilities that I had, 01:14:45 and the whole situation of the family 01:14:48 and the presidency and all that. 01:14:52 And I knelt down and prayed, I thought to myself, 01:14:55 you know, I'm going through all this, 01:14:58 I'm not sure how much longer I can take all this. 01:15:03 And straight from Africa, no furlough, 01:15:06 fives years in Africa, straight to the Philippines. 01:15:10 I thought, you know, I'm dong all this 01:15:13 and I don't even get a thank you 01:15:16 from the General Conference. 01:15:18 Forget it, I'm going home. 01:15:21 These are the thoughts that went through my mind 01:15:23 just like that. 01:15:24 And then I thought, yeah, okay, I'm going home. 01:15:28 And I thought, well, forget the ministry, 01:15:32 and then the next thought came into my mind, 01:15:34 what in the world did I just think. 01:15:37 Did Satan come along 01:15:39 and implant these thoughts in my mind. 01:15:43 What does Christianity really have to offer anyway? 01:15:46 Oh, no, I always thought of myself 01:15:50 as a strong, spiritual, 01:15:53 pastor, leader, whatever, administrator. 01:15:57 You know, the thought that came to my mind 01:16:00 and I started to cry. 01:16:01 And I thought, I can't trust myself. 01:16:07 My trust has to be totally in Jesus Christ. 01:16:12 I have to kept my eyes totally fixed on Him, 01:16:16 not even partial of my own abilities 01:16:20 in what I can do for the Lord and I want to tell you, 01:16:25 I cried all the way up, walking to class. 01:16:30 When I got to class, I wiped my tears away. 01:16:34 And I said, Lord, I am here to teach 01:16:38 and I'm here keeping my eyes on You. 01:16:41 Today when I look back, 01:16:44 I thank the Lord for that experience. 01:16:47 I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. 01:16:51 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 01:16:53 Look full in His wonderful face, 01:16:56 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 01:17:00 in the light of His glory and grace. 01:17:05 Returning from mission service, 01:17:07 Jack and Marion enjoyed ministry in Maryland, 01:17:09 teaching at Columbia Union College 01:17:11 and serving as an editor at the Review. 01:17:14 He also pastored on the west coast. 01:17:16 I was a pastor in California 01:17:18 and we had a call to teach at Pacific Union College 01:17:23 and also a few different 01:17:24 Southwestern Adventist University, 01:17:27 and then we had a call to come to Southern Missionary College 01:17:31 which is now Southern Adventist University. 01:17:33 Jack and Marion's choice to once again accept 01:17:36 God's leading would impact untold numbers of lives, 01:17:39 as Dr. Blanco led the work in Southern school of religion, 01:17:42 his influence impacted faculty and co-workers 01:17:45 as well as thousands of students. 01:17:47 One time I recall, 01:17:49 I was wrestling with the decision 01:17:50 as to whether to move from here 01:17:52 and go to Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. 01:17:55 So I came and I got together with Jack, 01:17:58 and we prayed about it, and he encouraged me greatly, 01:18:02 and I ended up making a decision 01:18:03 that I have perfect peace about. 01:18:05 Dr. Blanco's commitment to his heavenly Father 01:18:08 was evidenced in how he guided 01:18:10 young men and women in their ministry. 01:18:12 I really felt that Jack became something of a father to me. 01:18:17 I remember one time, I got into trouble 01:18:19 because I kind of walked into a meeting 01:18:21 and I was so focused on what I needed to do 01:18:26 that I was a bit oblivious to the people around me. 01:18:29 And little later, Jack called me into his office 01:18:32 and he spoke the truth and love to me. 01:18:34 He really epitomizes 01:18:37 what the Bible talks about in Philippians 2, 01:18:40 "Let this mind be in you, which also is in Christ Jesus." 01:18:44 He's always looking out for the interest of others 01:18:46 and not just his own interest. 01:18:48 But he is not ashamed to speak the truth and love. 01:18:51 Dr. Blanco's affable manner as a mentor, teacher 01:18:54 and fellow professor allowed to him 01:18:56 reach across a broad spectrum of individuals, 01:18:59 to touch countless lives. 01:19:01 Some people are technical teachers, 01:19:04 and one of the things I love about Jack 01:19:07 is that at his heart he's a pastor, 01:19:11 and so if you're student in his class, 01:19:14 you're being pastored, 01:19:16 you're not just being given 01:19:17 an outline here to be tested on. 01:19:20 Jack was a rare individual. 01:19:22 He was well informed in theology 01:19:25 and unusually, he was well connected 01:19:31 and he understood the issues of practical ministry. 01:19:34 Jack came to Southern 01:19:36 when we were having some theological challenges 01:19:40 that were developing a rather poor reputation 01:19:44 of the university in the community. 01:19:47 And he was able to pull the religion 01:19:49 department together in such a way 01:19:52 as to mitigate those problems. 01:19:54 The reputation of the school of a religion across the division 01:19:57 was enhanced significantly under Jack's leadership. 01:20:00 During Dr. Blanco's tenure at Southern, 01:20:02 he served as the dean of the school of religion. 01:20:05 He founded and served as the president 01:20:07 of the Adventist Theological Society 01:20:10 and was president of the Southeastern Chapter 01:20:12 of the Evangelical Theological Society. 01:20:15 Jack and his colleagues established 01:20:17 a R.H. Pierson Institute of Evangelism 01:20:19 and World Mission. 01:20:20 He was advisor for the Chinese radio program 01:20:23 College of the Air, 01:20:24 and for the refinement of the theology curriculum 01:20:27 at Russia's Zaoksky Adventist University. 01:20:30 The Blancos contributions at Southern were recognized 01:20:33 with the presentation of the university's 01:20:35 distinguished service medallion. 01:20:37 An award voted by Southern's faculty 01:20:40 and they were named honorary alumni of the university. 01:20:43 Dr. Blanco infected us with the love of Jesus. 01:20:46 He taught with such excitement and energy, 01:20:48 you just had to get to know Christ better. 01:20:50 An African Proverb teaches, 01:20:52 "A family tie is like a tree, it can bend, 01:20:56 but it cannot break." 01:20:57 Jack and Marion's life experiences 01:20:59 led to an unwavering trust in God. 01:21:02 One of their greatest desires was to instill 01:21:04 that same trust in their children. 01:21:06 Dad was my rock. 01:21:08 He was my everything's going to be all right person. 01:21:12 My mother and father-in-law are amazing 01:21:16 individuals that just looking at them, 01:21:23 for me, you can tell that they love the Lord. 01:21:28 And the story 01:21:33 that they want to tell others 01:21:37 not of themselves but of God. 01:21:42 The Blancos love for the Lord carried 01:21:43 over into their love for their grandchildren. 01:21:46 I remember every time he would come over to our house, 01:21:48 he would pick me up with his strong arms 01:21:51 and throw me as hard as he could on the couch 01:21:54 and that was-- it's just a tradition 01:21:55 that's really enjoyable. 01:21:58 And he still can. 01:21:59 There were difficult times for the Blanco family, 01:22:02 times that tested them but made them stronger. 01:22:05 As a teen, Steve had a job cleaning doctor's offices, 01:22:08 easy access to temptation was too strong for Steve 01:22:12 and he stole some prescription medications. 01:22:14 Of course the doctor had reported 01:22:16 that there was, these muscle relaxing pills were missing. 01:22:22 And so the police came and checked it out 01:22:24 and, you know, who was in the office and all that, 01:22:26 there was Steve, and so he was arrested. 01:22:29 And he was put in jail. 01:22:31 Steve received probation with mandatory drug testing 01:22:34 and tested clean every time. 01:22:36 But Steve became a very well known, 01:22:40 well liked physician. 01:22:42 Patients just loved Steve with his personality. 01:22:46 One of the hardest test for the Blanco family came 01:22:48 when Steve was diagnosed with ALS, 01:22:51 better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. 01:22:53 From the time it was confirmed 01:22:56 that it was Lou Gehrig's disease, 01:23:00 to the time that he died, it was only one year. 01:23:04 One morning early, about 4 o'clock in the morning 01:23:06 I got a call from Kelly and said that 01:23:09 Steve has gone into a coma, 01:23:11 now you ought to come up to see him. 01:23:14 As Jack and Marion 01:23:15 and the rest of the family gathered by Steve's side, 01:23:18 they began their sad goodbyes. 01:23:20 You know, I put my arms around Steve, 01:23:22 put my cheek next to his and then prayed, 01:23:26 and then I prayed and hugged him and kissed him 01:23:28 and opened my eyes, he had stopped breathing. 01:23:36 To watch somebody from a distance is one thing, 01:23:38 but to be right there 01:23:41 and he dies right there. That moment. 01:23:46 when I looked in his face, I thought to myself, you know, 01:23:54 this gives me a little idea on how God must have felt 01:23:59 when He looked into the dying face of His Son on Calvary. 01:24:05 But He had the power to do something 01:24:09 but didn't step in, and let His Son die. 01:24:15 Can you imagine the emotional pain of stepping back 01:24:21 when you have the power to do something 01:24:23 and not do anything, and He did that for you and me. 01:24:31 There come times in life as you're having your devotions 01:24:36 and you read the Bible and read the Bible, 01:24:37 you become so familiar with it, you know, 01:24:40 it's not really registering in your heart like it should. 01:24:46 So, you know, you have to change 01:24:48 your devotional approach. 01:24:50 Both my mother and my father instilled 01:24:53 very strong values in my brother and myself. 01:24:57 The most important value I would say 01:25:00 that they left me with is that nothing 01:25:02 is more important in life than my relationship with God. 01:25:07 And what that means to me is, nothing's more important 01:25:13 than I begin everyday that, there, with God. 01:25:16 You already know what he said. 01:25:19 No, all you have to do is read what he said. 01:25:22 It's just the question is, how would he say it today. 01:25:24 Maybe I ought to write this down. 01:25:26 So I started with Mark and I started writing it out, 01:25:30 as if Jesus were there, saying what He said. 01:25:35 Every morning Jack would get up between 3:30 and 4 a.m. 01:25:38 and write, in spite of being a college dean, 01:25:41 teaching a full load of classes 01:25:42 and fulfilling his administrative duties, 01:25:45 Jack faithfully spend time reading and writing out 01:25:47 the New Testament in his words, by hand. 01:25:50 And that the waking up at 3 o'clock 01:25:52 was not in order to write the "Clear Word", 01:25:54 it was in order to meet with God. 01:25:57 During a holiday with relatives, 01:25:58 Jack shared his project with his family. 01:26:01 They were eager to have him share with others. 01:26:03 Word began to circulate 01:26:04 and others wanted to read Jack's writings. 01:26:07 The first edition of the New Testament 01:26:08 was published at College Press, 01:26:10 then Review and Herald Publishing 01:26:12 began producing Jack's books. 01:26:14 His personal devotional became the "Clear Word". 01:26:17 Years ago Jack was a part of our team here 01:26:19 at Review and Herald 01:26:20 and it was really good to have him back 01:26:22 as an author and writer at the Review and Herald again. 01:26:25 As we started this project, 01:26:27 we realized there could be some confusion 01:26:28 about calling this a Bible, 01:26:31 and we moved into calling it a paraphrase 01:26:33 for devotional reading. 01:26:34 When the decision was made to publish the 'Clear Word", 01:26:37 Jack and Marion didn't want to profit from the sales. 01:26:40 Instead they chose to give royalties 01:26:42 to student scholarships at Southern Adventist University 01:26:46 amounting to hundreds of thousands 01:26:48 of dollars and growing. 01:26:50 He's made a major impact 01:26:51 not only on students at Southern, 01:26:52 but also students around the world 01:26:54 as they use "Clear Word" paraphrase to lengthen their 01:26:58 and expand their understanding of the Bible. 01:27:00 I can tell you, I know many people 01:27:03 who have been blessed in multiple ways 01:27:07 by the "Clear Word" paraphrase. 01:27:08 They found that the "Clear Word" 01:27:14 brought things alive for me 01:27:17 and it felt like I was right there with Christ. 01:27:20 From the written word, the "Clear Word" 01:27:22 was transformed into the spoken word. 01:27:25 I really felt it was a unique honor 01:27:27 to be invited to be the audio "Clear Word" 01:27:30 for Jack Blanco's own Lord, our Lord. 01:27:34 You excellence can be seen everywhere. 01:27:37 This was a high for my own personal spiritual journey. 01:27:39 When I got to the chapters on the Passion of Christ 01:27:41 in the New Testament, 01:27:43 at the end of each of the gospels, 01:27:45 the Crucifixion, the Denial of Peter, Gethsemane. 01:27:48 As I got to those passages 01:27:50 and I would start reading through them 01:27:52 and it would talk about Peter's denial. 01:27:54 I got so choked up, I literally would break down. 01:27:57 And I would turn the tape off, go back, gather myself, 01:28:02 put myself back into that scene. 01:28:04 A missionary teaching in a war torn nation, 01:28:07 placed a copy of the "Clear Word" 01:28:08 in the bookcase. 01:28:10 A Muslim teacher began teaching his students 01:28:12 to read English by using that copy. 01:28:15 The students wrote out entire passages 01:28:17 to practice their skills. 01:28:19 Only heaven knows the impact this will make. 01:28:25 Jack and Marion led busy and productive lives 01:28:27 during their working years 01:28:29 in addition to raising a family, 01:28:31 they taught and preached, gave Bible studies 01:28:33 and branched out to work with groups of people 01:28:36 who were very different from them. 01:28:38 When the time came for them to retire, 01:28:40 Jack continued to write. 01:28:42 Today, Jack volunteers for the local VFW. 01:28:45 He serves on many educational and theological committees 01:28:48 and also mentors current and future leaders. 01:28:51 One of Jack's great passions is prison ministries. 01:28:54 He also enjoys stamp collecting, 01:28:56 weight training and many outdoor activities 01:28:59 near his home in Collegedale, Tennessee. 01:29:01 A lifetime of joy mixed with tragedy 01:29:04 and near death experiences, balanced by hope and salvation, 01:29:08 have shaped the man, Jack Blanco. 01:29:10 His love for God and his desire for others 01:29:13 to know Jesus compels him to continue 01:29:16 to share the gospel with others every single day. 01:29:19 On several occasions Jack and I have talked 01:29:21 and he has both shared his conversion experience 01:29:25 that led him into the Seventh-day Adventist church, 01:29:27 as well as the strength of the convictions 01:29:30 he had that he was doing 01:29:31 what the Bible called him to do. 01:29:33 Jack has said on occasions that if somehow, 01:29:36 and it's the stretch for him 01:29:37 to even think of the possibility, 01:29:39 the church were to take a stance 01:29:40 that was not biblical, he would stick with the Bible. 01:29:44 For 85 years Jack Blanco has faced dangers 01:29:47 and overcome challenges. 01:29:49 His earthly father abandoned him before he was born. 01:29:52 As a toddler, Jack suffered a fall 01:29:54 from the third story of a building 01:29:56 that should have claimed his life. 01:29:58 He was separated from his mother 01:30:00 and grandparents 01:30:01 and survived experiences in German labor camps 01:30:03 during World War II. 01:30:05 One particular night, 01:30:07 I remember, heard the siren go off and headed, 01:30:12 you know, for these earth built bunkers 01:30:15 and then we heard the droning of the bombers 01:30:19 and then the bombs falling. 01:30:21 And they got closer and closer and closer. 01:30:25 One got so closed, I mean, our whole bunker shook 01:30:30 and we just held our breath. 01:30:32 The main squadron of the bombers 01:30:36 had dropped their bombs and then flew on. 01:30:39 We thought it was over. 01:30:40 And then we hear a lone bomber droning along 01:30:43 and he is the one that's dropping the bombs 01:30:45 that came closer and closer and closer. 01:30:49 We just sat there holding our breath. 01:30:52 We got out of the-- 01:30:53 Out of our bunkers, back to bed. 01:30:56 Next morning, of course, we were ordered to clean up 01:30:59 and we paced off as best we could, the bombs 01:31:04 that were dropped the space between the bombs. 01:31:07 One more bomb would have been a direct hit on our bunker 01:31:11 and I wouldn't be here today. 01:31:13 Jack and Marion dedicated their lives 01:31:15 to following their heavenly Father. 01:31:17 Our grandparents have had a huge impact 01:31:19 on God's work on earth. 01:31:20 A lot of people give offerings in church and what not. 01:31:25 Both of them took a huge step further 01:31:28 and firsthand went to other countries 01:31:31 and brought Christ to people. 01:31:34 I think his story should be told 01:31:36 just because of how much he's had to overcome 01:31:39 and I feel like that would have made so many people bitter. 01:31:43 He's really just risen above it. 01:31:45 On February 4, 2012 after sometime as caregiver 01:31:50 Jack said goodbye to the one dearest on earth to him. 01:31:54 Marion fell asleep in Jesus, her work here complete. 01:31:58 Today as Jack continues to tell the story of Jesus to others, 01:32:02 he carries on the ministry 01:32:03 that Marion began with a young soldier 01:32:06 who came home on leave and sat in a pew one Sabbath morning. 01:32:10 Jack's focus is to leave a legacy that ripples on, 01:32:13 bringing people a knowledge of the master of the ocean, 01:32:16 in all Jack has done and all he continues to do. 01:32:20 This same message has remained the theme of his life. 01:32:23 It's all about Him. Yeah. 01:32:28 I didn't grow up with the father, 01:32:29 but I've got a heavenly Father. 01:32:30 And by His grace I will not disappoint Him, 01:32:32 I'll uphold Him and I'll uphold His reputation. 01:32:36 That's what it's all about, upholding God's reputation. 01:32:42 We don't just sit, say well, I'm saved. 01:32:45 No, we go about upholding God's reputation. 01:32:49 What else are we here for? Amazing grace. 01:32:54 How sweet the sound. 01:32:57 That saved a wretch like me. Yes. 01:33:00 I once was lost, now I am found, 01:33:04 was blind, but now I see. 01:33:07 Wow! |
Revised 2015-04-02