Acknowledgments

by Heather

Isn’t our dear Lord Jesus Christ wonderful! He cannot be praised highly enough. This book is a simple, true account of His ways and workings in the lives of some of His people.

I am Ted and Milly Ware’s third child and oldest daughter. The accounts recorded in this book have affected me throughout my life and have instilled in me a deep love for God. He is real and is worthy of our entire devotion.

For many years, I believed that my father’s story should be printed, and numerous people encouraged him to write a book. In 1992, he wrote down his early childhood memories, which became the basis for chapter one of this book.

It wasn’t until 1994 that I started to see that it was not only my “father’s” book. On one visit to our home my mother explained some pictures that documented their first trip from England to the New World. As she spoke my mother’s bravery amazed me. I concluded that her perspective was necessary to do justice to the account. I found myself often thinking about what their book should be like.

One evening my youngest brother, Paul, called me from his home in Washington State. “How’s your Arizona weather?”

“Hot! And yours?”

“Wet.”

To initiate a topic about which the newspaper did not already inform us, he asked, “What have you been thinking about lately?”

“Dad and Mom’s book.”

“How so?”

“Well, first, it isn’t just Dad’s story. Mom’s thoughts and experiences must be part of it.” I rambled on how I pictured it.

“Very interesting, Heather.” We said good-bye and hung up. Paul and I talk on the telephone three or four times a year, so I did not expect to hear from him for a while. Three hours later he called me again, “You won’t believe this! After we talked, I went over to see Dad and Mom. Before I could get in their front door Dad thrust a letter at me from Randy Larson, an English teacher from Wyoming. The letter said the exact words that you just told me. Call this man up!”

So I did. After initial introductions I asked Randy, “What is the first step to write my parent’s book?”

“Someone has to interview your parents and have them recount everything that they can remember onto cassette. They will think some of their experiences unimportant or uninteresting, but have them to tell them anyway.”

I thought I could handle that, so off I went to Seattle. I spent a week interviewing my parents and my brothers. My oldest brother Kevin astounded me with his recall and I am grateful for his invaluable input. Twenty-four ninety-minute cassettes of material later I boarded the plane for home, confident that someone who knew how to write books would miraculously step out of the woodwork and write it.

When I got home I called Randy. “The material on those cassettes has to be put into a computer,” he told me.

Our daughter Gloria had just finished a high school class in typing so I asked her, “Would you be willing to type Grandpa’s cassettes into our computer?”

“Sure, I would love to help!” Grandpa generously paid her for her efforts. When she was done we had hundreds of pages of material.

I called Randy, “What now?”

“Someone has to go through the material, get rid of duplication, and organize it into time frames.”

I thought, Maybe I could do that.

My husband bought me a new computer and printer to contribute to the effort. I embarked with the first finger on my right hand and our youngest son Micaiah’s endless patience to teach me how to use the complex computer. Hours, days, months went by.

Siobhán, our eldest son’s wife, read ahead of me and helped to put the material into perspective. What an encouragement she was!

Dad wrote a beautiful song that is part of this book, made sketches to go along with the stories, and answered, along with Mom, my innumerable questions. A year later the material was organized. I sent it off to Randy.

“This is good, but it still isn’t a book. Someone has to make it flow. Someone has to make it live.”

Hmmm, I thought, I wonder how that’s done? Randy sent me ideas and wonderful examples that triggered my imagination. With every feeble effort that I made, he encouraged me as a father does his toddling infant.

One day I sat in front of the computer and thought, I will never learn to ‘walk.’ My typing finger is bruised, and the job is insurmountable. As I sat looking at the empty screen the telephone rang. It was my mother.

“We just received a letter from May Godfrey and her sister Neva Patterson. They are praying for you and the book.”

A quiet confidence engulfed me. With their prayers, I knew I could do it. These two prayer warriors lived in the same city I did and allowed me to visit their home each week to read the latest chapter to them. I cannot put into words how much their love and support meant.

Our second son’s wife, Bridget, read each chapter as I finished it. Her enthusiasm and laughter as she read the pages gave me encouragement.

Randy edited with such finesse that I never felt cut-down or stupid as he corrected and improved the material I sent him.

After Randy, Dr. Virginia Allender, a life-long friend of the family, corrected the material. What a privilege and learning experience it has been to work under such brilliant people.

Every prayer for the preparation of this book has made a difference. Thank you to each of you who contributed in this important way.

I desire to give special thanks to my precious husband Lyle. Without his love, generosity and patience there would not be a book.

A thank you also goes to our children: Samuel, Josiah, James, Joel, Gloria and Micaiah, for their love and support.

I am very grateful to my siblings: Kevin, Clive, Joy and Paul and their families, for their encouragement and backing. Kevin’s work on the 2018 epilogue was particularly meaningful as so many have asked about Ted and Milly’s life after the book first came out.

Thank you for your important, individual contributions: Reynold Johnson, Tex and Vera Young, Carrie Menard, Kimarie Ware, Randy and Judy Larson, Von Vaughn, Loris Rolfe, Rudy and Kathy Bassman, Dr. Virginia Allender and many others, whom God remembers.

As I look over the three and a half years that has brought my parents’ book to this point I am in awe of our wonderful Lord Jesus. “With a love that passes understanding,” He has broadened my life and experience and has done exceedingly above all that I could ask or think.