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Excerpts from “Where HE Has Led Me”
by Harold Dawson - 1913 to 2001
Cover Design by Laura Dassow Walls

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All proceeds from the sale of “Where HE Has Led Me” will go to purchase “gifts” from The Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s gift catalog. (ADRA) is the humanitarian agency of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Here are examples of some of the gifts:

• Feed One Infant One Hot Meal a Day in Bangladesh! 25 cents a day
• Feed and Take Care of One Orphan for One Day in Ethiopia $1.00
• Give One Refugee Family a Kitchen Set $8.00
• Give One Young Adult in Somalia a Year's Education $20.00
• Sponsor One Woman or Girl to Take Vocational Training in Nepal $35.00
• Rescue One Woman and Her Children From Abuse in Namibia $50.00

Chapter 1 - Lord I believe

Never will I forget the first major test as I faced the threat of death for standing fast for my new-found faith.

“Soldier, this is wartime! I’ll have you shot if you do not obey orders.” The Captain was obviously not accustomed to having his authority questioned and his anger was plain to see. 

Chapter 2 - God takes care of his own

Having been an avid hunter, I enjoyed the rifle range in basic training and I earned the expert rifleman’s badge. Now I was in the infantry, which was dedicated to killing the enemy.  Click for Price and How to Order

Chapter 3 - Miracles

The mystery lady (I will call her Maude) was the erstwhile queen of the red light district, a well known character from way back in the Nome gold rush days. Her house of ill repute had been closed by federal authorities and she was charged with violating the Mann Act, which was meant to protect young women form being lured into prostitution.”

Chapter 4 - Harvest Time

All nature seemed relaxed and peaceful, but I sensed an air of anticipation, as if everything was holding back, waiting to break into action when the tide changed. Carefully I baited hooks and checked shining lures as I let the long trolling lines down into the water.

Chapter 5 - Called to Join God’s Army

As I look back I think I was insane to put myself into such a position. When I was busy making camp, cutting wood, running the rap line or skinning mink, it wasn’t so bad, but the nights were very long and very dark. I hadn’t dreamed how lonesome and homesick a person could be!  Click for Price and How to Order

Chapter 6 - Sitka’s $1,400 Church

The construction didn’t take long. The hours of daylight were long and our volunteer help was capable and eager. It was a simple frame building with imitation brick siding, but the cost had not exceeded the estimate and it was our own. No longer did we have to clean out the bottles and cigarette butts before services.

Chapter 7 - Walla Walla College At Last

Joey screamed and the hundreds of passengers lining the rail began to shout. The shouts turned to cheers when the cargo net swung across to the dock and shouted orders instructed us to get onto the pallet board and hang tightly..... In seconds we were lifted across the open water onto the cargo deck, to the delight of the passengers and the stern reprimand of the first mate and his crew.       
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Chapter 8 - Alaska’s Capital City Pastor

I jumped up and saw a car in the yard at basement level, but its headlights were on so I knew it wasn’t ours. Someone had driven off the road and tumbled end-over-end down the bank. While Joey called the Highway Patrol, I hurried into some warm clothes and rushed out to see whether anyone was still alive.

Chapter 9 - New Church And New Friends In Ketchikan

I was utterly dismayed to see our beautiful new church being destroyed. I sent out a distress signal and several rushed to help. We swept out the water and mopped the hardwood floors.                       
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Chapter 10 - Montana’s Far Eastern Division

The firemen arrived just as flames began to take over the house. We were able to salvage most of our things. Some of my library books still show traces of smoke and soot. An alert fireman rescued our photo albums in time so most of the prints could be salvaged although it took much patient effort on Joey’s part to trim the blackened edges and remount them.                                                               

Chapter 11 - Back to the Northland

(Excerpt from Lillian Turner’s poem “Farewell To The Dawson's”)

Captain Dawson at the wheel,
First Mate Joey standing by!
A sturdy deck beneath your feet
As the bounding main you ply

Out where the billows foam and roll,
You’ll guide the Messenger III,
Bringing hope to longing hearts,
The message of salvation free.”
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Chapter 12 - Our Floating Parsonage

To our complete amazement and consternation I found myself in the wrong channel, with the depth finder warning of decreasing depth, I shifted quickly into reverse, but it was too late. We were grounded.

Chapter 13 - Visiting our boys - a world apart

The highest altitude we reached was about ten thousand feet. We spent a night in Basantpur (means “spring gathering place), and all the next day we followed a ridge top through Chitri Pokhari to Hile (pronounced Hee-lay). A Tibetan refugee village founded about eight years earlier. We covered about twenty miles that day and it was a real treat to be walking on more or less level ground.

Chapter 14 – Thrills and Chills

The icebreaker pulled out, people from the camp were out on the ice waiting for us to come in. The men helped poke holes in the ice to hook the stern and bow anchors. It was a good, safe mooring and we stayed for the Sabbath. It was a novelty to have a congregation walk out across the ice and step aboard the Messenger III for services.  Click for Price and How to Order

Chapter 15 - I love to tell the story

(Excerpt from Lillian Turner’s poem “A Dreamer and his Dream”

The folks in Southeast were divided, it seems.
Should they help Harold Dawson advance his wild schemes?
There were critics to carp and scorners to scorn;
There were problems to tackle and troubles to mourn.
But some joined the dreamer and rallied around
So his dream came to pass on Vank Island’s ground.

Chapter 16 - Twilight

We could never in our wildest dreams have looked forward to the thrills, excitement and good, solid pleasure Joey and I have had as we followed God’s leading. Life has had its trials and discouragements, but never once have we lost sight of God’s promise that all things work together for good. Click for Price and How to Order