During spring of 1954, Bill worked around home for a while. He had helped at Sunday School in Calgary during the whole school year. The experience of firsthand evangelistic outreach and sharing his testimony in brief conversations had thrilled his heart. Now he felt a strong desire to share his testimony with his own people on the reserve. One Sunday, before the United Church service started, he approached the lay preacher. The lay preacher was one of three men on his reserve who regularly led the Sunday services. Nervously, Bill asked if he could speak to the congregation for a few moments during the service. 

        “Why not take the whole service?” The lay preacher’s suggestion only made Bill more scared. He desperately wanted to tell his friends and neighbours about the Savior he had come to love and trust. But he wasn’t sure if he would be able to speak once he got to his feet. Perspiring heavily, he took a deep breath and read from the New Testament, John chapter three. Then, in simple words and with a heart of love, he spoke up for Jesus. 

        In the congregation, his mother Irene sat and listened to every word. Her face didn’t register any reaction. She never responded later. But, surely she thought deep thoughts within her own heart as she heard her son talk about his acceptance of God’s mercy and grace. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe. That’s what Romans 1:16 promises. And, it was the Gospel which Irene heard from the lips of her own son.

        Later that spring, Bill made his way to Prairie Bible Institute to attend a Bible conference. He went at the invitation of Leonard Reinke who was, at the time, a teacher at Kikino, fifteen miles from the Whitefish Lake Reserve. The young Christian was drinking in God’s Word and finding fresh delights at every turn. It was a Prairie Bible Institute student, Ed Klingenberg, who had originally confronted him with the Gospel. Little did Bill know that at the conference he would meet other people who would have a great impact on his life. 

        At the conference Bill met Harold Roberts, a missionary with Northern Canada Evangelical Mission. In the purposes of God, Harold’s quiet, Christ-like character and ways influenced Bill greatly. Harold invited the young Cree Christian to spend June and July interpreting for him in Gospel ministry at Montreal Lake, Saskatchewan. Bill gladly agreed. 

        “I’d never seen a Christian exercise patience like Harold,” Bill later recalled. “We were on our way to a meeting one day and we got a flat tire. It was raining. Harold had been talking in his quiet, pleasant way. He just kept on talking in the same way while he calmly took off the wheel and mounted the spare. He got soaked to the skin in the process, but it didn’t seem to bother him one bit. Any previous times I’d been around people changing a wheel, the air was usually blue with curses.” 

        Harold was the same no matter what he was doing. Like Jesus Himself, Harold was a carpenter. Though the job didn’t always go right for Harold as he worked around the various building projects which was a large part of his ministry, he was never known to lose patience. He would not have described himself as anything more than a grateful Christian who tried to serve God as best he could. Others described him as a person who reminded them of Jesus. 

        Bill also preached his first sermon to strangers that sum­mer. At Big River Bible Camp, he’d met a worker with Shantymen Christian Association. Hubert Smith was a tireless worker for the Lord. Pulling his sled with its little bundle of personal belongings, this dedicated man walked all over the North witnessing for Christ. Sometimes he could hitchhike a ride from truckers. More often, he was away off the winter road, finding his way to the bush camps where he ministered to the workers. He was often met with opposition. Patiently, with stubborn love, he carried on his work at the next bush camp. 

        When he met Bill Jackson, Hubert asked him to share his testimony with some Cree bush workers. These workers lived on the site. During summer, their wives and children dwelt with them in tents. In the particular camp Hubert had in mind, the men worked under the supervision of Barney Lacendre. As foreman of the crew, Barney was boss. His rugged build and rough speech intimidated others. He had a reputation of being able to lick any man who stood up to him.

        When Hubert Introduced Bill and himself and told Barney what they wanted, Barney simply bellowed to the whole camp site. “Stop work and come here.” Everybody came. Hubert was given the floor. In English he introduced his companion and said, “Bill Jackson will now preach.” 

        Taken by surprise, Bill felt his knees turn to rubber. He thought it was to be a short testimony. Shaking with nerves, he took a deep breath and plunged in. To this day he doesn’t remember what the sermon subject was. He does remember the relief of coming to the end. 

        Later, Barney came to know the Lord. In his testimony book called The Bushman and the Spirits, (p 41) he says, “Even though I was a witch doctor and a drunkard, every time the Gospel came across my pathway, it took a little while for me to push the thoughts away and go about my business of being a witch doctor.

        “The first time I ever heard that a person could accept the Lord into his heart was when a Cree evangelist came to the log­ging camp I was operating. It was north of Green Lake, Saskatchewan. That young fellow’s name was Bill Jackson. He told the Gospel to me. I never let on to anybody what I heard, but the thoughts were poked away someplace in the back of my mind. I wanted them to stay there, but they came out once in a while all on their own.”