Shirley’s first year at Berean Bible Institute passed quickly. She was earnest in her desire to prepare well for missionary service. She wanted to learn everything that would be helpful in her work. Earning good marks in classroom subjects, she also gathered whatever information she could about the Native people of the North. If she was to spend her life in ministry to them, she wanted to understand their culture as much as possible. 

        That was the same school year in which Bill worked hard on the studies for his evening classes. He was full of joy brought by his growing knowledge of God’s Word. The Bible is God’s reve­lation of Himself and His purposes. The more Bill learned, the more he marveled at the wonder of God’s Person and work. Studying the Scriptures in an organized manner, he began to see the orderly way in which God’s purposes in human history can be seen all the way back from creation, through Israel’s exodus from Egypt to the Cross of Christ. Beyond that, Bill discovered the coming of the Holy Spirit, the start of the real church composed of all who in every place call upon the Name of the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:2) and, the age of grace during which sinners can receive God’s free offer of forgiveness by trusting in Christ. 

        Bill attended Bowness Gospel Chapel and helped at an outreach Sunday School. With evening studies, his life was full and left little time for personal activities. Certainly, the idea of finding a girl friend wasn’t the most important issue, at least not at this stage of his studies. 

        Somebody told Bill about the Spring Bible Conference at Berean Bible Institute. He decided to take in the conference. He’d be sure to get something good out of it. 

        Bill had no idea just how good that something would be. At a coffee fellowship after the meetings, some Berean students helped serve. One, passing out sandwiches, found herself in front of a fellow she knew—and a handsome, pleasant Native fellow. 

        “Shirley.” Alfred Radant nodded towards his friend. ‘This is Bill Jackson. Bill, this is Shirley McLeod.” 

        That was about the extent of the first meeting. Shirley went out to work for part of the summer. She also taught Daily Vacation Bible School on a couple of reserves near Calgary. Bill went home for a while before going to Montreal Lake to help Harold Roberts. Perhaps neither thought too much of the brief encounter. It was just an icebreaker. There was no hint that it held any other meaning. 

        Nevertheless, when Shirley registered for her second year that fall, she was happy to see the 1954/55 list of first year students included Bill Jackson’s name. Her heart was concerned with the need for Native ministry. What could be better than a Cree Indian being prepared of God to minister to his own people? 

        Bill seemed to have noticed Shirley, too. As part of the measure to keep student fees as low as possible, each Bible School student had to do gratis work. Bill became one of the dish washers. On the other side of the sink from him stood Shirley. Like Bill, her assigned gratis included washing dishes. Other students noticed that Bill teasingly tried to hold Shirley’s hand under the soapy water. They also noticed that Shirley very properly pulled her hand away. But it is interesting to note that he tried. Not that he had many opportunities. Normally, the school did not have fellows and girls in the same dish washing group. That day was unusual because some of the boys were absent and Shirley, with some other girls, was asked to help. 

        That whole school year passed without any special friendship developing between the two. As a matter of fact, so did the following year. Bill and Shirley met at Bible School. But there was no romance during school term. And Bill spent his summers at Whitefish Lake or working with the missionaries. Shirley spent her first summer in Daily Vacation Bible School ministry. The summer of 1956, after her graduation, she returned to work at the bank to earn the money necessary to pay off some school debt. It was then, during Bill’s third year at Berean Bible Institute that things started to happen in their rela­tionship. Before that part of the story is told, however, some other things need to be mentioned, because, along with his school work, Bill was learning lessons about life outside of the classroom.