EDMOND—Eighty-year-old California member Vern Korstad came out of retirement three years ago to contribute to the work of the pcg. Korstad commutes three hours to work for four hours at a 2 ½-acre Veterans Administration garden near Long Beach State University. He says the job keeps him feeling youthful and that he is thankful for the extra income, which he has used to become a more active financial contributor to the church’s work.

Korstad recalls the turning point in 2011: “I was having a trial,” he said. “God was saying, ‘Get your heart clear with me, and I can use you.’” This led him to focus on increasing his financial support for the church. Since his income was limited, he was left with one thought: “I got to find a way to help the Work of God: get a job.”

Korstad hired himself the job in 2011 through a federal program that provides assistance to senior citizens. He visited the VA garden and talked with the foreman, who told him the grounds crew needed someone to help with the nursery.

After a day of weeding, watering and planting, Korstad convinced the foreman that he could maintain the garden on a regular basis. “After the first week, he said, ‘You’re going to be back on Monday, aren’t you?’” Korstad recalls. “I guess he liked my work.”

Korstad’s eight decades have been filled with plenty of manual labor. He grew up on farms in Minnesota and Washington State, worked on ranches in Montana, and also worked in construction.

A typical day for Korstad begins at 5 a.m. He eats a little oatmeal, prays and studies, then rides the bus 90 minutes to work. He works from around 8:30 to 12:30, then gets back on the bus. Each week, he puts in 15 or 20 hours at the garden, and sometimes as much as 30.

Among the lawns and soil and plantings, Korstad spends much of the work day deep in thought. “I think about Genesis 1, where God Himself was working in the garden,” he said. “I think about the World Tomorrow and how beautiful it’s going to be for everyone without all this strife.”

In the Service

Korstad said he enjoys working at a garden operated by the Veterans Administration, since he himself is a veteran. He joined the Navy as a medic in 1952. He served half of his 40 months of service with the Marine Corps, including 14 months stationed in Korea during the Korean War.

In Korea, Korstad treated the wounded about a mile behind the front lines. Several mortars landed in his vicinity, but they failed to detonate. Then the first day of active combat arrived—the very same day the United States, North Korea and China signed an armistice that ended the war. “The day they signed the truce, the guy driving a Jeep to my company said, ‘Put your gear down, Doc! You can meet your company coming back from the front lines.’”

Korstad completed his service in May 1955. He may be done fighting on the battlefield, but he says he continues to fight in his daily life. He had been struggling with heart and lung problems, but in early November a member in his Southern California East congregation recommended a natural remedy that reduced the fluid on his lungs and eased the pain. Though health trials slow him down some days, Korstad says he wakes up each day ready to support God’s work through his prayers and with his tithes from his labor.

Joining Up

In 1966, Korstad was driving his car and listening to a country western radio station. He heard the voice of Herbert Armstrong and, disinterested, turned down the volume. But he quickly gained interest when he heard Mr. Armstrong mention his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy.

Before Korstad heard Mr. Armstrong, “I figured you had to be a Jew to be saved. When I heard there were 12 tribes, that perked me right up. It’s a family relationship.” (The United States and Britain in Prophecy traces the modern identities of the ancient 12 tribes of Israel. The modern State of Israel in the Middle East represents only the descendants of one tribe, Judah.)

After deciding as a young German Lutheran that he must attend a church that followed the Bible, it appeared Korstad had finally found one. He had bounced from his Lutheran congregation to Methodist, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish churches.

“I just couldn’t understand why there are so many churches,” Korstad said. “There is only one God. Does He have different doctrines for every church?”

Korstad studied the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course and met with Worldwide Church of God ministers over the course of seven years before attending services with the Worldwide Church of God and becoming baptized in 1973.

Korstad said he is thankful for the service of the members in his congregation, two of whom take turns driving him 120 miles to services each Sabbath.

And during the week, Korstad continues to log more miles commuting to and from his job at the garden. “God has to open our hearts,” he said. “He is just waiting for us to get our act together.”