Bill and Shirley worked as independent missionaries in the early years. That is, unaffiliated with a recognized mission organization. They also valued the efforts of others who were doing the same work. Their close cooperation with Northern Canada Evangelical Mission in radio work has already been mentioned. Bill also accepted many invitations to come along­side missionaries who worked in Cree-language areas, but did not speak the Cree language. 

        Clarence and Ruth Jaycox were such a couple. Missionaries from New York, they served the Lord in Loon Lake, Alberta, 

Clarence and Ruth Jaycox at dedication of the
“CLarence Jaycox School, - Loon Lake, AB.

where very few people spoke anything but Cree. The few who knew English didn’t know it very well. Clarence and Ruth, who pioneered the Lord’s work n that area, didn’t let difficulties stop them from taking the Gospel to the people there. 

        In their search for a Cree-speaking Christian who could come and explain the Word of God more fully, they contacted Stan Collie who, in turn, linked them with Bill Jackson. In the spring of 1959, Bill made the trip to Loon Lake where he preached God’s Word and God blessed his efforts. 

        The following year, taking his family with him, Bill was forced to camp overnight on the trip to Loon Lake because of torrential rain. When the Jacksons finally arrived at Loon Lake, Bill left the family there and went with Clarence Jaycox to pick up groceries from Little Buffalo. They traveled by horse and wagon. Clarence returned to Loon Lake a day or two later. Bill stayed at Little Buffalo for a week having meetings and talking to people about their spiritual needs. When he did manage to start out for Loon Lake, he had to ride the thirty-five mile return trip on horseback. 

        It had rained most of the week and he had to cross a swollen river. Bill had never before ridden a horse while it was swimming. He was quite fearful, but there was no other way. The horse, in contrast to Bill, showed no fear at all. Without hesitation, it plunged into the swirling waters and swam across. Before Bill had time to fully realize the danger, he was safe on the other side. 

        Upon returning to Loon Lake, Bill found Clarence and Louie Auger ready to depart for Trout Lake. There was no road, only a bush trail for the sixty miles which lay between departure point and destination. Black flies and mosquitoes reminded the men of the plagues of Egypt as they labored their way through muskeg, a marshy terrain which was most tiring for both horses and men. But, at journey’s end they were able to share the Gospel with the people at Trout Lake. 

        The outgoing trip home from Loon Lake was more eventful than the incoming trip had been. There were four vehicles trav­eling together. They were the Neufeld family (Alliance missionary carpenter and teacher); a local man; Clarence; the trader, Mr. Oslee; and the Jackson family. Heavy downpours had been constant and the dirt (referred to as ‘gumbo’) was sticky, making driving very difficult. At some points, where the trail was too mushy to bear the vehicles the men had to ‘corduroy’ the road, that is, lay sticks, branches and logs on the trail to make a ‘bottom’ to drive on. The men worked together to get one vehicle through the bad patch, then came back to do the same with the next vehicle. 

        Because of these difficulties, the trip lengthened into four days and four nights. The black flies and mosquitoes were so bad that the baby was only allowed out of the car when absolutely necessary. Tommy was almost two, and Kene was five months old at the time.

         Another problem arose because the trip extended far longer than planned. Food became scarce. The teacher, Mrs. Neufeld, did most of the cooking. She found it necessary to ration the food after the second day. Frank Neufeld volunteered to walk out and find a farming area where he could get some food and possibly the use of a tractor. However, another storm threatened so the men got the vehicles through and finally caught up to Frank who had walked fifteen or twenty miles in the meantime.

The group ar­rived at a hotel in Peace River about  two o’clock in the morning of the fourth day. They were hungry, exhausted, and extremely muddy.         But the Lord had blessed the preaching of the Word at Loon Lake and the labors of that period. In the years that followed, a large number of people turned to the Lord through the ministry of Clarence and Ruth Jaycox, first at Loon Lake and later at Peerless Lake. Long after the memory of the discomforts had faded, the glory of God’s blessings on people’s lives assured the Jacksons and all the other missionaries that their labor was not in vain in the Lord.

Camping beside me muddy road.