Good example of brainwashing. Would you take out a morgage on your own home to build a church, not knowing whether or not you would be paid back? And what ever happened to the Watchtower Building Fund for this purpose? I think there is more here than meets the eye!
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050131/NEWS02/501310328/1006
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050131/NEWS02/501310328/1006
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Hacker's life still work in progress Civil engineer uses his time in hospital to pen funny book
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The Desert Sun
January 31, 2005
Civil engineer John Hacker of Palm Desert can laugh hysterically about just anything - especially when it comes to aging.
"As you get older, a sense of humor helps a great deal," said the 72-year-old, who recently published "Getting Older is Not For Wimps," by Morris Publishing.
It's a compilation of jokes, humorous personal accounts and funny tales shared by Hacker's friends.
He was motivated to write the book after a boating accident last year.
"I jumped off a boat and broke my leg," he said with a burst of laughter. While bored at the hospital, he decided to write the book to "make the best of a bad thing."
Actually, Hacker had gathered amusing material for 15 years, so it was just a matter of putting it together.
"I was always telling stories about my grandchildren, and someone told me to write it all down."
Chapter 7 is called, "I worry about my short memory but not for long."
Hacker also finds humor everyday in his family owned civil engineering company, JHA Engineering Inc.; he has a staff of 14 - 12 of whom are his children, grandchildren and in-laws.
He managed to get his family involved throughout the years, starting with his wife, Carmen, who is the receptionist, and his three daughters and a son, who all help run the business.
"When my daughters were old enough and found boyfriends, I put them to work, too," he said. "They get nice bonuses; we have fun."
As an active Jehovah's Witness, Hacker has designed Kingdom Halls pro bono in the Coachella Valley.
He took out a mortgage on his home in 1984 to help build a Kingdom Hall for a Spanish-speaking congregation in Indio.
After it was completed, the congregation was able to pay him back.
"We were glad to help," Hacker said.
He also spent time in Guatemala and San Salvador in the 1980s, designing local branches. From 1983 to 1993, Hacker dedicated two weeks a year in Brooklyn, N.Y., designing Kingdom Halls for branches around the world.
His devotions were recognized in 1998, when he received the Angel Network Award from Oprah Winfrey for his work with Habitat for Humanity.
His bond with the Latino community derives from his own heritage, being raised by his Spanish mother. His biological father abandoned the family early on.
"I think my father couldn't make a living for his family," Hacker said sympathetically. "The '30s were bad times."
Hacker completed his first year of college before dropping out and taking an equivalency exam for engineering.
His company originated in Pomona, but he moved it to the desert in 1978.
Hacker has a home in Palm Desert and Oceanside, where he and his wife spend weekends sailing and having a good time.
"I've got a good family. How could you be unhappy when you're with family every day?" Hacker said.