The First and Last Time I Met Mark
a witness of Mark Prophet and the ascended masters by Philip Hoag

    I supplied the bread for my first conference at La Tourelle in lieu of payment for my registration costs. During the conference, there was a receiving line where Mother was sitting and shaking everyone’s hands as they came by. At that time she was about nine months pregnant. I was introduced to her as, “This is Philip Hoag. He’s the man who baked the bread for our conference.”
   Mother smiled and said, “You will have to come on staff and make all of our bread!” The statement kind of left me speechless. A few days later, I came up to La Tourelle for a meeting in the family room with Mark to discuss the subject of my joining staff.
   Mark was a big towering man. He had on a green jumpsuit and cowboy boots. He walked over, sat down and said, “What can I do for you?” I told him I was interested in joining staff. He said, “Well, I’ll have to take your request to the Darjeeling Council and get back to you in a couple of weeks.”
   Then he asked me what I did for a living. I told him that I was a baker and had a bakery. He innocently asked me,    “What are you going to do with your bakery if you join staff?” I replied, “Why, I guess I will give it to you!” Up until now his demeanor had been very reserved. But when he heard that, he got all excited like a little child and leaned forward in his chair and said, “You will?” His demeanor quickly returned to a reserved state and he said, “Well, I’ll take this up with the Darjeeling Council tonight!”
    I heard later on that he had excitedly told the staff that night that the Masters not only sent a baker but also a bakery! At that time Mark was in the process of starting a health food store, restaurant and bakery in downtown Colorado Springs called the “Four Winds”. One of the components he had not yet been able to pull together was the bakery. Next day I was told that I had been approved to join staff.
   The last time I saw Mark happened the evening before he had a stroke. I was down the street from the Four Winds in a drugstore. Mark and Gilbert pulled up in the Eldorado Cadillac. Gilbert began searching for some change and couldn’t find any, so he went into the drugstore and get some change for the meter.
   Then suddenly Mark went into a different space and changed dramatically. It seemed he got into a transcendental space. I never saw him like that before. Then I said to Mark “I guess I will be seeing you,” and started to walk away, but Mark said, “Wait, aren’t you going to walk with me?” I was a bit surprised that he wanted to walk with me. So we walked slowly up the sidewalk to the Four Winds. This was a very unusual experience! I don’t even remember what he said. It was like he had been elevated into another realm. He was blissed out and I could feel myself being drawn up into his aura.
   It was like when the spring snow starts to melt and one crocus comes up through an isolated patch of ground surrounded by snow. This was the afternoon before the stroke Mark had the following morning. I don’t know how long it took to walk to the Four Winds. Time and space seemed to stand still. Then we parted company, I said goodbye and caught a ride back to La Tourelle. The next morning we heard the ambulance come for Mark. It was quite a shock and adjustment for everyone.

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