Testimonies of Three Outstanding Students
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enrolled in evening school. There I came in contact with the Baptist mis sionaries and the Navigators, and was soon working happily with them. How ever, this fellowship did not last very long, for I was soon transferred to Clark Field. Everyone knows what happened to Clark Field as well as Pearl Harbor bn that fateful day of December 7, 1941. The Japanese caught us utterly unpre pared and destroyed nearly every one of our planes right on the ground. It is impossible' to describe the horror of that attack. Bombs were falling all about us; the earth was riddled with machine gun shells; gas tanks were blowing up by the dozens. I found a little cove in the earth and hugged it tight. But, wonderful as it may seem, right in the midst of that terror and confusion, a great calm came into .my heart; I realized that I was in a fox hole which nothing could penetrate— the hollow of the hand of my Lord. I can only touch the high spots of what followed. It is in the history books for all to read. I was in that infamous Death March out of Bataan, with my comrades falling on every side. Among them were thirteen to whom I had taught the Word of God and who had accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. Only two of the thirteen survived that march. Those awful scenes are written deeply upon my heart. One incident in particular I can never forget; God grant I never may! One of my buddies, bleeding and ragged, held up a Bible (how he was permitted to retain it I don’t know; the Japanese took mine) and he said with
a grin, “ If I get back, I am going to school to learn this Book so I can come hack and tell these people of the love I found on Bataan.” He did not return, but I did; and I am going back! When I say that out of 37,000 Ameri cans taken prisoner by the Japanese only 3,700 were ever liberated, one will have an idea of the price we paid. I was a prisoner of the Japanese for three and one-half years, moved from camp to camp, subjected to unspeakable tortures, suffering slow starvation, covered with sores — seeing others suffer more than myself. I do not want to go into the dreadful details except to say that my Lord was with me and saw me through. Had I not gone through these things, I should not have known Him so well, or ever had such an opportunity to prove that His grace really was suffi cient. Discharged from the Army, June 6, 1946, I set foot on American soil just five years to the day from the time I left. I lost no time in enrolling in the Bible Institute of Los Angeles to be trained to carry the gospel to those who sit in darkness, awaiting the messengers of light. Soon I will be through my course, and am ready to report for duty wherever my Lord may send me; if He wills, back to the Philippines. But I can truly say from my heart that I would rather be in a death march or a prison camp with my Lord, than to live in the greatest ease without Him in this land, or any place on this earth. Only one life, ’Twill soon be past, Only what’s done For Christ will last.
Jesse L. Miller, Senior: I WAS bom the first time in 1920 at Gillette, Wyoming, and bom the second time in 1937. Because I was reared in a Christian home and early became an active leader in the local Christian En deavor, I was not aware that I needed a Saviour until at one of our conven tions I heard that great man of God, Dr. Walter J. Feeley, preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit showed me then that I was a sinner, and just as I was I came to Him for salvation. I have been in the hollow of His hand ever since. Of course, I did not dream at the time I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour that it would not be long until I should be going through the greatest trial a man can face, and that I would need Him desperately. On Friday, Sept. 13, 1940, thirteen of us fellows enlisted in the services; and even boarded Pullman car 13! (Only two of us survived the war!) Weighing >anchor at San Pedro, Oct. 31, 1940, we sailed for Manila on the S. S. Washington, one of the finest of the luxury liners. We had a grand trip, with stopovers in Honolulu, Shanghai, and other ports. The four days in Shanghai brought me to a mo mentous decision. The sight of the wretched beggars who had never known a “ square meal” in their lives did something to me. While I pitied their physical plight, I knew their greater need was the Bread of Life, and there I said “Yes” to Christ, should He call me to that land—or any other needy foreign country—to preach His gospel. Arriving in Manila, Nov. 21, 1940, I
Mr. Miller
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