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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S .
May, 1941
praying about being moved to other ships for witnessing in an unreached field much as missionaries pray about designations to unoccupied territory in foreign lands. Frequently the men de liberately have chosen to leave the warm Christian fellowship on a ship where the Navigator’ work is strong, and they have applied for ships on which they know of no service man who is giving an out-and-out Christian witness. At the close of his initial three- months’ period in the Naval Training Station, Jack was chosen as honor man —the first-ranking recruit in his com pany of 123 men. A special course -of four months’ training came next, by way of reward for sixty men selected from the four Naval Training Stations—Great Lakes, 111.; Newport, R. I.; Norfolk, Va.; and Sap Diego, Calif. In the marks for the four-months’ period and final ex amination, Jack was placed first in this specially selected group. In consequence of this additional training, wjien he re ceived his assignment to one of the Navy’s newest destroyers, he went aboard not as a new “boot” but as a qualified “striker,” an apprentice in his chosen branch of the work. A number of weeks before being as signed to the ship, Jack wrote from the training station: , “Since I entered the Navy, my Chris tian experience has deepened far be yond what I had ever conceived. Christ’s sacrifice and what He saved me from has meant so much more to me now when I’m here on “The Firing Une.’ The change came just when He gave me courage to 'step out’ for Him. . . . This thing of stepping out for Him some times puts an ache in your heart, but always puts steel in your spine* He truly satisfies every longing and every desire. “How is the Boys’ Bible Camp? I wanted to go this year, but I wouldn’t trade places with any one right now, be cause He didn’t put any one else in this spot but me (that is, the spot He had for me), and I know very well I would be miserable anywhere else.” Jack’s ship sailed for Honolulu, and there he was transferred to a new de stroyer tender which in recent months has been almost constantly in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Soon the Lord’s purpose became apparent to Jack. This second vessel, manned by many more men than were on the destroyer, is continually in contact with other ships, for it carries supplies and is the repair ship for several destroyers. The Navi gators at Honolulu had been praying earnestly that God would send a contact man to that ship—and Jack was the one He had chosen! Thousands of Christian young men in America face conscription into military camps. For these, perhaps lacking the unique opportunity which the contact
.WHAT DOES MILITARY LIFE DO TO A CHRISTIAN? [ Continued, from Page 177] Beach, was opened at San Diego under the direction of a former Navy man and Navigator, Richard W. Hightower, who, like his wife, is a Biola graduate. At Long Beach Jack had learned the value of the Saturday night meetings, to which the men bring those of their friends whom they are convinced have a real heart hunger and truly “mean business.” These meetings are preceded by an after noon of strenuous football or volleyball, a time of carefree informality, The Navigators’ Home is not in any sense an institution. From the first days of entertaining their sailor guests in a tiny auto-court cottage, through the days of expansion to larger and larger quarters later provided by the Navi gators themselves, Mr. and Mrs. Trot- man have been careful to preserve the atmosphere of a family home. Their four young children have had a real share in this ministry, and the older ones al ready are learning to do their part in welcoming the men “home.” Because of the uncertainty of ship movements and the men’s hours for lib erty, Mrs. Trotman frequently has not known on a Saturday noon whether she would be serving dinner for six or six teen or twenty-six that night. Her plans have to be kept decidedly flexible—and the procedure informal—if every man is to feel welcome! And every guest soon recognizes the prayerful interest that is behind her gracious, friendly manner. Even over the dishwashing— which the Navigators usually take in hand—there is a pervading atmosphere of fun and Christian fellowship. But when the time for the Saturday evening meeting comes, there is an un mistakable earnestness in the attitude of every Christian in the group. The Holy Spirit works with power through the music, the testimonies, and the spe cial message, challenging and refresh ing Christians and convicting unbeliev ers, many times bringing them through to saving faith during or immediately following the meeting itself. During recent years and months, the Navigators’ work has included fellow ship gatherings ashore in Manila, in China, and in Hawaii (in Honolulu, at the home of Harold and Mrs. DeGroff). At Bremerton, Washington, Navy men have been meeting with Jim Forster for seven years in regular Tuesday night Bible classes. One Navigator is sta tioned regularly in the Training Station at Norfolk, Virginia. Eighteen former Navigators have enrolled to train for Christian service at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Wheaton College, and similar institutions. Reaching the Post of God’s Appointment Before the time of his own enlistment, Jack often had seen the Navigators
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NEW FIELD AMONG THE RUSSIANS IN SOUTH AMERICA! Peter Deyneka, our General Director, writes as follows from South America: “During the last four months in South America I have found thousands of Russians and Ukrainians who are hungry to hear the Word of God. The door is opened to us to evangelize these people. We must immediately support Russian-speaking missionaries, while this great opportunity remains. Will you, Christians in North America, pray for this new field? Consecrated young men are ready to give themselves for' this Christian work, should support for them be forthcoming right away. “A wonderful opportunity to broadcast the Gospel in Russian by means of recordings presents itself, through the agency of the most powerful radio station in South Amer ica, whose programs reach literally the whole world.” Make your checks payable to RUSSIAN GOSPEL ASSOCIATION 64 W. Randolph St. Chicago (Dept. S. A.) Wrife for free dopy of our paper, THE RUSSIAN GOSPEL NEWS with Christian service men gave to Jack, there still remains the Word of God. That living Word can work powerfully through the lives of surrendered Chris tians who will pay the price of personal, daily study, linked with daily witnessing for their Saviour. Months of. constant memorization of the Word of God—with constant review—can equip these other young men with the tools which they can use at the Holy Spirit’s direction at camp. Thus the real question is not, “What does military life do to a Christian?.” Instead, it is, “What will God, through yielded Christians, do to military life?” [NO TE : When requests come to the Navigators to contact Navy men, it is only as these are accompanied by full written details —and then only when the men are led of the Lord to make the contact — that the men can attempt follow-up work. The Lord's own direction of the soul-winner, not even the solicitude of interested rela tives, has to be followed. I t must be remembered also that the Navigators have active men on only twenty-tw° out of the more than four hundred vessels in the United States Navy.']
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