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The Power of Testimony

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’TIL WE MEET AGAIN<br />

my Bible was once more a source <strong>of</strong> real help. I’d turn to the<br />

thirty-​seventh psalm and draw comfort from the declaration<br />

that the wicked and unrighteous would face their just<br />

judgment. This psalm also spoke to me <strong>of</strong> God’s faithfulness<br />

more meaningfully than ever: “<strong>The</strong> salvation <strong>of</strong> the righteous<br />

is <strong>of</strong> the Lord; he is their strength in the time <strong>of</strong> trouble”<br />

(verse 39). <strong>The</strong> words were like sunlight to my soul.<br />

As the war escalated, the story <strong>of</strong> Joshua took on new<br />

meaning for me. <strong>The</strong> Old Testament describes him as a<br />

warrior—​ both a great commander and a loyal follower.<br />

I appreciated that Joshua was both tactically astute and<br />

humbly dependent on God. If there was a model for getting<br />

through war with body and soul intact, surely it was Joshua.<br />

By Christmas 1941, war had edged its way into the<br />

Whipps family. Over the previous year, Mom had been<br />

working temporarily for the registration board, helping with<br />

the mammoth task <strong>of</strong> issuing the draft. She had signed up<br />

both Bud and Glenn as soon as they were eligible, and each<br />

time, the newspaper had sent a photographer to capture the<br />

moment. <strong>The</strong> press loved these patriotic stories.<br />

Signing up for the draft didn’t necessarily mean that a<br />

young man would get picked, but there was no surprise<br />

when, not long after their visit to the draft board, the<br />

postman delivered brown envelopes addressed first to Bud<br />

and then later to Glenn. We called these letters “greetings,”<br />

although thinking about it now, it seems like a more optimistic<br />

name than they deserved. Perhaps it was an attempt<br />

to s<strong>of</strong>ten the truth that the recipient was being sent to war.<br />

22

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