The Power of Testimony

’TIL WE MEET AGAIN
my Bible was once more a source of real help. I’d turn to the
thirty-​seventh psalm and draw comfort from the declaration
that the wicked and unrighteous would face their just
judgment. This psalm also spoke to me of God’s faithfulness
more meaningfully than ever: “The salvation of the righteous
is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble”
(verse 39). The words were like sunlight to my soul.
As the war escalated, the story of Joshua took on new
meaning for me. The Old Testament describes him as a
warrior—​ both a great commander and a loyal follower.
I appreciated that Joshua was both tactically astute and
humbly dependent on God. If there was a model for getting
through war with body and soul intact, surely it was Joshua.
By Christmas 1941, war had edged its way into the
Whipps family. Over the previous year, Mom had been
working temporarily for the registration board, helping with
the mammoth task of issuing the draft. She had signed up
both Bud and Glenn as soon as they were eligible, and each
time, the newspaper had sent a photographer to capture the
moment. The press loved these patriotic stories.
Signing up for the draft didn’t necessarily mean that a
young man would get picked, but there was no surprise
when, not long after their visit to the draft board, the
postman delivered brown envelopes addressed first to Bud
and then later to Glenn. We called these letters “greetings,”
although thinking about it now, it seems like a more optimistic
name than they deserved. Perhaps it was an attempt
to soften the truth that the recipient was being sent to war.
22