A KERN-al Full of Service!

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace...in order that in everything God may be gloried through Jesus Christ" 1Peter 4:10 and 11

In Bakersfield, California there resides a loyal band of VRM servants that serve in the Kern County Chapter. They have a very unique program that has developed under VRM Chapter Director Chaplain Steve Truitt and Dr. H Norman Wright. They serve in the Emergency Room at Kern County Medical Center (KMC) and deal with trauma victims, many as a result of crime.

You can imagine the emotional pain and suffering, agony and anguish that arise in the waiting room and ER areas as the victim and arriving family members and friend greet the VRM Chaplains and Responders as they serve in this dynamic and fluid situation.

I have visited the KMC several times with Chaplain Steve Truitt and the respect from the KMC staff is there for the work that VRM provides. In addition to the training they receive from VRM they also under go a tough background check and additional training from KMC. They commit to serve on shifts and give of their personal time to minister to those in trauma.

This will be the first Christmas that VRM will serve in KMC. It has already been hectic and demanding. On top of that VRM serves provides "backup" chaplain services for Kern County Fire Department. Included in their vision is to one day serve in support of law enforcement to reach crime victims.

For now, please keep the VRM Kern County Chapter and servants lifted up in your prayers as they tirelessly serve trauma victims and families in the Emergency Room and out with the Kern County Fire Department- as well as in the Kern County VOAD chapter.

We are so grateful to all who serve in places like Emergency Rooms, Fire Departments, along side law enforcement agencies, serving in outreaches to crime victims, feeding people during Thanksgiving and Christmas and being prayed up and mission to deploy to disasters!

Blessings and Merry CHRISTmas and thank you all for Glorifying God through servant hood in Jesus Christ!

Pearl Harbor Remembered- From Enemies to Brothers

"Consquently, you are NO LONGER FOREIGNERS AND ALIENS, but FELLOW CITIZENS with God's people and members of God's household. Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the Dec 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the day that launched the US into WWII and as President Roosevelt proclaimed- "A Day that would live in Infamy".

The violence of that day cannot be over emphasized. In addition to the US Pacific Fleet being shattered and hundreds of planes destroyed the US military lost thousands of sailors, marines, army troops as well as civilians.

Hatred arose between the US and Japan on scale of modern warfare technology and bombing campaigns that saw millions of Japanese lives lost in the military and as civilians. Entire cities were destroyed by fire bombing air campaigns, every port and bay found US subs lurking, food was scarce and it all culminated by the two atomic bobms that vaporized the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It finally led to the end of the war with Japan in August of 1945.

All this history and animosity is well known. There was a real hatred between the people of Japan and America. So it is amazing to know that what arose from Pearl Harbor was how Christ transformed the lives of two men, on Japanese the other American. And both were fanatical enemies of each others countries.

Few people know of this story. I have shared it at VRM trainings as we close and pray over the graduating new VRM volunteers. I shared it in detail at the 10th Anniversary of VRM and some in the Christian Community know of the history of Captain Fuchida who led the air attack on Pearl Harbor and Jacob DeShazer who was part of the Doolittle raid that bombed Japan in retaliation.

Briefly as the story is incredible- DeShazer was captured in China (where the Doolittle Raiders were trying to reach after the attack) and spent the rest of the war in horrible prison camp conditions complete with near starvation, torture and beatings- reaching a point where he wanted to kill at least one guard before they killed him. Instead he studied and memorized the Bible and came to ask the Lord into his heart and to forgive him of his hatred. So great was the transformation in his life through Christ he returned to Japan to launch mission work and plant churches in the land of his former enemies.

Captain Fuchida survived the war and plane crashes and bomb attacks and just missed the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Stripped of rank and pensions he was substained life on a small farm plot. In miraculous steps directed by God Fuchida came across a pamphlet written by DeShazer and began to study the bible.

One day he went to meet DeShazer and shared all that was in his heart about Christ and Grace and Forgiveness. And then they knelt together in prayer and the one who bombed Pearl Harbor and the one who bombed Japan called each other Brothers in Christ, united as citizens in the United Kingdom of Heaven!

DeShazer went on to work as a missionary in Japan for over 30 years and as one of the last surviving Doolittle Raiders he passed away in 2008. Fuchida went on to work as an evangelist in Japan and then the US and then across the world. Together these former enemies help lead hundreds of thousands of people to the Lord that had personally liberated them from sin and put them in reconcilation first with men and then with God! (Fuchida died in 1976)

At this time of remembering that day of infamy 70 years ago, let us also remember that Christmas marks the birth of Christ. The present of Grace and Forgiveness presented personaly by God through the His son Christ- the salvation plan that when accepted makes us no longer Strangers or Foreigners or even enemies- but Citizens in God's House with His people!