Home
Introduction
History
Beliefs
Covenants
Sabbath
FAQ
SDB Links

Coming to the Faith

A Visit to Millyard

Email Us
Copyright ©

Who are the Seventh Day Baptists?

Coming to the Faith (Part 2)

Susan had the good sense not to say yes that day and I had the good sense not to give up. We were married on February 14, 1978 in Plymouth, Devon, England. After a brief honeymoon in Devon we moved into our first home, a simple stone farm cottage near my base at RAF Edzell in Scotland. The rent on the ancient cottage was five pounds a week or about eight American dollars. We attempted to keep the cold Scottish winter at bay with the two fireplaces the cottage had and a couple of portable heaters but neither of us ever felt warm. While the first year of a marriage is a time of adjustment and growth our fellowship group continued to be a source of encouragement and support. Our first son, James, was born in July of 1979 while we still lived in Scotland.

My enlistment was due to end in September of 1979. I had enjoyed my time in the navy and considered re-enlisting. Susan wanted me to re-enlist but in the end I felt my future was outside of the navy. So, after a great deal of discussion I choose not to re-enlist. Although I was a Christian and my walk with God was closer now than it had been just a few years ago I was still making important decisions with no prayerful request for God's direction.

I got out of the navy and we moved to where mother and sister now lived, in Centralia, Washington state. A Seventh Day Baptist group had formed in Centralia just that year but I did not hear about them, or care to, at this time. After visiting a number of different Sunday keeping churches we finally settled on the Free Methodist church in Centralia. We were happy with the church, the pastor was a fine, born again, Christian man and we were happy with the town. We might have stayed in that church in that town forever except, I was having trouble finding work.

Sometimes when God has a path he wants you to journey down He closes the gates to the other paths until you "choose" the one He wants. At least that was true in my case. In the end I was out of the navy for about four years before I re-enlisted in November of 1983. During that time our second son, Robert, was born. After I re-enlisted I was stationed on Guam. Guam is a tiny island surrounded by a coral reef. Because the island exists in a perpetual summer the water at the beach can be bath water warm. As a family we hiked and camped along the beaches and jungle. The boys loved to play on the beaches and, under the watchful eye of their mother, in the water, while I would snorkel and scuba dive. We attended the base chapel where a young, born again, chaplain worked to form a Christian community on the base. But, as with all military communities, they are constantly on the move and so after two very pleasant years on the island it was time to transfer. This time we were sent to Japan.

We arrived at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, in the Minamirinkan district of Yamoto on the outskirts of Toyko in January of 1986. For me, Japan was the most different and exotic country I had ever visited. It was also the first country I had ever been to that did not have a significant Christian community. Less the one percent of the Japanese population is Christian. For Christian fellowship you had two choices, the military chapel on base or a Japanese Catholic church. Because we were not Catholic and because, at the time, we spoke no Japanese we attended the military chapel.

Click here to go to Coming to the Faith (Part 3)