Escaping Enemy Territory

I love learning about my family.  My grandfather told me some stories about a relative who served during WWII as a paratrooper.  This story is one of my favorites:
"Asael Lyman was part of the 82nd Airborne which went in behind the German lines into Holland. They were in wooden gliders and lost a third of their men before they even got on the ground. Only a handful of men survived this campaign.

"He goes from an innocent country boy to a battle hardened soldier in a matter of three days or so. He told me about trying to dig with his nose because he was in a partially dug foxhole and the Germans were trying to dig him out with a machine gun. Bullets were going through his clothes. The Americans were eventually pinned down and captured and put in a prison camp after riding for several days in a train boxcar where they could not lay or sit down so many were crammed into the cars.

"While in the camp, he saved the cigarettes he was supplied by the Red Cross in his mattress until he had enough to buy a few potatoes which he traded over the fence with the locals for a map, and compass, and two Italian worker's uniforms. He and an Italian man walked right out the front gate and hid in barns and other places until they got back to friendly forces.

"His parents didn't know he was alive for 6 months until he called from New York on his way home."
(W. Wilcken)

Aseal reached the Allied forces by listening to the Machine Gun fire of the two opposing armies.  You may not think they would be different, but because of the abilities of both armies, they manufactured different equipment.  Being trained to go behind enemy lines, Aseal knew what to look for.

We are in enemy territory right now.  Sounds stupid but think about it, Satan rebelled against God.  He is going around trying to destroy the souls of men, and we are stuck on his ground.  But it's not hopeless.  Even though we have a lot of opposition in our way, we can still make it back, even those under Satan's grip.  Our search for happiness or even truth will help us receive certain tools needed for the journey back home.  God has given us the scriptures for a map so as to have an idea what we need to do.  Heartfelt prayer provides direction in our journey, much like a compass.  As we pray, truly seeking God's help, we are given direction through the quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost.  You can go ahead and ignore it if you want, you are not going to get everything you want following the Holy Ghost. But you will be the happiest.  The road is going to be rough, and you are guaranteed to experience opposition along the way.  But as you press forward towards your eternal goal (heaven), you will make it home.

Something I've found fascinating about the world around us, is everything has a certain "voice" or "feeling" telling us what it is.  This is better known as the Light of Christ.  We are born with the ability to tell good from evil.  No one is born bad.  As we try certain activities we will get a certain feeling about what it is.  When an activity is bad, our conscience will give us a bad feeling to warn us.  Because the rate of fire on a German machine gun is faster than an American one, Aseal was able to tell which army he was near.  When we feel good, it must be the place we are at is good.  If we get a bad feeling as we near a certain place, it is wise to stay away from that place.

God has given us the tools we need to make it home.  Christ has provided us a way to make it home.  We are separated from God here on earth.  He wants us home.  Can you imagine the homecoming when we make it to heaven?  Our job is not to sit there and wait to be rescued.  Often times it requires us to rise up and go, because Christ cannot save us in sin.  He asks us to leave our nets, follow him, and he will give us eternal life.  As we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost we are able to stay away from destructive influences that will tear us down.  The gentle promptings will only be felt so long as we invite it into our lives.  The spirit is neither loud nor forceful, but it's impression is greater than anything man has created.  That is what will lead us home.

President Boyd K. Packer tells us what the Spirit is there for:

Finding direction is most important.  See how to filter the voices:

A Price to Pay

June 6, 1944 - Normandy, France

Look to the image on the right.  Could you stand in the shoes of those men and face what they faced?  These and many other men were someones son, brother, father, husband or friend.  Each had volunteered their lives for the freedom of others.  To them we owe much.  The greatest argument in the world would possibly be, "is war right?"  Yes and no.  It is an oxymoron but it is true.  War is only right when it is done in the defense of your home, family and country.  Defensive is not an offensive.  Let me show you God's rules of war and maybe you can see where it is right.

It hurts God to see his children fight.

I want to start in the Bible.  There is always some kind of war going on in the Bible.  But how often did Israel invade another country?  There are a few instances such as the Book of Joshua, and the Books of Kings (1 Sam - 2 Kings).  Most of the time Israel was defending it's borders whether from Egypt or Babylon.  The ten commandments did say, "Thou shalt not kill" but it does not say, "Thou shalt suffer yourselves to bear ever affliction even to the darkest prison."  God forbids war as a means of gain.  That is stealing.  But in order for God's laws or (if you don't believe in God) for your rights and privileges to be preserved there must be a means of defending them.  Sad to say you must fight for them.  War is evil, there is no denial of it.  I am sure that it hurts God to see his children fight.  But I know that until men learn to set aside their selfish interests and hate there will be no ended to war.  To give you an example of what will happen if you were to lose your freedoms, look at the Holocaust during World War II.  Evil men will do the most despicable things to show supremacy over another.  Everyone cannot disagree that such behavior would be right if they were to happen to yourself.  Neither is it right for that to happen to another.  God has commanded all his people to defend themselves to bloodshed if needs be.  BUT, they are not to be aggressors!  If someone makes a life threatening action against yourself your are justified in self defense.

Matt 24:40

The Lord has also commanded us to be peaceful and avoid war.  But the latter is impossible.  There will always be someone to try and destroy another.  We never know who it is, or where they will come from.  Therefore war is necessary to protect ourselves from a person who wants us as subjects.  Those who love war do so because it brings them money or power, or they just enjoy watching people suffer, they have the greatest mark on their heads.  You might as well say they have the mark of Cain.  Their death is almost guaranteed to be by the hands of others.

"Speak softly, and carry a big stick" - Theodore Roosevelt

Leaders of nations who command innocent men and women to fight their wars for them are responsible for the sufferings of others.  It is not the soldiers fault.  President George Washington had said, "Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession."  May I add that freedom was never prized so much until it was lost.  If you are not willing to fight for your freedoms, I understand.  I'm not all up for it either.  But at least show some support for those who have had to experience it.

I would love the day when swords will be beat into plow shears and the art of war is forgotten.  But so long as there are ruthless men out there seeking the destruction of others there will always be a need for defense.  May God continue to strengthen and assist the men and women in uniform who are fighting for the freedom of others.

Meet a veteran who served his country.