Friends Get Together

4. The Bible Study groups started because some of the young officers wanted to give themselves to the ministry. One day word came to me that there was an Air Corps officer who had been moved into camp and who had gone to Baylor University at Waco, Texas. Since I had attended Baylor and lived in Waco, I went to his barracks to see him. He was Lt. Bob Moore from Longview, Texas. I found he was very happy to see someone from home. Bob had taught music near Temple, Texas, and was choir leader at the First Baptist Church there. He told me about his experiences and that he felt God would have him devote his full time to the ministry. Since Chaplain Maness was a Baptist, I took Moore to see him. They started studying the Bible and in a few days Lt. Hobson Sinclair of Bowling Green, Kentucky, joined the group.

The class was turned over to me when Chaplain Maness left. Captain Harold Balwin of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and several others joined us and we had an attendance of from five to seven each day. We met from four to five o'clock daily. We had many hardships. When we met in the rooms, the others were playing cards or otherwise engaged and we had to talk above the noise. Sometimes it was difficult to pray freely while others were looking on. We went out in the sun on days when it was not too cold. We studied Paul's letters to Timothy. I tried to tell them what was expected of a preacher and showed them the need for the saving and sanctifying power of Jesus Christ.