In the midst of the USS Barry Revival other sailors were continually observing us. We didn’t realize the impact our lives were making on them. They knew we were radical about our “religion,” because we witnessed to everybody. We would also leave gospel tracts all over the ship, and when in port we would go to rock concerts, carnivals, fairs, subway stations, up and down the piers, and other areas, passing out tracts and talking about Jesus to anybody that would listen—radical!
From left to right, USS Barry (DD-933),
USS Dyess (DD-880)
USS Orleck (DD-886)
At the pier in Mayport, FL.
February 1979
David was a new guy who had recently reported for duty onboard the Barry. He was a Jew from New York City, and was one of those that had been observing us from a distance, wondering what we were all about. After a period of several weeks his curiosity finally got the best of him. He came up to us one day while we were sitting at a table in our berthing compartment and bluntly asked: “What is it that makes you guys so different? You are always smiling, happy, and things don’t seem to get you down.”
This Jew became “messianic” a few minutes later. That was just the beginning of David’s journey of faith. And it was also our introduction to demon possession.
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