Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Melvin Matthews
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017003A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:07 Hello, and welcome so much to 3ABN Today. 01:10 We are so glad that you are with us 01:12 as so many of you do, 01:13 each and every day tuning in and taking this hour. 01:17 I think that you'll be blessed by the testimony 01:20 that you're going to hear today 01:21 because it shows God's faithfulness, 01:24 and it's an exciting thing when someone 01:27 can take a stand for the Lord. 01:29 But before we begin 01:32 and I do want to also thank you for your prayers 01:34 and your financial support to 3ABN. 01:36 Before we begin and before I introduce our guest, 01:39 let me read a scripture to you, because I think this kind of, 01:44 will help each and everyone of us 01:46 but it also applies to today's testimony. 01:49 This comes from 1 Corinthians 10, 01:52 I'll read verses 12 and 13 and it says, 01:56 "Therefore let him who thinks he stands 01:59 take heed lest he fall." 02:02 In other words, we each should examine ourselves day by day 02:05 and make certain 02:07 that we really are standing for the Lord. 02:09 And then he says this remarkable thing, 02:11 this is Paul writing to the Corinthians, 02:14 "No temptation has overtaken you, 02:17 except such as is common to man, 02:23 but God is faithful, 02:26 God is faithful who will not allow you be tempted 02:30 beyond what you are able but with the temptation 02:34 will also make the way of escape 02:36 that you may be able to bear it." 02:39 So many times we think, 02:40 something's happening in our life and it's like, 02:43 "I don't know how to get around this." 02:47 But if we're faithful to God, He is always faithful to us. 02:51 He is a covenant making, covenant keeping God of love. 02:55 And so I just want to encourage you 02:57 with that scripture and you'll see 02:58 how that ties in to today's testimony. 03:02 Well, our special guest, 03:03 I'm so excited to introduce him is Pastor Melvin Matthews. 03:09 And, Pastor Mel, I guess I'll call you if I may. 03:11 Yes, Pastor Mel is good. All right, Pastor Mel. 03:14 You are also a retired lieutenant colonel 03:17 from the air force. 03:18 Army. Uh, from the army, of course. 03:20 Retired lieutenant colonel from the army. 03:22 Yes. 03:23 And how long have you been pastoring 03:25 and where do you pastor? 03:26 I pastor in Southern Illinois, 03:28 I'm sorry I'm in Southern Illinois, 03:30 Southern Indiana. 03:31 I grew up in Southern Illinois, I grew up near 3ABN. 03:34 Really? 03:35 Yeah, over in Du Quoin about 30 miles away and... 03:38 We're gonna look forward to that testimony. 03:41 Now, how many churches do you pastor now in Indiana? 03:44 I pastor a small churches of three. 03:48 Okay. 03:49 Over in Southern Indiana, Tell City, 03:51 Huntingburg and Paoli. 03:53 And that keeps you very busy, does it not? 03:55 Yeah, it can and it does, 03:57 because there is a lot going on even in the small churches. 04:01 Most certainly. 04:03 Yeah, absolutely, trying to grow. 04:04 And that's wonderful but that is your, you know, 04:08 some small churches seem to be content, 04:11 it's kind of like a little country club circle 04:13 so it's wonderful that you focuses on evangelism 04:16 and bringing others in. 04:17 Before we get into your testimony, 04:19 I know you like music and I like music and we know 04:24 that you our audience love the Burchfield Brothers. 04:27 We hear from them so comments whenever they are playing. 04:32 This is an instrumental that they are going to do for us 04:35 called "Wayfaring Stranger". 08:54 Well, that was the Burchfield Brothers 08:56 on the guitar and the xylophone there 08:59 and wayfaring stranger, 09:02 we are all just wayfaring strangers 09:04 passing through, 09:05 because our citizenship is really in heaven. 09:08 If you are joining us just a moment late, 09:10 our special guest today is Pastor Mel Matthews 09:14 and he is also a retired lieutenant colonel 09:17 from the army 09:18 and we're going to hear an amazing testimony today 09:21 of God's faithfulness. 09:23 Now, Pastor Mel, let us go back just a little bit 09:28 because you took a great stand for the Lord, 09:32 but let's get your background so people will understand 09:36 how and why you could. 09:38 Were you born into a Christian family? 09:41 I was, my mom and dad were farmers at a small farm 09:46 here in Southern Illinois. 09:48 I went to my first six grades of school were 09:52 in a Christian grade school, 09:53 I went to public school for three years. 09:55 And were they Adventist Christians or what? 09:56 They were Adventist Christians, yes. 09:58 They were Adventist Christians. Yes, faithful Adventist. 09:59 Actually I'm a fourth generation 10:02 Seventh-day Adventist. 10:03 Okay, all right. 10:05 So long background of that but, 10:10 yes, we, I grew up near 3ABN, 10:13 30 miles away, 10:14 so I'm very familiar with what goes on here 10:17 and number of interesting things. 10:18 So you understand the cornfield concept? 10:20 Oh, yes, and I would say, 10:22 "Do you all go, I'm living in Indiana, 10:24 maybe three cornfields over from here. 10:26 Yes, right, right. 10:28 Now growing up and being a fourth generation Adventist 10:33 really means nothing 10:34 because God doesn't have grandchildren, 10:38 He's only got children. 10:39 Amen. So He's... 10:41 Your parents were children of God. 10:43 When did it become real for you 10:45 more than just training or Bible knowledge? 10:49 When did your relationship with the Lord 10:52 really take that intimate connection, 10:54 where you knew He was your God? 10:57 Well, of course most children that are growing up 11:00 in a Christian home, you know, are taught to love Jesus 11:04 and I was baptized when I was 12, 11:06 but then as you become a teenager 11:08 and things happen in your life, you know, 11:10 it really is more like the training 11:12 that you just mentioned in how your family reacts 11:16 and chooses things and I really don't think 11:19 that I had that relationship 11:23 until I was going to Andrews University 11:26 and one summer I went to Alaska with a friend of mine, 11:32 and at that particular time I had met several individuals 11:38 and they weren't Christians and I... 11:42 There was a contrast between my choices 11:45 and how they were living 11:47 and I ended up sharing my faith with them, 11:51 and I think that was the first step 11:54 in beginning to understand who I was 11:58 and my personal choices about these things 12:02 and not just at being 12:06 a family choice or my background. 12:09 Now what were you studying at Andrews at the time? 12:12 I was studying business. 12:14 Business, okay, 12:15 and you are there then in Alaska, 12:20 what happened? 12:21 You had told me in the green room 12:23 there was an event that happened in Alaska 12:25 that kept you away 12:27 from the post office for a little while, 12:28 you were what, about 20 years old? 12:30 I was, I had just turned 21. Just turned 21. 12:33 But this was a summer of 67' in Fairbanks. 12:37 Our listeners I'm sure up there think 12:39 that's a specific date, we had a flood, 12:43 ten foot of water in downtown Fairbanks. 12:46 Everybody really evacuated from town up 12:48 either to the university campus or north of town 12:53 into the higher ground 12:55 and I was evacuated 13:00 to the college campus, 13:03 but of course after the water went down, 13:05 went down to the post office to get my mail 13:08 and there was my draft notice. 13:11 So this is draft for the Vietnam War? 13:14 Yes, it was. 13:15 And of course I traveled back to Perry County, 13:17 the next county over from where we are 13:20 and on the 13th of September I was taken by train 13:24 to St. Louis and sworn in to the army as a solider. 13:29 All right, so let's fast forward 13:30 and tell us what story you are here to share today? 13:35 I want to give a little background to it, 13:37 in the sense of, we don't have a draft now. 13:41 And of course Word War II and Vietnam and Korea 13:46 there was the draft, 13:48 and the reason that I'm here today 13:53 is because there is a lot of special interest 13:55 in the conscientious objector status 13:59 simply because of the movie Hacksaw Ridge. 14:02 Yes. 14:03 Many, many people have seen that movie, 14:05 it may win the Academy award for best picture of the year 14:10 and so more people if it wins 14:12 that I'm sure will see it later, 14:14 but in that movie there is a soldier, 14:16 name of Desmond Doss, who takes a stand for God 14:20 from the very beginning of the movie, 14:23 not to carry a weapon, not to kill, 14:28 and as you watch the movie it's like it's his decisions 14:33 based on the Ten Commandments, that commandment that says, 14:37 thou shalt not kill, and he is ridiculed 14:42 by everyone that he meets in the military for that, 14:49 because of course it's World War II 14:51 and people are saying, you need to defend our country. 14:53 Yes. 14:55 But you're not awarded a conscientious objector status 14:59 for a political reason or for any reason 15:03 other than your personal belief that you serve God, 15:08 and because you serve Him and obey what He has commanded 15:13 that you will not take another person's life. 15:16 So in other words, God as your commander, 15:21 you take your direct orders from Him first 15:23 and anything that might be at odds with His commandments, 15:29 then you would not take the commandments 15:32 of your officers in the army. 15:35 In the army, and it's interesting too, 15:37 because of that status during the Vietnam War, 15:42 people who declared themselves when they are registering 15:45 for the army for the draft 15:48 because you can be at that time drafted 15:50 into Marine Corp or the army. 15:53 We are given the option of a different training, 15:56 it was instead of the eight week basic training, 16:00 you only receive six weeks, 16:01 you didn't receive the rightful training. 16:03 Okay. 16:04 So you... 16:06 a little bit different 16:07 than what Desmond Doss' situation was, 16:10 but basically every conscientious objector 16:15 did not have to receive that rightful training. 16:17 Now, there is two levels of conscientious objector. 16:20 There is religious organizations 16:23 in the United States and worldwide 16:26 that do not believe in saluting the flag 16:29 or wearing the uniform. 16:31 And then there is another level where, 16:34 yes, you are like Desmond Doss said, 16:37 a conscientious cooperator, 16:39 where you do not mind serving your country 16:42 and doing the best that you can for your country, 16:45 but not taking a weapon and killing someone. 16:50 All right, so you are obviously 16:52 one of those conscientious cooperators. 16:55 Yes, indeed. 16:56 You wore the uniform, you saluted the flag, 16:57 but you did chose not to 16:59 because of your religious beliefs, 17:01 not to carry a rifle, 17:04 so what unit where you assigned to? 17:06 I was, I went to Vietnam, you weren't assigned 17:09 until you actually arrived in Vietnam 17:11 to a reception station 17:13 and then you were assigned from there. 17:15 I went to the first infantry division. 17:19 People know it is the big red one 17:21 and infantry unit within that 2nd 18th inventory. 17:26 I remember arriving at that particular station 17:32 for the 2nd Brigade in Zeon Vietnam 17:35 and walking in the gate area and over it, 17:39 it had a banner and it said "No mission", 17:42 this was the first division motto, 17:44 "No mission too difficult, 17:46 no sacrifice too great, duty first." 17:50 I have also remembered that because it seems like that, 17:54 that is not just a motto for an army unit, 17:59 that is a motto for one's life. 18:01 No mission too difficult, 18:03 no sacrifice too great, duty first. 18:05 That's a great one for Christians, isn't it? 18:07 Absolutely. 18:08 So now, as a conscientious objector 18:12 you were assigned to this unit, and what was your position? 18:15 I was a combat medic. 18:17 Combat medic, very much... 18:18 If you were a conscientious objector, 18:22 basically in a unit like that you were either a radio man 18:26 or a rifle man 18:27 which you had a lot of infantry, 18:32 people who trained as infantry soldiers 18:34 are a medic, and conscientious objectors 18:39 were assigned to that medic position 18:41 if you were a non weapon carrying soldier. 18:45 Did you receive a lot of ridicule for your decision? 18:50 Quite a bit, you know, just like today 18:54 even then many people don't, didn't understand 18:59 why you would be in the army at all 19:01 and not carrying a weapon 19:03 and that you were a fool to be out there 19:04 in the field without a weapon 19:06 and, but, I remember one specific officer 19:12 who was a very caring understanding individual too, 19:15 because it was like, 19:18 I was assigned to two different platoons, 19:20 one at the first part and one at the second part. 19:23 And this officer when I was assigned 19:26 to his platoon came to me and said, 19:28 Mel, you know, I don't have a problem with you 19:30 not wanting to carry a weapon and I give you, 19:34 no matter what your status is if you want to carry a rifle 19:38 or a 45 pistol, you know, just protect yourself. 19:42 He said, what would you do if you're on ambush with this 19:47 and that was basically their main function 19:50 were ambushes where we would helicopter out at night 19:54 travel to the country side, rice paddy, you know, 19:58 rubber plantation or whatever area we were in 20:01 and basically set up for up an ambush 20:04 with mines and machine guns. 20:07 He said what would you do if you were overrun 20:10 and a soldier jumped into the holes where you were, 20:14 he said this happened to me last night, 20:17 this happened to him that night before we had this conversation 20:21 and he said, I got up 20:22 and put a whole clip of ammunition into him, 20:24 what would you do? 20:26 So you hear the theoretical situations... 20:29 But that necessary, it weren't theoretical for him. 20:32 No, it wasn't theoretical, 20:33 it was just real as could possibly be 20:38 and when it comes to theoretical explanations, 20:43 there isn't really an answer for those 20:46 except that I depend upon God to protect me. 20:49 I depend upon God to not put me in that situation 20:52 if I can't take care of it. 20:55 Right, but now let me ask you another question. 20:57 Sure. One of the... 20:58 your decision to be a conscientious objector, 21:03 cooperator was because of your belief 21:07 in the Ten Commandments of God, and God Jesus said, 21:11 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 21:14 But one of those commandments also is that we should, 21:18 that God has given us the Sabbath day, 21:21 the seventh day as a day of rest, 21:24 a day of as He says in Exodus 31:13 21:28 that it is a day to, 21:30 that's a memorial to show us that He is the one 21:34 that is sanctifying us. 21:35 It's a sign between a covenant keeping God 21:39 and us, 21:40 as well as it's a day to remember Him as creator, 21:43 a memorial of creation. 21:44 What did you do, did you just say, 21:48 hey, I don't wanna work Saturdays 21:50 and how did that go? 21:52 It's interesting because 21:55 I had been in the combat area 22:01 and because of what went on, I had been in the hospital 22:05 for about a week 22:06 and the army would call it a profile, 22:12 I was given a profile 22:13 I wouldn't have to go back out to the field. 22:15 So you were wounded, you were in the hospital? 22:17 Yes. Okay. 22:18 And so in that sense 22:20 I went back to the headquarters unit 22:24 where we ran a battalion aid station 22:27 and of course 22:28 soldiers that were sick or wounded came in, 22:31 we would send them out to the hospital 22:33 or different transportation functions that we did. 22:36 We had all their medical records, 22:39 but the medic platoon there 22:42 had a officer was assigned to it, 22:44 and when I got there we had a new officer. 22:50 Captain Smith, who I just met 22:56 when I got out of the hospital 22:57 and so that first week I was out, I said to him, 23:01 "Captain, I am a Seventh-day Adventist 23:04 and I would do anything that's necessary 23:07 when I'm in combat, whatever, 23:09 no matter what day of the week it is," 23:11 but if I am back here working and I was assigned to work 23:15 in the office to keep the medical records 23:19 to login people that came in and basically be his secretary, 23:23 because he had the cubby-hole in right next to my position 23:27 and it ended up, I was the only that was back there 23:31 that can type so I was typing all of his reports, 23:34 but I said to him on the Sabbath 23:38 because of being Seventh-day Adventist 23:41 and believing that I should not work on the Sabbath, 23:44 other than if it's an emergency that I was doing in the field, 23:48 that I would appreciate and want and request 23:52 to have my Sabbath off. 23:54 And he said that's not a problem, he said, 23:57 I dealt with a couple of Seventh-day Adventist soldiers 24:00 in Germany where I came from, 24:01 but first of all I want you to go talk to our chaplain, 24:04 we had a battalion chaplain. 24:07 So on Friday before that first Sabbath, 24:10 I met with the chaplain, he was a very young 24:15 just out of seminary with no army experience, 24:19 first assignment being that unit, 24:22 and I told him about what I believed 24:27 and who I was and what I believed, 24:30 and the chaplain said to me, 24:33 "Well, if that's how you feel about it, 24:36 you'll just have to disobey a direct order 24:40 and take the consequences." 24:44 That's as close the quote 24:45 as I can remember from 49 years ago. 24:50 And it was like well, I'm sure that he talked 24:54 to the Captain Smith, 24:58 that was Friday on Sabbath morning 25:01 we had a formation of all the soldiers in that unit 25:06 right after breakfast, 8 o'clock. 25:10 As soon as formation was over, 25:13 the senior NCO of that medic platoon 25:16 came up to me and he said, 25:18 "Captain Smith wants to talk to you." 25:20 He walked me into Captain Smith's office 25:23 and Captain Smith said, 25:24 "Here is a sanitation report that needs to be redone, 25:28 there has been some changes, I need you to type it up." 25:31 And I simply said, 25:33 "I cannot do it, sir, it's my Sabbath." 25:35 He had the NCO standing there as a witness 25:39 so that he could use this as what went on. 25:43 He became very angry 25:45 and he told me to go sit in the bunker, 25:47 we had a bunker near the aid station, 25:53 because we would at times receive mortar fire 25:55 in to that particular area 25:58 and he told me to go down there and sit there 26:00 and basically I was in the bunker all day long. 26:03 All day Sabbath I sat in the bunker by myself 26:05 and believe me I was praying, I didn't know what to do, 26:11 I did do one thing, 26:12 I wrote a letter home to my mother, and, you know, 26:15 I say I was praying, I wasn't praying for the missionaries, 26:18 I was praying for myself. 26:19 All right. What am I going to do, Lord? 26:22 And so I... 26:24 The mail service was very good there. 26:28 I wrote that letter and I believe I got it 26:31 into the mail slot before that Sabbath day was over, 26:35 telling my mother about the situation. 26:38 She was a member over here at Du Quoin. 26:41 She received that letter the following Friday 26:45 and took it to church with her on Sabbath 26:48 to show to the pastor. 26:50 The pastor's name was Elder Weinberg, 26:52 who had I believed married in West Frankfurt, 26:55 Du Quoin at that time. 26:57 And Elder Weinberg had a associate, 27:03 I don't know his name, who was currently assigned 27:06 to our North American division headquarters 27:09 at Takoma Park in Washington, D.C. 27:13 I am told that this individual 27:18 was at the chief of chaplain's office 27:20 at the Pentagon at 7 o'clock 27:23 in the morning the next Monday morning. 27:25 Praise God. 27:27 And to have support like that 27:30 even though I didn't seem to have any support in Vietnam, 27:33 there were Adventist chaplains there, 27:35 but I had no idea of how to reach them 27:38 or how to make contact with them, 27:41 and so to have that network here in North America, 27:46 where someone who is well, 27:51 that following week I know the individuals 27:53 in the personnel office, 27:55 they were actually typing up the court-martial papers for me 27:59 to be court-martialled. 28:00 What they didn't know is that 28:02 God was already had the religious liberty folk 28:04 in the States 28:05 that are getting ready to come to your defense. 28:08 So they tried to court-martialled you? 28:13 Yes, the intervention happened this way. 28:17 The word came down from the chief of chaplain's office 28:20 to the brigade, 2nd Brigade, 28:23 1st Infantry Division headquarters 28:26 that was just across the field from where my office was. 28:31 And before the next Sabbath 28:34 there was a lieutenant colonel chaplain 28:36 who walked from that headquarters to my office, 28:41 introduced himself and said, 28:43 "I want to see you and Captain Smith together." 28:47 So this is within two weeks? 28:48 Absolutely. Wow! 28:50 It happened miraculously and he sat down 28:54 and explained to Captain Smith 28:56 what liberties that I should have been given 29:01 as for as the Sabbath. 29:03 And he did some things that 29:06 I believe made Captain Smith very angry. 29:09 In front of me, he put his finger 29:12 in Captain Smith's face 29:14 and he said you will never do this again. 29:18 Well, that started another scenario of things 29:21 of Captain Smith trying to put me 29:27 out of the unit or out of the army. 29:29 So you were not very well liked by Captain Smith, 29:33 because you were kind of what he is looking at 29:36 as the catalyst for all this trouble he is now in. 29:39 And, the next step was 29:46 probably two to three days later, 29:48 the first sergeant of the unit walked into 29:51 where I was at my desk, 29:53 laid some paper down and he said this is a transfer, 29:57 I need you to sign this particular line right here. 30:01 And by then I was getting a little more educated 30:03 about what was going on, 30:05 because until you're put into a situation, 30:08 you really don't know how to react to 30:10 some of the situations presented to you. 30:12 And I said, "First sergeant, is this a request 30:16 that I am making to leave the unit?" 30:18 He said, "Yes." 30:20 And I said, "I am not making a request to leave the unit. 30:23 I don't want to sign that." 30:25 And he basically picked up the paperwork, 30:28 I believe his name was first sergeant Barnes 30:31 and stormed out the door. 30:35 So you're not making any brownie points. 30:38 I have offended everybody that's in supervision above me 30:42 at this time, 30:43 because the first sergeant of the company deals 30:46 with the enlisted man and that's what I was. 30:48 And so I really didn't know what was happening next 30:54 or if anything was happening next. 30:56 And about two weeks later I am, like say, 31:01 I'm working for Captain Smith, I'm doing his paperwork, 31:04 I'm in the next office and I'm taking stuff 31:08 around the corner 31:09 and putting in his in basket 31:10 and I see a letter laying on his desk 31:13 that he has typed up 31:15 and written to the battalion commander, 31:17 the lieutenant colonel of this combat unit, 31:20 requesting that I receive a general discharge. 31:25 And down at the bottom of the letter 31:29 it has a signature 31:30 of the lieutenant colonel commander 31:32 and it says denied. 31:36 And it's like, oh my goodness, 31:38 I didn't even know this had been going on. 31:40 Wow. 31:41 And now, and see 31:43 as I read later on the book 31:48 that was written about Desmond Doss, 31:50 basically he went through 31:52 a couple of these exact same steps, 31:55 trying to get him out of the military, 31:58 trying to get him coursed into cooperating 32:03 with everybody else despite his moral decisions. 32:08 But you know, you can at least, 32:11 you can step back from the situation 32:13 and I can see that this captain 32:15 who did not share this relation with the Lord, 32:19 did not share these beliefs who is feeling like, 32:22 you're asking to be something special. 32:25 He wasn't seeing it as you being loyal to God 32:29 and being obedient so much as it was like, you know, 32:33 they could think, well, you know, 32:34 why did they think they should get special. 32:36 It's not just him in those situations, 32:39 it's most of the other soldiers that you shoulder, 32:43 shoulder within the unit, 32:44 it's like this guy is trying to get something, 32:47 a leg up on what the rest of us have to do. 32:49 Sure. 32:50 When in fact is, you know, I would do, 32:53 did do in so many ways everything else 32:56 that they would do, 32:57 but I would not violate God's law. 32:59 Okay, so the long and the short of it, 33:02 'cause I kind of wanna fast forward here is 33:05 you had some rough time with this captain, 33:08 but in the end what happened? 33:13 You know, one of the things that we were allowed back then 33:15 is that even though we were assigned for 12 months, 33:19 if you were a draftee, 33:20 you are really in for two years time period. 33:24 But they would allow you to extend in Vietnam 33:30 to be able so that when you left Vietnam, 33:33 that you only had 150 days left 33:35 and so when you got back to the United States, 33:38 they would discharge you rather than assigning you 33:40 to another place, so I extended to 33:43 where I ended up staying 14 plus months in Vietnam. 33:47 So I had several months that I ended up working 33:52 for Captain Smith, day after day 33:54 and he did not have an easy situation to deal with. 33:58 He was dealing with young men 34:01 who had been in combat in some really tough situations 34:04 that were coming back out of the field, 34:07 and of course there is a lot of drug 34:09 and alcohol abuse. 34:10 I mean, once you are out of the field, 34:12 it was like you had escaped death. 34:17 And now, you know, any other assignment was 34:24 not really very realistic 34:26 and so anyone that came out of the field was 34:29 tough to control and he was the main supervisor. 34:32 And I'm sure that anyone coming out of the field 34:35 had such mental images that they are trying to escape, 34:40 I mean, it was, they saw some gruesome things. 34:42 Sure, and I had gotten out of the field somewhat early. 34:47 I had spent about six months in combat. 34:51 But most many and most of the others had to spend, 34:55 you know, seven, eight, nine months in combat 34:57 before they were rotated out of the field 35:00 back to the back and so, you know, 35:05 but he was dealing with this, 35:07 but on my very last day in Vietnam 35:11 I was in the bricks, we had bricks 35:17 that had sandbags all around them 35:19 to keep from getting killed with the motors 35:21 that might come in. 35:22 I was down there packing up and the very same NCO 35:26 that had got me out of formation 35:29 to be the witness for Captain Smith, 35:33 giving me the direct order came walking down the side walk 35:37 into the building and said Matthews, 35:40 Captain Smith wants to talk to you 35:42 and I was like, oh, no. 35:46 You know, I had no idea of what was about to occur 35:51 and so he and I walked back to the medic station 35:55 to Captain Smith's office and standing there, 35:59 you know, I mean, 36:00 when you're reporting lieutenant, and it's not a, 36:04 you know, when you're told to report 36:05 you don't just walk, you report. 36:09 And Captain Smith stood there after I reported him 36:13 and he said, "Matthews, I know all about you." 36:18 He said, "I know what you did in combat, 36:20 I know the experiences you went through, 36:22 I have learned 36:23 what you are like as a soldier." 36:26 He said, "You know, when you disobey the direct order 36:29 that was really a significant thing" 36:33 and he said, "Matthews 'cause of what you did 36:37 and what you reacted to, 36:39 to the situation you have been in, 36:41 I believe that the Seventh-day Adventist church 36:45 is the true church." 36:46 Now, I would have expected 36:48 maybe him to say something about... 36:49 Glory to God. 36:51 You know, the spiritual things or the, you know, 36:54 my decisions but he related it to my church 36:58 and you could have knocked me over with a feather. 37:01 Yes, yes. 37:02 I was... 37:04 So you are a walking memorial to God 37:05 and to the biblical doctrines 37:08 of the Seventh-day Adventist church, hallelujah. 37:10 And so, you know, I really didn't have a lot to say to him 37:14 other than thanking him for his words 37:15 and within an hour I was on the bus headed 37:17 for the airplane to come back to the United States, 37:19 and I've never known 37:21 where he has been or contacted him since. 37:23 I don't know if he is still alive, 37:25 of course he was probably 37:28 six or eight, ten years older than I, 37:31 so maybe he's passed away this time, 37:33 I did see on Facebook, 37:35 the picture a memorial to that NCO, 37:39 I just found it last year, 37:42 he looks like he's passed away this time too. 37:44 Okay. 37:45 Now, what I want, obviously you had, 37:48 how many years where you in the army all together? 37:51 If you counted my active duty time at Vietnam, 37:55 my inactive duty 37:57 and then I got back in the army about seven years later, 38:01 eight years later 38:03 and received a commission, 38:06 I was in the national guard, I was back on active duty, 38:10 I got out of the active duty 38:13 in the early in '94 based on a program 38:18 where they wanted to reduce the size of the military 38:21 especially the senior type 38:23 during the Clinton administration, 38:26 and then I stayed in the reserves 38:29 as a active reserve member and was mobilized back in, 38:32 in '03 and '04 for another 14 years, 14 months 38:37 when the Iraq war started. 38:39 Okay. 38:41 So I really spent about 30 years of total active, 38:45 a total service not active duty service 38:48 but different services. 38:49 And you also said, you were commissioned 38:51 and you were a lieutenant, 38:52 you are retired lieutenant colonel. 38:53 Okay. Here is where I would like to go now. 38:57 Sure. 38:58 You took a stand for God. 39:01 He seems like He moved heaven and earth to support you, 39:05 He was, God was very faithful to you, 39:08 but because you've got this personal relationship, 39:11 because you took this stand, does that mean 39:16 that you've just walked faithfully with your Lord 39:18 day by day 39:20 and now you're a pastor, tell us about that? 39:22 You know, as most of us old soldiers know 39:26 Vietnam was a tough thing. 39:28 Yes. 39:30 Whether you were in combat or whether you were, you know, 39:33 just in during that time period there was so much going on 39:36 in the late '60s, society wise, culture wise 39:40 and other wise that we look at, things changing now 39:45 but it seems like for us 39:47 that really vividly remember the '60s things 39:49 were really crazy. 39:52 After Vietnam, because of I would say bad decisions 39:59 that I made, I fell away from any activity, 40:05 even going to church for a number of years, 40:09 fell into alcoholism, 40:12 fell into living very rotten life 40:17 even though I was, you know, 40:20 I mean, I was a army officer 40:22 and I am doing my duty every day 40:26 as far as any connection with the Lord, 40:31 it just became my, the history 40:35 and minimalized in my life completely 40:39 until really the late '80s and it seem like 40:42 in the late '80s that people... 40:47 Things that people would say to me, 40:49 things that would happen to me, 40:50 it was just like the Lord was asking me 40:53 to change my life and it was like, 40:56 like I can remember in a number of occasions it's like, 41:00 you know, people wherever I was in the wrong place 41:03 somebody would say, you don't belong here, Mel. 41:06 Praise God. 41:07 And it's like, maybe I, and I'm not talking about 41:10 somebody trying to straighten my life out, 41:12 I'm talking about another person 41:14 that was doing the same type of stuff that I was doing. 41:16 But they just recognized God had His hand on you, 41:20 He was chasing you down. 41:21 And then the Lord sent a really special lady along to me, 41:24 who had also been a Seventh-day Adventist, 41:28 who would been away from the church 41:29 for a number of years herself and it's so interesting, 41:35 the first time I ever went out with her, 41:38 my brother and sister-in-law were together and we were, 41:41 she had been a friend of the family for a year. 41:45 She was working at Hinsdale Hospital, 41:48 and so we went out, 41:54 we were sitting in a night club 41:56 in the night club area of Chicago 41:59 in a Blues Club. 42:01 And I said to her, 42:02 she remembers it a little bit different, 42:04 but the way I remember I said it to her, 42:06 and I believe it was maybe the Holy Spirit 42:08 speaking through me. 42:10 I said, I'm tired of living like this 42:13 and we kind of made an agreement 42:15 on this long distance relationship right there 42:19 that we wanted to change our lives. 42:20 Praise God. 42:22 And that letter to, I was stationed in Nome, Alaska 42:27 that particular time as operations officer 42:30 for national guard battalion, 42:32 I was on active duty doing that, 42:34 and she applied at the hospital 42:38 and got hired over the telephone to come up 42:41 and we got re-baptized 42:46 and made decisions 42:48 not to live the way that we had before, 42:51 and we got married about six months later 42:55 and we had two little girls within the next two years. 42:58 Wow. 43:00 You know, when I was telling you 43:02 little bit about this 43:03 before that it seemed like 43:04 even before all those things happened, 43:06 God was saying to me, Mel, if you just follow Me, 43:09 I will give you everything in your life 43:11 that you ever wanted 43:13 and that is certainly the way that it's happened. 43:16 You know what I love about your story is 43:20 it's just as I read in 1 Corinthians 10:12, 43:25 "Take heed lest he think he stand you fall." 43:27 Here Mel you took a stand for God, 43:30 you would not violate His commandments, 43:33 you would not carry the rifle, 43:35 you would not break His Sabbath, 43:40 but things happen and you know, 43:44 when there are so many people 43:45 who have returned from the Vietnam war 43:47 and not only the Vietnam war but there is so many wars 43:50 who they come home and they have seen 43:53 and experienced such a horrific thing is 43:57 that they will self medicate with alcohol or with drugs, 44:00 you see that so often. 44:03 So God gave you a way of escape, He, 44:06 I'm sure he had offered you another way of escape 44:08 but you were just in that frame of mind 44:10 that you kind of turned your back on the Lord for a while, 44:13 but isn't it amazing. 44:15 I went through the same thing. 44:17 I grew up in and for, it's not my testimony 44:22 so I won't share it all but there was something 44:24 that happened in my life 44:26 that made me turn from the Lord. 44:27 Sure. 44:28 And I was kind of living away from Him for a couple of years 44:32 and He just chased me down. 44:34 And that's what He did with you 44:35 and then bring you and Carol together. 44:37 It's like the prodigal son. Yes. 44:38 That story resonates so much with me. 44:40 Yeah, but it's so... 44:42 I'm glad that you have got that testimony 44:44 'cause I just want to tell you there at home, 44:47 God will do the same for you, 44:50 it doesn't matter if you have walked away from Him, 44:54 all you have to do is turn back in His direction, take a step. 44:58 He says, "Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you." 45:02 And as you said that prodigal son, 45:04 He doesn't just stand there with open arms, 45:07 He will run towards you, because God loves you so much. 45:11 Mel, I'm sure I want to be sure 45:14 and get your address up right now, 45:16 because I just believe that there are gonna be people 45:18 who want to call you to either come 45:21 and speak at their church 45:23 or just call you and share some of their testimony 45:26 and how you can minister to. 45:29 Maybe someone out there who is a vet, 45:32 who feels like life is not the same 45:36 and you don't know if it will ever be the same 45:39 or maybe your relationship with the Lord 45:41 is being fractured in some way and God wants you back, 45:45 so what we want to do is put up Pastor Mel Matthews address 45:51 and a telephone number 45:52 so that you can get in touch with him. 45:57 If you would like to contact Melvin Matthews, 45:59 you can do so by writing to 8721 North Hickory Grove Road, 46:04 Dubois, Indiana 47527. 46:08 That's 8721 North Hickory Grove Road, 46:11 Dubois, Indiana 47527. 46:14 You can call him at 812-631-5130. 46:19 That's 812-631-5130. 46:22 You can also email him at MelvinMatthews@gmail.com. 46:28 That's MelvinMatthews@gmail.com. 46:32 Contact him today, he would love to hear from you. 46:43 I'm sure he would like to hear from you. 46:45 Now Mel, Pastor Mel, 46:47 what is it like in today's army, 46:50 as you said it is no longer a draft to dissolve 46:53 and listed and they have been listed, 46:56 have things changed for today's army? 46:58 Our volunteer army has completely changed, 47:01 and even though abide the laws 47:07 and regulations in Vietnam or in Korea, at World War II, 47:12 I had the right at that time 47:15 based on those regulations to ask for my Sabbath off. 47:21 To ask that I specifically deny wearing, 47:26 carrying a weapon. 47:28 Now in the our volunteer army 47:30 it's like you are under the command 47:33 of your commanding officer 47:35 and if you want your Sabbath off, 47:37 it will only be at the liberty 47:43 that your commander gives you. 47:45 Wow. 47:46 There is no more army regulation 47:48 that says that you have the right to have a conscience 47:53 in regard to those things. 47:56 Now of course the army does have 47:58 a conscience in the sense of, 48:00 it has specific regulations statues 48:06 that you have to live by. 48:10 So I salute the moral integrity of 48:15 how the army controls itself 48:19 and its soldiers, and sailors, and marines, 48:22 and air force personnel. 48:24 But as a Seventh-day Adventist 48:27 and we do have quite a number of Seventh-day Adventists 48:32 men and women in the military 48:35 they are at the mercy... 48:39 Mercy. 48:41 Yes, I appreciate for the word there, 48:42 I was missing it. 48:44 Of their commander, you know, 48:45 and the people that are in charge, 48:49 the commanders in most cases are 48:50 very intelligent caring human beings 48:53 that are caring for their soldiers or the sailors, 48:56 but it doesn't always mean that you have that right. 48:59 I was not aware that our armed services 49:02 today did not offer that same right, 49:05 that religious liberty right as we think of, 49:09 for those who are enlisted, so we do definitely need to be 49:13 praying for those who are serving 49:15 in this all volunteer arm services, 49:17 no matter what department, right? 49:19 That's right. 49:20 Well, we are going to have another song 49:23 and then we will come back for a closing thought 49:25 from Pastor Mel Matthews, 49:27 but right now we have the Burchfield Brothers 49:29 who are going to play for us, 49:31 "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". |
Revised 2017-06-19