Sure, one man can make a difference - read about this "one man."
Dear Brethren,
". . . I feel I should forward to you some of my experiences in giving out Service Testaments to the young men inducted into the Armed Forces in our country. The first induction was in 1941 when I gave 33 Testaments to boys going into service. This experience will never be forgotten. The streets were filled with hundreds of people, just crowds, and I was all alone; surely the Lord was with me. As I started giving the boys the Word, a man yelled out trying to intimidate me, saying (the) most vile things. I was being crushed in the crowd and no one would come to my rescue, except the Lord. He gave me strength to continue and finish the distribution. I left the crowd, went down the street, up through an alley to my grocery store. I cried.
In the next 2 years I gave out over 1,000 Testaments. On October 13, 1943, I gave my only son the 1,042nd Testament during the thick of the fight. By the end of the war he was made an assistant chaplain and returned to us safely, for which we give God the glory.
Over 25 years we have continued in this service, giving up to this date, between 9,000 and 10,000 copies of the Service Testament. About a year ago I noticed a man who was at the induction center nearly every time the boys left. He came to me and said, 'Mr. Groman, this would not be complete if you were not here giving out God's Word.' His arm was over my shoulder in an expression of encouragement and love. He is a devout Roman Catholic. In the early days they had the most prominent men in our community, including ministers, priests, etc. to talk to the boys before they left. Now a policeman and the draft board call them aside and give me an opportunity to say a few words. I tell them of the gift I have for them and the need of accepting the Christ of this Book. Recently a young man came to me and said, 'Thank you for the encouraging message.
On Tuesday morning of this week, August 9, after I gave out the Testaments, a man came to me and said, 'You gave me one in 1941.' Another man indicated that he had received his Testament in October, 1942. These were the fathers of two boys being inducted that day. 'On July 26 I gave 19 boys the Word of God at 5:45 in the morning as they were leaving. One of the fathers, a man who had known me for some time, opened his heart, and with tears rolling down his cheeks, told me that he had got his boy out of jail the previous night just to be inducted into the service on this particular morning. I had given his boy God's Word.
I thank God for that terrible experience the first time I made the distribution of Service Testaments. Through it, God gave me determination and without this suffering, I could not have endured through the years. Now, after 25 years in this humble service, without any display, we built up a standing in the community so high that I need the constant prayers of my brothers and the help of the Lord to live and to walk in such a manner that I will constantly honor Him."
Ted R. Groman, Tiffin, Ohio (December, 1966)
Dear Brethren,
". . . I feel I should forward to you some of my experiences in giving out Service Testaments to the young men inducted into the Armed Forces in our country. The first induction was in 1941 when I gave 33 Testaments to boys going into service. This experience will never be forgotten. The streets were filled with hundreds of people, just crowds, and I was all alone; surely the Lord was with me. As I started giving the boys the Word, a man yelled out trying to intimidate me, saying (the) most vile things. I was being crushed in the crowd and no one would come to my rescue, except the Lord. He gave me strength to continue and finish the distribution. I left the crowd, went down the street, up through an alley to my grocery store. I cried.
In the next 2 years I gave out over 1,000 Testaments. On October 13, 1943, I gave my only son the 1,042nd Testament during the thick of the fight. By the end of the war he was made an assistant chaplain and returned to us safely, for which we give God the glory.
Over 25 years we have continued in this service, giving up to this date, between 9,000 and 10,000 copies of the Service Testament. About a year ago I noticed a man who was at the induction center nearly every time the boys left. He came to me and said, 'Mr. Groman, this would not be complete if you were not here giving out God's Word.' His arm was over my shoulder in an expression of encouragement and love. He is a devout Roman Catholic. In the early days they had the most prominent men in our community, including ministers, priests, etc. to talk to the boys before they left. Now a policeman and the draft board call them aside and give me an opportunity to say a few words. I tell them of the gift I have for them and the need of accepting the Christ of this Book. Recently a young man came to me and said, 'Thank you for the encouraging message.
On Tuesday morning of this week, August 9, after I gave out the Testaments, a man came to me and said, 'You gave me one in 1941.' Another man indicated that he had received his Testament in October, 1942. These were the fathers of two boys being inducted that day. 'On July 26 I gave 19 boys the Word of God at 5:45 in the morning as they were leaving. One of the fathers, a man who had known me for some time, opened his heart, and with tears rolling down his cheeks, told me that he had got his boy out of jail the previous night just to be inducted into the service on this particular morning. I had given his boy God's Word.
I thank God for that terrible experience the first time I made the distribution of Service Testaments. Through it, God gave me determination and without this suffering, I could not have endured through the years. Now, after 25 years in this humble service, without any display, we built up a standing in the community so high that I need the constant prayers of my brothers and the help of the Lord to live and to walk in such a manner that I will constantly honor Him."
Ted R. Groman, Tiffin, Ohio (December, 1966)
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