I was seeking a civilian service instead of the army
Because of those Bible passages I mentioned above, I pulled the papers to civil service. I was interviewed by the General Staff in Helsinki. The officer couldn't change my mind. He asked me to consider it for another week.
I thought, however, that if I went to normal military service, and then there, I would probably find out better what was wrong with that system than if I did not go there. That's why I decided to join in normal military service. It was held it in Santahamina, Helsinki, June 15, 1971 - May 14, 1972. I went to the troop for military's headquarter. It was the leading troop in that battalion.
Initially, I was on the messaging team, but the First Lieutenant noticed I was quickly making friends with other military rookies, which had came from Helsinki too. That's why he placed me as a precaution into the anti-tank troop. It was located in the same barracks building. Somebody had perhaps told him that I had initially applied for access to civilian service and that I could form a resistance group from other new military rookies there.
I made use of a rookie time to increase physical fitness because it had deteriorated during my studies at HTOL for 3 years. I had saved a lot in food expenses, because during the 4 months of summer vacation I saved almost all the money I needed during the 8 months of study, 4 months in the fall and 4 months in the spring. I had worked hard all may summer vacations.
Still I took a student loan of FIM 3600, of which I used only FIM 1600. You see, my dad advised me to take that loan from the Co-operative Bank because I received that amount non-interest-bearing for 3 years. My father worked as a manager at the bank branc in that bank, in Siuntio village.
I paid off the loan in full long before the deadline. I was in such good physical shape that I was the fastest runner on RAuk for my team on both the short and long distances. I was the fastest at 3600 m (2 mi 417 yd), with a 15 km (9 mi 564 yd) speed march with a rifle on the shoulder and a backpack, and a 30 km (18 mi 1128 yd) run. I realized already in 4 weeks when I was a rookie that the system is completely rotten, even in national defense terms!
However, I decided to stay there until the end of my military service. (After military service, being a civilian, I informed about 2 years later the General Staff of Helsinki that I would never participate in war.) At that time, I was an Evangelical Lutheran.
That is why I was chosen by RAuk military students to lead spiritual and cultural activities. So I organized for them Christian evening devotions, some different than normal.
Once I asked a believing Pentecostal, a militar sub-officer, to play his guitar and sing a spiritual song at one of those Christian events at evenings. Someone recommended him to me. He chose the song, "There is a path in the Herb Garden. It leads to Calvary." It stayed sounding in my soul. I will explain later how it made a difference in my life after I returned to civilian life in Helsinki and later in Israel as well.
At RAuk, a bad influenza epidemic was raging
In the winter of 1972, a serious influenza epidemic broke out in the A2 virus, resulting in one-third of the entire population of the Uusimaa Jaeger Battalion being seriously ill.
Initially, the RAuk barracks was turned into a field hospital. Later, the military leadership made the absolutely insane decision that each patient had to bring their own bedding and go into their own company building.
There was -15 °C (5 °F) in yard and I had to walk sick, with fever +39 °C (102,2 degr. F), across the courtyard to my troop barrack. There was a walk of about 500 m. When I got there, my heat curve rose one time to +42 °C (+107.6 °F). Then I was on the brink of unconsciousness. The high temperature lasted a few hours ja I was seriously ill!
My normal temperature is +36.4 °C (+97.5 °F). When I went to the WC to my needs, my body was shaking like a drunk and I felt a lot of pain in my heart so that my eyes darkened. I was near dying.
As I sat on the toilet seat, I prayed silently for help from above. My Heavenly Father sent help through two medical men. They brought me two salt tablets and a glass of water. After taking the medicine and drinking the water, I was sweating so hard that I was all wet with sweat. My fever dropped in about an hour to normal temperature, so I was already then able to function as a healed man! It was a great miracle! HalleluYah!
/ UusJP = The Uusimaa Jaeger Battalion / RAuk = Reserve Sub-Officer School /
An important evening Worship opportunity
After the epidemic subsided, we returned to RAuk and one weekend the UudJP's field priest was prevented from leading the evening worship for the entire battalion and asked me if I would to do it for his. I felt in my heart, that the evening worship would be especially meaningful and important just then, as all the UudJP's military troop students and the entire Battalion leadership and the Native Personnel in the army and other staff would be listening to it.
I prayed Adonai to give me the teaching subject for evening worship because I was given permission to decide it. I was trusted by the management because I as a rookie was leading the worship in the evenings at the Army headquarters barrack for the military rookies, and later in RAuk for others.
I prayed and got the following verses from the Bible: Eph. 6:10 -18.
>>10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:<<
I briefly explained the significance of the passage I read to the time. I said that we are not really at war with the people or the masses of people in the East or the West, but that our true enemy is Satan with the fallen angels who are fighting against us from space. He does, however, use people who are evil, greedy, and ambitious, as his work fellows.
Yet our only security is the God of the Eternal and unless we rely on Him alone, Finland will be conquered and occupied. I noticed the deep silence that descended into the large hall where I made a speech and felt the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit.
In the past, a staff sergeant often came after an evening worship to express his opinion and criticize me in private of the worship I had led. But after that last worship, in which I speeched to the whole battalion, no one criticized me about it.
Apparently my message went through and touched all the hearts there!
HalleluYah!
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