Unthinkable Courageous Stories

By: Dennis and Barbara Rainey
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  • Summary

  • This feature will ultimately feature over 50 Unimaginable Stories of Courageous Faith that are guaranteed to capture your imagination, stiffen your backbone and strengthen your heart for the battles you face.
    © Dennis and Barbara Rainey
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Christianity Relationships Social Sciences Spirituality
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Episodes
  • Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 1

    Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 1
    Nov 5 2019
    Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 1Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 2Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 3Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 4FamilyLife Today® Radio TranscriptReferences to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. Out of the Depths Day 1 of 4 Guest: Ed Harrell From the Series: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis________________________________________________________________ Bob: Sixty years ago this week on the night of July 30, 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II, a Japanese submarine launched torpedoes that would sink the USS Indianapolis. Marine Ed Harrell was on board that night. Ed: When I actually left the ship, and there I prayed that somehow the Lord would see me through what lie ahead, and yet I had the foggiest idea that I'm going to be out there for four-and-a-half days. There's times when you pray, and there's times when you pray, and there is a difference. Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Monday, August 1st. Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Of the nearly 1,200 men who were onboard the Indianapolis on that night only 317 survived. Ed Harrell was one of the survivors, and we'll hear his story today. And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Monday edition. Dennis? Dennis: Bob, I want you to imagine with me a pretty dramatic scene. Just consider yourself being 20 years old, you're a Marine, you're tough, you're physically fit, but you're alone, you're in the ocean, you've just lost your ship, and you and about 80 others are floating in the middle of the night in the ocean in lifejackets. We're going to hear a story – one of the most compelling stories I think I've ever heard from a gentleman who joins us on FamilyLife Today – one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis. Bob: A man who doesn't have to imagine what you just described because he lived through it. Dennis: That's exactly right. Ed Harrell joins us on FamilyLife Today. Welcome to the broadcast, Ed. Ed: Thank you so much. It's a delight to be with you. Dennis: Ed is not only a survivor, but he was a businessman for 38 years. He's served as a member of the board of trustees at Moody Bible Institute, a great ministry. He and his wife Ola, who have been married since 1947 – that's a lot of years, that's a lot of years, live in Paris, Tennessee. They have two children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Ed: That's right. Dennis: You've lived quite a life, Ed, but you're one of the few, one of the few survivors of that tragedy. Take us back, first of all, to when you signed up. Why in the world did you sign up to be a Marine? It was 1943, is that right? Ed: That's right, 1943. I don't know that I can even know why I really did at the time, but I knew that the war was getting pretty close to home, it sounded to me. In fact, when I heard that the Japanese and the American forces were having quite a battle at Midway, I was thinking that Midway was maybe between San Francisco and Hawaii, and so I thought, you know, they're getting pretty close to America, so, actually, I had just finished my junior year in high school, and I volunteered then for the Marine Corps. Bob: You were 17, 18 years old? Ed: I was 18 when I – I actually became a Marine when I was 18. Bob: You know, Ed, my son is a junior in high school, and the thought of my son saying, "I'm going to sign up to be a Marine in the middle of this kind of conflict, as a parent, I'm not sure I'd endorse that plan. Were your parents behind it? Ed: Yes, I think they pretty much agreed. Dad pretty much agreed. They didn't necessarily want to see me leave, but they knew, too, the little Silvertone radio that we had was telling us quite a bit what was happening in the Pacific, and I didn't have much problem convincing them that I wanted to go. In fact, I have two grandsons in the Marine Corps today. Dennis: Do you remember that time when you said goodbye to your dad? Ed: I do. My dad was 37 or 39 years old, and I thought he was an old man then, but I told him goodbye at the bus station. Dennis: Did you hug? Ed: Yes, yes, we did. Dennis: Were there tears? Ed: There were some tears, there were some tears. Dennis: What did he say to you? Ed: I don't know that I can remember what he ...
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    25 mins
  • Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 2

    Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 2
    Nov 5 2019
    Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 1Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 2Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 3Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 4FamilyLife Today® Radio TranscriptReferences to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. Out of the Depths Day 2 of 4 Guest: Ed Harrell From the Series: Mercy at Sea________________________________________________________________ Bob: Sixty years ago this week, Ed Harrell was afloat in the Pacific. His ship, the cruiser USS Indianapolis, had been sunk by Japanese torpedoes. Many of the crew members had not escaped. Those who had, found themselves battling for their lives on the open seas with no help in sight. What was in sight were sharks. Ed: You can't imagine, and I can't explain, you know, the feeling that you have. You know that at any moment that the shark could get you, and you wonder, you know, am I going to be next? You know, you pray and you pray more, and you pour your heart out to the Lord, and just hope and pray that somehow, some way, that He will be faithful to the promise that you feel that He's made to you and that you'll be able to endure. Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Tuesday, August 2nd. Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. We'll hear a powerful story today of courage and faith as we speak with one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis. And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us. I somehow missed this in my study of U.S. history. I don't know that I ever was aware that on the night of July 30, 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II, a Japanese submarine, I-58, launched a spread of torpedoes at the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific Theater. Two of those torpedoes found their mark and, in less than 15 minutes, this cruiser sank in the Marianas, and there were almost 1,200 men on board the ship. More than 800 of those men did not survive the attack or the days that followed that attack. And I don't know, Dennis, that I'd ever heard about that battle or about the sinking of the ship, but it's truly a compelling story, especially when you consider that some 300 men were rescued days later. Dennis: Yes, and we have one of those men who was rescued back with us. Ed Harrell joins us again on FamilyLife Today. Ed, welcome back. Ed: Thank you. Dennis: I want to express my appreciation for you, as a veteran, just for serving our nation and also for coming here on our broadcast and telling the story, a dramatic story, of what has to be one of the most phenomenal survival stories, really, Bob, in all of the World War II and maybe in the history of the United States. I mean, what you had to endure and go through. But we'll get to that in just a moment. Ed is a businessman, was on the board of trustees of Moody Bible for a number of years. He and his wife Ola [ph] have a couple of children and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and he is a survivor of the USS Indianapolis. Ed, I want you to take our listeners back, because you shared earlier the story of standing on the deck of this boat – this great, massive boat, over 600 feet long, at midnight as it's sinking in less than 15 minutes. What were you hearing at that moment? It's pitch black, there's a little bit of light from the fires that are burning midship, but what was the sound like? Was it of screams of people? Were there explosions? Ed: There were still explosions going on for a good while. In fact, when the ship actually went under there were still explosions that were taking place below deck. I don't know that I'm waiting to listen to see what might be taking place. I am eager to get off, and I make my way, then, to the port side and hung onto that rail and said my prayer before I entered into the water, and I knew, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the Lord had, through the Spirit, was bearing witness with my spirit that He was with me and that I would make it, somehow, some way. I know, later on, when I was interviewed, they asked me, "What were you thinking out there? Did you think that you were going to make it?" And I said, "I thought of the 30-day leave that I would get for being a survivor and be able to go home," because I hadn't been home for a good while, and I was thinking about going home, frankly. Bob: You had one what you've described as a kapok jacket, a life preserver, is that what that was? Ed: That's right. Bob: And I guess I'm wondering – were there lifeboats on board the ship? Were there ...
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    25 mins
  • Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 3

    Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 3
    Nov 5 2019
    Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 1Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 2Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 3Stranded in Shark Infested Waters - Part 4FamilyLife Today® Radio TranscriptReferences to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. Out of the Depths Day 3 of 4 Guest: Ed Harrell From the Series: Survival in the South Pacific ________________________________________________________________ Bob: Sixty years ago this week, Ed Harrell was one of a few hundred men floating in the Pacific following the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. In the four days that he was afloat, Ed saw some of his fellow sailors drift away from the group to be eaten by sharks. Some who tried to swim toward an imaginary shore who never came back. For Ed, the memories are vivid. Ed: I can see it today, and I think maybe I'd like to look at it and say that the Lord reminds me, even today, of those incidents, and as He reminds me of those, then they help to strengthen my faith and my resolve to live a life for Him today. Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Wednesday, August 3rd. Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Where did Ed Harrell's hope come from when it appeared all reason for hope was gone? Stay with us. And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us. You know, we've heard a story this week, Dennis, about a ship under attack. And then we've heard about the ongoing horror and terror of living in the middle of the ocean, bundled up with your buddies, hooked with your lifejackets to one another as the sharks encircle you in the waters and wondering, "Does anyone even know we're out here or will we die at sea?" No food, no fresh water except for a thundercloud that comes by and gives you a little bit of a rain shower. You hear a story like this, and you wonder where does the will to survive in the midst of that come from? I think of myself and think, "When would I just lay my head back and say, "Okay, I'm ready to die. I'd rather do that than keep living like this." Dennis: Yes, in fact, there's a story that Ed Harrell, who joins us again on FamilyLife Today. Ed, welcome back to the broadcast. Ed: Thank you. Dennis: There's a story you tell, Ed, of a Marine buddy who was ready to do the very thing Bob was talking about. He was ready to quit, and you kind of – the picture I had from reading your book was you kind of grabbed him by the life jacket and looked him in the eyes, and you gave him a reason to believe. Ed: I pretty much gave him an ultimatum, really, in that he had tried to convince me that he was going to commit suicide. He'd gone into the water head first and all of that oil in his eyes and then, you know, you can imagine – you take your hand, and you try to rub that oil out, but the more you rub your eye, you're rubbing salt in, and you're kind of taking that salt that's in the water, you're grinding your eyeballs with that. And then the sun then, you know, beaming off of that water, then through the daytime. By the second day, Spooner was determined that he was going to commit suicide, and he mentioned that two or three times. Anyway, I recall that I just got ahold of Spooner, and I turned him to me, and I kind of looked him squarely in the eye, and I said, "Spooner, there's only two of we Marines out here, and whenever a sailor is gone, there's still going to be two Marines, and you're going to be one of them with me," and I kind of turned him to me, and I fashioned – hooked his lifejacket then onto mine, and I swam with him then through that night, and then – it was sometime then the third morning that he wanted me to release him, and he made a vow to me that he would fight for life as long as there was breath in him because of him being able to survive as long as he had through that night, and I released him, then, the next day. Bob: You and some 300 of your shipmates survived in the waters in the Pacific from the time that your boat was attacked just after midnight on the 30th of July in 1945 when the Indianapolis went under in about 15 minutes. You survived for a period of, what was it, four days, five days? Ed: It was four-and-a-half days, yes. Bob: And you survived that, as you've already shared with us this week, there was – was it just a single rain shower that passed over that gave you a little bit of water? Ed: Right, that's all the rain that we had the whole time I was out there, that's right. Bob: So you're in salt water, you had a few tablespoons of fresh water ...
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    25 mins

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