Crescent City Seventh-day Adventist Church

Vengeance to Astonishment (Part 1 of 3)

November 14, 2025
Dear Friend,
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who
hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” —Matthew 5:44
(NKJV)
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the skies over Pearl Harbor erupted in chaos. Dive
bombers screamed earthward, torpedoes sliced through tranquil waters, and the world
tilted for a sleeping giant. Leading the assault was Captain Mitsuo Fuchida, a seasoned
Japanese naval aviator whose name would echo through history. Born in 1902 amid
imperial ambition, Fuchida had earned accolades in China and Indochina, his heart beating
to the Bushido code—unyielding honor, relentless vengeance, and the creed of “kill or be
killed.” To him, enemies were not human; they were debts of blood demanding repayment.
Fuchida’s raid was a triumph of strategy and surprise. Circling high above the inferno, he
lingered long after the first wave, scribbling notes that would later inspire the film Tora!
Tora! Tora!. Returning to the carrier Akagi, he was hailed as a hero and granted a rare
audience with Emperor Hirohito. More campaigns followed. But fate intervened at
Midway in 1942. An emergency appendectomy grounded him just as his squadron
launched into history’s turning tide. From the deck of a doomed ship, shrapnel tore into his
body as American bombs found their mark. Rescued and reassigned, he took an
administrative post in Hiroshima—his wounds a badge of survival in a war devouring its
own.
Then came August 6, 1945. Ordered to Tokyo mere hours before the atomic blast, Fuchida
escaped the inferno that claimed 140,000 lives—including friends from his boyhood home.
The next day, he joined a team to survey the ruins. What he saw shattered even his
warrior’s resolve: a city reduced to ash, the air thick with moans of the dying. Every
companion on that grim tour later succumbed to radiation—except Fuchida. Why him?
The question gnawed like an unhealed wound.
War’s end brought no peace. On September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered. Fuchida testified
at the International Military Tribunal—not as a defendant, but as a witness against the very
hierarchy that had once exalted him. In those dim halls, he reflected on atrocities etched on
both sides. Guilt and rage intertwined: We were monsters—but so were they. Vengeance is
the only code.
Then, in 1946, came a crack in the armor. Reunited with old comrades—pilots he’d
mourned as lost—Fuchida expected tales of Yankee brutality. Instead, they spoke of
kindness. In a Utah POW camp, a young American woman named Peggy Covell had
tended their wounds, shared her rations, and whispered of a love that forgave the
unforgivable. Fluent in Japanese from her missionary upbringing, Peggy radiated a grace
born not of weakness, but of the cross.
Her parents, Jim and Charma Covell, had served in Japan before fleeing in 1939. Captured
in the Philippines, they were executed as spies—kneeling for half an hour to pray before
their deaths, echoing Jesus’ cry:

“Father, forgive them...” (Luke 23:34) Peggy, learning of their beheading months later,
could have nursed hatred. Instead, she chose mercy. She volunteered to serve the very
hands that had struck down her family.
How? Bushido screamed revenge. The gospel sang redemption. Fuchida, the architect of
devastation, found himself haunted. What power could forge such a heart—one that turns
swords into plowshares, not through defeat, but through divine love?
Dear reader, in your own battles—betrayals at work, wounds from family feuds, or the
slow poison of resentment—Jesus stands ready. He, who forgave from a Roman cross,
invites you today: Lay down your “never surrender” armor. Let His love dissolve the
bitterness.
“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
(Matthew 6:14)
This Sabbath, kneel as the Covells did. Pray for your enemies. Watch Jesus transform your
heart into a beacon of cheerful witness. Share that forgiveness—it’s the miracle the world
aches for. Will you?
(To be continued next week)
Verlyn

______________________________

Our Sabbath School and the Worship services are live and viewable via Zoom. Two Adult
Sabbath School classes are presented each week. One of them is viewable via Zoom. The
Junior/Earliteen Sabbath School class meets in the Pathfinder Room. Cradle Roll and
Kindergarten classes are available for younger children. If you are unsure where the rooms
or classes are being held, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the greeters for directions.
The Worship service is in the Sanctuary and via Zoom. The Zoom Meeting ID# and
Password are listed below.
Zoom access for Crescent City SDA Church meetings:
Meeting ID #: 993 5770 413
Password: 4642738
You can join by going to Zoom.us, click on join a meeting, and then enter the Meeting ID
# and password; or by dialing 1 669 900 9128, entering the meeting ID# and password as
prompted; or accessing through the Zoom app.
November 14, 2025 – November 21, 2025
Friday 14

th Sunset 4:57 pm

Sabbath 15

th Church Worship Leader, Wilmer Hechanova11:00 – 12:00 pm

Sermon, Eddie Heinrich

Bible Lab 12:30 PM
Sunset 4:56 pm
Tuesday Bible Study on Exodus 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Wednesday Community Services 1:00 – 3:00 pm Dorcas
Prayer Group 5:00 – 6:00 pm Church
Bible Study "Focus on Prophecy” 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Attendance via Zoom is welcomed by request.

Thursday Women’s Group 4:00 pm
Friday 21

st Sunset 4:51 pm

CALENDAR:
November 22, 2025 – Worship Leader, Bob Phang; Sermon, Carole Bliss
November 29, 2025 – Worship Leader, Ginger Finley; Sermon, Randy Steffens

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Church Pictorial Directories are here! If you haven’t received one yet, please see
Aimee. A family member will need to sign for receipt of the directory (one per
family).
The December Church Board meeting will be held on December 1.
Fellowship Luncheons are usually on the first Sabbath of the month, but because of
special Sabbath events, please note the weekly updates for any changes.
Tithes and offerings are being collected during the 11:00 AM Worship service each
Sabbath. Other options include the locked offering box on the rear wall of the Sanctuary,
the link to Adventist Giving on our church website:
https://crescentcityca.adventistchurch.org or you can download the Adventist Giving
app. Tithes and offerings may also be mailed to Crescent City SDA Church, P.O. Box
1905, Crescent City, CA 95531. Please designate where the funds are to be deposited:
tithe, church budget, Little Red School House (School), special projects, etc.
Thank you for taking the time to be part of our church family, in person or via media.
Please reply to this email (or ccadventistchurch@gmail.com) if you have specific prayer

requests. The Prayer Ministry team is active and cares about your needs—let us know!