Friday, May 2, 2014

Part 7 Out of the Darkness Into the Light The USS Texas (CGN 39) Norfolk, VA

Part 7
Out of the Darkness into the Light
Dr. Alan N. Keiran
The USS Texas (CGN 39), Norfolk, Virginia

In early September 1980 Sally and I were blessed by the Navy packing us out of our little apartment and moving is to a three bedroom home on the grounds of Norfolk Naval Base. Since I would be deploying on the USS Texas over the next thirty months, we prayed for quarters on base so Sally and Jennifer would have great security and meet other military families…. We also asked the Lord for a glassed in porch, garden plot, play area, and other things. As I remember this, we had a list of 10 prayer requests and the Lord answered them all.

My first day aboard the Texas was a radical departure from anything I’d ever encountered before. The former Texas’ Chaplain had fallen down a ladder and broken his shoulder and was sent ashore….The interim Chaplain was a seasoned veteran and as Spirit filled mighty man of God. After meeting the Captain and the Executive Officer I was given a tour of the ship. The second day I was asked to visit the Senior Enlisted “Goat Locker,” as it is called. I was given a cup of “Joe,” and introduced to 30 of the most educated and motivated men I’d met. 

My first day aboard the Texas was a radical departure from anything I’d ever encountered before. The former Texas’ Chaplain had fallen down a ladder and broken his shoulder and was sent ashore….The interim Chaplain was a seasoned veteran and as Spirit filled mighty man of God. After meeting the Captain and the Executive Officer I was given a tour of the ship. The second day I was asked to visit the Senior Enlisted “Goat Locker,” as it is called. I was given a cup of “Joe,” and introduced to 30 of the most educated and motivated men I’d met.

During that initial meeting with the Senior Enlisted Crew members I was asked a question by the Senior Master Chief Petty Officer. He asked me where I was with the Lord. I said, “I love Jesus with all my heart and I will serve this crew to the best of my ability.” The group seemed to relax as I said that. What came next was awake up call to me….The Master Chief said, “That’s great! Because the chaplain we lost in an accident was not a man of God. We may not attend your services but we know that you will take care of our sailors.” 

The next day I met a group of Christian sailors who had been praying for a Spirit-filled Chaplain…..Over my 28+ months we were away from home 15 months. During that time I baptized over 30 crew members. The highlight of my time on Texas was our six and a half month Mediterranean deployment seeing Italy, meeting Sally in Genoa and skiing the Alps but it was also the lowest of lows because my Dad died of Lou Gehrig’s disease.  I was flown home to attend his funeral. I was amazed at how crowded the church was. The biggest blessing of my life was leading my dad to Christ before I left for the Med.

During our time in Norfolk we had open house for the Christians on board ship. During that time we experience our first deliverance. One of our crew members had attended a satanic “mass,” and had uncontrollable “voices” coming out of his mouth in public places. It took a while for him to admit to this, but on the night he finally consented to let us pray for him he was completely set free of demonic influence. He left the ship soon after to finish a bachelor’s degree. He tracked me down two years later to tell me that he was now a Naval officer and still demon free. PTL!

After our big deployment we had a few weeks leave and then. I am still in touch with my Texas roommate Jim Tortorelli who is still a mighty man of God. The Lord was present on the ship and in the hearts of our band of brothers.