Dan’s Race
By Melissa Barclay
During World War II, Dan and his older brother, Sam, lived about 100 miles from the nearest city in a cozy jungle village in the Philippines. They enjoyed eating bananas and other fruits from around their home, climbing trees, and exploring the beautiful area, just as curious young boys do.
As the war drew to a close, the people realized that once the U.S. Army arrived, the Japanese money they had been using would lose all its value. Eager to use as much of it as they could before that happened, Dan’s father headed into the city. The journey was long and dangerous, but he arrived and found a piano to bring home on his two-wheeled cart. He also found a Christian family he knew who were in severe hardship, nearly starving. He knew that he couldn't leave them behind because they had no food and were too weak to live much longer.
Dan’s father and two hired men carefully loaded the hungry parents and their three small children onto the cart with the piano. They began the week-long journey back home. Throughout the trip, American bombers flew overhead numerous times a day, targeting Japanese soldiers along the route. Every time their engines rumbled overhead, everyone on the cart would jump off and duck into the countryside to stay safe.
For much of the journey, the road gently wound through beautiful, waving rice fields, with lush green mountains in the distance, leading up to the last village before their home village. Here Dan’s father settled the family in a home in the village, providing them with rest and shelter. He then continued alone, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to handle the steep mountain paths. Carefully he navigated the final stretch home, ensuring that the piano stayed safe in the cart.
As soon as he arrived home, Dan’s father prepared a hearty meal and stored it carefully in a large canister. Then, he called his sons, eleven-year-old Dan and thirteen-year-old Sam. He entrusted them with an important mission. “This trip is too dangerous for an adult,” he explained. “I’m not sure what might happen to you, you might run into soldiers. But there is a young family in the last village that is starving and truly needs this food to survive. God will be with you on this journey.” He then shared the address and details of the home where the family was waiting, and the boys nodded, showing they understood.
Dan and Sam shouldered the food canister and set off on their journey. They moved quickly, whispering a prayer that they wouldn’t encounter the Japanese or be halted in their mission. As they reached the final hill before the village, they carefully slowed down, hoping to stay unnoticed as the jungles opened again into wider roads.
As they crested the hill, they could see the village below; but between them, a Japanese regiment approached, each soldier carrying a gun. Politely, they stepped off the road, bowing to show respect and waiting patiently for the soldiers to pass. The commanding officer called a halt and approached the boys. He began speaking to them in Japanese. Dan and Sam couldn’t understand a word he said, so they just listened, wide-eyed. The officer then pointed at the canister, took off the lid, and smelled the food. Finally, he said in broken English, “Very good!”
Turning, he issued an order and the whole regiment marched on. Dan and Sam carefully began walking past them. “Don’t rush, or they might shoot us,” Sam cautioned in a whisper. They moved away from the soldiers and made their way directly to the house where the family was resting, happily delivering the life-saving food.
Because of the close call, they were anxious to avoid any further problems on the return journey, so they waited a few hours before beginning their journey home. It was quite late in the day, and they hoped to stay out of sight of the Japanese soldiers. But their plans were not to be. As they approached the same hill outside the village, they once saw the soldiers marching directly toward them. Again, Sam cautioned his brother to walk slowly; again, they bowed respectfully and patiently waited. This time, the commander didn’t stop them and as soon as they were out of sight, the boys sprinted up the steep paths to their own village.
The boys made it safely home, the young family survived, and the piano had no bullet holes. The boys knew they lived in a war zone, and they trusted Jesus to carry them through it. They knew their mission. Do you know yours?
Melissa is a physical therapist who somehow found herself working in the crossroads of healthcare data analytics and data security. She is a leader in her local church, and captivated with discipleship and transforming dreams for the kingdom into reality. This story has been shared with permission of Time to Get Ready Ministries. For more stories like this, please visit www.timetogetready.org.
World Church Prayer Requests
June 2026
• Antigua: Pray for the District 11 Evangelistic Campaign currently ongoing in District 11, that strongholds be broken down and that many will surrender to God. Pray also that those who have left the churches within the district will return to God.
• Zimbabwe: Pray for the Pelandaba West SDA Church. The congregation has about 450 attendees but meet under a tree for worship. Pray that God will send His Spirit to draw them together in ministry to their community and in worship in their own facility.
• United Kingdom: Pray for the Derbe Chester Green CARE Group as they patiently and consistently continue to reach out to the seekers in their community. Pray for unity and a ministry focused approach in their trainings and sessions. Pray also for the youth as they organize evangelism communities and for the attendees as they join. May God send His Spirit to do a mighty work in this place.
• Botswana: Please pray for the upcoming ASI (Adventist Laymen’s Services and Industry) convention to be held in Botswana, 3-6 June 2026. May this not be just another talk show gathering but a springboard to mission after attendees understand why ASI is in the Adventist Church. May the Lord fund and sponsor attendees to meet at His feet to be sharpened for ministry. May attendees cooperate with the Holy Spirit and go on God's errands in their marketplace to share Christ in their places of work. The time is no more for us to prioritize wealth generation for the sake of ownership rather than ministry.
• Sierra Leone: Pray for the Christ the King SDA Church as they seek to establish a drug rehabilitation center. Too many young people have lost their lives in drug addictions. Pray that God will send the resources and people needed to undertake this great work.
• Trinidad and Tobago: Pray for the members of the Cumuto SDA Church as they do personal door to door ministry in the avenues, streets, and roads of their community. In Matthew 22:9, Jesus gives the command, “Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” Pray for this church as they obey His word.
• Uganda: Pray for the Kampala Central SDA Church as they seek to hold a prison and hospital ministry in their community to reach those incarcerated and hospitalized. There has been opposition, especially from the hospital administration, and we pray that they will be established in positions to bless those in need.