“The Book of Mormon bears witness of the Savior with precision and power, and it invites the Spirit in unrestrained proportions. It is God’s crowning witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is all it claims to be. It is the word of God” Tad R. Callister.
This was an experience that Doug Henke had while in the military in 1972. Doug passed away in December 2014. This story is told by his wife, Kathy.
Throughout his life, Douglas Cook Henke loved the Book of Mormon, except for when he was twelve years old. More about that later. Everywhere Doug went he shared the Book of Mormon with others. It was his passion. He wanted everyone to know about this book of scripture that testifies of Jesus Christ on every page.
This passion first started when Doug served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the England Central Mission from November 1969 to November 1971. He loved the people he met on his mission. Doug talked to them about Jesus Christ, the restored gospel, and the Book of Mormon during his two-year mission. He taught and baptized many people. Even though he was officially released from his mission in November 1971, Doug remained a missionary in word and deed until the day he died. It was in his DNA.
While Doug was in England serving his mission, he was drafted into the Vietnam War. He would have to report for duty within six weeks of returning home. Doug got home from England on November 2, 1971, and married his sweetheart, Kathleen Fitzgerald, just three days later. Doug was drafted into the Army, however, he and Kathy made the conscious decision for him to enlist in the Air Force. The Air Force was more family-friendly than the Army.
Right after Christmas 1971, Doug reported to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for bootcamp. Fresh off his mission, he was still in that missionary mindset and shared his faith and beliefs with the other recruits. He was not shy about telling others that he was a “Mormon”. Any time he was in a conversation, Doug always found a way to bring up the gospel. The other recruits knew about his high moral standards and that he didn’t smoke, drink, chew tobacco, or cuss. They knew that he was a spiritual man, and some of them would come to Doug for spiritual advice and guidance.
One day Doug was sitting on his bunk in the barracks minding his own business. There was a man who was seen as the unofficial barracks leader. His name was Paul White. While Doug was on his bunk this particular day, Paul approached him and was immediately confrontational and antagonistic. To back up Paul’s bravado were the rest of the men in the barracks. Doug could tell immediately from the mood of most of these men that they were looking for a fight - literally. Others, who respected Doug, were most likely there to see what he would say and how he would handle the situation. Hopefully, they were also there to step in if a fight did break out.
Paul, with all his swagger and egged on by the others, asked Doug if he had read the Book of Mormon. Doug told Paul that he had read the Book of Mormon many times. Then Paul said, “I read the Book of Mormon, and I didn’t like it”. As expected, the men behind him were verbalizing their dislike for the Book of Mormon as well, even though they probably never read it. Saying a silent prayer, Doug asked Heavenly Father what he should say to diffuse the situation. The Spirit brought to his mind to ask Paul this question, “How old were you when you read the Book of Mormon”? Paul responded that he was twelve years old. With the Spirit still guiding him, Doug replied that the first time he read the Book of Mormon, he was twelve years old, and he didn’t like it either. The men were caught off guard by his response. They were surprised that Doug actually agreed with Paul, and it immediately softened their hostile demeanor.
Doug grabbed one of the extra copies of the Book of Mormon that he always had with him, and extending it to Paul, suggested that he read it again to see if he might have a different feeling about it. Paul took the Book and started to flip through the pages as he walked away. The men who were standing behind Paul parted to make room for him to walk through, with Paul now fully engrossed with the Book in his hands. With that, all the men dispersed, leaving Doug to himself. Letting out a big sigh of relief, he said a prayer of gratitude to God for the inspiration to get him through that confrontation. God was in Doug’s story that day and likely saved him from a a black eye or worse.
About four weeks later, Paul approached Doug and asked him if he would like to attend his baptism that coming Sunday. Of course, Doug accepted Paul’s invitation but was curious to know what happened that would bring Paul to the waters of baptism in such a short timeframe. Paul explained that he read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover and realized it was true. On his own, he then sought out the missionaries to teach him the gospel. He came to know that the Church was also true and wanted to become a member. From antagonist to convert in four weeks. What a miracle.
Doug attended Paul’s baptism and was pleased to know that he played a small part in his conversion. God governs the intersections of our lives. It was not a coincidence that Doug was able to talk to Paul about the Book of Mormon during bootcamp at an Air Force base in San Antonio, TX. We just never know when and how God will work in our lives or when and how He will use us to bless the lives of others.
After bootcamp, Doug and Paul went their separate ways and never saw each other again in this mortal life, but Doug never forgot that experience. For him, it was just another example of how the Book of Mormon can convert seekers, and even antagonists, to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Submitted by Kathy Henke from Aztec, NM
May 2021