The Story of Peggy Covell
Eighteen-year-old Peggy Covell was devastated. She had just learned that her parents were dead. Missionaries to Japan, they had fled to the Philippines when war broke out, but now the cruel Japanese had taken over the Philippines. When a radio was found in Peggy’s parents’ possession, they were accused of being spies, given a mock trial, and promptly executed.
At first, Peggy was angry and bitter towards the Japanese for killing her parents. But then she thought about what her parents would have done. Without doubt, she was certain her mother and father would have spent their last moments forgiving and loving their enemies.
Peggy knew she needed to forgive them, too. So she began to ask God to show her how He would have her share His love with her enemies.
On the Colorado/Utah border, near her home, was a camp for Japanese prisoners of war. Peggy began to volunteer at the camp, bringing blankets and Bibles to the soldiers and sharing the gospel with them.
She never would have guessed the impact her simple acts of love would make.
Japanese Captain Fuchida had helped lead the attack on Pearl Harbor and fought fiercely against the Americans. Now that the war was over, he had another mission. The Japanese were accused of treating their prisoners of war cruelly, and were being tried for war crimes. So Captain Fuchida set out to prove that other nations treated their prisoners just as badly. He interviewed Japanese prisoners of war, questioning them on how the Americans had treated them. One soldier told Captain Fuchida of Peggy Covell and the love she’d shown them. Captain Fuchida could not understand why she would show love to her enemies—the people who had murdered her parents. And he began a new quest; to learn about the God who would give someone that kind of love for their enemies.
In his searching, he read something written by Jacob Deshazer, an American soldier who had been cruelly treated by the Japanese as a prisoner of war, but became a Christian while in prison, and after the war, returned to Japan as a missionary. After giving his life to Christ, Captain Fuchida joined with Jacob Deshazer preaching the gospel throughout Japan. Captain Fuchida shared the story of Peggy Covell and how it had impacted him whenever he preached, and many Japanese people decided to follow Jesus.
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