God's Arms Around Us

by William R. Moule

December, 1941. William R. Moule, American miner working in the Philippines, his wife who was expecting a baby, and their two young children found themselves trapped by the invading Japanese. Rather than go into a concentration camp - and believing that the war would soon be over - the Moules took to the mountains. God's Arms Around Us is an epic of courage and faith - the experiences of a family that survived nearly three and a half years of horror - fleeing the enemy, searching for food, building concealed shelters, and eventually enduring captivity. The baby was born while they were still in hiding. There was no possibility of a Robinson Crusoe-type survival - staying in one place and making the most of it. The Moules had to be on the move continually, climbing mountains, fording streams, trekking across strange terrain in the darkness with enemy planes overhead and patrols covering the paths. Yet through it all, very seldom did William Moule lose his Irish sense of humor, and very seldom did his wife, Marge, fail to smile with him. When malaria struck in 1943, they could no longer stay on the run. Captured, they were taken to Japanese garrisons, then to Camp Holmes, and later to Bilibid Prison in Manila. The Japanese tortured Moule in an attempt to uncover his part in guerrilla warfare and his acceptance of a commission in the United States Army. The infamous Bataan Death March is graphically related here, as described to Moule by a survivor. Throughout the harrowing years, the Moules never wavered from their trust in God - their certainty that He would keep His arms around them "Marge and I," say William Moule, "brought three little kids through an ordeal that most single men couldn't survive, but we had the will to survive, and we had faith."

400 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Carol Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill and Marg Moule took their two young kids to the Philippines, where Bill could work in the mines. It was 1940. They didn't expect the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, to change their circumstances.

Bill kept saying, "The war will be over in six months." When the Japanese occupied the Philippines, the American civilians could either turn themselves in to the Japanese, trusting they would be allowed to live in a concentration camp, or hide out in the hills. The Moule family chose to live off the trail in remote areas.

I am staggered—in a good way—by Margaret Moule. She hikes up mountains days before she has a baby; lives in primitive conditions; lets her husband go on reconnaissance for days while she stays with three kids by herself. Clearly, Bill and Marg had an unusual level of trust, respect and understanding in their marriage.

"Then Marg came back with that elixir that has been the driving force in my make-up since our marriage. "Bill, never mind what other people think. Although I hated to be the one to make the first move, I've always felt you were right. Even if you aren't I still love you, you brute. So goodnight!"

They dodge patrols and scrape food together for weeks, for months, for years. They move higher, they move lower, they are ready to relocate in an instant. My heart was jack-hammering while I read this section.

After malaria lays the whole family low, they are arrested and sent to jail, and eventually to a concentration camp. When American planes are sighted, they hope for an end to the war and to their misery. The story grabbed me to the very last page.

The illustrations are well done. I would have enjoyed a map of the Moule family's journey. I have enjoyed going back through the book and looking places up on Google maps.