How are all these connected, what do the following have in common?
- A love for all things Alaska that I couldn't explain, never having been before.
- A handful of letters from a young Navy sailor stationed in San Diego to his wife.
- A postage stamp celebrating the centennial of the Alaska Purchase.
- A town in Alaska that sprung forth from the early days of the Alaska Railroad.
- A postmark stamp dated three days before a child is born.
- A sailor who became a railroad man in Texas.
- A mother who gave her first born son a handful of letters.
- A mission to serve in Alaska that started in 2015.
- A group of people that graduated from a Texas high school in 1965.
- A 1965 graduation class website admin.
- A picture of 5 elementary school girl friends in party dresses.
- A tribute video to my mother.
- A seemingly random church member connection made in 2017.
- A favor to store team supplies at their home in Alaska.
- A map showing where the 1965 high school graduates live now.
The jaw dropping realization that God was showing me something special.
His plans for me before I was even born.
God's providence made manifest.
It only took 55 years.
2012
My dad passes away unexpectedly.
2014
I'm watching every TV show about Alaska.
I learn of an opportunity to go on a short term mission trip to Alaska.
I immediately go all in.
2015 - Trip #1
As we began to prepare to go to Alaska I started this blog.
With the recent passing of a family member I updated my Grizzly Adams Wannabes post.
We served in Anchorage, AK, at Anchorage Baptist Temple (ABT).
I summarized that trip in these posts:
2015 Trip Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH8LmtGmDQw&t=480s
2016 - Last time I saw Momma - A visit to the family farm in Texas
Instead of going back to Alaska I went to see my ailing mother and step dad on their 50 acre farm in Sulphur Springs, TX.
She gave me a packet of letters that my dad wrote to her while he was in the Navy during Vietnam.
I could not bring myself to read them so I put them away.
2016 Trip Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCEZCfU4UiA&t=114s
2017 - Trip #2
2017 Trip Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhENlBMg1eM
2018 - Trip #3
2018 Trip Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arNIkz5iaqY&t=8s
2018 Trip Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPPfvXjj4qo&t=30s
2019 - Trip #4
2019 Trip Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ6bZypoVLA&t=113s
2020 - No Trip - COVID Pandemic
2021 - Trip #5
2021 Impact Video: https://vimeo.com/641280639
2022 - Celebrated 30 Years of Marriage in Hawaii
I found the packet of letters that my mother gave me.
I put them in chronological order based on the postmark date stamp.
This one catches my eye!
This one caught my attention right away.
a) Because it has a postage stamp celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase.
b) Because it is post marked a few days before I am to be born.
In the letter my Dad is talking about my imminent arrival and his plans to get from San Diego to San Antonio.
Before I was even born, God had a plan for me to go to Alaska! I doubt either of my parents ever realized that those 55 year old letters had Alaska Purchase stamps on them.
I started doing some research on my Dad's military service and ran across a website for my parents high school graduating class. Since both have passed, I asked the site admin for access to see what it might say about my parents.
One of he site admins, Marilyn, knew my mom... since elementary school. She tells me that she is in my mother's tribute video... in the picture of the school girls in their dresses! This just thrilled me!
My mother shared this picture with us over the years. It was one of her favorite memories. She still remembered all the girls's names and "tagged" them on the photo which we ultimately included in her tribute video at her funeral.
I noticed a feature on their class website that showed where everyone lived on a map. I love maps so I opened the link and low and behold there's a marker on the map showing someone living in Alaska!
I had a very real, unforgettable, moment here...
Simultaneously, I had feelings of total disbelief and 100% confidence that I somehow already KNEW this person mysteriously hiding behind this marker. My mouse lingered over the icon as my mind raced trying to reconcile what was about to happen...
I clicked on the icon and my jaw dropped (again) and all I could utter was "Oh My God" in total reverence of Him.
Guess who lives in Alaska! Cynthia! Guess who has been storing some of our mission trip supplies for the last few years at their home in Alaska! Cynthia and her husband Larry! Cynthia graduated with my parents in 1965. She recognized them but didn't know them well because their graduating class was over 600 students.
Romans 8:28 says,
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Ephesians 2:10 says,
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
2023 - Trip #6
Taking a team of 10 people. God had put it on my heart to get my buddy's church involved. We prayed, and met, and after a few years... His plans are manifest once again...
5 from FBS/UC
5 from The Church at the Mill (led by Chuck Stevens)
