God's Providence Manifested in a Postage Stamp

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:

1. Departure Day & Time
2. Catching My Breath
3. Soulshine Alaska Mission Trip Video 

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

My mother passes away.

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)

Links to Photo and Video Archives

https://carolinacycling.smugmug.com/Alaska-Mission-2015/


https://carolinacycling.smugmug.com/Judy-Pristash-Soulshine-2015


https://carolinacycling.smugmug.com/Kingdom-Air-Corps/


https://carolinacycling.smugmug.com/Alaska-Excursions-2015/


https://carolinacycling.smugmug.com/Kenai-Fjords-Boat-Tour/


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSM5OERtyiLJKahtcitTkIwYLUT37wQH1


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTw3TqfZAk


https://youtu.be/SCEZCfU4UiA


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFs999DshY&t=224s

Suggested Travel Items

Essential Travel Apps:

Bible - never leave home without it.
myNoise - to down out the snoring roommates.
GoPro - remote control and viewfinder.
Strava - record all the routes you travel.
RoadID - similar to Strava but can notify others.
Waze - traffic routing.
InstaWeather - document weather conditions where/when you are someplace interesting.  People always ask, "how was the weather?"
InstaPlace - similar to InstaWeather but w/o the weather info.

Don't forget your earbuds for use with the myNoise app when trying to sleep.  Get to sleep fast and stay asleep because o'dark-thirty comes early.

If you bring a lot of electronic, photography, or video gear on your trip then remember these:

DC to AC inverter for use in the car.

TWO power strip w/ enough outlets for:
1. Cellphone charger
2. Camera battery charger
3. GoPro battery charger
4. Smartwatch / Activity band / GPS charger
5. Laptop
6. Small fan - the AC may not be on
7. Roommates cellphone charger

Carry the inverter and a power strip in the vehicle on all trips to charge devices while on the go.

1 power strip stays in car. 1 power strip stays in dorm room.

You will have less time to see things than the others if you are not prepared.  Think ahead and be ready to capture the moments.  Fumbling around for what you need while everyone else is enjoying the scenery isn't what you want to be doing.  Don't be the slow-poke.

Plan your sleeping arrangements:
Position your air mattress where you can have easy access to wall outlet. One person on each side.

Eye mask for blocking out the light from midnight sun and from roommates opening dorm room door and letting in the light

A folding chair next to your air mattress makes a good shelf, clothes hanger, towel drying rack, and of course a place to sit and get dressed.

If you have to get up frequently in the middle of the night, be close to the door.

Use the myNoise app.  It's better than earplugs.  Music works too.

Food:
Pack snacks for yourself. You never know. You or a companion might need them before you can get a real meal.

SoulShine Alaska Mission Trip Video Recap

Below is a video we put together following our mission trip to Anchorage, Alaska, from June 26 to July 4, 2015.  It was a wonderful experience that none of us will ever forget.  "SoulShine" was the theme  of our mission team:  Scott, Kathy, Patrick, Judy, Gene, Tracy, Logan, Melissa, Austin, Hanna, & John

Catching My Breath

It has been about three weeks since we returned from Anchorage.  We were there for nine glorious days!  Unfortunately, I was a little under the weather before, during, and after the trip.  Before the trip I somehow got into some poison ivy and was taking prednisone, which really helped with the rash, but it lowers your immunity and can have some adverse side effects.  I had to make a trip to the ER in Anchorage to get treated for oral thrush and the Nystatin mouthwash really helped.  I was blessed to be “transported” to the ER by one of FBCS’ & “Greenville County's finest.”  God clearly put this team of people together.

My mouth started feeling better but then a post nasal drip and cough began to develop toward the end of the trip and I had to go see my family physician once we got home.  One dose of a prescription cough and antihistamine syrup really helped with that, but in all honesty, it still took me a solid week to recover from the trip.  With 19 hours of daylight in Alaska and a 9-day, 19-hour-a-day schedule and a return flight that departed Anchorage Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. and arrived in Atlanta Sunday morning at 6:45 a.m. we were all wore out.  We still had to caravan two car loads from the Atlanta airport to Simpsonville, despite one dead car battery and a couple of pieces of lost luggage, we arrived safely at FBCS around 10:30 a.m.

Julie was waiting for us and after some hugs I went to wait for Samantha outside her Sunday school classroom.  I was happy to see my girls!  We got home around 11:00 a.m. and I was happy to see my oldest son, Alex.  They had done a great job of taking care of one another while Austin and I were in Alaska.  Thank you God for my family, the time on mission in Alaska, and for safe travel.

Since returning home, I spent the first week simply trying to recover.  I needed time to get over that cough and catch up on my sleep.  Between Austin and me we captured about 78 GB of pictures and video.  I didn’t even look at any of it for a week, as much as I wanted to, I just didn’t have the energy.  I started trying to organize the pictures and video the second week because we needed to put a video together for the church and have been working on that off and on for the last two weeks.  We present that video to the church on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel.

The next thing I need to do is begin working on a longer video for the mission team that includes more pictures and video footage from our morning devotion times and free time outings, all of which were awesome!  We'll be shooting to have that video done for our mission team luncheon at church on August 9th.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and their families again and sharing memories of our time in Alaska.

Departure Day & Time

June 26th is the day we departed on our mission trip to Alaska.  We drove from Greenville, SC, to Atlanta, GA, then flew directly to Anchorage, AK.

Three years ago to that day, I received a call from my Step-Mom.  My Dad had passed away.  It was not expected.  His soul has departed this Earth, but his memory remains strong in our hearts and minds.

My Dad's obituary:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sanantonio/obituary.aspx?pid=158282840

My Dad did not know his departure time.  Neither do you.  None of us do.  

Do not depart Earth without first knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Here are a couple of pictures of the last time I got to see my Dad:

I miss him!

He was a great man!

Love you Pop!

We flew back from Anchorage on July 4th, the same day we flew back from his funeral in San Antonio three years earlier.

SoulShine

We have a team theme for our mission trip to Anchorage, complete with a song and t-shirt.  The theme is SOULSHINE and here's what our T-Shirt looks like.

T-Shirt Front:

Every color on the shirt represents something:

Gold:  Represents God, the Creator of all, who lives in  Heaven.  The Bible says that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness - God is Perfect!  God loves you and He wants to have a personal relationship with you.  Jesus is God's son.  The Bible says that Jesus and God are One.

Dark:  Represents Sin, which is doing wrong things. God says that all have sinned and fall short of God's standard of perfection. Sin separates us from God.  The Bible says that the penalty for our sins is death or separation from God forever.

How can your sins be removed so that you can know God?

Red:  Represents Jesus' blood.  Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, but He died on a cross to pay the penalty for all of our sin.  Again, the payment of sin is death, so Jesus paid the penalty for each of us.  Why?  The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life" (with God).  The Good News is that you don't have to be separated from God forever by sin!

White:  Represents each of us after our sins are washed away by Jesus.  How can Jesus wash our sins away? When we believe in Jesus by following Him, our sins are forgiven. The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

Have you accepted Jesus' gift of forgiveness by believing in Him?

Green:  Represents growth in your relationship with God.  The greatest commandment is that we love the Lord our God with all our Heart, soul, mind, and strength and that we love our neighbors as ourselves - Love God, Love People!  Read the Bible each day to learn more about God and His love. Pray to God constantly and share your thoughts, needs, and desires with Him. When we are Baptized, we are telling the world that we have committed our lives to Jesus and that we are a new person, like being born all over again!  Hang out with other Christians and encourage each other. (Church is a good place to start.)  Share the Good News that Jesus can forgive sins when you trust in Him!  Tell as many people as you can!

T-Shirt Back:

This T-shirt is meant to be a conversation starter, hence the "Ask me about my SoulShine" line.

It is also a memorializes our trip location by showing where we are going as well as representing the Alaskan State Flag which is represented by the stars and blue background, which is really Navy Blue and not Royal Blue as shown here.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to have designed this shirt with input from several others, but even more for the the opportunity to wear this shirt and "Let my SoulShine!"

(A Christian friend printed these shirts for us and I would be happy to pass along his contact information to you if you have any t-shirt printing needs.)

I hope to be able to post a video of the theme song being sung on location (post-trip) so stay tuned...