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"One Women's Journey" Part 4

Tags: SEND North, Story

(The following is the final post in a four part series. A member of the SEND North team shares her perspective on the path into missions which God has led her on, from child to church planter.  Follow these links to catch up on the past posts:  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3) -

---- My blue pen’s cursive loops and curves surround the writing in the prophetic book of Isaiah—a common passage in my daily study. I scan through my journal, penned in, throughout and around the verses in my Bible—and come across my familiar penmanship adjacent an acquainted verse to our family. I pen, “God with us” next to Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The phrase “God with us” was foreign and distant, unapplied—that is until three years and one month after our family arrived in Alaska. It was the day my family and I stepped off the nine passenger plane, landing in a village without a current Gospel witness—the spiritual darkness pervasive and nearly tangible. The plane roars and taxies, taking off soon after the bumpy landing—and our family stands watching it leave with our four-wheeler, futon, dishes and clothing scattered across the vast gravel runway—alone it appears, but… God with us.

The weekend finds the village’s local gas station closed, reopening in two days. The home we anxiously wait to clean and decorate sits idle two miles from the airport runway—and without fuel our four-wheeler refuses to turn on, an obvious action and reaction scenario. How will we get the family and all our belongings from the runway to our home since we have no phone or friend in the village to ask for assistance?

Alone it appears, but… God with us.

A four-wheeler’s low roar echoes in the distance, but continues to get louder as a man investigates the newcomers. He descends the vehicle while my husband and he discourse. I pray as he reaches inside the wooden-made box atop his four-wheeler and offers four gallons of fuel for us to borrow.

Alone it appears, but… God with us.

Committing to repay him after the weekend, my husband retrieves a trailer from the city office and spends several hours and trips taking our belongings to our new home. We load and unload, eventually realizing the airline forgot to freight with our belongings the food we had packed.

Alone it appears, but… God with us.

We pray together as a family, asking the Lord to provide us with a meal that weekend. With the local store closed and no acquaintances made as of yet, we trust the Lord can do a miracle. With picture frames nailed to the walls, futons in place and black folding table and chairs snapped together, our family determines to get some fresh air from hours of unpacking inside our small home. Our family of four leaves the house, with two fussy children in tow and four hungry bellies, and we continue on our walk toward the river. Not long after meeting a couple new friends, a lady—smiling and kind—informs us of the school spaghetti picnic that evening, ignorant that her invitation did not stem from her kindness solely, but from our… God with us.

With rumbling tummies and excitement for a meal that does not consist of Cheerios and popcorn (the two items making the long voyage safely in our carry-on luggage), we enter the house and immediately get on our knees thankful for our… God with us.

Inconsequential, small stories to most, but deeply noteworthy to this particular family,

revealing … God with us.