As I awoke this morning, I began to think of the upcoming days in my life. GOD is bringing me to a closing of another chapter and the beginning of a new chapter in my journey through life. We don’t know what our future holds, but as believers we can be assured of the one who holds our future.
Reading from Psalm 25 the last two days has reminded me that it is God, my Lord and Savior, who shows me His way, teaches me His truths and leads me in His path, only as I place my trust in Him. From somewhere in my past, the words “young men and (women) see visions, old men (and women) dream dreams. Then I thought, we must do both! We must see visions and dream dreams. Proverbs 29:8 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Those words sparked a memory of a beautiful and favorite hymn.
“I love to tell the story, of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story, because I Know ‘it’s true, It satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do.
Refrain: I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story. Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best, seem hungering and thirsting, to hear it like the rest, And when in scenes of Glory, I sing the new, new Song, twill be the old, old story, that I have loved so long.”
Beautiful words that penetrate my heart and lead me to share part of my personal testimony.
Our first year of marriage was filled with Joy and challenges, then sorrow as our first pregnancy ended in miscarriage and hospitalization for both of us, however God’s assurance from Ecclesiastes 3, gave us hope and reminded us of God’s sovereign design in all things. As my love was preparing to get out of the Navy and begin a new career, the oil crisis hit our nation. We found out we were pregnant again and staying in the Navy seemed the wise thing to do and God answered prayer in providing us with orders for accompanied sea duty. It would mean three more moves that year, the first including getting ready for three pack outs, one for permanent storage for three years, the second for household items, personal clothing and our larger bed for my 6’4” husband; which would go by sea to our final destination and the third, necessary Items for the next seven months, especially baby items for our little one due in early June, that we would load in our pickup truck. Our second move would be in summer from the volunteer state to California, where my love would be in training and I would stay near the Artichoke center of the World, and our third move to the Aleutian Islands. Backing up a bit, when we arrived at the military hospital to check in for baby’s delivery, we were informed that they had reached their quota for deliveries in that time frame. We were given a list of possible doctors we could use, and told to select one and call for an appointment in the closest city. After finding housing in a small apartment complex with attached units, most of them military families, we settled in and enjoyed fellowship with neighbors in the adjoining stoops in our backyards.. In mid May, Baby came early after a long labor, and we were blessed to welcome our first born son, named for our dads. Less than 2 months later we were on the road again, crossing the country in our pickup, the bed of a buggy secured between the dashboard and the back of the seat as our baby slept when he wasn’t in my arms. Our third move, when he was 5 months old, took us up the coast, north to Seattle, then from Anchorage to Adak NAS, in the Aleutians, the birthplace of the winds and more importantly where we welcomed our precious baby girl a year later. She was three weeks old when we were called about the death of a family member and took emergency leave to come back to the lower 48. During our time home, we extended our leave and drove North to introduce our babies to our family, then drove back to St Augustine to return the borrowed car to family, and fly to Washington state where we celebrated Christmas with friends, before our return to Alaska.
It was also during our years in Alaska that I realized that something was missing in my life. I had attended Sunday school and church, had gone to classes as a young person and been confirmed and accepted into the church as a member. But I had missed the mark and knew I did not have the assurance of salvation. One day, I knelt in my living room, confessed my sin and my need of a Savior. I believed in His birth, that He suffered for my sin, was raised from the dead, and gave His life that I might live and is coming again. He gave me the gift of faith through His Grace and brought me to Himself. I shared my decision with a chaplain, and followed in believer’s baptism in a swimming pool one Sunday night. My life and desires changed. I was a new creation. Old things passed away and all things became new. We started Bible study in our home, prayed and sang scripture choruses, accompanied by guitar and had sweet fellowship sharing hot chocolate and homemade caramel popcorn.
During our last year in Adak, I went through a difficult pregnancy and was placed on bed rest. I prayed for God’s will, and miscarried our baby. I was saddened until God allowed something to happen that made me realize how blessed I was to have two babies that were gifts from Him. Ten months later, the gift of our second son was placed in my arms, born in the native state of his dad, whose name he carries.
So whoever we are and wherever we are on life’s journey, we are called to boldly share the truths of the Gospel, to be a light in the darkness and to give the Glory to God,
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