Jehovah Jireh "God will provide"

This is the (ongoing) story of the Disciple House (Episodes 1-5)

Episode 1: The Dream and the Find
     Ever since we arrived at YWAM Idaho, we sensed the need for a bigger house where community could occur for single YWAM staff living in Cascade. The base has a decentralized structure and most staff have to find their own housing which may be difficult in our tiny mountain town with a population just over 1000. Through our first year, our dreams for the place started to expand: we wanted to have a place to exercise hospitality with a nice guest room and a big kitchen and community space.We wanted some land to raise pack-goats for our backpacking DTS. We wanted plenty of rooms to rent to staff at a low-cost, we wanted it to be near the base location where our students would be, and we needed to be able to afford the place on our missionary-budget. That wasn't asking too much, right?
     Through the occasional summer search, it seemed our needs/expectations were too high. Big places had big price-tags, and self-building such a place on purchased land would not work with our school running during the only time snow is not on the ground. So, we kept trying to create new solutions as our current home (28ft 5th wheel travel trailer) felt smaller and smaller and began having more problems (a broken slide-out, furnace on the fritz, woke up to 7 degrees inside one morning...).
     One day while in India, Jonny decided to look online at houses back here in Idaho, and a big 5 bedroom place on 2.5 acres 7 minutes from our base popped up. The price seemed reasonable, though still out of our range, considering the surrounding mountain views, the size of the house, and a working well and septic. We doubted it would still be available in 4 weeks when we returned, but we trusted God with it. Surprisingly enough, it was still available when we made it back to Cascade and no offers had been made. When we walked through the place with the realtor, we discovered why. The place needed A LOT of work (estimated $50-150K worth of remodeling according to a contractor). It hadnt been lived in for a couple years, there were dead flies EVERYWHERE, there was nasty brown shag carpet in all bedrooms and all but one bathroom, it was missing siding on 2/3 of the house's exterior, 1/3 of the roof needed to be replaced, and of course there was a strange corner balcony in the living room (not to mention the American teddy bear wallpaper).
     But despite all that, we could see the potential (great location close to our YWAM base, amazing views, plenty of room, nice land...). Plus, we had a peace about the place, like maybe God was in this decision. However, we didn't know how we could afford the place at the listed price, much less the needed renovations. Our expert contractor friend walked through it with us and told us that if we did most of the work ourselves, we could probably get it in decent condition for 25-50K. Our parents got behind the vision and offered to loan us money and the negotiations began!

From this...

To this!

Episode 2: The Purchase
     The sellers were offended by our initial offer but they still countered at 20K less than the listed price. We came up 14K from our offer and they returned with 5K down on their counter. At this point there was still a 30K gap between our offer and theirs. We knew we were at the end of our limit as we made our final offer 20K lower than their last counter-offer and 45K less than the original price. We did not have much hope that they would accept, but we simply did not have the funds to go any higher and still be able to make the necessary repairs. We relinquished it to the Lord knowing that if it was His will, He alone could make it come about, and we guessed it would not be in our timing. An hour after we surrendered it to the Lord, we got a call from the realtor saying they had accepted our offer!!! They accepted it under the conditions that the contents of the house also become our possession (ie. we get to deal with the leftover junk). We later discovered that this meant the house came with a big 10-seater solid wood dining room table with all chairs, as well as the entire daylight basement full of building supplies/materials (wood, tile, windows, cabinets, sinks, a toilet, ect.).
     On December 27, 2016 we officially became homeowners of 176 Goslin Loop, Cascade, ID! Some of our friends have affectionately termed our place "The Disciple House" because of our passion for discipleship and desire to utilize the 2700 square feet for developing Christ-centered community.
It is a major fixer-upper and at first we were feeling overwhelmed by the amount of projects needing to be done and our complete lack of knowledge or experience for doing them. But, when we are incapable, God comes in as the all-capable One and receives all the glory out of our story.

The basement full of supplies

The dining room table (and American teddy bear wallpaper)

Episode 3: The Insulation
     A friend of ours volunteered to be our contractor and developed a schedule and budget for our house. Being the middle of winter, and with temps dropping below zero on occasion, one of our first priorities was to get the place heated up. Our YWAM base had heaps of extra new insulation for us to use (they had a semi-truck load donated at one point). We just had to get to it half a mile from the end of the plowed road through 6 ft deep snow at our camp. With just a knee board and some webbing, Jonny harnessed me up to pull the load while he pushed from behind. We worked hard to get the first load out clearing a path through the snow and keeping it steady as it kept wanting to topple. When we finally got the first load back to our car, a group of snowmobilers showed up and agreed to help us out. They got the rest out in one go (it would have taken us at least 2 more grueling trips), and they even offered their trailer for us to load it in and dropped it off at our house an hour away when they were done for the day! We left rejoicing that God had provided for us! The next day, we went to work insulating our entire attic at no cost and immediately noticed the house temp rising. Quick mention: on our second to last rolling out of insulation in the ceiling (literally, we were minutes away from being done), Jonny's foot slipped off a truss and he fell through the ceiling. Thank God that his arms caught on the way down and he didn't fall to his death (although he happened to fall through over the living room balcony so he possibly wouldn't have dropped all 16 feet). Once again, I am thankful for the Lord's protection over our lives.

Hauling/snowshoeing the insulation from the camp

Snowmobilers to our rescue!

Jonny-sized hole in the ceiling

Episode 4: The Carpet
     We have been diligently searching Craigslist for most of our needed materials. One day we traveled to Boise to make some Craigslist pick-ups and God richly blessed us! By the end of the day, we had 3-4 bedrooms' worth of practically new carpet and carpet pad, 2 ceiling fans, and a light fixture and we had only spent $45! Here's the story: when the guy selling us the carpet found that we were YWAM missionaries, he exclaimed that he was familiar with our base director and had even been to our camp a few times. He invited us in to meet his wife and kids. We sat in their living room and all shared testimonies of the goodness of God our Father and what He was doing in our lives. Even though they had posted the carpet for $500, they ended up deciding to donate it to us and proceeded to ask what other supplies we needed. They ended up giving us a nice ceiling fan fixture with a remote for our living room and offered to haul the carpet up the mountain to our house in their trailer for us next time they head our way! We prayed for one another and once again left rejoicing, amazed at the generous provision of the Lord! The two other stops for another fan and light fixture resulted in lower prices than listed and thus we returned home having only spent $45 on our house. Others have also donated to us a clothes drier, a queen bed with frame, a twin mattress, a book shelf, a couch, and 4 bar stools.

Piles of carpet and carpet pad donated to us!

Episode 5: The Wood Stove
     We also knew we needed to purchase and install a wood burning stove because our propane bill was through the roof and wood heat is much more cost-efficient and effective for the layout of our house.  Multiple people had advised us that if we were purchasing a wood stove to do it right the first time. What they meant is that it is worth it in the long-run to choose a stove based on efficiency not cost (ie. do not just get someone's old donated stove because you will be paying for it big time in wood consumption). So, Jonny did the research and decided the best stove for our house would be the Blaze King King stove. We decided to bite the bullet and buy it new along with all the double-wall chimney pipe because it was the safest, most efficient, and longest-lasting option (plus nobody sells those things on Craigslist anyways because once you get one, you do not want to get rid of it!) Not to mention, our budget could allow for it since we were getting so many other big ticket items donated at this point(see previous episodes). So, we ordered it all and it was delivered to our door the next day. Looking at the forcasted 4 feet of snow in the next 9 days, Jonny decided we needed to get this thing installed asap...but he did not know how to do it and could certainly not try it alone (I'm too short to be much help installing chimney pipe with a 16-foot ceiling). Some great manly friends of ours agreed to help, and the next day Jonny was cutting a hole in the top of the roof in the middle of a snowstorm! The men were loving the adventure of it all while I was inside praying for their safety and cooking up a hot meal for them. After two days, the wood stove and all its chimney were installed to code and no one was injured! I'd like to mention here that we were now very thankful for that odd little corner balcony in the living room which made it so much easier for the guys to connect the pipe through the ceiling. Actually, we have no idea how it would have been done without that balcony. We see God's hand in placing it their years ago for who-knows-why until this very purpose. Now, once the dry-walling is finished up there (which a professional friend has also donated his expert skills in doing), the balcony will be removed and the wood re-purposed elsewhere in the house.
     However, having not known we would be buying a house in the winter, we did not use the previous summer to stock up on firewood, and it is not cheap when you have to buy it in the middle of winter! But, once again God provided as our friends (read fellow YWAM staff) blessed us with a cord (thats a truck plus a trailer-full, for you San Diegans like me who did not grow up burning wood for heat because we had the hot sun 24/7/365) of Red Fir (top-tier wood for burning)! And another friend (also fellow staff) gave us a couple car loads of their firewood.
     When we moved into our house I was wearing all my winter coats inside because we were out of propane (and had to wait a few days till they could refill) and the house was 41 degrees inside! Now, with our woodstove blazing, it is a cozy 71 and Jonny is wearing T-shirts around! Outside the snow is falling and I am so thankful for how God has been my Jehovah Jireh.

Jonny cutting the hole in the roof in the middle of the snowstorm

Andy and Jonny working on the roof

Josh and Jonny utilizing the balcony to install the chimney

Don't mind the mess, but the stove is in!!!

This is approx. 1 cord of Red Fir: 2 rows fully stacked!

Blazing hot!

Disclaimer: I realize I talk a lot about money and possessions, but please know that I do this because they are tangible stories of the faithfulness of God. I keep it all with an open hand knowing the Lord gives and the Lord takes away but blessed be the name of the Lord. We also happen to be missionaries living solely on the support of others; so, with a monthly budget of $2000 or less depending on what comes in, we feel the need to be thrifty and resourceful. Also, I've been learning about being a good steward with everything in my life. The definition of a steward is managing someone else's property. For me, that Someone is God. All I have, and even my very life, is His and I am responsible to do what would please Him with it. Same principal applies to our finances and to the disciple house: they are not ours to begin with, they are the Lords and we are blessed to be His managers of these things.

God Cares

Matt, our base director of YWAM Boise, got a phone call last week from his friend who is a refugee from Iran, we'll call him Amir. It is not unusual for Matt to get calls from Amir, but this time he frantically told Matt that he had some unexpected visitors that came to his house the night before and he needed Matt's advice. He proceeded to explain that the two visitors were his mother-in-law and pregnant sister-in-law from Iran and he had no idea how they got to America. Now, you need to know that it is a very long, stringent process for refugees to be allowed into the US and there are 3 specific criteria for pregnant women: 1. There must be no known health problems with the baby 2. There must be no known health problems with the mother and 3. They must have approved health insurance. If all three of those criteria are met, then they might be allowed in. The crazy thing about Amir's wife's sister is that she was told by doctors in Iran that her baby had some kind of defect and she was high risk because of previous pregnancy troubles. Also, she had no insurance. So, with everything against her, she miraculously made it to her sister's house. Amir told Matt "God must have done this!" And asked him to pray for the baby and mother. The amazing thing is that Amir was a Muslim and he acknowledged Matt's God as the One who was working for them. Matt shared this amazing story with our YWAM Discipleship Training School and we all cried out to God, interceding for this baby and family on the day of their first doctor visit. We knew God was going to do a miracle because He had already done that by bringing them here and taking care of them even though they didn't know Him yet. Later that day we found out the result of the prenatal appointment. The baby was perfectly healthy!!! No defects were found and the mother was also healthy, nothing to worry about. God answered our prayers and we broke out in much rejoicing and praising the Lord!
We are so thankful to serve a God who answers prayer and regularly does the impossible because He cares for us all.

Life as a Canoe Guide

Jonny and I have been working at Rock Ridge Christian Camp and Outfitters in Ely, MN as canoe guides since May. To be honest with you, I had never set foot in a canoe until about a month before I was to show up to camp. In fact, prior to staff training, Jonny and I decided to rent a canoe so I could practice at Salem Lake, and it turned out to be the first point of friction in our marriage. I was so bad that my canoe would often do doughnuts in the middle of the lake despite Jonny's patient coaching. It was with that limited experience (and muscle) that I showed up to staff training. In addition to my inability to control a canoe, my aversions to cold water and mosquitoes did not ease my mind concerning where I was headed and what I would be doing. The snow we encountered on the way to camp did not instill confidence that I would be staying warm as I knew I would be in and out water that was frozen just a month or two earlier.

However, my excitement began to build the minute we arrived at camp, and I was surrounded by green trees, crystal clear lakes, directors and staff members with fun Minnesotan accents, and a cozy little cabin.

Our 2 weeks of staff training were intense as we trained to guide rock climbing, repelling, dog scootering, high ropes, zip line, and extended canoe tripping. We took a staff canoe trip that pushed us 10-12 miles a day with plenty of portages, and our first day made the rest of the summer easy as we conquered the longest portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

The day after we completed staff training, Jonny and I headed back onto the water for a week with our Guides in Training and Junior Guides (leadership programs for high school students). We had an amazing week quickly building friendships with them and hearing their life stories of great pain and difficulty. We were privileged to spend a week pursuing a deeper understanding of how the Gospel applies to every aspect of every day of our lives, and we focused on understanding how God views us with immeasurable love despite our felt brokenness. It was a unique trip for the summer as the relationships that we made on the trip have been able to continue through the summer. In the following weeks after the trip, Jonny and I were also able to take time to conduct further teaching times with them, and we have been able to both hang out and walk out daily tasks along side them.

As soon as I got back from guiding the Junior Guides and Guides in Training, I immediately went back out for another week with a group of girls from the inner city of Minneapolis. These young ladies were beautiful, strong, and athletic, but I soon learned that they were facing some of their biggest fears by camping in the woods (spiders, bears, a week without a toilet, etc.). Even though I was much smaller than they, they looked up to me as the one who would keep them alive and hopefully well. It proved to be a very adventurous week of paddling against wind, up rapids and portaging around waterfalls. But the best part was that God was speaking to me and to the girls. For me personally, I had some concerns about leading an all-girls group which meant I had to manage some tasks as a guide which the men had handled in all my previous trips, such as collecting firewood, starting and sustaining good fires for cooking all the meals, and properly hanging the food bag each night to keep it away from bears. I prayed about all of these things and God faithfully provided an abundance of wood and eager participating girls for setting up the bear rope (it became a fun competition each evening). For the young ladies, the Lord spoke through my daily devotions regarding the Gospel, their relationship with Father God, listening to the Lord in His Word & prayer, and spiritual warfare. At the end of the week they were eager to pray and shared that they highly valued our lessons and quiet times as their favorite and most memorable parts of their experience!
The following week I stayed back at base camp while Jonny guided the group of boys from the same inner-city ministry. While it was nice to finally take a break from being on-trail, there was no lack of work to be done around camp while I eagerly anticipated Jonny's return.


The following week our camp hosted a large youth group for Adventure Camp where rather than guiding small groups out in the BWCAW, the entire group stayed at the cabin on base and went on daily adventures canoeing or rock climbing or dog scootering, etc. Jonny's highlight of the week was getting to teach each night. He challenged them in their understanding of the who they are in Christ, to fully surrender their lives and plans to the Lord, and how they can practically live out the will of God for their lives. He was encouraged all week long as leaders and kids alike responded positively and expressed to him how encouraging and timely the messages were for their lives.

A youth group from Fargo North Dakota came for a week of guided trips into the Boundary Waters. I had the privilege of guiding a fun group of 2 girls, 3 boys, and 2 men who had children in the group along with one of the guides in training. It rained and stormed for the first two days and we were so grateful to wake up on the third day to glorious sunshine. One unique aspect to being a guide is that even though I just met these teens, they respect me and are eager to hear what I have to say due to the fact that I become their mom for the week (cooking their meals, mending their wounds, and so on) but they also see me as Bear Grills since wilderness survival is my job. Therefore, I get to challenge them to deeper levels of faith and promote loving community. On the last night of every trip we always have an affirmation circle where every person in the group takes turns encouraging and affirming each other. This is one of my favorite parts of the week because it is so special to see the reactions of a teenager as their peers call out identity, life, and lovingly build each other up. This time was a reflection of the success of the week and it was particularly special to hear the children affirm their parents and vice versa.

Guiding certainly has its many challenges; unrelenting mosquitoes, crossing slippery, rocky portages with a 50+ pound canoe digging into the shoulders, subjection to unpredictable weather, sleeping away from my husband in a tent with snorers, discovering spiders in my sports-bra, bearing the weight of a pack heavier than myself, keeping the group motivated at the end of a long day when campsites are difficult to find...to list a few. However, I love my job! I am so blessed to live each day in a gorgeous place where most people go to vacation from their mundane jobs. I love cooking good food for my hungry campers. And above all, I am thankful to be in a position where I rely on the Lord every day for strength, love, wisdom, and guidance. To God be the glory!

Home is Where you Park it

A fun fact about me is that I have always wanted to live in a trailer or RV. I recently found out about the "Tiny House" movement and although we didn't build our house from scratch, it seems Jonny and I now fit their profile. Here is the story about our first home:

After Jonny proposed in October, we started thinking and praying about what our life would look like as a married couple. You see, he is from North Carolina and I am from San Diego, we met in New Zealand, we worked in Alaska, and we eventually want to serve full-time overseas. We realize we don't fit into the category of "normal Americans." With our nomadic circumstances, there was not a location suitable for us to settle and purchase a house, but on the other hand, we didn't feel like renting an apartment was the best use of our finances. So, we figured we would purchase a house on wheels so we can live anywhere in the continental US when we are State-side and park it at a family member's house when we are abroad. It would also limit our accumulation of "stuff" to only the essentials and we get to continue with our nomadic lives while having a familiar and comfortable space of our own, in-tow.
Jonny went to work researching the local RV dealers and Craigslist. After seeing many options, God lead us to a used truck and fifth-wheel trailer combo both year 2000 with very light wear and tear from occasional family camping trip use. It was an amazing deal and even though the interior design was a bit out-dated, we could see the potential, plus it had our ideal floor plan! Thankfully, our upcoming wedding gifts would help us to make the purchase without taking any loans. So, we purchased our first house and a truck for $12,000 and began the process of home-making. Jonny worked for the next month and a half on resealing the roof and all the outside seams with the help of my dad. Together we painted the inside walls, replaced all the hardware/hinges/light fixtures, and I sewed curtains and covered the couch. We renovated and updated our trailer and moved all our stuff into it. After the wedding and honeymoon we drove our house cross-country and parked it in Jonny's brother's driveway in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I must say, it was the best way to road-trip pulling over at rest-stops and sleeping for free in our own cozy bed every night!
Now we have been living in our tiny house for a couple of months and it has perfectly suited all our needs. It has kept us warm through the winter months and forced organization with simply the basics while costing us very little to maintain.

Here are some before and after pictures for your enjoyment:

From the outside

Before-Kitchen and dining room

After!

Before-Bedroom

After!

Updated kitchen

Covenant Vows

When Jonny and I got married on December 13, 2014, we made life-long promises to each other. A marriage covenant is not a contract, there is no "out," no breaking of the agreement, no stipulations, it is unconditionally kept; in other words, no matter what Jonny does or says or what circumstances come against us, I will always endeavour to remain faithful to these vows. I do this because I am a follower of Jesus and I live by His standards. I desire to display His glory in my life. All that is to say, I wanted to share these vows with you all so that you can keep us accountable and aid us in bringing glory to God through our sacred union.

I, Jonathan, take you, Amy, to be my wife. I promise before God and these witnesses that by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit I will love, honor, cherish, and protect you. Out of his strength and love, I will love you as Christ loved the church, sacrifice for you, put your needs above my own, and care for you as I care for my own body. I will delight in you, being in union with you as we have union with Christ. I will find my ultimate joy and satisfaction in Christ, and I will not expect you to be my source of fulfillment as such responsibilities are God’s and not yours to bear. I will endeavor to be a godly, self-controlled man acting with kindness, consideration, patience, and humility in the heading of our household. I will seek the Lord first and His righteousness. I will trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. I will acknowledge Him in all things knowing that He is, and always will be, directing our paths. I will follow Him and lead our family wherever He leads, and I will put the extension and multiplication of His kingdom before all worldly possessions and pleasures. I will encourage and support you in your walk with God. I will seek your eternal benefit over your temporal comfort or ease. I will lead our family with an urgency that prays for, longs for, and anticipates the coming day that our Lord will return. I will endeavor to bring up any children we may have with love, forgiveness and discipline, always teaching them according to Word of God. I promise to remain devoted to you exclusively as my wife for as long as we both shall live. And I acknowledge before God, before you, and before these witnesses, my inability to live out these vows in my own strength, and I acknowledge that His power alone will enable me to live in a Godly way as your husband. 

I, Amy, take you, Jonathan, to be my husband. I promise before God and these witnesses that by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit I will love, respect, serve, and honor you. Out of His strength and love I promise to submit to you and obey you in everything, as I do to the Lord. I recognize you as my head, even as Christ is the head of the church. In so doing I resolve to put my trust in God and not give way to fear. I will help you and work with you as a united witness of the love of God. I will delight in you, being in union with you as we have union with Christ. I will find my ultimate joy and satisfaction in Christ, and I will not expect you to be my source of fulfillment as such responsibilities are God’s and not yours to bear. I will seek the Lord first and His righteousness. I will trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. I will acknowledge Him in all things knowing that He is, and always will be, directing our paths. I will follow Him and you as you lead our family wherever He leads, and I will put the extension and multiplication of His kingdom before all worldly possessions and pleasures. I will encourage and support you in your walk with God. I will seek your eternal benefit over your temporal comfort or ease. I will endeavor to bring up any children we may have with love, forgiveness and discipline, always teaching them according to Word of God. I promise to remain devoted to you exclusively as my husband for as long as we both shall live. And I acknowledge before God, before you, and before these witnesses, my inability to live out these vows in my own strength, and I acknowledge that His power alone will enable me to live in a Godly way as your wife.

Note: Portions of these vows were adapted from Adrian Warnock and H. Norman Wright.

Pictures taken by TaylorAbeelPhotography

Fishers of Men

Last summer I worked at Sea Otter Sound Lodge from May through mid September. During my time there, God taught me an important lesson about patience and persistence in prayer and His incredible faithfulness.

First I want to help you envision the unique circumstances in which this lesson occurred. This was a job like none I had ever done. The lodge I worked at floated in Sea Otter Sound in the Southeastern part of Alaska near Ketchikan. There were no roads connected to the lodge, the only way to get there was by boat or float-plane. The lodge floated securely in a protective cove, tethered to the trees on the nearby concave shoreline so it wouldn't get pulled out into the open ocean by the daily currents. The entire facility was made up of several large rafts on which buildings were constructed and each raft/float was connected together by ropes and bridges so that they could be removed and rearranged. On one raft was the Main Lodge building where the kitchen, dining, and living room for the guests who came to sport-fish. On various other floats were the guest-rooms where these paying-guests sleep in comfort. Another float had the Crew Quarters which was a 2 story building where crew (such as myself) abided on the bottom floor and the lodge-owners dwelt in a little apartment-sized flat on the upper level. There were various other floats including a landing deck, fish processing, industrial freezers, generators, food storehouses, workshop, fuel containers, boat docks, and the like.

During the summer months, the lodge runs non-stop. The schedule was that every 5 days 16-19 guests arrived on 2 float planes and concurrently the previous guests (with all the fish they caught) departed on these same planes. It is a self-guided fishing lodge, so each group of guests was assigned their own room and skiff to take out fishing each day. There were 2 types of crew members- inside crew and outside crew. The 3 inside crew members, myself included, under supervision and aid of the wife-owner, were responsible for cooking/preparing/serving all meals, catching the fish we served, cleaning guest rooms and common areas, laundry, and providing friendly and hospitable service for any guest needs. The 6 outside crew members, Jonny included, under supervision and aid of the husband-owner, were responsible for cleaning the boats, prepping the tackle and all fishing supplies, filleting, vacuum-packing, freezing all fish, and also helping catch fish and Dungeness crab to serve.

My typical day at the lodge (non including the day that the changing of guests would occur) would look like this:

4:30am- wake up

5- make guest lunches

6- serve guest breakfast

6:30- clean up breakfast and start making cookies

7- eat crew breakfast

7:30- clean up crew breakfast and continue making cookies and water potted plants

8:30- make dessert for dinner (carrot cake/rum cake/ baked Alaska/lemon squares/cobbler, etc.)

9-2:30 either go fishing if needed or take a break

2:30 put ingredients for dinner and lunch bread into bread machines and get them started

4pm- start prepping dinner food (making the various side dishes and whatnot)

6-serve guest dinner

6:30 clean up guest dinner

7:30-serve crew dinner

8:30 relax/ hang out with Jonny before going to bed and starting all over again

 Without going into too much detail of everybody elses job duties, I think you get the picture that we worked hard without a day off for 4 month straight in close quarters. Us crew members really got to know each other well!

As tiring as work was, one benefit of the job was the gorgeous scenery surrounding us constantly. Not a day would go by when we did not see sea otters floating in the bay, bald eagles soaring through the trees, humpback whales spouting or breaching in the ocean, nearby forested islands, jellyfish of all shapes and sizes, and glowing bio luminescent ocean at night (just to list a few of the natural wonders). Alaska is gorgeous!

Now that you understand the physical context, let me tell you about the spiritual atmosphere. The owners of the lodge were Christians and other than that I had one other Christian crew member (a recent Moody graduate)(until Jonny joined me 2 months in). The rest of my coworkers were nice people, but had an opposite moral compass from me. Their speech, chewing habits, choice of movies, and topics of conversation were perverse to me. I knew this was my new mission field, where God placed me to be His light. My goal was to love these people as best as I could and live out my faith before them without judgement or condemnation. There were 2 other girls on crew, besides myself, and I was the oldest of the crew-members. I particularly wanted to reach these girls. From the beginning, I could tell by their disinterest in spiritual things and love of the world that it would take a work of God to soften their hearts and draw them to Himself. So, I prayed for them and befriended them. I choose not to force any spiritual discussion on them and simply let Christ in me be my witness. As the season progressed, it seemed as though their moral state was getting worse, not better, and I'll admit that I started to get impatient with the Lord. I was praying for them and living my uncompromising life before them, but they seemed to continue faster down the path of self-destruction. This was when God began to impress on me the importance of patience and persistence in prayer over time. You see, I believed in the power of God to answer my prayers, bring their salvation, and change their lives for the better. But, I expected Him to act sooner rather than later, because what benefit is there to Him waiting (I thought)? But once again, His ways are higher than my ways and faith is believing without seeing. I surrendered to His faithfulness and righteousness. I prayed that He would open the doors for those conversations in His timing and give me the right words to share and any success would be all on Him (as always).

By the end of the summer, God's grace poured out on me as He opened those doors. A few weeks before the end of our job, one of the girls came to me and asked me what advice I would give to someone who is spiritually lost! In tears, she explained to me her struggles with religion and told me that after spending the summer observing myself, Jonny, and the other Christians, she saw something different and desirable in us. She literally said "you seem like you have an actual relationship with God and I want that. How do I get it?" That is the widest open door to explain the Gospel that I have ever experienced! After explaining how to have that relationship with the Lord, I prayed for her. I told her that I had been praying for her all summer and she said that meant more to her than I could know! A few days later, the other girl also wanted a spiritual discussion and I explained the Gospel to her and gave her a Bible to read (she had actually never heard the story of Jesus before)!

I praise God for allowing me to see some of the fruit from that summer. Community evangelism/discipleship is very good! My heavenly Father is so patient with me and gracious and faithful and wise! This experience of being a fisherwoman (in more ways than one) gave me hope and enthusiasm for being a missionary. I hope this story can inspire you to keep praying with patience, faith, and trust in God for whatever community mission-field you are currently in.

Sea Otter Sound Lodge

Bald Eagle

Humpback whale right next to the boat!

Buz, our local Sea Otter

My daily cookie baking

the 50 pound Ling-Cod I caught

The Yellow-Eye I caught on the 4th of July

My first Silver Salmon

Some Halibut are bigger than me!

We had a big catch that day

The female crew!

Float plane taking away our guests.

Main lodge dinning room

Kevin pulled up an octopus

Exploration adventures

Exploring the surrounding islands

Team work

Jonny at the helm

Kyaking on our break

Its a long road ahead!

Outdoor adventures with my man

Shooting the glass bottles we lined up on the distant logs

2014 SOS crew

We jumped in the freezing ocean!

Alaskan sunrise view from the lodge