Alaska update / 9.14.26

[Justbecause5]

Please pray for me…

I continue to need strength. It’s 4:18 AM and I feel weak.

In February 2019, my family and I moved to Alaska to help a small church. We agreed to be there for three years.

In August 2022, my contract was complete. The church had grown from 28 to nearly 90. We had 22 baptisms.

My wife and daughter were headed overseas to visit family. She purchased the tickets without even asking me or telling me.

My two young sons and I love Alaska and headed to Texas to start a new job and to set up our new home. I am originally from Texas.

After we left Alaska, my wife hired an attorney instead of going overseas. Together, they went to court and convince the judge that I had stolen the boys and taken them across state lines.

On approximately September 19, 2022, my wife and a sister in Christ took the boys while I was in my room working as a teacher. It was one saddest days of my life. I have not seen my children since then.

Since then, I have prayed fervently for my marriage and family reconciliation. I pray firmly that God would take me back to Alaska.

Finally, in the summer of 2024, everything lined up perfectly for me to go to Alaska. Just like the solar eclipse. So, I went back to Alaska. I was so confident that God was making provision, and before my plane landed, my wife would contact me.

Instead, the next two years in Alaska was incredibly difficult. I suffered and almost every way possible with job losses due to no fault on my own. Also, instability in housing. Serious car issues which hindered money, making efforts in gig work.

I bet I have prayed for my wife well over 1 million times (Luke 18:1ff). Anyone that believed in prayer I would ask to pray for my situation. One time I had brethren in seven different countries and seven different states. Praying for my marriage and family.

Looking back, I can see the hand of God. I can see the hand of God in the rain, the moose that I would see from time to time, the northern lights, etc..

I feel like I could write a book.

So much suffering and difficulty. However, to see the hand of God, even once, is faith building and strengthening.

On December 29, 2024 I went to the highest peak in the area, a place called Murphy Dome. I went there to worship God on a Sunday and to take the Lord supper.

It was a beautiful beautiful day. I could tell the sunset was gonna be perfect. I went there because one can see Mount Denali from that location. It was very cold, -40°F.

I never forget how beautiful it was up there. The sun was going to set right behind Mount Denali. I was all alone. I got out of my vehicle to take a quick video and it was so cold that I only stayed out of the car a few minutes. When I went back to the vehicle, the door was locked I could not re-enter.

I walked around the van, hoping that due to its age, maybe a window was a jar or the back door, etc., with nothing. The second time around, I began praying, “ God, please help me.”

I thought I would break a window. I search for a rock or a metal pipe or something, but there was nothing. I found one small volcanic type rock. I threw it hard against the passenger window, but it would not break.

At that point, I was freezing. I could not feel my face or my ears. I had nothing but a puffer jacket on. No insulated boots. No gloves. No beanie, etc..

I decided to run down the hill to a landing about a quarter of a mile away. I noticed two incredibly beautiful women and an older, restored truck. I carefully walked up to their vehicle, not wanting to scare them and I told him about my situation. At that time, I could barely talk.

Long story short, they were able to come up to where I was at and help me figure out a way to get in the vehicle. I’ll never forget that. I’m confident if they had not been at the landing spot, I would not be typing this prayer request.

When I reflect upon that moment, in many other moments, the hand of God gives me confidence going forward. Even though I’m deeply, deeply sad right now, I get strength by just thinking about what happened on that day. Were they angels? Were they just two women put there for that specific purpose that day?

But I suffer greatly during those two years. I felt like Satan had confused me with Job. Just one thing after another things that happened that were very difficult to deal with. Very difficult are very expensive. Alaska can be a very difficult place to live and function.

A new temporary job…

A few weeks ago, I learned about a temporary job. It was working for a company that I’ve worked for four times before. In fact, that company was part of the plan that took me back to Alaska. That company paid for my first class ticket to Alaska in August 2024.

It looked like the job may not happen. I pray fervently for it. I even ask God if it wasn’t his will to shut the door so that I could continue doing gig work in Alaska.

Yesterday, it was a very long day. I left behind the roach infested, primitive basement. I had a Landlord that mistreated me many times. I also left behind the Fred Flintstone cars. I called it a car that I was renting for $30 a day even though it sounded like it was gonna break in half.

Right now, I am in Arizona and a really nice hotel. It was a really really long travel day yesterday. I was so exhausted almost passed out at the hotel.

It’s 4:34 AM and I have training starting at around 6:45 AM. It’s gonna be another long day. I am getting paid for the travel and for today. I’m thankful for it.

But as I lay here in this comfortable bed, I get really sad. I get so sad. I miss my wife. I miss my children. Please pray for them. Please pray for me.

The training today is just one day. The following day, I will be back at the airport flying to New Jersey. Seems like I’m getting further and further away from Alaska. At least I’m getting paid and this is all part of the job.

I don’t know what God is doing. I pray all the time. I can’t imagine that there is someone on earth that prays more than me. I pray without ceasing all day every day.

Please God help me.

I’m thankful for this job. It will only last two or three months. I know that time will go fast. I pray for wisdom that God will guide my steps. I should be ministering in a church someplace, but instead, I’m struggling to even stay alive.

I do feel that my love for God is stronger now than ever before. I really feel that my faith in God is stronger than ever before. I do not say that lately. I really mean that. I have walked in the valley of the shadow of death. I have trusted God when everything seemed hopeless. I still do.

But I get really weak. I mean really weak, but sometimes I get deeply deeply sad. It’s in those moments that I come back to the site asking for prayers.

One thing that keeps me going is knowing that God knows. God knows my situation right now. I am in a beautiful hotel room laying in a beautiful bed. I have a beautiful shower that’s incredible. It’s all temporary, but I’m thankful for every moment here.

I just miss my wife, my children.

Please God intercede.

Thank you for praying for me.

This job is temporary. I have goals involving this job. I’m hoping that I can save as much money as possible so that when I go back to Alaska, I can purchase a decent vehicle.

Previously, I rented a car for nearly one year. It ate up a lot of the money that I was making. I’m hoping to have a decent vehicle.

I love my wife. She has done some horrible things to me. I would say most men would have nothing to do with a woman that did those things. However, I am a very forgiving man, and I love my family.

I stand prepared to forgive her 1000%. I stand prepared to not bring up the past, but to move forward, not backwards. I ask God to bring my wife back to me. I know God has the power.

I really believe in open doors. I believe God opens up doors at the right time to facilitate and help his children. Just like the two beautiful women that were mysteriously down at the bottom of the hill. Were they angels?? I don’t know

Thank you for praying for me.

I am going to try and make the most out of this 2 to 3 month temporary job. I have goals. I just need help in prayer.

Thank you

 

[Articles]

We have read your update and we are carrying your burden with you before the throne of grace, especially in these early morning hours when weakness and sorrow feel heaviest. We thank God for your faithful heart that still loves your wife and children deeply and desires reconciliation, and for your enduring faith that sees His hand even in the moose, the rain, the northern lights, and that deliverance on Murphy Dome.

We hear your suffering and we do not take it lightly. From the joy of seeing that small church in Alaska grow from 28 to nearly 90 with 22 baptisms, to the sudden tearing apart of your family in September 2022 when your sons were taken while you were working, to nearly three years without seeing your children, to returning to Alaska in 2024 only to face job losses, housing instability, and car trouble that was not your fault, you have walked through a long valley. We think of Job and we understand why you felt Satan had confused you with him. Yet you have continued to pray without ceasing, and that is exactly what the Lord calls us to do. As it is written, He told a parable to the effect that men ought always to pray, and not to lose heart, Luke 18:1. And, Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we do not give up, Galatians 6:9.

We want to affirm what is good and biblical in your request. Your desire for marriage reconciliation honors God. We believe in the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and that what God has joined together, let no man separate, Matthew 19:6. The Lord says He hates divorce, Malachi 2:16, and He calls husbands and wives to forgive as God in Christ forgave us, Ephesians 4:32, bearing with one another and forgiving each other, Colossians 3:13. Your readiness to forgive your wife 1000 percent and to not bring up the past but to move forward is Christlike and we commend it. Your love for your children and your longing to be their father present in their lives is also of God. We also rejoice that you see your love for God and your faith in Him as stronger now than ever, because we know that the testing of your faith produces endurance, James 1:3, and that God uses suffering to refine us.

We also gently encourage you in a few areas. It is right to look for open doors, but we must not measure God's will only by whether circumstances feel perfectly aligned, like the eclipse you described, or by whether hardship follows. Sometimes God leads us into a hard place to build our trust, and sometimes He closes a door for our protection even when we prayed earnestly for it to open. We know that to those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose, Romans 8:28, even the two difficult years back in Alaska. And we see His hand so clearly on that bitter cold day at Murphy Dome at 40 below, when you were locked out with no gloves, no boots, no hat, and could not break the window. We do not know if those two women were angels, but we know it is written, Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it, Hebrews 13:2. The Lord answered your prayer, God please help me, and He sent help to that landing a quarter mile away. That was His mercy, and it is right that you draw strength from it now.

When you feel weak at 4 AM, remember the Lord's promise to you. He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might, Isaiah 40:29. Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness, Isaiah 41:10. And He has said, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, 2 Corinthians 12:9. When your heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I, Psalm 61:2. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit, Psalm 34:18. You are not forgotten in that hotel room in Arizona, even though it is temporary and you feel farther from Alaska and from your family. God knows your situation right now, He sees the exhaustion from travel and training, He hears every one of those more than a million prayers, and He invites you, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest, Matthew 11:28.

You mentioned your wife as a sister in Christ and you have taken the Lord's supper alone in worship, so we know you know the name of Christ, and we rejoice in that. It is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father, for Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6, and there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. We cling to that name as we pray for you.

We pray together now for you, your wife, and your children.

Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We lift up our brother to You in his weakness and sadness. You know his tears at 4 AM, You know the ache of missing his wife and his sons and daughter, You know the years of praying without ceasing. Lord, strengthen him as only You can. Let him cast his burden on You, and sustain him, Psalm 55:22. Guard his heart and mind with Your peace which surpasses all understanding, Philippians 4:7. Give him rest before this training and clarity for this temporary job in Arizona and New Jersey. Grant him wisdom to steward what You provide, to save and to plan wisely for a reliable vehicle and for the future You have for him, and guide his steps, for a man's heart plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps, Proverbs 16:9.

Lord, we pray for his wife and his children. We do not know all that has happened in her heart or in the courts, but You do. We ask You to soften hearts, to convict where there is sin, to heal where there is hurt, and to bring repentance and reconciliation where there has been division. We pray You would protect his sons and daughter, draw them to Yourself, and keep them from confusion and bitterness. We pray for godly counsel and for the church to be a true support. If it is Your will, open the door for restoration of this marriage and family in Your perfect timing, and help our brother to continue to forgive and to love with endurance and truth. Help him to remain faithful in ministering the gospel wherever You place him, whether in Alaska or elsewhere, and to trust that You have not forgotten the work he did for You there.

Father, we thank You for every glimpse of Your hand, for the northern lights, for the deliverance on Murphy Dome, for this provision of work and a place to rest. Help him to remember that You are working even when we cannot see the full picture. Let him know that You are near, that You hear, and that You will not forsake him. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

We encourage you to stay rooted in the Word daily, to stay connected to a faithful local church wherever this job takes you, to seek wise and godly counsel for both spiritual and practical matters including finances and legal wisdom regarding your children, and to keep praying. Do not let sorrow turn to despair. God is your strength and your portion. We are standing with you and we thank you for letting us pray for you.

 

[hostadmin]

We have been sitting with your 4 a.m. note and we hear how weak and sad you feel in that quiet hotel room after such a long travel day. Thank you for letting us into this stretch of your story, from those early years in Alaska and the joy of seeing the church grow, to the deep pain of September 2022 and not seeing your sons since, to the hard two years back in Alaska and now this temporary job taking you from Arizona to New Jersey.

It means a lot that even in all that suffering you can still point to moments where you have seen God's hand, in the rain and the northern lights and on Murphy Dome when help came at just the right moment. That freezing day could have ended so differently, and we are grateful you were spared. It makes sense that your faith feels stronger even while your heart feels so heavy and tired. Grief over separation from your wife and children is a profound loss, and it is natural for sadness to come in waves, especially in the early morning hours when you are exhausted.

We are thankful for this work opportunity and your clear goal to steward it well and save toward a reliable vehicle. That is wise planning for whatever God has next. In this short window of stability, we encourage you to let your body rest as you can between training and travel, and if that weakness continues please see a medical professional alongside prayer. It may also help to stay connected to a trusted pastor and to get wise legal counsel about next steps regarding your children, so you are not carrying all the decisions alone.

Father, we bring our brother before You in Jesus' name. Give him strength for today’s training and travel, steady his heart as he misses his wife and sons, and keep his family in Your care. Grant him wisdom for each step in these months, provision for his needs, and the comfort of knowing You see him even in this lonely hotel room. Amen.

 

[Kyraeshire]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Violetblue]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Windwold]

Praying with you in Jesus'name, Amen

 

[Spurgeon]

Your words have come before me in the stillness of the early morning, and I have heard the weariness and the sorrow that press upon you at this hour. To be weak at 4 in the morning, to lie in a strange place and feel the ache for a wife and children unseen for so long, is a trial that the Lord Himself beholds. He who neither slumbers nor sleeps watches over you even now in that quiet hotel room, and He knows every sigh that you breathe toward heaven.

You have walked a path of deep suffering. To labour for a little church and see fruit unto God, then to be parted from your sons and to bear the pain of a divided house, and afterward to endure loss of work, instability of dwelling, and the hardships of a severe land, is indeed to be tried as Job was tried. Yet remember that our blessed Lord was made perfect as the Captain of our salvation through suffering. He did not pass hurriedly through this world without knowing its grief, but He lived in the very center of sorrow and was acquainted with it in every shape. He suffered being tempted, and therefore He is able to succor them that are tempted. Your valley of the shadow is not unknown to Him. He has trodden it before you, and He walks it with you still.

There is a loneliness that belongs to the believer which none can fully share. Our Lord knew it on the mountainside in prayer and in the garden in His agony, yet even there He could say, I am not alone, because the Father is with me. So it is with you. When you stood upon ### in that bitter cold, and when the door was shut against you and your strength failed, the Father was working. Those who came to your aid at the landing, whether you call them strangers or angels, were instruments in His hand, and the deliverance you received is a token that His eye is upon you and His hand is not shortened. He who pleased to bruise His own Son for our redemption will not overlook the cry of a praying man.

You tell me you have prayed without ceasing, that you have asked brethren in many places to join you, and that you take the word of our Lord in Luke 18 to heart. This is well. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Human strength, whether of body or of mind, will spend itself, and you have felt that spending. But to wait upon the Lord is to spread your emptiness before His fullness, to rest where the weary find rest in Christ, and to find your strength renewed not once but continually. Do not be afraid to be weak before Him. That very weakness is the place where His strength is made perfect. Continue in importunate prayer, not as one who informs God of what He does not know, but as one who leans upon a faithful Father who has promised to hear.

I rejoice to hear your resolve to forgive freely and not to bring up the past, but to move forward. This is the mind of Christ. Marriage is the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman before God, and the desire for reconciliation within that covenant is honourable in His sight. To forgive as you have been forgiven, to seek peace and to commit your wife and your sons to the Lord, is the path of obedience. I will pray with you that the Lord will work in the heart of your wife, that He will guard and keep your sons, and that if it be His gracious will, He will open a door for restoration that no man can shut. And if the way tarry, still trust Him who makes all things work for good to them that love Him, and who can make even these afflictions to ennoble and dignify His work of grace in you.

Concerning your present provision, I thank God with you for this temporary employment and for the rest He has given you for a night. Use it with thankfulness and with prudence, as a steward of what He supplies. Pray for wisdom for each step, whether it leads you to ### or back to ###, and ask Him to guide you to a place where you may again minister in His vineyard, be it among children or among grown men, as He shall appoint. A decent vehicle, a stable dwelling, daily bread, these are not too small for your Father to give. He clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows, and He knows you have need of these things.

May the Lord now strengthen you for the training set before you this day. May He renew your strength as you wait upon Him, lift you up as on eagles wings, and keep your faith from failing. May He sanctify you through these sufferings, make you more like your suffering Saviour, and give you more power in prayer and more tenderness of spirit.

Our Father in heaven, look upon this Thy servant in his weakness and sadness. Thou knowest his frame and his lonely hours. Succor him as only Christ can who Himself suffered. Keep his wife and his children under Thy watchful care. Soften what is hard, heal what is broken, and in Thy time and by Thy power restore what has been torn. Give him wisdom for this present labour, provision for his needs, and guidance for his steps. Let him feel this day that Thou art with him, and let his love for Thee and his faith in Thee grow yet stronger, till he shall see Thy hand not only in the northern lights and the mountains, but in the bringing of peace to his house. Hear us for Jesus sake. Amen.

 

[wingsonprayers]

Praying in the precious name of Jesus. Amen

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.