A Trip to Alaska
A trip to Alaska. The year was 1987. The family had been transplanted to a southern state for work. Each year during the Christmas holiday break, the family would take a trip to Alaska to visit family.
Joseph and Becky, along with their 3 young children set out on the long trip. They would take turns driving and planned to stop only for short breaks and to eat. The trip was almost 60 hours driving time, and they had just two weeks off to make the trip to Alaska and back home. Their 3 kids were small and slept on a makeshift mattress in the back of the station wagon.
The first leg of the trip went quite well. The family was excited to be making their annual trip back home. The weather was nice in the south, even for December, and they made great time.
The Mountain Pass
Day three of the trip became a little more stressful. A snowstorm was predicted for Idaho and the family needed to make it thru the mountain pass before the blizzard hit. The snow would make driving through the pass impossible and the detour would add hours to the trip. Joseph decided they would try to drive through the night to get ahead of the storm.
They drove all day and into the evening. It seemed they had luck on their side and the weather had not yet made it to them. Becky took over driving just before dark, while Joseph decided to take a nap. He crawled in the back of the car, snuggled with his babies and quickly fell asleep.
Becky drove on, into the night, and into the mountains. They had made the trip to Alaska several times and always took this highway through the mountains.
As she drove, she kept an eye on the sky and noticed that the stars and moon were disappearing behind the heavy clouds. It looked as if the storm was catching up with them.
The temperature was dropping and the snow was beginning to fall. Becky woke Joseph and alerted him about the weather.
The Blizzard Caught Up With Them
Becky stopped the car to let Joseph take over driving. He was still tired from the long journey, but the crisp air woke him up and as he stretched he heard the weather report on the radio. The storm was moving faster than expected and blizzard conditions were imminent.
The snow was getting heavier and Joseph decided they should look for somewhere to stop for the night. They were eager to get to the next town and decided that a good night’s sleep in a real bed might not be a bad thing.
The couple drove on, for more than an hour, only passing a few cars along the way. It was almost midnight and they had not passed through any towns. The snow was beginning to accumulate, and Joseph was desperate to get his family off the highway. The road conditions were worsening, and the winding mountain road had almost nowhere to pull over. Joseph knew he had to press on.
Nowhere To Stop
Another half hour passed and the blizzard was fully upon them. The snow was falling so heavy it was hard to see. White blankets of snow covered the highway and Joseph could no longer see the lines marking the edge of the road. Becky was getting worried, but there was no place to stop. The wind was blowing deep drifts across the highway. They were high in the mountains and not being able to see the side of the road could be disastrous. Becky began to pray for a town, or any place they could get off the road safely.
Joseph drove slowly, while Becky prayed out loud.
The children in the back were now awake and were chilled by the cold air. It was now only 7 degrees and the car’s heater was not keeping up. They were tired and hungry, and the couple knew the family was in trouble.
The Old Store
As Joseph made it out of a long curve he caught a glimpse of an old service station and pulled the car into the small parking lot. The station was closed, but at least they were off the highway. They would wait there until the storm passed or the sun came up.
It was late into the night, with the blizzard still blowing snow the couple realized they didn’t have enough fuel to keep them warm till morning. The babies were getting fussy, it was going to be a long 5 hours till daylight. Joseph and Becky tried to comfort their children, as they quietly prayed for a miracle.
A Knock At the Door
Around 3 am, there was a knock at the window. There stood an old man with a flashlight and he was trying to tell them something. Joseph was startled by the man’s sudden appearance, but he cautiously opened the car window.
The man introduced himself as Henry, and he explained that he owned the old store and gas station in addition to the living quarters behind it. He told the couple that they were welcome to come inside his house to warm up, and his wife could find something for the children to eat.
The family was cold and exhausted, and getting out of the chilly car sounded like heaven, so they bailed out without any fear of following the stranger.
An Answered Prayer
The house was in the back side of the old station and was only a few yards from where Joseph had parked the car. They hadn’t noticed the building, because the blizzard had blinded them to everything except the snow. Henry’s wife greeted them at the door and welcomed them into her home.
In the dimly lit room, was a fireplace and the kids quickly gathered near the hearth to warm themselves. Henry’s wife made fresh coffee for Joseph and Becky and hot cocoa for the children and they were all beyond happy to have the warm liquids.
Henry’s wife went back to the kitchen and after a few minutes, returned with a plate of fritters. They all sat near the large fireplace eating and drinking and enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Henry and his wife.
Henry told Joseph that when the storm let up, they could go over to the gas pumps and get them some fuel. It would be hours before the snow was due to stop, so the couple made pallets for everyone to sleep in the warm room with the fireplace. For Joseph and Becky, the hard floor near a warm fire was an answer to prayer. They were grateful for their miracle and fell asleep quickly. They rested for several hours.
The Snow Plow
Just before daylight, Henry woke Joseph and told him the snow plow had just passed and it would be a good idea to follow behind the truck to get through the pass. They quickly filled the car with fuel and loaded the kids. Joseph and Becky were so grateful to Henry and his wife and tried to pay them for the fuel, and for their hospitality. Henry refused payment, and with a smile, waved to the family as they drove out onto the freshly plowed road to continue their trip to Alaska.
The snow plow truck had cleared the highway enough for Joseph to safely drive and they were just under an hour from getting through the mountain pass. The babies were all tucked in and were back asleep and Becky and Joseph talked about how blessed they had been. God had answered their prayers and provided shelter for their family.
Daylight came quickly, and they were able to drive out of the storm. They had a few more days of hard driving before they would complete the trip to Alaska.
God Provided
The rest of the trip went quickly and before long they were with family again.
Joseph and Becky told their family how God had used Henry and his wife to rescue them during the blizzard. What a blessing they had been. They were all grateful that God provided for them in their time of need.
The couple decided that since Henry would take no payment for the fuel, they would deliver a gift to them on the way home. They had purchased a beautiful fruit basket for Henry and his wife and were excited to see them again to thank them.
The Trip Home
The visit ended too soon and the family was back on the road again headed home.
As Joseph made the turn on the mountain pass road, they laughed at the difference in the weather. The sun was peeking out from the winter clouds and it was much warmer than the night of the blizzard. They were almost back to Henry’s house. Becky watched for landmarks but didn’t seem to recognize anything in the sunshine. There was still snow everywhere, but the highway was clear, and the couple searched for Henry’s house.
Were they Lost?
In the curve, where they expected to see the gas station and house, there stood an abandoned building. There was a building but was boarded up, and it was obvious that no one had been there for years! This couldn’t have been the place, so they kept looking.
The old store and the gas pumps didn’t look like they had been in use for a long time. This couldn’t have been the place. But there was a familiarity about it that the family couldn’t understand. This couldn’t have been the place.
Where was Henry’s station? The couple knew it had to be on this road, but where?
Joseph and Becky got back in their car and started on down the mountain. They must have been confused about where they thought Henry’s place was, after all, the blizzard made it impossible to see anything.
They continued looking and watching the side of the road intently, fully expecting to find Henry.
Did Anyone Know Henry?
After driving a short time, they came upon a small village with a single store. They stopped and went in hoping to get information about Henry. Becky asked the clerk if she knew of a man named Henry that owned a gas station a way back up the mountain. The clerk directed her to an older man drinking coffee at a corner table.
Joseph approached the elderly gentleman and asked him if he knew Henry and where could he and his wife be found. The old man chuckled and told them that Henry and his wife both had been killed in a winter storm accident many years ago. They had been dead for 20 years and were buried in a nearby cemetery.
But how can that be? Where was their house? The man told them it was back up the road in the direction that Becky and Joseph had come from. They had lived in the back of the old gas station. He told them Henry’s son had boarded up the building and moved away after they died.
Snow Ghosts or Angels?
Joseph and Becky were beyond surprised to hear the old man’s story. How can that building, all boarded up, be the same place they had slept in the week before? Who served their babies hot cocoa and made them pallets by the fire? And the fuel? What about the fuel?
Were Henry and his wife ghosts? Or were they angels?
Joseph and Becky believed they were angels. They believed God sent angels to provide shelter and warmth from the storm. They say their blizzard miracle changed their lives. For the first time in both of their lives, they understood that God care enough about them that he would do something supernatural just for them.
What do you think? Could God make a miracle out of a boarded-up old building?
I believe.
I knew Joseph and Becky personally and was told this story many times. They are both gone now, but their family still openly proclaims to be living witnesses to that miraculous night. They believe.
Do You Believe?
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