Memories

August 3, 2004

I had a weird experience the other day. Out of the blue I remembered an incident that occurred when I was about 13. It was weird because when I lived it, I didn’t think much of it, but when I thought about it again the other day, I felt sick to my stomach.

It was the mid 80’s and I was a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea. The place we lived, called Ukarumpa, resembled a small military base with a post office, store, and school as well as homes, offices and other assorted buildings. My parents are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators and the base served as headquarters for all the translators that lived throughout the country in remote villages.

Ukarumpa was a great place to live as a kid although security was becoming an increasing problem while we were there. Incidents of robbery and rape committed by people in surrounding areas were commonplace. I knew several people who were victims of these crimes.

Because we were far from any sort of Western civilization–without TV, movie theaters, malls etc.–many of us rode horses as a form of entertainment. All of the horses were kept in paddocks on the perimeter of the base.

The day I recalled was like any other day. I grabbed my bridle and my dog and I hiked out to get my horse. I’m sure I found her in the swamp as usual, bridled her up, jumped on and headed for the paddock gate. This particular paddock was the most remote of them all and the gate through which we got out was in the furthermost corner. Just as I neared the gate, I saw a group of men clustered around it. At the time, I found it odd they were sitting there. There was really no reason for them to be doing so–there was no farmland or village nearby, just empty, unused space.

I do remember feeling slightly uncomfortable as I approached them and I also recall choosing not to dismount my horse to open the gate. I made my way through as quickly as possible and headed for home where I prepared for another day of riding.

Looking back, I’m quite certain those men were not there for anything other than sinister reasons. Why they sat quietly as I passed less than ten feet away escapes me. I was a young girl, alone, outside the earshot of anyone I knew and I was certainly no match (even with my dog and my horse) for the group of them.

Maybe I wasn’t old enough at the time to fully grasp the gravity of the situation but I’m absolutely shocked at my stupidity. I realize my life could have taken a dramatic turn that day, but it didn’t. Why? I have no idea. I wonder what sort of spiritual forces were battling around me. If I could see into the spiritual realm, what would I have seen?

And I wonder how often in life I’ve come within a hair’s breadth of devastating circumstances without having a clue. I wonder if, when we get to heaven, we’ll find out how many times God spared us from horrible experiences. If we do, I don’t think we’ll be surprised. I think we’ll be seeing the big picture and we’ll see how it all fits together…just like we’ll understand the larger purpose in some of the horrible events God did allow to happen.

Category: Deep Thoughts

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