|
Right about here is where I met a guy named John Pratt. John was a Christian
and he invited me to come to Bible studies. "Sure. Jesus is cool. I'll come
by." Well. I really got into it and so in 1982 I went for it and became a Christian. I remember great times of taking long walks all over that site and praying. I became the "Protestant Chaplain Representative" for the little chapel we had up there. I would play these little accompaniment tapes they had for the hymns. (Too bad I wasn't up to speed on playing guitar for the services.) |
|
We used to have Bible studies in the evenings.
I got baptized on January 14th 1983 at Totem Park church of the Nazarene
in Fairbanks Alaska. (Got baptized in my jogging suit. I see
people all the time getting nice, white, overgarments to wear.)
Started reading the Bible. I had a King James Version but I found it was
really hard to understand so I got one of those paper back "Good News For
Modern Man" Bibles (It's only a New Testament) and I read that whole thing!
I also got into reading other Christian books. Warren W. Wierbie's books.
Hal Lindsey books. (Now I shutter to think of a brand new baby
Christian getting ahold of a Hal Lindsey book.)
Listening to Christian music. John Michael Talbot and Keith Green mostly.
There was a Christian TV station up there out of Fairbanks Alaska. KJNP
was the letters for the TV station and also the Christian radio up there.
I was being submersed in it!
Great time for me.
|
And all the time I was learning to play the guitar. Playing the guitar.
Sitting there on my bed listening to preachers on the radio or watch
preachers on the Christian TV with this guitar on my lap and learning how
to switch fast between chords. G, C, D. G ,C, D. Learning
how to bar chord. F, B, Bm. Sucked at the time. But I figured if it was on my lap I would fiddle with it so I tried to keep it on my lap. Even if I didn't want to practice it I made myself keep it on my lap. |
I really wanted to live the rest of my life up there. I had my own room. My books, my TV, my music, my guitar. I was getting into the whole "contemplative prayer" thing. I was at peace.
But they were closing down the remote radar sites in Alaska. The entire surveillance system was being wiped of the board and going automated. The entire air picture of all the radar sites in Alaska would now be sent by digital data lines to the Regional Operations Control Center at Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage and there would be no more need for the little radar sites to be manned.
So in April of 1983 they started cycling people out but nobody in. The manning got fewer and fewer. I volunteered to stay and be one of the last people around. (The commander appreciated my "selflessness" but the truth was that I didn't want to leave and put it off as long as I could.)