In a Matter of Minutes Part 3

Fire carried into the woods by the tsunami was spreading quickly through the trees. Just when it seemed everyone would all be incinerated, a third tsunami swept in and extinguished the fire!

"Thank You, God!" I breathed. I knew He had protected my family.

My mother's postscript continued: They spent the long, cold, sleepless night in the home of friends who lived in the woods outside of town. When they returned home the next day, they found the church and attached parsonage undamaged except for a few broken dishes and knickknacks. Of course, they would be without electricity, water, and heat for weeks until the broken water mains and electric lines could be repaired.

In the weeks that followed, I began to realize how much my life would be affected by the Great Alaska Earthquake of March 27, 1964. Ninety-five percent of the industrial area of Seward, including the docks, railroad, and shrimp canneries, had been swept into Resurrection Bay, along with the rest of the waterfront.

My father, pastor of a small missions church, had worked as a longshoreman to supplement his meager income. My two younger siblings were still in high school and lived at home. Now his income was reduced.
I had worked several shifts in the shrimp cannery while in high school and had planned to work there that summer to earn enough money to pay for my second year at Seattle Pacific College. Now, with those sources of income erased, I wondered if I would be financially able to continue my college education.

When I returned home for the summer, there was no employment for family men, let alone for single girls with little training. My one-year scholarship and savings had been used up, and I had already had to borrow money for my first year. As the jobless summer progressed, I realized that nothing short of a miracle would enable me to go to any college in the fall. My concern over my schooling mounted all summer. I was trying to believe God for a miracle, but my hopes were dwindling.

Could I trust God to meet this need?
To be continued....