My SDA Beginnings

“Two Delta Junction beekeepers admiring Denali on a clear day. The tall, dashing guy is my brother Don.

Decades ago, in the rugged wilds of Alaska, a pair of beekeepers gazed upon Denali, the majestic peak crowning the horizon. This snapshot captures a moment in time, a chapter in a tale woven with adventure and discovery.

Back then, I was a young woman brimming with dreams, energy, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. If only I had possessed the wisdom I have now, perhaps my journey would have taken a different path.

But such is the essence of life—an intricate tapestry of experiences, lessons, and growth.

Life presents us with myriad ways to learn, some gentle as a whisper, others as relentless as a tempest, each bearing its own unique lessons and revelations.

Today, I stand not as that youthful soul, but as a woman shaped by the passage of time and the wisdom gleaned along the way. Yet, let me introduce you to the young beekeeper I once was.

In the late ’70s, I danced through life with a radiant spirit:

• Embracing a profound spiritual awakening
• Nestled in a rustic cabin amidst the Alaskan wilderness, my sanctuary
• Tending to a budding bee business, my labor of love
• Balancing the rigors of human factors engineering
• Cultivating a vibrant garden in the perpetual sunlight of the north

Life was a vibrant tapestry, and I reveled in its beauty.

One evening, while tending to a friend’s home, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of books—a portal to realms of knowledge and wonder. With no internet to quench my curiosity, books became my loyal companions, and I eagerly delved into their pages.

As a pot of garden-fresh kale simmered on the stove, I reached for the smallest, most unassuming book within reach. Kale takes its time to cook, after all.

Thus began my journey into the pages of “Steps to Christ.” It spoke to the joy of my spiritual awakening yet unveiled mysteries that left me pondering. Were these truths? I hungered for more!

As the summer days waned, I busied myself with the bees, tended to my garden, and immersed myself in the world of books—harvesting wisdom as diligently as I harvested my crops.

Among the volumes lining the shelves, I discovered tomes on:

• The tapestry of Western civilization
• Insights into holistic health
• Chronicles of historical letters, echoing timeless truths
• Compilations of Seventh-day Adventist wisdom
• Unraveling the threads of Protestant history
• A treasury of biblical texts
• And a sprinkling of scholarly works on biblical scholarship

Amidst the wealth of knowledge, a five-volume series beckoned—a saga intertwining the tapestry of history with the promise of Christ’s coming. I embarked on a journey through the annals of time, diving into “Patriarchs and Prophets,” immersing myself in “The Desire of Ages,” and traversing the epic finale in “The Great Controversy.”

Like a child venturing into the depths of an ocean, I found myself engulfed in waters of faith and revelation—unfamiliar yet exhilarating.

My previous education and experiences had not prepared me for this. It was a realm of novelty, of discovery, of awe. But was it truth?

As winter’s chill crept over the land, my friend Bruno prepared to return. Bruno, with his infectious zeal and eccentric beliefs, was a beacon of light amidst the encroaching darkness.

“October near Delta Junction, Alaska.” A snapshot of October’s lingering light near Delta Junction, Alaska, before the grip of winter takes hold.

Yet, the pages of Bruno’s books left me with questions:

• Were the tapestries of biblical prophecy woven into the fabric of human history?
• Did the scriptures hold relevance for our time and beyond?
• Who were the Seventh-day Adventists, and what truths did they espouse?
• And who was Ellen G. White, whose words echoed through the annals of time?
• Was the return of Christ imminent, as foretold?

With Bruno’s return drawing near, time grew short:

• My days were consumed by three jobs
• We both braced ourselves for the icy embrace of another Arctic winter
• The relentless chill of the Alaskan freeze loomed on the horizon

Yet, Bruno offered me a lifeline—an invitation to journey to the Fairbanks SDA Church.

Venturing forth into Alaska’s frigid embrace is no trifling matter:

• Temperatures plummet to depths below -50°F
• Snow blankets the landscape, and ice clings to every surface
• The roads lie deserted, devoid of life
• The slightest mishap could spell disaster in the unforgiving wilderness
• Vehicles, chilled to the bone, refuse to stir from their slumber
• Gasoline yields but a fraction of its usual mileage
• And darkness shrouds the land in its inky embrace for 22 hours a day

Undeterred, I accepted Bruno’s offer, and together, we embarked on the 200-mile journey to Fairbanks.

What awaited me on this pilgrimage?

• A fellowship ablaze with the anticipation of Christ’s imminent return?
• A congregation steeped in fervent religious devotion?
• Souls earnestly practicing the tenets of a genuine Christian faith?
• Or perhaps, a sect veiled in the shadows of skepticism and dogma?

Only time would tell. Until then, I immersed myself in the pages of borrowed books, toiling away at my jobs, finding solace in prayer, and savoring the warmth of friendship.

✨

Cheers, D 🌴🌊