Apr 27, 2023
When listening to the story of Donna's son, Andrew, I was
immediately struck with how his life was touched by God. That is
not to say Andrew didn't encounter difficulties. In fact, quite the
opposite is true. God seemed to shut door after door in his face,
but would at the exact right moment, open a window for life to take
a new path. Andrew obediently crawled through each window.
From a young age, Andrew dreamed of being an Air Force pilot. As he
grew taller, he was eventually told that he would be too tall to be
a fighter pilot. He was crushed, but soon afterward, God opened
that window. He started going on church mission trips and met a
missionary pilot. He found his answer - he could combine his love
for flying with doing work in the mission field. After high school,
he packed up and moved from Colorado to Spokane, Washington, to
train to be a missionary pilot.
Then, another door closed. His log book that he had to keep
meticulous records in to become a pilot was stolen not once, but
twice. In the meantime, he had started volunteering at Peak 7
Adventures, and God opened a window. Peak 7 is a faith-based
non-profit providing outdoor adventures to under-resourced young
people. He found a new purpose in life. He taught climbing and was
a guide for white water rafting. Over 4 years, he spent more than
4500 hours teaching, loving, and encouraging young people. Even as
he thought about returning home to Colorado, God intervened, and
Andrew met and eventually married his soul mate, Emily.
Stories like these are weaved throughout today's episode, but it
certainly seemed like Andrew's final door was closed when he died
suddenly from a fall just as he was getting ready to work on
repairs in a local climbing area. As much as it felt like the end,
however, Donna can now see that even in Andrew's death, a few
smaller windows opened for others to crawl through. Peak 7 started
a new program, naming it after Andrew. Fellow climbers continued
the work Andrew started by replacing old, rusty pins in the
climbing areas around Spokane.
Donna started going through windows as well. Initially, she went to
a local GriefShare, then to a bereaved moms group 30 miles away.
Next, Donna went through training to become a small group
facilitator. Now, she hosts bereaved moms in her own home several
times a year, giving them love and support as they suffer the worst
pain a mother could know.
Thank you, God, for both doors and windows.