BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

A Different Route "When we requested a transfer to Alaska, we were in for a surprise," Ken recalls. "To go to Alaska, I had to go on a one-year assignment to South Korea. Alone. Without my family." How could he refuse, knowing God was calling him to Alaska? "The Air Force sent me there in 1990. It was the hardest year of my life. However, spiritually it was the best thing that could have happened. Without my family, all I did was pray, work, study the Bible and go to church. I was known as a religious nut in the dormitory. One of the guys there received a 'Dear John' letter. Then he attempted suicide. Some of the men asked me to help him. I ministered to him and led him to the Lord. He started attending church, and the chaplain heard about it. The chaplain then asked if I would become his assistant. "I still had my regular job, but in my free time I acted as the chaplain's assistant. At the time, they didn't offer altar calls. They didn't invite people to receive Jesus. I guess the favor of God was on me. One day the chaplain asked me to preach one of the main services. I did, and there was a major move of God. A lot of people got saved. That was pivotal in my life. I had a great experience in ministry in South Korea. By the time I left, there was no doubt in my mind that I was called to pastor." A Dark, Cold World In November 1991, Ken, Deborah and their 18-month-old son moved to Anchorage, Alaska. The culture shock was stunning. No one had bothered to mention that the winters were not only cold, but dark. In fact, some places in Alaska were dark all winter. Anchorage was milder, but by October the sun often set around 5 o'clock. Snow covered the ground until May. "I had gotten pregnant during Desert Storm," Deborah remembers. "I watched many women get deployed and leave their babies. After waiting all those years for mine, I wasn't willing to take that chance. Even though I'd been in the Air Force 14 years, I got out. Not B V O V : 2 1 only were we moving to Alaska, but we also lost my income. "I knew Alaska would be cold, but I wasn't aware that the winters would be so dark. During that first dark winter, I got pregnant again…and miscarried. Doctors said they didn't understand how I'd gotten pregnant at all. Of course, it was by faith in God. The darkness and the miscarriage took me into a deep depression. I was depressed for months, but I knew I couldn't stay that way. Each morning, I heard the Holy Ghost tell me to Get up. My mind didn't want my body to get out of bed. But I knew God would help me if I did what He said. I finally got a job and put the baby in daycare." Each day seemingly got a little easier for them, still that first year was hard, Deborah recalls. In addition to the miscarriage, they were involved in a bad car wreck. "No matter how difficult things got, I was never tempted to say that we were out of the will of God. Through it all, I knew we No matter how difficult things got, I was never tempted to say that we were out of the will of God.... It pays to have the Word of God built up on the inside.

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