Just received a tremendous Alaska fishing story. All true. Play by play. Word for word. Read and rejoice.
We were about ready to come home yesterday after pulling a
brutal all-nighter / all dayer. The trail down to the river is about 3/4
one-way and it is really tough walking with alot of ups and downs and
obstacles to go over and around (especially with a pack full of fish).
One of the ways we like to reach out to people is to take extra water
bottles down to the river side to give to fellow fishermen who may have
forgot to bring some (which strangely enough- is usually!)
There were two older Korean guys down there who looked like they were
having a tough time. The nets they brought were too big for this river
because the water is so swift, it is incredibly hard to hold against the
current. They were tying the nets off but were having alot of trouble.
I chatted with them for a few minutes and learned that they are Koreans
and live in Anchorage. They had never been there before and were finding
the venture much more difficult than they had anticipated. They were very
happy to get the water because they had been working up a sweat.
I reached over without warning and put my hand on one of the guy’s
shoulder and prayed that the Lord would bless them and keep them safe
and that He would help them catch all the fish they need for their
families. I then ended the prayer by asking the Lord to even give them a
‘big fat’ King salmon as an extra blessing. (There are mostly reds there
now and only a very occasional king). Many dipnetters have fished years
without catching a king in the net.
Then right after I prayed- BOOM! One of them gets a ‘BIG- FAT’ King in
the net! It was VERY dramatic timing. They both got it too. They said,
“You prayed- you prayed!” I told them that it wasn’t me- It wasn’t me-
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! They both then shouted Hallelujah. The guy
could not lift the net out of the water! I was standing behind him and
reached over and pulled it out for him. It was really a God moment. The
Lord’s timing was perfect. They had been there quite a while and had
only caught two. Within just a short time they had 8 reds and that king.
Before I left, I gave them each a couple of our multi-lingual church
service invitations. They were amazed that someone would have material
in their language in such a remote place at the Copper River while
fishing. (They had no idea that I brought the ‘bait’ BECAUSE I was out
fishing.)