I remember waking several times the night before with the thought bouncing around inside my head, "What are you doing here?" I would then deliberately recall previous mission trips where God had thrust me into the "unknown" for the purpose of revealing Himself to me.
I recalled the experience Peter had when Jesus beckoned him to come to Him on the water. That day, Peter was thrust into a situation and given a choice—to doubt or to trust. The men remaining in the boat watched in awe as Peter stepped out onto the water and walked toward Jesus. They missed their opportunity to trust God.
Opportunities come at times of His choosing, usually not when it's convenient to us. When the window of opportunity closes, you know in your heart you missed a life-changing experience with God! I decided right then I would not miss the experience God had prepared for me. I drifted off to sleep while meditating on scripture.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Morning came quickly as the outside temperature dropped below -40 degrees Fahrenheit. By 7 a.m. the snowmobiles were all idling and warming as we packed the toboggans with our food, clothing, fuel, Bibles, and tracts. We gathered together to pray and then started our journey toward the village of Lac Brochet on the north shore of Wollaston Lake.
An hour into the trip, we encountered a cloud of ice crystals which the locals refer to as "ice fog," an indicator that temperatures are between -50 degrees and -60 degrees Fahrenheit. As I looked up, I could see ice crystals suspended in the air, sparkling and glistening unlike anything I've ever seen.
In the midst of the bitter cold and the cloud of ice crystals, I could sense the presence of God. I prayed in the Spirit and worshipped nearly all day, except for a brief lunch along the way, which consisted of caribou, ham sandwiches, and hot water.
By late afternoon, we arrived in Lac Brochet, and I stopped to look at a rainbow that completely encircled the sun. God revealed Himself to me that day through the beauty and majesty of His creation.
"Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see; eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being" (Rom. 1:20 Message).
As evening approached, the team went to a house where we were to minister the Gospel. The village was so spiritually dark, yet there was little resistance in ministering to the people. They were so hungry for the truth and it touched my heart how they would give such attention to the Word.
Three children came to the house, including 12-year-old Morgan, who told me he had no friends. I thought he meant no one wanted to be his friend, but what he really meant was his friends had committed suicide! He said every night he would hear voices telling him to hang himself! We embraced the children and began to pray over them and minister the Word to them.
Within a short time, they all received the Lord and began to sing worship songs with us. We could see the transformation in their faces as the light expelled the darkness.
Less than an hour had passed when three teenage girls came into the house. We ministered the Word of God to them and one recommitted her life to the Lord while the other two prayed to be saved.
They shared with us later that they were walking by the house and were drawn to the light. As they came closer, they could hear laughter and thought there was a party inside. When they came inside, their hearts were touched by the presence of God.
A short time later, three teenage boys came to the house. They said as they drove by on their snowmobiles, they saw the light. As they pulled up in front of the house, they heard laughter and thought there was a party inside. They came inside thinking it would be a good place to sell drugs! One recommitted his life to the Lord, while the other two drug runners prayed to receive Jesus in their hearts.
We had many divine appointments ministering to the people and I shudder to think where the children or teenagers would be right now if we had been delayed, or had gone to another village and missed Lac Brochet altogether!
I still see the faces of the children with tears in their eyes as we were leaving. I remember hearing their voices as they sang "Jesus Loves Me." I continue to pray that Christ would be formed in them, that He would use them to minister to their own people, the Cree and Denay Indians, in the power of the Spirit.
In every village, we were received with warm hearts and open arms. Entire families received the Lord as they were encouraged by the truths we shared. It grieves my heart to think that 40 percent of the world's population has never heard the Gospel message or experienced the love of God, while 96 percent of Christians have never even shared their faith in Christ. It's time to trust and obey God!
Romans 10:13-15 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
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Since Living Word's earliest years, Kent Otey served Living Word in many capacities. In 1983, he joined the staff of Living Word full-time and served in various capacities which included evangelism, singles, counseling, and pastoral care. Kent was licensed and then ordained by Living Word in 1985. In 1996, he became director of Living Word's Missions Outreach. 
