"God is good. So good," said Mary Owen. I completely agree with her. God's goodness never ceases to amaze me. We are so undeserving, yet He is so loving, forgiving, and giving. My family and I first met the Owen family when our daughter took a speech/debate workshop with them in Newberg, Oregon. They are a lovely Christian family. We got to know Shelli, Bruce, Jessika, Mary, Ruth, and Elijah a little bit. We have never met Rachel (their other daughter). When we heard about Mary missing on Mount Hood, we prayed urgently for her to be found alive and for her family. When we heard that she was rescued, we were overjoyed and thanked God for this marvelous miracle. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was curious to find out about all the details and backgrounds concerning this awesome story of God's merciful intervention, provision and protection.
During spring break in March 2013, Mary Owen (23 then), an avid hiker, determined to summit Mount Hood no matter what, failing to tell anyone her final plan. She fell, got injured, and entrapped on the snowy mountain for 6 days, surrounded by the sound of silence (including from God initially). The book includes Mary's account, her parents and siblings' perspectives, and contributions from some family members and friends. I laughed (Mary's dreams are hilarious) and I was teary-eyed. My favorite chapter is titled, "Awe and Gratitude." It unpacks all the wonderous works of God behind the scenes throughout the whole ordeal. Shelli is a gifted storyteller/writer; she effectively puts her daughter's personal trauma and family's heart-wrenching trial into words that express raw emotion, real struggle, and radiant appreciation for God's unfailing love, goodness, and faithfulness. I love the fact that she also includes the gospel message, pointing people to Jesus, our Ultimate Rescuer.
Mary learns her lessons and lives to tell others such a powerful testimony of God's amazing grace and mercy. Her unique experience with God on the mountain deepens her understanding of Christ's death and resurrection and makes her aware of the urgency to save perishing souls by sharing the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. "I cannot do less than dedicate my life to inviting others to embrace this good and powerful Savior." (p. 146) God still wants her on this earth for His purpose and His glory. I am so glad and thankful that Mary recognizes God's purpose for her life to be used in His rescue mission to the lost. Currently, Mary and her husband with their four young children are serving the Lord as missionaries in Papua New Guinea.
I highly recommend this candid, riveting, and inspiring book to all. Mountain Rescue is a real-life, against-all-odds story that honors & magnifies God while reminding us of the value of life, wisdom, prudence, faith, prayer, surrender, hope, the Body of Christ, community service, and compass (a physical one and spiritually speaking, God's Word as our compass in life). As I was reading the book, I thought of the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." Our decision and action do affect others; this is one of the lessons that Mary learned from her near-death experience. Each life is a precious gift from God. I hope this book will help readers examine their own lives and commit their lives to Jesus. Then and only then they will find the true meaning of life.
"God's peace somehow allows a person through spiritual (immaterial) means to be assured of His unseen, but very real Presence. Only His presence can give one's soul the true and comforting reassurance that all that isn't presently well with us now will be well in the end." (p.74)
"Returning to rest in God's will and absolute goodness again, opened our eyes to what He might be doing and calmed our spirits. His gentle, quiet Spirit was able to speak to our souls just what we needed when we needed it, to guide us, to assure us, to hold us, to comfort us, to teach us how and what to pray, to help keep us sane. In truth, there is no earthly comparison to heavenly Presence and help!" (p, 75)
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