I am sending this e-mail to everybody who is in my Outlook address book listed as "family" as well to those of you who get our Harris Hotline e-mail updates. Therefore, some of you may get it twice.
I want to share this exciting news with all of you, and I would like you to "hear" it from me as much as possible.
As you know, I have tried half-heartedly off and on for the past few years to locate my father, Delmer R Harris. My mother and he had divorced when I was younger and I lived with my father until I was 16. I left home on very bad terms on my 16th birthday.
I visited my father once during a break in my first year of college. Then, I received a letter while in school where he told me not to try to find him. he was moving to an undisclosed location and the letter said something like "You go your way, and I will go mine." That was either 1977 or 1978. I have never seen or heard from my father since.
Over the last few years especially, I have tried to locate him, but I didn't really push it to much until this past Christmas. Tyler, my 18 year old son and I had an argument. It ended with us both crying and asking each other's forgiveness. This happened on Christmas Eve!
From that point on, I decided that I had to find my Father and do whatever I could to restore a relationship and introduce him to his only child's wife and three kids! I spend a long time creating a database of all the D Harris, Del Harris, and Delmer Harris names I could find, from every state. Hundreds. I wrote a letter, intending to send it to all these people. but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
But for some reason, I could bring myself to call each of these names, a few at a time. Little by little I had been working my way through the list when, to my amazement, I talked to my father on the phone yesterday - - for the first time in 25 years. At first, it was just another number on the list. When a man answered the phone, I said "I'm looking for the Delmer R Harris who lived in Silver Springs Maryland in the 1960's and 1970's." The voice on the other end answered "Where did you say?" I repeated my opening line. "Umm . . . I think you've got him."
I was dumbfounded. It's one thing to be making the calls. The list had become just that - a list of names that I needed to get through. "NA" was the notation for "No Answer." Those who had told me over and over again, "Sorry, not here" or "Wrong Number" softened somewhat when I gave them the rest of the story, and often, they would say "I hope you find him!: Or "Good Luck."
"This is Gary, your son.!" Silence. We were both satisfied just to be silent for a few seconds.
Then we talked.
We talked for almost two hours. Apparently he was saved in a street mission in San Diego. Yes - my father had accepted Christ many years ago!
He now is semi-retired, living alone in a two bedroom apartment, still in San Diego. Some of the details are a bit sketchy - - - and what do you expect, trying to catch up on 25 years. And for me it's "just" him - - but for him, he's got a daughter-in-law and three grandkids to get to know.
Please pray that, as I try to make plans with him for him to come up here to Alaska and visit, that we will simply not "overload" with all the new emotions and feelings. I'm pretty "raw" emotionally right now! Needless to say, I want everything to "work out." It's neat that, in Christ, whatever animosity or hurt that there has been - - - - just doesn't seem to matter. Kris and Cassie are still in King Cove. But I told Kris on the phone last night. As soon as she gets home on Monday, I think I'll break down and cry some more!
On a lighter side - - I want to walk up to every one I meet and say "Guess what! I found my father!" Feel sort of silly!
I just had to share this with all family and those who pray for us in our ministry with Arctic Barnabas Ministries. Some of you, aware of the estrangement between my father and I, have been praying for years. Others are hearing about it for the first time in this e-mail. It just seemed appropriate after calling and telling immediate family, that I should let you all know about it.
In summary - - -the subject line of this e-mail is "My Father." Up until yesterday, I would have thought that meant only my Heavenly father. But now, I see it just a bit different. By the way, thanks Mom - - and thanks Chelsie!
Gary
