Brinkman Adventures

Guest (Female): McCallister Ad Agency.

Veronica Brinkman: Lucas McCallister, please.

Guest (Female): Who's calling?

Veronica Brinkman: Veronica Brinkman. It looks like he stepped out. I know he's there, Crystal. Put him on.

Guest (Female): One moment, I'll transfer you.

Lucas McCallister: Veronica, it's been a while. Didn't think I'd ever hear from you again.

Veronica Brinkman: I have a killer campaign.

Lucas McCallister: Okay, and I should trust you why?

Veronica Brinkman: My brother Jack was driving somewhere with his family when they heard his cell phone ringing. Only it was on the roof of their van. A kid left it up there.

Lucas McCallister: Veronica, that's cute, but I'm in the middle of something.

Veronica Brinkman: It gets better. The phone flies off and a car flattens it. And it still works.

Lucas McCallister: Now I'm listening. What's the company?

Veronica Brinkman: Sunrise Wireless. But here's the thing. I need to do it through a credible ad agency like yours, and I also need to remain anonymous.

Lucas McCallister: And what do I get out of the deal?

Veronica Brinkman: I write the commercial, you sell it and produce the spot. We split the money 70-30.

Lucas McCallister: Done.

Veronica Brinkman: But you can't reveal I'm the writer. You do, I walk with everything. And you know I would do it, Lucas. This can't get back to my brother.

Lucas McCallister: No problem, Veronica.

Veronica Brinkman: I'll fax the contract today.

Beachglass Ministries: You're listening to the Brinkman Adventures, a brand new family audio drama. Two weeks after Veronica's scheming phone call to Lucas McCallister, the hungry Brinkmans find themselves impatiently waiting for Mom to return.

Ian Brinkman: Finally, she's home, you guys!

Grace Brinkman: Mom's home!

Isaac Brinkman: Where were you, Mom? We're starving.

Susan Brinkman: Why didn't you make some supper for yourselves? We weren't that hungry. I tried, but we're out of peas.

Ian Brinkman: You've been gone three hours. What took so long? Mom, your grocery bag is leaking.

Susan Brinkman: I know. Ice cream.

Charlie Brinkman: Ice cream, yum!

Jack Brinkman: What? We can't afford that.

Susan Brinkman: But we promised the kids ice cream when Charlie was potty trained.

Isaac Brinkman: He just had an accident.

Grace Brinkman: Where have you been, Susan?

Susan Brinkman: I had to walk home.

Jack Brinkman: What? Why?

Ian Brinkman: Your bag is making a mess on the floor, Mom.

Susan Brinkman: The van, it died in the parking lot.

Jack Brinkman: Charlie, stop licking the floor!

Charlie Brinkman: Yummy!

Jack Brinkman: So what happened to the van?

Susan Brinkman: I don't know. There was this loud bang and a bunch of smoke, and now there's oil leaking.

Jack Brinkman: Oh no. Kids, leave us please.

Ian Brinkman: Yes sir.

Grace Brinkman: Come on, Gracie.

Susan Brinkman: What are we going to do?

Jack Brinkman: I'm doing everything I can, Susan. I've been looking for work, you know that. I'm doing my best. I've got nothing left. I'm trying to provide. Honey, come here. I am so sorry.

We know who the provider is. We've been down this road before. We need to have a family meeting. Ian! Please tell the kids to get their pajamas on. First we're going to finish off this ice cream, and then we're going to have a meeting in our room.

Ian Brinkman: Yes sir.

Jack Brinkman: Everybody here?

Susan Brinkman: I don't think we've ever had all nine of us on this bed. I hope it doesn't collapse. Charlie, stop jumping.

Jack Brinkman: Are you kids worried that I don't have a job yet?

Ian Brinkman: A little.

Grace Brinkman: One of my friends doesn't have a phone anymore because they can't pay the bill. Will that happen to us?

Jack Brinkman: It could, but not having a phone isn't the worst thing in the world.

Isaac Brinkman: What will happen if we can't afford food? Will we starve?

Jack Brinkman: No, we're not going to starve. God's going to take care of us just like he has in the past. Remember earlier this year when I lost my job? Opa reminded me of an amazing commercial fishing trip. Would you guys like to hear a story?

Kids: Yeah! Bedtime story!

Jack Brinkman: A long time ago, Mom and I were newlyweds. None of you were born yet. We lived in this little house in the mountains of Alaska.

Susan Brinkman: We attended a small Bible school there.

Ian Brinkman: Is that where we stayed when you and Michelle went to Russia?

Jack Brinkman: Yes it is, Ian. In those days, Mom and I were very poor. We attended classes in the winter, and during the summer, I had to make enough money to last for the rest of the year.

Susan Brinkman: Our car had developed some problems, remember Jack?

Jack Brinkman: Oh yeah. The doors wouldn't stay shut, it had no muffler, no wipers, no shocks, holes in the floor, just minor issues.

Isaac Brinkman: Kind of like your black car, huh Dad?

Jack Brinkman: Sort of.

Susan Brinkman: And I was pregnant at the time with Michelle.

Ian Brinkman: I think I sort of remember that.

Jack Brinkman: Well, we were content, but we needed money for the car, rent, for school, and food.

Isaac Brinkman: I'm hungry.

Susan Brinkman: You just had a bowl of ice cream, Isaac.

Jack Brinkman: So we asked the Lord to give me a job, a good job that summer. And then, one of my teachers invited me to be a crewman on the Armageddon.

Grace Brinkman: The Armageddon? Isn't that the name of the final battle in the book of Revelation?

Jack Brinkman: It is. It was also the name of a commercial fishing boat.

Ian Brinkman: Not sure I'd want to work on a boat with that name.

Jack Brinkman: Well, I still took the job. The crew and I packed the Armageddon with about a month's worth of food. We were going to fish for herring in Togiak Bay near the Bering Sea.

Susan Brinkman: Is that where the plane crashed, Dad?

Jack Brinkman: Good memory, Kitra. It is. Well, Mark, my teacher, was the captain, and the two other crewmen were Howard and Rob.

Grace Brinkman: Did you sleep on the boat?

Jack Brinkman: Sure, we sure did. The Armageddon was about 50 feet long and it had four bunks.

Susan Brinkman: I still remember standing on the deck of the boat that night Dad left. Mark's wife Brenda was there also. We all held hands and Mark led us in a prayer.

Mark: And Lord, we ask for your provision. You know our needs. If it be your will, may we catch many fish. You tell us to commit our way to you, and we do that now. In your son's name, amen.

Susan Brinkman: Amen. Love you, Jack.

Jack Brinkman: Love you, dear.

Mark: Be careful, I'll miss you.

Jack Brinkman: Okay, we're going to untie.

Mark: Hurry back.

Jack Brinkman: We'll do, sweetie. Hey, take care of Susan there, huh?

Brenda: I will, honey.

Mark: Rob, is the bow free?

Rob: Bow's free. Stern's free. Yeah, the spring line is free.

Mark: Well, we're off. Goodbye, everybody!

Grace Brinkman: What's a spring line and a bow line?

Jack Brinkman: A spring line is the rope that ties the middle of the boat to the dock. The stern line is the back line and the bow line is the front line.

Grace Brinkman: Oh, what's a dock?

Ian Brinkman: This is going to be a long story.

Susan Brinkman: It's the place where you tie the boat up, Grace.

Jack Brinkman: So we began the trip to the fishing grounds.

Mark: We're cruising at about seven knots. It's around 10 miles an hour. We have 1,000 miles to go, so we'll be there in about four days.

Jack Brinkman: Let's see if I've got this right. We travel for four days to fish for one day?

Mark: Yep. And they don't fish right away either. We get there and we wait a week or two for the herring to show up and their eggs to mature. The money's in the eggs. People pay big bucks to eat herring roe.

Jack Brinkman: What happens to the rest of the fish?

Mark: Pickled herring, cat food, dog food. When we finally do fish, we get only one shot at laying out our net. Basically, this entire fishery comes down to one hour. One set.

Jack Brinkman: One set? I hope we don't blow it. This has to pay for my entire year.

Mark: Don't worry. Mark always catches fish.

Jack Brinkman: How do you know where to fish?

Mark: We can see schools of fish underwater with this sonar unit. But the most effective method is airplanes. We've hired a plane that will fly above us and tell us where to set our net.

There will be about 400 boats fishing with us and about 100 planes circling overhead. Boats banging into each other trying to get good positions. And then once it opens, pure chaos. But 100 tons of herring can be worth $100,000. Because of that, this fishery is very competitive.

Jack Brinkman: Do you kids understand how it works?

Ian Brinkman: Yeah, I think so. But wait, if you catch 100 tons of fish, how do you get them on your boat?

Jack Brinkman: Well, our boat could never hold that many fish. 100 tons would weigh as much as 60 cars. So a big boat called a tender comes and sucks them right out of our net.

Grace Brinkman: Wow, you were fishing for cars?

Isaac Brinkman: No, Grace. The fish are just as heavy as 60 cars.

Grace Brinkman: That's a pretty big fish.

Jack Brinkman: Anyway, we made it to the fishing grounds and waited another week for the fish to become ripe. That means they were ready to spawn.

Isaac Brinkman: So then what happened?

Jack Brinkman: Well, the big day arrived. Tim, our pilot, led us to a nice school of fish. We were on pins and needles waiting for the announcement on the radio declaring that the season had opened. Imagine airplanes flying overhead, big boats bumping each other.

Mark: Howard, ready to release the net. It opens any second.

Howard: Ready!

Tim: Mark, a school of fish to the west of you. That other boat's in a better position. Quick, circle back around. This is Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Togiak herring fishery is now open and will remain open for the next 60 minutes.

Mark: No! We're out of position. Oh no, those guys are setting. Man!

Tim: Armageddon, go around the other boat. It doesn't matter, just go. Quick, you can still get that net now.

Mark: I can't. His net's in front of me. It's too late.

Tim: Okay, he got them. Stand by, I'm circling around the bay. Give me a couple of minutes to get back in position.

Howard: We gotta hurry. Boats are setting all around us.

Jack Brinkman: Guys, I can see a school underneath us with the sonar. And it's a big one. It's swimming deep. Get ready. Okay, Howard, release the net.

Susan Brinkman: Did you catch them?

Jack Brinkman: We quickly circled the school of fish and secured the net with no problems. Just then, our pilot came back on the radio.

Tim: Mark, what's going on?

Mark: I made a set using sonar. I think we have a good one here.

Tim: That's a relief because the rest of the fish are pretty much wrapped up by the fleet.

Mark: I need to get back on deck and help the guys. Be careful up there, Tim.

Tim: Roger that. I'm out.

Mark: Howard, get the dip net. Let's see if these herring have ripe eggs.

Howard: You bet. Those aren't herring, those are flounder. Scoop again. Oh no!

Mark: What's wrong?

Howard: We caught flounder, not herring. No wonder they were swimming deep. I can't believe it.

Beachglass Ministries: Stay tuned, we'll be right back with today's episode.

Guest (Male): Hi kids, my name's Ryan and I'm one of the Brinkman actors. Did you know that today's adventure was inspired by real events? You can discover more interesting details of this story by visiting our website, brinkmanadventures.com. Would you like to know more about the Brinkman actors? How about watching behind the scenes videos from the recording studio or listening to hilarious bloopers? You can do all these things and more at our website, brinkmanadventures.com. And now, back to the Brinkman Adventures and today's episode, "The Provider."

Isaac Brinkman: So what happened, Dad?

Jack Brinkman: We got skunked.

Grace Brinkman: Was it really stinky?

Jack Brinkman: No, skunked means we didn't catch anything. We started the long trip home.

Grace Brinkman: Were you sad?

Jack Brinkman: Yeah, we were sad. I was worried, too. We didn't make any money. That meant Mom and I wouldn't be able to attend Bible school the next year, not to mention fix our dying car.

Ian Brinkman: So why did you stop fishing?

Jack Brinkman: Well, the herring season was all but over. There was this other little spot called Moller. We thought about stopping there, but decided to skip it and go home.

Ian Brinkman: Why?

Jack Brinkman: Well, three reasons. The catches there were small. Also, the herring ate something in that bay that caused them to spoil quickly, so they weren't worth much money. Finally, we didn't have a big boat lined up to take our fish or an airplane to spot for us. So we headed for home. We were all pretty glum.

We didn't know it, but Jerry Google was following us in his boat called the Millennium.

Grace Brinkman: Who's Jerry Google?

Jack Brinkman: A legend among the fleet.

Susan Brinkman: He was also a Christian and friends with Captain Mark.

Isaac Brinkman: Did he catch any herring?

Jack Brinkman: Jerry always caught fish. Anyway, Mark was driving the boat through the night. From my bunk, I heard Jerry come on the radio.

Jerry Google: Armageddon, this is Millennium.

Mark: Jerry, that you?

Jerry Google: It is. Hi, Mark. I heard about your big catch of flounder.

Mark: Yeah, word's out, huh? Sort of embarrassing.

Jerry Google: I feel really bad for you and your crew.

Mark: Yeah, we needed to catch fish, especially one of my guys. He can't work in the winter because he's a Bible school student.

Jerry Google: Have you considered Moller?

Mark: That's funny. I was actually just sitting here thinking about Moller.

Jerry Google: Me too. It's hardly worth the effort.

Mark: Yeah, I know. It's pretty much why we passed it by.

Jerry Google: If you want to fish, I'd come with you. Since the catches are small, we could put your fish on the Millennium. We'd deliver them to the cannery for you.

Mark: Wow, it's a really nice offer. I'll pray about it, Jerry.

Jerry Google: How about right now?

Mark: Well, okay. Father, we've both been thinking about Moller. Should we turn around and go back? I'll do it if that's what you want. We ask that you would lead us as you please. Lord, we don't have a pilot. Neither of us have fished in Moller, so we don't know the area. The fish aren't worth much. Moller doesn't make sense, Lord. But your ways are above ours. Give us wisdom. In Jesus' name, amen.

Jerry Google: Amen. Mark, the Bible says wisdom is in the multitude of counsel. Shall we see what our wives think of the idea?

Mark: I doubt Brenda's up. It's midnight. But I'll try her through the single sideband.

Susan Brinkman: I remember that call. I was at Mark and Brenda's house that night. After hearing about Moller, the weird thing is we both felt that you should turn around and fish there. So did Jerry's wife.

Jack Brinkman: The next morning, the other two guys were very surprised to find themselves in the small bay called Moller.

Ian Brinkman: Didn't you need an airplane to find fish?

Jack Brinkman: Good question, Ian. We did contact our pilot and he agreed to come back, but he couldn't get there until that night. So Captain Mark found a school of herring using sonar, and we put our net around it. The Millennium didn't have a vacuum sucker to get the fish into the boat.

Ian Brinkman: Uh-oh.

Jack Brinkman: So we had to scoop 20 tons of fish out of the water with a little net by hand. It took hours.

Rob: Whoa, that was a lot of work!

Howard: I think that's about all of them. Good thing, that's all I can hold. We must have about 20 tons.

Tim: Armageddon, this is Tim. Do you copy? Mark, a pilot's calling on the radio.

Mark: This is the Armageddon. Go ahead, Tim.

Tim: Mark, can you turn your scrambler on? I have some confidential information for you.

Mark: Sure, one moment. Can you hear me now?

Tim: Loud and clear. I'm heading your way, and right now I'm about 90 miles from you, flying over Port Heiden. Mark, this bay is plugged with herring. There must be more than 10,000 tons. It's unbelievable.

Mark: That's not possible, Tim. They don't even go into that bay. It's too shallow. Maybe you're seeing capelin fish. They're like smelt and look a lot like herring from the air.

Tim: Fairly certain these are not capelin.

Mark: Okay, Tim. Hey, thanks for the info. Talk to you soon. Armageddon out. Jerry, did you hear that exchange?

Jerry Google: Yes, Mark. There's never been a fishery there. I suspect capelin in Port Heiden.

Mark: But if it is herring, Jerry, think about it. 10,000 tons and no other boats?

Jerry Google: I'd be surprised if Fish and Game would let us fish. Besides, we'd need a big tender with that volume.

Mark: I think we should at least check it out.

Jerry Google: I agree. We'll leave right now and run through the night.

Mark: Okay, I'll deliver these fish to the cannery and then visit the Fish and Game office. Don't let the other boats see you leave. All right, guys, untie from the Millennium. Turn off our lights, we're going dark.

Howard: Stealth mode. I love it.

Jack Brinkman: So we casually motored out of the bay with our running lights off, hoping the rest of the fleet didn't see us. Once we rounded the corner, we took off full speed for Port Heiden.

Ian Brinkman: Cool, awesome. How far away was it?

Jack Brinkman: About eight hours. We took turns driving, but none of us slept. The thought of thousands of tons of herring with no other boats around seemed too good to be true.

Mark: We're here, guys! Wow, this bay is really shallow.

Tim: Mark, I just arrived. I see you down there. Turn your scrambler on.

Mark: Okay, Tim, I'm scrambled. What do you see? Are they still here?

Tim: I can't see anything, Mark. Stand by.

Jack Brinkman: I knew it.

Howard: We missed them. They probably left the bay last night. What a waste.

Tim: There's a glare on the water. I'm circling back for a better view.

Mark: Roger.

Tim: Mark, I'm sorry.

Mark: What? Nothing?

Tim: Mark, I have to tell you this. There are more fish here today than yesterday.

Mark: Tim, that wasn't nice.

Tim: Sorry, I couldn't resist. There are literally fish everywhere. You're right on top of a school. Get your sagging poles out and please tell me they're herring.

Mark: Get the fishing poles, guys! All right, let's see what we have here. I've hooked something. Feels like a big fish.

Howard: I have one too. Oh, look at this! It's a beautiful herring. Eggs are squirting out of this one. These fish are ripe. Mark, we have herring, very good herring!

Mark: Praise the Lord! Tim, it's good news!

Jack Brinkman: Jerry, you're actually asking me to allow you to fish herring in Port Heiden? You know we've never had a fishery there. Herring don't go into that bay.

Jerry Google: They did this year. Our pilot spotted 10,000 tons.

Guest (Male): I'm sure it's capelin.

Jerry Google: The Armageddon is there right now testing. Sir, it's herring and they're ripe.

Guest (Male): Unbelievable. But you need a big tender, and you can't do it with your Millennium. You can pack what, 20 or 30 tons? You're talking sets in excess of 100 tons with that type of volume.

Jerry Google: I have a tender on the way. A 100-foot crabber called the Provider. It's been running across the Bering Sea all night and should be there in four hours.

Guest (Male): How many tons can she hold?

Jerry Google: 200.

Guest (Male): I'm a little uncomfortable with this, Jerry. It's highly unusual. But I suppose I'll allow an opening this evening.

Jerry Google: Thank you, sir. Thank you. We really appreciate this.

Guest (Male): I hope this isn't a mistake.

Mark: Fire up the engines! Untie, quick! He's letting us fish.

Guest (Male): This is Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Tonight at 2100 hours there will be an experimental herring fishery in Port Heiden Bay. This fishery will remain open for the next 24 hours.

Jerry Google: Did you hear that announcement, Mark?

Mark: Jerry, I heard it. Praise the Lord!

Jerry Google: I'm pushing the Millennium as hard as I can. Looks like we'll be there a little after it opens. You'll have the bay all to yourself.

Mark: All right, that's good news.

Ian Brinkman: Wow, so what happened?

Jack Brinkman: Right before the season opened, I saw a sleek dark ship in the distance steaming towards us.

Richard: Armageddon, this is the Provider.

Mark: Good to see you, Richard.

Richard: Hey Mark, we've been looking at our charts. It's pretty shallow in there. What do you think?

Mark: We've spent the entire day plotting the bay. We'll guide you in using GPS once we finish a set.

Richard: Roger that.

Mark: Well men, this is it. We're in a bay loaded with herring. The only boat in sight is our tender. And according to my watch, we can start fishing.

Tim: Mark, it's 9 o'clock. The season is open and you have fish all around you. Set wherever you'd like, brother.

Mark: Thanks, Tim. Okay guys, let's do it. Cut it loose, Howard!

Grace Brinkman: Did you catch any fish?

Jack Brinkman: Did we ever! We caught about 100 tons in that first set. Mark was able to guide the Provider towards us and he pumped out all of our fish. Then Jerry roared into the bay and made an enormous set.

Jerry Google: Jack, fill the rubber skiff with buoys and race over to the Millennium. They have so many fish their net's starting to sink.

Jack Brinkman: Got it!

Jerry Google: Jack! Jack, see where the corks are underwater? Fish are pouring over the top. Pull the cork line up and tie some buoys on it.

Jack Brinkman: It's not working! The net's pulling the buoys under!

Jerry Google: Then tie your skiff to the cork line. That'll work! Oh, Lord, don't let the fish pull me under.

Jerry Google: Jack, you'll be fine.

Grace Brinkman: Did they pull you under?

Jack Brinkman: What do you think?

Ian Brinkman: I don't think so.

Jack Brinkman: That rubber boat folded in half with me in the middle. But it held the net up and stayed on top of the water. We completely filled the Provider. We plugged it.

Isaac Brinkman: Then what?

Jack Brinkman: Two other tenders showed up. Word must have gotten out. And we filled them both too. We had to stop fishing only because we ran out of boats to take our fish. Between the Armageddon and the Millennium, we caught over 600 tons.

Kids: 600 tons!

Jack Brinkman: And it turned out that the fish were better quality than the fish in Togiak. We were paid top dollar and I got a big paycheck.

Susan Brinkman: Oh, that was a good day.

Jack Brinkman: We had more than enough money to attend Bible school that year. We also replaced our old car.

Ian Brinkman: Wow, God really provided for you.

Jack Brinkman: Oh, not just us. He provided for the families of all the crew and our pilot.

Susan Brinkman: Yeah, it reminds me of when Jesus told the disciples to cast their net on the other side of the boat.

Jack Brinkman: Yeah, they caught more fish than they could handle. And then Jesus said, "Follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men."

Susan Brinkman: The same thing happened to us. After Bible school, God led us into the ministry and made us fishers of men.

Jack Brinkman: Kids, do you know why I told you this story?

Grace Brinkman: So we wouldn't worry.

Jack Brinkman: Absolutely, Gracie. You're so smart. He'll provide for our current needs. Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Ian Brinkman: It's like my favorite song!

Jack Brinkman: Hello, this is Jack.

Lucas McCallister: Hello Jack, my name is Lucas McCallister from McCallister Advertising Agency. Is it true that a car ran over your Sunrise Wireless phone and the phone still functioned?

Jack Brinkman: Yes it is. How did you find out about that?

Lucas McCallister: I have my ways. Jack, my company would like to make a commercial using that story. Furthermore, we'd like to try to use you and your family as the actors. You'd be well paid, of course.

Jack Brinkman: Praise God, sir!

Lucas McCallister: Right.

Beachglass Ministries: You've been listening to the Brinkman Adventures, a brand new family audio drama. Today's episode is entitled "The Provider." It's been said God's work done in God's way will not lack God's funds. This certainly proved true for the Brinkmans. Using an extraordinary fishing trip, he provided the money for Jack and Susan to attend Bible school in Homer, Alaska.

Speaking of providing, it looks like the Lord may be providing for the Brinkman family in a strange way. Tune in next time as the family steps in front of television cameras and embarks on a journey of a very different sort. While some of the characters are fictitious, "The Provider" is based on a true story. To find out more details of this story, visit our website, brinkmanadventures.com.

Jack Brinkman: Kids, Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all the nations. Let's give ourselves fully to him and share his good news until the whole world hears.