Mysterious encounter brings peace

Grief was her deep valley as the plane soared high, darkness beyond the porthole matching the traveler’s mood. Then without warning, came a gentle tap on the young woman’s shoulder.

It was a touch Christine (Beck) Lindgren would remember in the days ahead.

“It was like I was in a fog, just going through each day,” the Kennewick 42-year-old said of the months following the day her brother died in July 2010. “If I thought about him, then I couldn’t function. I felt like I was going into a hole — even hard to breathe sometimes.”

From as early as Christine could remember, she and Byron had been close and shared a special bond, though four years separated them.

“He was always my best friend, but also sort of my protector,” she said while emotion played on her face at the memory. “He’d always talk things over with me if I had any problems. I felt like he had my back when I was little, and even in college.”

With Byron’s death, brotherly hugs and teasing were gone. His beautiful artistic spirit, gone. For her, the heartbreak felt like it could never heal — and her faith was shaken.

“I’ve always been a strong believer all my life, but after he died I just felt like I needed to know he was OK,” Christine said, explaining her spiritual struggle. “It was sort of like my faith wasn’t enough to get me through it.”

As sorrow eclipsed the sister’s peace of mind, life had to go on. Three months after the funeral, Christine flew to a work-related conference in Houston. In the plane on the way home, a memorable and unexpected moment occurred.

“I was watching a movie I’d pre-downloaded and in the middle, it froze,” Christine said, remembering how her husband’s electronic device kept working. “I couldn’t figure it out, so finally I just closed it and sat quietly by the window.”

Then came a cautious hand on her shoulder from behind her. As Christine turned to look, her eyes met an older Asian teen who had squeezed into the row directly behind her.

“She said she was sitting in the back — I was in the center section — and she said, ‘God told me to come talk to you,’ ” Christine said, thinking back on how the girl’s shy demeanor and words, thick with an accent, had startled her. “Then she told me, ‘I walked up and down the aisle and I said, ‘Her, Lord?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ ”

At a loss for words, Christine whispered a “thank you” while the girl hesitated as if she wanted to say more. Then, appearing uneasy, the teen pressed back into the aisle and left. But the encounter had the wife and mother pondering her words, emotionally moved.

“About 30 minutes later I felt another tap on my shoulder,” Christine said. The same teen had squeezed in behind her. “She said, ‘I am so sorry to bother you. I don’t know if something is going on in your life, but God told me again I must come pray for you.’ ”

Reaching between the seats, the timid girl extended her shaking hand, joining hers with Christine’s. Speaking in broken English, the teen began to pray.

“I couldn’t understand exactly what she was saying because of language, but I was crying — and she was crying — and her hand quit shaking as we prayed,” said Christine, reflecting on how passengers nearby were moved by the scene. “When she finished, I thanked her profusely and she left.”

Christine never saw the teenager again. But what remained was profound peace.

“It was palpable, like I had been holding God’s hand,” Christine said. “I’ll always remember that moment and know that God assured me that he has Byron — and I’ll see him again.”

It was a confirmation that felt to Christine like heaven’s touch.

This story was originally published July 11, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Mysterious encounter brings peace."