One Year in Alaska

This month marked 1 year since we stepped off the plane for the very first time on a windy, rainy, muddy (we now know, typical) first day in Bethel. I like to use anniversaries for reflecting, so I spent some time this week reading my journal entries from our initial weeks here. As I read some of my concerns from that time (safety as we drove here, the explorer surviving the journey, finding a church where we could grow and serve, finding a place to live, finding friends, learning how to buy groceries...just to name a few) I was reminded over and over that our God is an amazing provider, and that he cares about even the small details of our lives. I tend to be a worrier about the unknowns of my future, and I definitely had fears about this major step in our lives. Looking back now I am so thankful that God gave us the courage to move forward. I won't say this year was an easy one, in some ways it was very hard, but there was not one moment where we doubted that God had lead us to  this place, and we have come to know Him in ways we never would have if we hadn't taken the leap!

Denali

Summer is quickly fading. I knew Alaska summers were short in theory, but the reality is they are very, very short. Over the past few weeks the days have gotten noticeably shorter, the nights have gotten cooler with hints of early fall chill in the air, and the tundra is starting to change from green to golden. As fast as it's passing, this summer has been very good and full of God's blessings in this place.

Part of the road through Denali

Probably the highlight of the last 2 months was another visitor from home :) Sarah met me in Anchorage at the end of June and we spent several days driving, car camping, and exploring "real Alaska" before she flew back to Bethel to experience our everyday lives. Our road system adventures just happened to coincide with a time when Job's crew (including Colby) was working on a job in Talkeetna. We were able to spend a day with them, then continued on to Denali National Park. If you're not familiar with Denali, there's only one road through the park and it is generally not accessible to private vehicles. If you want to go through, you can hike or ride one of the parks buses that take you as far as you want to go. Given our limited time and slight fears of getting eaten, we opted to take a bus. We boarded our transit bus (think school bus) around 6:30 a.m. for a 10 hour ride on the one unpaved road through Denali. It was a rainy day (as it usually is really) which did limit the scenery just a little, but it was an amazing trip! We saw Dall Sheep, Caribou, Moose, and Bears! A mom and 2 cubs hung out right beside our bus and even laid down on the road in front of us!

  

Benefits of a Rainy Day

 After our adventures at the park we slowly made our way back down to Anchorage. We stopped at some lookouts on clearer days and actually got a glimpse of Mount Denali, we visited the Iditarod Headquarters in Wassila to learn more about the race (and hold sled dog puppies), and we did some sight seeing in Palmer. Eventually Sarah helped me grocery shop in Anchorage and flew back with me to spend some days in Bethel.

Happy 4th of July

One of the biggest events of the year in Bethel, right up there with the K300, is the 4th of July celebration. To put this in perspective for you Pennsylvania people, you could call this the "Dutch Days" of Bethel. The day starts with a parade around 11 a.m. (I may have initially had the time wrong and Colby and Sarah and I may have stood out in the rain along the road around 10 a.m....I was excited). The entire town either walks in or watches this and they even throw candy! When the parade ends, the whole town travels down to the Pinky's Park (park in town), where there are food stands, game stands, competitions (like tug of war), and live music! No rides, and not quite as big as Dutch Days but still a very fun community event!

Berries!!

Summer is an incredibly busy time in Bethel. Because many people in the Yukon-Delta region

Salmon Berry

continue to live subsistence lifestyles, these months are essential for egg gathering, bird hunting, fishing, and berry picking in preparation for winter. Starting early in July the talk of the town has been berry picking. Wild berries cover the tundra and are gathered by the gallon and frozen for the winter. Salmon berries are the first to ripen early in July, followed by blueberries (my favorite), black berries (not at all like PA blackberries), and then red berries (cranberries). Many families have a Berry Camp that they travel to by boat and spend a week or more picking. I've heard of women picking as many as 40 or 50 gallons of berries! One of the most common ways to use these is to make Akutaq. This is a Yupik word which means "something mixed," which is a very appropriate name for this dessert. Traditionally it was made with whipped fat mixed with berries and some kind of fish or tundra greens. Today it is often made with Crisco whipped with sugar and mixed with berries and fish but there are hundreds of variations. Surprisingly, it is actually very good...just not very good for you.

Blueberry and Whitefish Akutaq

Blueberries are plentiful right around Bethel, and I was pretty excited about them. I was able to pick a few gallons of my own with my friend Angel and, one Saturday, Keira and Jesse took Colby and I up river to a spot where we were able to pick even more!

Camping

A few weeks ago we took an impromptu overnight camping trip with Keira, Jesse and Laney. We traveled a few hours up river from Bethel, up the Kisaralik River which flows into the Kuskokwim. Eventually we found a nice dry gravel bar and set up camp. As you travel up river trees become more plentiful and distant mountains come into view. Although we didn't see any animals, signs of moose were everywhere. The small streams are great salmon habitat, which also means more bears (I was completely fine with not seeing any of these). It was a great trip with exploring, berry picking and a relaxing night talking and eating around a campfire. On the way home we stopped to try some fishing. The river was high so the conditions were pretty poor, but Colby still managed to catch his first salmon by rod and reel!

Hooper Bay

Last week I made another village trip to Hooper Bay. I'm finally getting to know the staff at the clinic better and very much enjoy catching up with them. My caseload was full so I was able to follow up with a good number of patients. One evening after I finished my notes I was able to meet a good Christian friend of mine and spend some time catching up. It was so good to hear what God is doing in her life and in Hooper. She took me for a ride on her 4 wheeler on the boardwalk that goes several miles into the tundra out of the village and then turns to what they call the "Black Trail" which is a strip of plastic to  make travel easier and protect the tundra. Hooper bay is beautiful this time of year, the grass is high and golden and there are lots of birds. I'm looking forward to one more trip out for this year which will be coming up in October.

Other Updates...

Our garden has continued to do well! At least I think...I've been able to harvest kale often over the past few weeks and recently pulled out a few great big turnips! As first time gardeners (and Alaska gardeners at that) we really have no idea what we're doing. But our onions are still looking healthy and our potatoes plants are still alive. We will see whats under the ground in a few weeks!

Colby has officially completed one year of courses from Eternity Bible College and has achieved a certificate in Global Ministry! Sitting still and studying is definitely not something that he enjoys or that comes easily for him, but he pushed through and did an amazing job. It was such a blessing that he was able to have the flexibility to accomplish this over the past year, as this was one of our main purposes in taking this step. He was able to learn so much, and now has classes under his belt that he can apply now and that will be necessary if God leads us into foreign missions in the future. I have to admit though, he is a much happier person without the weight of assignments hanging over his head. He's decided to take some time away from classes for this year, but may continue on in the future.

Prayer Requests

• Because so many people are out of town at berry camp or fish camp or just traveling in general, most organized ministry activities take a break for the summer. It was a great chance for us to focus on building relationships with friends we have met, and to do some subsistence activities of our own! Starting this month King's Kids and regular Bible studies will be back in full swing. We would appreciate prayers as we prepare for the shift back into our regular schedule and especially for God to be working in the hearts of everyone who will be involved.
• One big request is for transportation for Colby and Job to do village travel. Currently Job's boat is not functioning and he is without a plane. They would like to continue regular Bible studies in Napakiak and to be able to do outreach in other villages. Pray that God will provide a way to travel.
• Continue to pray for the many hurting people and broken situations in this part of the world. The longer we're here the more I can put faces to the statistics and the more my heart is burdened for this place. Pray that more people would find the hope, peace, healing and power over addiction that can only come through faith in Christ.

A few more pictures...

Double Rainbow Over Bethel

Ground Squirrel in Denali

Friendly little squirrel in Palmer

Palmer Grass Flats

Lake near Denali

Moose!

Do you see the Frog?

The Longest Day!

We have officially passed the longest day of the year! On June 21st the sun rose at 5:13 a.m. and set at 12:24 a.m. (the next day!) giving us 19 hours and 11 minutes of daylight! As much as we enjoy the sunshine, and do notice the lift in moods this time of year, Colby is quite happy to be moving toward more normal daylight hours again. Even with blackout curtains, it's hard to convince your brain that it should sleep when it's broad daylight outside. In honor of this endless daylight, Bethel held a half marathon on June 16th starting at 8 p.m. (because in Alaska summer races can start at 8 p.m.). Of course it rained like crazy that day for the first time in a long time, so the race became more of a mud run. I ran and Colby drove around Bethel and cheered me on (and made sure I was going the right way). It ended up being a really fun time, mud and all. However, I did realize that running 13.1 miles late at night makes falling asleep even more impossible.

Bright grass green has always been my favorite color. I think that is extra true this year. About a month ago, in what seemed like 24 hours, our world transformed from shades of brown and grey with the occasional raven calling here and there to bright and green and full of life! Bethel and the surrounding villages lie within the Yukon Delta Wildlife Refuge. The swampy tundra with countless lakes and streams that make up this area create a perfect habitat for Ducks, Geese, Swans, Cranes, and other waterfowl which migrate to this region each year to nest. Although you have to get outside of Bethel to see most of the birds quite a few found their way to town, as did many robins, swallows and other smaller birds. I can't tell you how amazing it's been after the longer winter to hear birds singing in the morning and to see ducks swimming on the lakes as I walk to work! 

   

Fish Camp

Just in case you were not closely following the Kuskokwim Ice Classic this year, Breakup occurred on May 2nd at 7:51 p.m. River travel is now in full swing and the salmon have begun to run bringing a major change in the pace of life. Salmon are a major source of food for most people in this area. They are dried, frozen, and canned and stored to be eaten all winter. So when the season is open, everyone heads to the river. Many families have fish camps outside of town on the banks of the river where they hang and dry their fish. Colby and I were able to go with our friends, Francis and Lianna, to their family's camp this weekend. I'm still learning how the whole process works, but it is amazing...and a lot of work! The fish are caught, cut, and hung in a smoke house. The fire in the smokehouse needs to be kept at a smolder at all times, so someone needs to get there every day to keep it going. Some families stay at camp for the whole summer, others travel back and forth if their camp is close to Bethel or close to their village. It was so nice to get out of Bethel and see this first hand, and to see trees and have our own campfire :) 

 

Community Garden

Another super exciting thing about this summer is that we have an Alaska garden! Bethel has a small fenced in area in the center of town that is used as the community garden. Each person pays $5 to reserve their row, water and garden tools are provided. At the beginning of the season we had a work day to clean up the space, have our rows tilled and get the shed ready. Colby put his construction skills to work to build shelves in the garden shed which everyone very much appreciated. 

 

We know very little about gardening, let alone gardening in Alaska, but through watching what others do and asking a few questions I think we are off to a pretty good start. The growing season here is short (it's considered safe to go in the ground after June 1st and frosts can come early in September) so the things that grow are limited, but we have baby kale, onions, red beets, turnips and potatoes in our row, in addition to spinach and lettuce in planters on the porch. Possibly the most helpful thing this garden season is that my dad was here to help plant!

Dad Came!

One of the things I looked forward to most about this summer was my dad's visit to Bethel. It's good to live in a time where communication is easy, where pictures can be sent and phone calls can be made to stay connected. But especially in a place like this, nothing can compare to actually having a person here to meet the people and share in the experiences. Somehow we managed to time his visit for the absolute most beautiful week of the year. We had sunshine and 70 degree weather almost every day and he came and left just before the mosquitoes came in full swing (I now wear a mosquito net on my head to work in the garden, and I am still currently typing with 7 bites...on. my. face....there will be no picture). We toured all of Bethel (a few times) and even stopped for coffee at the new drive through coffee shop (the only drive through of any kind in Bethel). He was here for the Bethel Art Camp, which is when the dumpsters in town get to be painted, so he was able to see the transformation.

         

Before

After

 Dad helped me plant the garden, was able to help with some work projects at our church and helped transport some things to the Bethel dump for a friend in town, we kayaked down Brown's Slough which runs through town, and (Thanks to Keira and Jesse) we were able to get out of town by boat to see the village of Kwethluk and to have a picnic. God gave us a really perfect week, I can't think of anything that could have been better. Goodbyes never get easier, but I'm just so thankful for the time we do have. 

Church Events

Because our little church has been growing so much lately, we came to realize that some extra space would be very helpful. The church voted and decided to add some extra room onto the existing sanctuary to solve the problem for now. Job made the plans and most of the men from our church went to work at making it happen. In just a few weeks  our church went from a tiny cylinder, to a tiny cylinder with a room on the back!

     

Because so many people in Bethel disperse for the summer months, we decided to take a break from our Wednesday night King's Kids. To wrap things up, we had a fun last night where we gave awards and had root beer floats! There were a lot less kids than usual because many had already left for the summer, but it was still a great time and we're looking forward to starting again in the fall.

The week after our King's Kids wrap up, our church held a vacation bible school. This is one of the biggest events of the year for our church and a lot of work goes into it. Pastor Bruce's parent's came to town to help lead and Job's family was also here to help with the activities. In total we had around 80 kids throughout the week, just over 50 each night. We had a bible story, games, snacks, verse memorization and a clear gospel presentation each night. It was definitely a tiring week for everyone involved, but it was so good to meet and have the chance to connect with so many kids from our community!

Final Thoughts

Over the past few months God has continued to teach us so much about ourselves, about each other, about the people around us and about Himself. Lately he has been teaching us to trust Him and wait on his leading as we make decisions about what our life and ministry here should look like. In my own study, God has recently brought me back several times to Isaiah 58. I was first pointed to this chapter while reading a great book "Disciples are Made not Born," (highly recommend) which Seth and Cassie sent us a little while ago. As I was reading through the verses I was very much convicted and realized that this was a part of scripture I had never really paid attention to in the past. Since then I have been brought back to these words several times through sermons and in my own reading. I would definitely encourage you to read the whole chapter (really the chapters all around there to get the context) but the specific verses on my mind today are Isaiah 58:10-11....

"if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." 

God has been impressing on me first, that we are not called to give out of our excess but to actually pour ourselves out for those who are in need. Giving of myself is definitely not something that is comfortable, and in reality it is something that I am very hesitant to do. But the promise that comes after that is so incredible. As we give of ourselves the Lord promises to guide us, to satisfy us, to make us strong and to fill us up. It's just such an incredible picture of this life in Christ, He calls us to pour ourselves out, but all the while He is filling us up to overflowing. Anyway, I just thought that was worth sharing, hopefully it will be an encouragement to you as well!

Prayer Requests

• Please pray that we would have wisdom and hearts completely open to God's leading in regards to future decisions (pretty sure this is just a continuous process through life)
• We will both be doing some traveling over the next month. Me to Hooper Bay for another field clinic and Colby to Talkeetna to work with Job. Pray for safety, productiveness and relationship building during those times
• Job's boat motor is currently not working and he is without a plane, so pray for village transportation for Job and Colby to continue with bible studies in Napakiak and other outreach ministries
• Finally, continue to pray that God would open the hearts of people in the Delta to His truth and that we would begin to see lives transformed by the Gospel. 

A Few More Pictures...

Early Spring...Those pipes carry water/sewer through town

Later Spring

Kwethluk

More Kwethluk

Beaver Lodge in Town

Our Swallow Friend