Chapter 2: North to Alaska: September 2018

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.