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| The muskeg country of interior Alaska |
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| Flying over a glacier |
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| Mountains between Antiok and Soldotna Alaska on Aug 22, 2010 |
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Saturday Aug 22 Anchorage
Some pictures of the flight from Antiok to Soldatna
Sat. Aug 22 Kenai Alaska
We had a great flight from Marshall to Soldatna yesterday. Part of the way it was clear sky and flew over the soggy muskeg country of west central Alaska. After fueling up in Anaitok, Alaska we climbed into the mountains for some spectacular scenery. We were looking thru holes in big fluffy clouds at snow covered peaks, glaciers, and some high altitude beauty. We landed in Soldotna and stayed at the Samaritan's Purse base camp there.
We got up early this morning , had a light breakfast and made it to the airport. We are all checked in and waiting to board our plane. See you all at home soon.
This sunset in Marshall was at 11:30 pm
This sunset in Marshall was at 11:30 pm
Friday, August 20, 2010
Fri Aug 20 Marshall Alaska
We finished our final work day today. The inside of the small house is completely painted, the outside has one of two stain coats. The Big house has part of the interior painted and some stain on. The Church has all the roofing and siding completed. On the interior the storage room and kitchen have fiberglass panelling on them. The small house is ready for the flooring and electrical fixtures. Soon the big house and the church will be similarly ready. From the shells we arrived to up to the nearly completed interiors and exteriors we have accomplished a lot in two active weeks.
Tony, Al, John B and I went to the house Pastor George is staying at to deliver the outreach, craft and other supplies we did not use during our time here. We had some kites, games, pencils, coloring materials for his use in outreach. His three children were there, and we had a brief conversation with Kevin ( the oldest). In this culture you can get two or three questions answered, then they just do a shoulder shrug that means I do not know. Long conversations with outsiders do not happen much.
There are distinct differences in cultural norms here regarding child rearing, interaction between adults who do not know each other, and time of day for various activities. It seems a bit puzzling to us. Fortunately Pastor George is of this culture and can understand and relate. It would take an outsider longer to understand and be accepted I think. I think God called the right man for this church.
We look forward to returning home with our pictures, experiences, and stories. See you all soon.
Tony, Al, John B and I went to the house Pastor George is staying at to deliver the outreach, craft and other supplies we did not use during our time here. We had some kites, games, pencils, coloring materials for his use in outreach. His three children were there, and we had a brief conversation with Kevin ( the oldest). In this culture you can get two or three questions answered, then they just do a shoulder shrug that means I do not know. Long conversations with outsiders do not happen much.
There are distinct differences in cultural norms here regarding child rearing, interaction between adults who do not know each other, and time of day for various activities. It seems a bit puzzling to us. Fortunately Pastor George is of this culture and can understand and relate. It would take an outsider longer to understand and be accepted I think. I think God called the right man for this church.
We look forward to returning home with our pictures, experiences, and stories. See you all soon.
Thur Aug 19 Marshall Alaska
Well those of you who have been praying for good weather, keep it up because we have actually had a couple nice days. The morning started with a cool misty rain, but cleared by 9 to a sunny pleasant day. The roads are no longer completely squishy mud, just mud. We are grateful for the pleasant weather.
The buildings are really taking shape. The two houses are having paint or stain put on both the inside and outside. The drywall finisher has moved into the church building. Dave and Don have the last of the roofing material on the church entry, and are about to finish up the siding there. Tony's crew of Phil, John Hood, nand Al are finished fiberglass paneling in the storage area and moved into the kitchen. Soon all the buildings will be ready for interior finishing work.
This evening Pastor George took Phil, Tony, John B, and Howard (our drywall guy) over to one of his church members house(James). We took some family pictures and printed them, and had some conversations with James and his brother Tom. James and his wife do not have any children of their own, but are raising two nieces, a cousin, and a nephew. God granted their wish for children in and indirect way.
Tomorrow is our last work day. There is a mixture of sadness and excitement in the team. Excitement to go home after quite a long trip, and sadness to leave a project we put so much into before it is completed. We all have a hope that this will become a community center for Marshall Alaska. A center that proclaims the gospel and brings hope to those who need it. After spending some time with Pastor George I think he is really a man well positioned to reach the people of this village. Please pray for his ministry, and that he would bear fruit in this village.
Please continue to pray for health and safety for the members of our crew. Both during our last day of work, and on the long ride home. Pray that the seeds of encouragement and outreach we planted in Marshall will be followed up with by the later teams, and Pastor George.
Thank you again Woodlands for your support and prayer. We really could not do this without your blanket of prayer.
The buildings are really taking shape. The two houses are having paint or stain put on both the inside and outside. The drywall finisher has moved into the church building. Dave and Don have the last of the roofing material on the church entry, and are about to finish up the siding there. Tony's crew of Phil, John Hood, nand Al are finished fiberglass paneling in the storage area and moved into the kitchen. Soon all the buildings will be ready for interior finishing work.
This evening Pastor George took Phil, Tony, John B, and Howard (our drywall guy) over to one of his church members house(James). We took some family pictures and printed them, and had some conversations with James and his brother Tom. James and his wife do not have any children of their own, but are raising two nieces, a cousin, and a nephew. God granted their wish for children in and indirect way.
Tomorrow is our last work day. There is a mixture of sadness and excitement in the team. Excitement to go home after quite a long trip, and sadness to leave a project we put so much into before it is completed. We all have a hope that this will become a community center for Marshall Alaska. A center that proclaims the gospel and brings hope to those who need it. After spending some time with Pastor George I think he is really a man well positioned to reach the people of this village. Please pray for his ministry, and that he would bear fruit in this village.
Please continue to pray for health and safety for the members of our crew. Both during our last day of work, and on the long ride home. Pray that the seeds of encouragement and outreach we planted in Marshall will be followed up with by the later teams, and Pastor George.
Thank you again Woodlands for your support and prayer. We really could not do this without your blanket of prayer.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Some pictures from week 1
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| Cross on top of church on a clear day |
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| Inside view |
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| Project area including sleeping tents and bath house |
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| Village of Marshall from roof top |
Wed Aug 18 Marshall AK
Today started out blustery and overcast, but turned into one of the most pleasant evenings we have had here. By mid afternoon it was mostly sunny and comfortably cool (mid 50’s). Many of us went out for walks after supper to enjoy the weather and scenery.
Today was a day where visibly significant progress was not obvious, but a lot of work foot done. Many of the projects were at a stage where each piece has to be cut and fitted, or two steps have to be done before the next piece can go on. This is true on the siding, inside the church, and under the buildings. Late morning we got word that we had to plane loads of materials coming in. We loaded the van and pickup up with people and headed out to the airport. We got in a good amount of food, critical drywall compound, materials for an exterior deck connecting the church and the pastor’s house. A fuel oil tank, and various parts and pieces.
These materials were critical for the drywall finisher to continue on his task. It looks like the pastor’ house will be finished in about 3 weeks.
We have wanted to do the photo ministry with families, or at least get some adults in the pictures. Pastor George arranged for us to go over to 2 families houses for photos this evening. The first place was at Richard & Nancy’s house. Richard is a believer and plays the guitar for worship services and gospel sings. We took pictures of the whole family, then some of the children, and the parents . They were genuinely glad to get the pictures, and I got a little chance to talk to Nancy about why we were here, and why we do mission trips.
The second family we went to visit was not home. I do not know if they forgot, or if it is impolite to say no so they were just not home when we showed up. Walking through the village a lot of people come up and speak with Pastor George. He says hello to even more as we pass by. The village really does not become until after 7pm.
We have two more work days left. We are committed to finishing strong, but most of us are thinking about home some. We miss both our families and our church family. Being is such a small rural, poor setting makes us realize how rich our lives are. Not so much in wealth, but in blessings of a dynamic worship experience done with excellence. Resources like a library and coffee bar, and heated bathrooms. (ok ours are heated evenings during shower times). We came to be the hands and feet of Jesus and are doing that with dedication. But we are also coming home for an appreciation for the struggle our fellow Christian workers like Pastor George in under resourced parts of the United States.
Today was a day where visibly significant progress was not obvious, but a lot of work foot done. Many of the projects were at a stage where each piece has to be cut and fitted, or two steps have to be done before the next piece can go on. This is true on the siding, inside the church, and under the buildings. Late morning we got word that we had to plane loads of materials coming in. We loaded the van and pickup up with people and headed out to the airport. We got in a good amount of food, critical drywall compound, materials for an exterior deck connecting the church and the pastor’s house. A fuel oil tank, and various parts and pieces.
These materials were critical for the drywall finisher to continue on his task. It looks like the pastor’ house will be finished in about 3 weeks.
We have wanted to do the photo ministry with families, or at least get some adults in the pictures. Pastor George arranged for us to go over to 2 families houses for photos this evening. The first place was at Richard & Nancy’s house. Richard is a believer and plays the guitar for worship services and gospel sings. We took pictures of the whole family, then some of the children, and the parents . They were genuinely glad to get the pictures, and I got a little chance to talk to Nancy about why we were here, and why we do mission trips.
The second family we went to visit was not home. I do not know if they forgot, or if it is impolite to say no so they were just not home when we showed up. Walking through the village a lot of people come up and speak with Pastor George. He says hello to even more as we pass by. The village really does not become until after 7pm.
We have two more work days left. We are committed to finishing strong, but most of us are thinking about home some. We miss both our families and our church family. Being is such a small rural, poor setting makes us realize how rich our lives are. Not so much in wealth, but in blessings of a dynamic worship experience done with excellence. Resources like a library and coffee bar, and heated bathrooms. (ok ours are heated evenings during shower times). We came to be the hands and feet of Jesus and are doing that with dedication. But we are also coming home for an appreciation for the struggle our fellow Christian workers like Pastor George in under resourced parts of the United States.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tue. Aug 17 Marshall Alaska
Good news. Pastor George has fully recovered from his allergic reaction. He was up and about. In fact right now he is chatting with some of our team members in the kitchen. He told us about his conversion to Christ. He has been to a lot of the villages around here, and made connections. One tradition of "sings" he takes advantage of.. Lots of people enjoy singing, especially gospel songs they are familiar with. Pastor George has been invited to host gospel sings in at least one other village. He has passions both for his people, and for sharing the freedom from bondage to sin Jesus Christ brings.
Pastor George's son Isaiah had a viral infection and is being treated for it. He is leaving the hospital today. His mother Eunice and he will be staying near the clinic for a few days.
Today it only rained part of the time. For a little while this afternoon it was sunny and bright out. It felt almost warm, almost. It was encouraging to see the sun, but it went away by supper time, and has begun to rain again. Deb I am beginning to develop webbing between my fingers, please call a dermatologist.
The water and sewer guys worked all day again and got about another 6' of lines assembled and buried. The electric utility said they would be here in the morning, then just before or just after lunch. They arrived about three pm and said they would be back tomorrow morning. Everything here happens on village time. Jim has been trying for two weeks to get some gravel dumped on the lot for a small outdoor boiler building. Tonight at 9pm the dump trucks full of gravel and the bulldozer to spread and compact the gravel showed up. They dumped and scraped for about 1.5 hours. This is an example of village time. Very different from our usual routine/schedule. But on a mission trip flexibility and adaptability are the keys.
It is 11pm local time the bulldozer just fired up again to scrape a little more then leave. Paul one of the staff workers here just came into the kitchen from working with the gravel guys. He said you would not believe all the people out on the street. More people out than he has seen in the whole time he has been here, and there are kids all over the place. As I said, a very different daily schedule than we keep.
Tyler, Kyle, and Hannah finished putting the plywood under the large house. Dave and Don continue to plug away at finishing up the siding, soffit and facia on all three buildings. Tony's crew finished putting in all the subflooring in the church building. One of the biggest challenges we face is running out of materials critical for the stage of building we are at. Due to bad weather here or in Soldatna we have not gotten in the cargo flights Jim the project manager has expected. We are 4-5 plane loads behind. With 8-14,000 pounds of cargo per flight. We are out of drywall compound for spraying texture on the walls. There are a number of other materials we need. The drywall finisher is anxious to get the drywall compound he needs to continue. Maybe it will come on tomorrow's plane.
The team is working very well together. Everyone is flexible enough to help out another group, or move material when needed. We are accomplishing a significant amount, in spite of the material limitations. Most of us are healthy, sore, but mostly healthy, and in good spirits.
We spoke with Pastor George about getting some families to show up for pictures. He thought we might have better luck going to their house to get the family pictures, and was going to look into this with at least one family. We are hoping to do that tomorrow.
Our prayer requests are: Continued health and safety for crew members. Pray for good weather so the planes can bring the materials the project needs. Please pray that we have more outreach opportunities (this is also weather dependant).
Pastor George's son Isaiah had a viral infection and is being treated for it. He is leaving the hospital today. His mother Eunice and he will be staying near the clinic for a few days.
Today it only rained part of the time. For a little while this afternoon it was sunny and bright out. It felt almost warm, almost. It was encouraging to see the sun, but it went away by supper time, and has begun to rain again. Deb I am beginning to develop webbing between my fingers, please call a dermatologist.
The water and sewer guys worked all day again and got about another 6' of lines assembled and buried. The electric utility said they would be here in the morning, then just before or just after lunch. They arrived about three pm and said they would be back tomorrow morning. Everything here happens on village time. Jim has been trying for two weeks to get some gravel dumped on the lot for a small outdoor boiler building. Tonight at 9pm the dump trucks full of gravel and the bulldozer to spread and compact the gravel showed up. They dumped and scraped for about 1.5 hours. This is an example of village time. Very different from our usual routine/schedule. But on a mission trip flexibility and adaptability are the keys.
It is 11pm local time the bulldozer just fired up again to scrape a little more then leave. Paul one of the staff workers here just came into the kitchen from working with the gravel guys. He said you would not believe all the people out on the street. More people out than he has seen in the whole time he has been here, and there are kids all over the place. As I said, a very different daily schedule than we keep.
Tyler, Kyle, and Hannah finished putting the plywood under the large house. Dave and Don continue to plug away at finishing up the siding, soffit and facia on all three buildings. Tony's crew finished putting in all the subflooring in the church building. One of the biggest challenges we face is running out of materials critical for the stage of building we are at. Due to bad weather here or in Soldatna we have not gotten in the cargo flights Jim the project manager has expected. We are 4-5 plane loads behind. With 8-14,000 pounds of cargo per flight. We are out of drywall compound for spraying texture on the walls. There are a number of other materials we need. The drywall finisher is anxious to get the drywall compound he needs to continue. Maybe it will come on tomorrow's plane.
The team is working very well together. Everyone is flexible enough to help out another group, or move material when needed. We are accomplishing a significant amount, in spite of the material limitations. Most of us are healthy, sore, but mostly healthy, and in good spirits.
We spoke with Pastor George about getting some families to show up for pictures. He thought we might have better luck going to their house to get the family pictures, and was going to look into this with at least one family. We are hoping to do that tomorrow.
Our prayer requests are: Continued health and safety for crew members. Pray for good weather so the planes can bring the materials the project needs. Please pray that we have more outreach opportunities (this is also weather dependant).
Monday, August 16, 2010
Status of Pastor George
We just heard that Pastor George is alert and awake at the clinic. After suffering an anaphilatic shock he received treatment and is under observation until about 1 am. Jim the project coordinator will go get him and take him to the house where he is staying. Please join us in praying for a speedy recovery to full health.
Monday August 16 Marshall Alaska
Today we woke up and was not raining. Well that changed by 10 am, when it rained briefly. Then by 4pm it was raining again and still. Today Dave, Don and Kyle continued working on the smaller details of siding, and the soffit and fascia of the houses. Tyler and John spent the morning stapling plywood on the bottom of the houses. This protects the foam insulation from animals, insects, and children. Kyle Tyler and Hannah (A young woman from Main who came in at the same time as our second team) continued plywood on the bottom of the big house. Phil, John B, John H., Al, and Hannah finished hanging the last of the Drywall in the morning. In the afternoon they moved on to putting the sub flooring in the church building. In spite of the weather and smaller team we made steady progress today.
Because of the evening rain we did not have a chance to do kites or other activities. We are still trying to figure out how to get adults involved in some evening activities. We hare hoping to get a family photo event going, but have not worked out the timing or logistics of it. Most of the village is up very late at night and there is very little activity on the streets before the afternoon. Part of this is a result of the daylight being around so long. It is not unusual to hear about moose shot at 10 pm or later, and then it is still light.
The water and sewer lines here are a complicated insulated pipes within an insulated shell. The water and sewer guys have been working on getting these lines into the houses for about 4 days. The total run they are working on is about 50 feet, and it is hard to understand how long things are taking. But the soil they are digging in is a combination of wet clay, stone, and bog material. There is a whole different system for dealing with the bitter temps of winter here.
We have had several pieces of bad news regarding Pastor George's family today. Their youngest son Isaiah had been feeling sick. He developed a fever bad enough to require a trip to the hospital in Bethel. We have not heard his status this evening. Then I just heard that Pastor George had a severe allergic reaction after supper and stopped breathing. They rushed him to the local clinic, I will update his condition as I can.
Please pray for Pastor George and his son. That they would quickly recover full health. Continue to pray for good weather, the forecast is for rain, rain, rain. Pray that we finish strong our mission trip here. That there would be further outreach opportunities.
Because of the evening rain we did not have a chance to do kites or other activities. We are still trying to figure out how to get adults involved in some evening activities. We hare hoping to get a family photo event going, but have not worked out the timing or logistics of it. Most of the village is up very late at night and there is very little activity on the streets before the afternoon. Part of this is a result of the daylight being around so long. It is not unusual to hear about moose shot at 10 pm or later, and then it is still light.
The water and sewer lines here are a complicated insulated pipes within an insulated shell. The water and sewer guys have been working on getting these lines into the houses for about 4 days. The total run they are working on is about 50 feet, and it is hard to understand how long things are taking. But the soil they are digging in is a combination of wet clay, stone, and bog material. There is a whole different system for dealing with the bitter temps of winter here.
We have had several pieces of bad news regarding Pastor George's family today. Their youngest son Isaiah had been feeling sick. He developed a fever bad enough to require a trip to the hospital in Bethel. We have not heard his status this evening. Then I just heard that Pastor George had a severe allergic reaction after supper and stopped breathing. They rushed him to the local clinic, I will update his condition as I can.
Please pray for Pastor George and his son. That they would quickly recover full health. Continue to pray for good weather, the forecast is for rain, rain, rain. Pray that we finish strong our mission trip here. That there would be further outreach opportunities.
Sunday Aug 15 Marshall Alaska
Today was a rest and worship day. We had a worship service in the new church that was led by Pastor George Landlord. There was our team and about 6 people from Marshall. at the service. We sang a number of songs and then Pastor George gave a message on why Christ came. It was a very solid biblical message. He peppered the message with examples of how Christ has changed lives.
After service we many of us took walks around the village. We discovered several moose heads on the beach which means that fresh meat has come into the village. We were talking with a man who is a school teacher and local historian here in Marshall. He was telling us that the fishing has been very bad this year. In fact there are very few salmon coming into the mouth of the Yukon river. This is very bad news for Marshall for two reasons. First many of the local people are subsistence hunters/fishers. The depend on the salmon for a significant part of their diet, and for food for their dogs. Second one of the few industries in Marshall was a fish processing plant that specialized in shipping freshly caught salmon to premier restaurants around the country. Few salmon means no processing facility and fewer jobs.
This teacher told us that in the early 1900's Marshall was a town of about 2000, and was a supply town for gold mines up in the hills nearby. He told us about a ghost town about 15 miles away where the had the mine located. He said that most of the miners left for WWII and never came back. Since then most of the buildings have either collapsed or been hauled off by river to some other site. He was concerned about the lack of work opportunities and the survival of the town long term.
This evening we had a "sing" at the church. There were about 20 people from town who turned out for the sing. We sang songs from a gospel song book the church has. The song was about 1.5 hours long. I think they would have sung till dawn, but having a work day tomorrow we had to shut the building up so we could go to bed.
Today the weather was mostly overcast, with a few scattered minutes of sunshine, and hardly any rain. The wind was blustery this afternoon and we took a advantage of that to do some kite flying. we brought out a half dozen kites and soon had plenty of kids volunteering to fly them. The wind was just strong and variable gusty enough to make this a little difficult. But all the kids enjoyed flying the kites and having adults fetching their kites off the ground to help get them launched again. Our goal was to build goodwill and have fun with the kids, and in this we were successful. We will do this again later this week if weather permits.
Thank you for your prayer, we can feel the presence of God on this mission. Seeds of eternal change are being planted. Please continue to pray for health and safety for the team. Several of us still have colds we are fighting. Pray that there are outreach opportunities this week. Please continue to pray for good weather. It has been great to see ground that was not entirely mud for a couple days.
After service we many of us took walks around the village. We discovered several moose heads on the beach which means that fresh meat has come into the village. We were talking with a man who is a school teacher and local historian here in Marshall. He was telling us that the fishing has been very bad this year. In fact there are very few salmon coming into the mouth of the Yukon river. This is very bad news for Marshall for two reasons. First many of the local people are subsistence hunters/fishers. The depend on the salmon for a significant part of their diet, and for food for their dogs. Second one of the few industries in Marshall was a fish processing plant that specialized in shipping freshly caught salmon to premier restaurants around the country. Few salmon means no processing facility and fewer jobs.
This teacher told us that in the early 1900's Marshall was a town of about 2000, and was a supply town for gold mines up in the hills nearby. He told us about a ghost town about 15 miles away where the had the mine located. He said that most of the miners left for WWII and never came back. Since then most of the buildings have either collapsed or been hauled off by river to some other site. He was concerned about the lack of work opportunities and the survival of the town long term.
This evening we had a "sing" at the church. There were about 20 people from town who turned out for the sing. We sang songs from a gospel song book the church has. The song was about 1.5 hours long. I think they would have sung till dawn, but having a work day tomorrow we had to shut the building up so we could go to bed.
Today the weather was mostly overcast, with a few scattered minutes of sunshine, and hardly any rain. The wind was blustery this afternoon and we took a advantage of that to do some kite flying. we brought out a half dozen kites and soon had plenty of kids volunteering to fly them. The wind was just strong and variable gusty enough to make this a little difficult. But all the kids enjoyed flying the kites and having adults fetching their kites off the ground to help get them launched again. Our goal was to build goodwill and have fun with the kids, and in this we were successful. We will do this again later this week if weather permits.
Thank you for your prayer, we can feel the presence of God on this mission. Seeds of eternal change are being planted. Please continue to pray for health and safety for the team. Several of us still have colds we are fighting. Pray that there are outreach opportunities this week. Please continue to pray for good weather. It has been great to see ground that was not entirely mud for a couple days.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sat. Aug 14 Marshall Alaska
Saturday August 14 Marshall Alaska
Today began with the bittersweet departure of part of our team, the ones who came for only one week. It was hard to loose the hard charging Brice and Jeff, or the bull moose just keep working Cory, or the hearts of our outreach ministry Kim and Brianna, or the steady hands of Jim and Dean. Working hard for a week made me appreciate all the different and wonderful gifts God has given to each of us. Each of us has contributed in different ways to the work being done here. The sweet part of the day was to have Marilyn, John and Tyler arrive. They arrived and the others departed about 11 am. We were hard at it inside the church and working on completing the siding and trim work. It took awhile to get new work teams organized with the change in personel, but things went pretty smooth.
Oh, did I mention it rained today. The good news is that it only rained for a part of the morning. What it was all day was WINDY!!!!. A steady wind of over 20 mph with gusts of 45+ mph. It made just opening doors difficult let alone the siding work Dave, Kyle and Don were trying to do.
Pastor George was around the church today with most of his family. Several of us got a chance to speak with him. He is a native from this area and so is completely in tune with the local culture. He said when he started holding church services four years ago there were only 2 beilevers in town. Now there are over 30. Pastor George hopes that now that they will have a new church building soon they will fill it. I pray that he is right, and feel he may very well be the man to build God’s church in Marshall Alaska.
This evening everyone was taking care of domestic chores, cleaning laundry, organizing. Stuff we did not have time or energy for earlier in the week. Tomorrow we will have a worship service in the new building with Pastor George leading it. Then a day off construction work. Probably a walk aroung the village. Maybe a little fishing . In the evening some planning for the upcoming week on both the construction and outreach ministries.
Thank you Woodlands for sending us here. This village needs to have a place where Christ is proclaimed, and you sent us to help. Thank you for your encouragement, prayer support, financial support, and sending your spouses and children to help build God’s fame in Alaska.
We covet your prayers. It is both physically and mentally and mentally challenging to maintain the pace we have maintained. Please pray that as Jeff said on departure “finish strong”. Please continue to pray for our health and safety. Several of us are suffering with colds, and many sore muscles. Pray that the weather remains good, or maybe even gets sunny again.
We miss our team mates but are glad they will soon be home with their families. We look forward to another productive week on this mission field of Marshall Alaska.
Today began with the bittersweet departure of part of our team, the ones who came for only one week. It was hard to loose the hard charging Brice and Jeff, or the bull moose just keep working Cory, or the hearts of our outreach ministry Kim and Brianna, or the steady hands of Jim and Dean. Working hard for a week made me appreciate all the different and wonderful gifts God has given to each of us. Each of us has contributed in different ways to the work being done here. The sweet part of the day was to have Marilyn, John and Tyler arrive. They arrived and the others departed about 11 am. We were hard at it inside the church and working on completing the siding and trim work. It took awhile to get new work teams organized with the change in personel, but things went pretty smooth.
Oh, did I mention it rained today. The good news is that it only rained for a part of the morning. What it was all day was WINDY!!!!. A steady wind of over 20 mph with gusts of 45+ mph. It made just opening doors difficult let alone the siding work Dave, Kyle and Don were trying to do.
Pastor George was around the church today with most of his family. Several of us got a chance to speak with him. He is a native from this area and so is completely in tune with the local culture. He said when he started holding church services four years ago there were only 2 beilevers in town. Now there are over 30. Pastor George hopes that now that they will have a new church building soon they will fill it. I pray that he is right, and feel he may very well be the man to build God’s church in Marshall Alaska.
This evening everyone was taking care of domestic chores, cleaning laundry, organizing. Stuff we did not have time or energy for earlier in the week. Tomorrow we will have a worship service in the new building with Pastor George leading it. Then a day off construction work. Probably a walk aroung the village. Maybe a little fishing . In the evening some planning for the upcoming week on both the construction and outreach ministries.
Thank you Woodlands for sending us here. This village needs to have a place where Christ is proclaimed, and you sent us to help. Thank you for your encouragement, prayer support, financial support, and sending your spouses and children to help build God’s fame in Alaska.
We covet your prayers. It is both physically and mentally and mentally challenging to maintain the pace we have maintained. Please pray that as Jeff said on departure “finish strong”. Please continue to pray for our health and safety. Several of us are suffering with colds, and many sore muscles. Pray that the weather remains good, or maybe even gets sunny again.
We miss our team mates but are glad they will soon be home with their families. We look forward to another productive week on this mission field of Marshall Alaska.
Fri Aug 13 Marshall Alaska
Today was the first day it did not rain on us here in Alaska. It was cool (mid 50’s) and partly cloudy but often SUNNY!!!!. There is something besides mud to walk around on the ground. Thanks God for a break in the weather.
We had our last full day of work with this group of team members, and again it was a very productive day. Brice’s team spent most of the day putting soffit and fascia up on parts of all three structures. Phil and Cory finished putting the plywood on the walls of the chapel, and moved on to helping Tony’s team with drywall in the church. The drywall team got the storage area, kitchen, both bathrooms, the front entryway, and fellowship hall roughed in with drywall. Tomorrow they will probably finish the chapel, and utility room. That will finish the drywall rough in all the buildings.
The project manager has a drywall finisher (Howard) working on the small house now. He has the temperature up to 80 degrees in the house so the drywall mud dries faster. He must really like the heat.
We had a brief introduction to the Pastor today. George Landlord and his wife Eunice returned with their three children to Marshall. Their youngest son Isaiah is adopted. He was both very premature and at only 2 pounds. The family had been away for a surgery for Isaiah. Jim, our site manager wanted to show them the progress that had been made on the church and their new home, so we did not get much of a chance to meet them after supper.
We had a gathering to sing worship songs and share our experiences tonight. It was the last evening to gather before some of the team returns home. It was a heartfelt time of sharing, and acknowledgement that even though we are very different people, we share a family bond thru Christ. We also want to thank all our family and Woodlands family for the support, encouragement and prayer. It is good to be in the body of believers.
We had our last full day of work with this group of team members, and again it was a very productive day. Brice’s team spent most of the day putting soffit and fascia up on parts of all three structures. Phil and Cory finished putting the plywood on the walls of the chapel, and moved on to helping Tony’s team with drywall in the church. The drywall team got the storage area, kitchen, both bathrooms, the front entryway, and fellowship hall roughed in with drywall. Tomorrow they will probably finish the chapel, and utility room. That will finish the drywall rough in all the buildings.
The project manager has a drywall finisher (Howard) working on the small house now. He has the temperature up to 80 degrees in the house so the drywall mud dries faster. He must really like the heat.
We had a brief introduction to the Pastor today. George Landlord and his wife Eunice returned with their three children to Marshall. Their youngest son Isaiah is adopted. He was both very premature and at only 2 pounds. The family had been away for a surgery for Isaiah. Jim, our site manager wanted to show them the progress that had been made on the church and their new home, so we did not get much of a chance to meet them after supper.
We had a gathering to sing worship songs and share our experiences tonight. It was the last evening to gather before some of the team returns home. It was a heartfelt time of sharing, and acknowledgement that even though we are very different people, we share a family bond thru Christ. We also want to thank all our family and Woodlands family for the support, encouragement and prayer. It is good to be in the body of believers.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Marshall Thursday
Today was a good day for several reasons. First during our work day we actually had 2 count them 2 15 minute periods of scattered sunshine (between the rain showers). Then in fact this evening we actually have a very pleasant rain free evening with enough scattered sunshine to occasionally light up some of the hills around us.
The most exciting thing that happened today was that we got to see a 20' wooden cross mounted on the roof of the church. Kyle and Don put it together from some treated 6" x 6" beams, and crawled in the attic to do some bracing to support the weight and wind load. Then we used a crane to lift the cross up and mount it towering above the roof peak of the church. We all thought it was really cool to be here for that part.
We had a little surprise waiting for us in the men's bathroom this morning. A fresh moose head. One of the camp staff Paul was successful hunting last night and brought back the head and about 900 pounds of meat. He gave the meat to the village elders to distribute, and left the head for us to discover. I know some of you are going "Yuck", but most of us found it pretty cool. Life has different forms of entertainment in a small village
We continue to make rapid steady progress on the tasks. The electrical service panels now are connected to the main feed lines from the meter bases. We just need to have the utility people arrive to hook up the meters and power.
Both of the houses have all the dry wall rough in work done, A drywall finisher is here doing the mudding and taping to finish the drywall in those houses . Tony's drywall crew has moved into the church for the really big job. Brice's crew continued on with the door and window trim, as well as finishing up most of the siding on all the buildings except the front of the church.
Everyone had their spirits elevated by to break in the rain and sunshine. Tony passed out the letters that family and friends had sent to us. This was another source of joy. When the mist it was beautiful to see the vista the Master Creator laid out before us.
A few of us went out fishing this evening and walked about 1/2 mile thru the spongy muskeg to get to the river. This soil is mostly moss and lichens, with tons of blueberries. The berries are small and rather tart. But there are square miles of these berry areas. The people of Marshall are out actively picking blueberries. Every time we have gone down the airport road we see berry pickers out.
It is difficult to walk very far thru this muskeg because your foot sinks some to a lot with each step. It is sort of line walking over a field of foam rubber chips that are sometimes 6" thick, sometimes 3' thick. You never know just how much you will sink down. It is not at all dangerous to walk on, just a lot of effort.
We have one more day with this full crew then several are going home. Brice, Brianna, Dean, Cory, Jim, Kim and Jeff are headed Home. Marilyn, Jim, and Tyler are coming in. We look forward to our new team members joining us, but are sad to loose such hard working and dedicated team mates.
Please continue to pray for good weather. The rain makes everything more difficult. Please continue to pray for health and safety for all the team and staff here.
The most exciting thing that happened today was that we got to see a 20' wooden cross mounted on the roof of the church. Kyle and Don put it together from some treated 6" x 6" beams, and crawled in the attic to do some bracing to support the weight and wind load. Then we used a crane to lift the cross up and mount it towering above the roof peak of the church. We all thought it was really cool to be here for that part.
We had a little surprise waiting for us in the men's bathroom this morning. A fresh moose head. One of the camp staff Paul was successful hunting last night and brought back the head and about 900 pounds of meat. He gave the meat to the village elders to distribute, and left the head for us to discover. I know some of you are going "Yuck", but most of us found it pretty cool. Life has different forms of entertainment in a small village
We continue to make rapid steady progress on the tasks. The electrical service panels now are connected to the main feed lines from the meter bases. We just need to have the utility people arrive to hook up the meters and power.
Both of the houses have all the dry wall rough in work done, A drywall finisher is here doing the mudding and taping to finish the drywall in those houses . Tony's drywall crew has moved into the church for the really big job. Brice's crew continued on with the door and window trim, as well as finishing up most of the siding on all the buildings except the front of the church.
Everyone had their spirits elevated by to break in the rain and sunshine. Tony passed out the letters that family and friends had sent to us. This was another source of joy. When the mist it was beautiful to see the vista the Master Creator laid out before us.
A few of us went out fishing this evening and walked about 1/2 mile thru the spongy muskeg to get to the river. This soil is mostly moss and lichens, with tons of blueberries. The berries are small and rather tart. But there are square miles of these berry areas. The people of Marshall are out actively picking blueberries. Every time we have gone down the airport road we see berry pickers out.
It is difficult to walk very far thru this muskeg because your foot sinks some to a lot with each step. It is sort of line walking over a field of foam rubber chips that are sometimes 6" thick, sometimes 3' thick. You never know just how much you will sink down. It is not at all dangerous to walk on, just a lot of effort.
We have one more day with this full crew then several are going home. Brice, Brianna, Dean, Cory, Jim, Kim and Jeff are headed Home. Marilyn, Jim, and Tyler are coming in. We look forward to our new team members joining us, but are sad to loose such hard working and dedicated team mates.
Please continue to pray for good weather. The rain makes everything more difficult. Please continue to pray for health and safety for all the team and staff here.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Marshall Wednesday
We continue to have very productive days in spite of the fact that it rained off and on all day. Brice's crew completed almost all the siding, got a bunch of doors on, and began to trim out the windows and doors. Jeff got one of the two meter bases set for the utility company. The rest of Jeff's crew got plywood on the remainder of the chappel ceiling, all the fellowship hall ceiling, and the walls of the fellowship hall. They are putting plywood under the drywall to prevent active youth from punching holes in the drywall. Tony's crew finished the last of the drywalling rough in for the small house and got a good portion of the big house drywalled. Everyone is feeling a bit tired from working hard for 3.5 days, but feeling good about how much we are accomplishing. The buildings are no longer open to the weather, and you no longer have to wear a coat inside.
This evening we again invited people to come have thier pictures taken and play games. About 20 all children showed up to play games. The already knew what games she wanted to play and with who they wanted to play. Several of the children were dressed up just for the pictures. We did not have as many people show up but they really enjoyed themselves. Our team members had a blast playing games, coloring, and just talking with the kids. Near the end of the hour and a half we had a number of pictures taken.
Most of us are in good health, with a few sore of stiff muscles but feeling well. Please continue to pray for health and safety for our team. Please continue to pray for an end to the relentless rain we have experienced. We praise God for the last two evenings when we have had a chance to reach out to at least the kids of Marshall. It was really fun to watch so many of the team members get involved with the kids. We value your prayers and feel encouraged and supported by the Woodlands community.
It is 11pm and still light here in Marshall, even though it is overcast and misty rain. It is hard to get a grip on just how late it really is without looking at a watch, because it is light so early and so late.
This evening we again invited people to come have thier pictures taken and play games. About 20 all children showed up to play games. The already knew what games she wanted to play and with who they wanted to play. Several of the children were dressed up just for the pictures. We did not have as many people show up but they really enjoyed themselves. Our team members had a blast playing games, coloring, and just talking with the kids. Near the end of the hour and a half we had a number of pictures taken.
Most of us are in good health, with a few sore of stiff muscles but feeling well. Please continue to pray for health and safety for our team. Please continue to pray for an end to the relentless rain we have experienced. We praise God for the last two evenings when we have had a chance to reach out to at least the kids of Marshall. It was really fun to watch so many of the team members get involved with the kids. We value your prayers and feel encouraged and supported by the Woodlands community.
It is 11pm and still light here in Marshall, even though it is overcast and misty rain. It is hard to get a grip on just how late it really is without looking at a watch, because it is light so early and so late.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday in Marshall Alaska
Today the weather was cool and rainy. In other words no change. We have learned to just cope with the rain. Brice's crew got a good portion of the remaining siding done, then got the entry doors on the church. Jeff's crew finished up the rough in wiring, and began hanging the ceiling plywood in the church. Tony's crew finished drywalling the small house and got started on the drywall on the big house.
This evening we had invited Theresa to come over and have her family's picture taken, and let us play games with her kids. Theresa showed up and so did about 30 kids. Brianna and Kim played card all night, Brice was drawing pictures, Cory was wrestling all night, Jeff was trading stores and joking with kids. We took about 38 pictures and printed multiple copies of many of them. It was a wildly successful evening. Most of our team was involved in some part of the evening. We intended to have a couple kids and take a few pictures as a warm up to tomorrow night. Who knows how many will show up not that the work is out.
Please continue to pray for an end to the rain. There are a number of things we just cannot get done in the rain. Praise God that he gave us an opportunity to reach out to the people of Marshall. Pray for continued safety and strength as we go into the later part of the week.
This evening we had invited Theresa to come over and have her family's picture taken, and let us play games with her kids. Theresa showed up and so did about 30 kids. Brianna and Kim played card all night, Brice was drawing pictures, Cory was wrestling all night, Jeff was trading stores and joking with kids. We took about 38 pictures and printed multiple copies of many of them. It was a wildly successful evening. Most of our team was involved in some part of the evening. We intended to have a couple kids and take a few pictures as a warm up to tomorrow night. Who knows how many will show up not that the work is out.
Please continue to pray for an end to the rain. There are a number of things we just cannot get done in the rain. Praise God that he gave us an opportunity to reach out to the people of Marshall. Pray for continued safety and strength as we go into the later part of the week.
Monday Aug 9
Monday our first full day of work and guess what, it rained. It rained 50% of the day. Misted 25% do the day. Was cold and damp all the day. In spite of this reality we got a lot done today. We divided into three teams. Brice, Dave, Dean, Brianna, Kim and Dean were working on putting sheets of wood siding on the buildings. They worked right thru the rain and got the church 60% sided. They had to switch to working on the church because the wind picked up and made siding the peaks of the small house 18’ in the air too difficult. The church is 40’ x 60’ so getting 60% done was a big job well done.
Tony, John B, and John H, worked on hanging drywall sheets in the small house. They got this ¾ finished. Though they had the luxury of being out of the rain, they had some heavy lifting getting all that drywall hung.
The rest of the crew were under the dynamic leadership of Master Electrician and Master Coordinator Jeff Disher. Jeff really showed his organizational and multitasking skills directing wiring in the Church. The meter base and mast got mounted. A good portion of the remaining wiring runs were run, and data cable runs and boxes were put up.
In spite of the weather we are making good progress on the buildings.
The weather has also made it difficult to see let alone interact with many of the people here in Marshall. Most of them are hurrying by to get out of the rain as soon as possible, or just staying inside. We have met a few people including one woman named Theresa. We have invited her over tomorrow night and offered to take pictures of her and her children. We hope she will show others her picture and tell them about and open house for picture taking we are hosting Wednesday evening. We are also hoping to play some table games with any children who show up.
We would ask for your prayers in a couple of areas. First that people would show up for the outreach events we are trying, and that we can express joy and encouragement that makes them curious why we are here. Second that the weather would improve. They are having a much wetter summer than usual. A little sunshine would be great. Please continue to pray for safety and good health for the crew. Things have gone really well in spite of the cool damp weather and the busy pace of work.
Tony, John B, and John H, worked on hanging drywall sheets in the small house. They got this ¾ finished. Though they had the luxury of being out of the rain, they had some heavy lifting getting all that drywall hung.
The rest of the crew were under the dynamic leadership of Master Electrician and Master Coordinator Jeff Disher. Jeff really showed his organizational and multitasking skills directing wiring in the Church. The meter base and mast got mounted. A good portion of the remaining wiring runs were run, and data cable runs and boxes were put up.
In spite of the weather we are making good progress on the buildings.
The weather has also made it difficult to see let alone interact with many of the people here in Marshall. Most of them are hurrying by to get out of the rain as soon as possible, or just staying inside. We have met a few people including one woman named Theresa. We have invited her over tomorrow night and offered to take pictures of her and her children. We hope she will show others her picture and tell them about and open house for picture taking we are hosting Wednesday evening. We are also hoping to play some table games with any children who show up.
We would ask for your prayers in a couple of areas. First that people would show up for the outreach events we are trying, and that we can express joy and encouragement that makes them curious why we are here. Second that the weather would improve. They are having a much wetter summer than usual. A little sunshine would be great. Please continue to pray for safety and good health for the crew. Things have gone really well in spite of the cool damp weather and the busy pace of work.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Marshall Sunday evening
After our worship service we went to work on the project here. There is a very tight time line on finishing this before the bad winter weather sets in. It has been cloudy and rainy since we got here and today was no exception. Overcast sky with sometimes a light drizzle. Sometimes a steady rain. Occasionally no rain for a few minutes.
We worked on the inside of the church today. Brice and Jeff were orchestrating 14 people drilling holes, running wire, hanging service panels, putting up outlet boxes. It was a busy and productive day. We worked from about noon till 6pm with a short pizza lunch break.
Tony, Jeff, and Corry went off fishing while Brice, Brianna, John, Don, Kyle, Kim & I went blueberry picking. There is an area close by that is one giant blueberry patch. Wild blueberries are small and usually only a few to the bush, but very tasty. The group of us picked about a gallon and a half in a little over an hour. Celeste another Samaritan's Purse volunteer here is going to bake cobbler tomorrow using the blueberries.
It is 9:30 pm and still fully light here. It is overcast and misting rain but not at all dark. It is hard to get a good handle on how late it gets when it stays light so long.
We have met several of the adults in town and they have been quite friendly. As we were returning from berry picking one woman Tony spoke with earlier stopped by on her 4 wheeler to bring us some blueberries she picked, and to speak with the women of the group. As we were leaving to go picking a man named John stopped by the van and asked each person's name, and asked where we were from. He gave us some advice on where we could find blueberries and was very friendly.
We hope the weather improves so we can see more people outside. We would love to send pictures but just do not have a connection that lets this happen.
We worked on the inside of the church today. Brice and Jeff were orchestrating 14 people drilling holes, running wire, hanging service panels, putting up outlet boxes. It was a busy and productive day. We worked from about noon till 6pm with a short pizza lunch break.
Tony, Jeff, and Corry went off fishing while Brice, Brianna, John, Don, Kyle, Kim & I went blueberry picking. There is an area close by that is one giant blueberry patch. Wild blueberries are small and usually only a few to the bush, but very tasty. The group of us picked about a gallon and a half in a little over an hour. Celeste another Samaritan's Purse volunteer here is going to bake cobbler tomorrow using the blueberries.
It is 9:30 pm and still fully light here. It is overcast and misting rain but not at all dark. It is hard to get a good handle on how late it gets when it stays light so long.
We have met several of the adults in town and they have been quite friendly. As we were returning from berry picking one woman Tony spoke with earlier stopped by on her 4 wheeler to bring us some blueberries she picked, and to speak with the women of the group. As we were leaving to go picking a man named John stopped by the van and asked each person's name, and asked where we were from. He gave us some advice on where we could find blueberries and was very friendly.
We hope the weather improves so we can see more people outside. We would love to send pictures but just do not have a connection that lets this happen.
We are in Marshall
Editorial note: The internet here is very slow and will limit or eliminate the pictures we can send
After two hour weather delay we got on a small plane and took the 2 hour jump to Marshall. The cloud cover was at 400' so it was a bit of a trick for the pilots to come in and make a visual landing. But they did a great job and we arrived safely, to rain.
It has been rainy here for the last three weeks and it continues to be mid 50's and rainy on and off. In spite of that we got to work about 3pm Saturday and made good progress till a bit after 6pm when we quit. The building shells were up and the roof metal was on when we arrived. There is a man Charlie who is spraying foam insulation in the buildings. We were working on getting the windows in, finishing siding, and a little electrical work.
Today Sunday we had a church service, and are doing a little to help Charlie get done foaming, but do not have a full work day planned. The team is anxious to get to work.
Please pray for good weather (no rain) , and that there are opportunities to interact with the people of Marshall.
After two hour weather delay we got on a small plane and took the 2 hour jump to Marshall. The cloud cover was at 400' so it was a bit of a trick for the pilots to come in and make a visual landing. But they did a great job and we arrived safely, to rain.
It has been rainy here for the last three weeks and it continues to be mid 50's and rainy on and off. In spite of that we got to work about 3pm Saturday and made good progress till a bit after 6pm when we quit. The building shells were up and the roof metal was on when we arrived. There is a man Charlie who is spraying foam insulation in the buildings. We were working on getting the windows in, finishing siding, and a little electrical work.
Today Sunday we had a church service, and are doing a little to help Charlie get done foaming, but do not have a full work day planned. The team is anxious to get to work.
Please pray for good weather (no rain) , and that there are opportunities to interact with the people of Marshall.
Kim Aug7
I can't believe we're in Alaska. I keep saying that to myself. Amazing that there is cell phone service for some and internet available. The trip was long yesterday and so far today we've been waiting for the weather to clear. Looks like as I type, we have got the clear to leave. Weather must be good in Marshall finally. Probably some rain or fog. The facility here in Soldnota is beautiful, I feel very blessed and it will be a treat to return next weekend from the bush to this place. Wonderfully, funny hosts! Phil & I got out geocaching yesterday. I can check Alaska off the list! I haven't seen a moose yet:-( but I'm told that surely I will. Looking forward to that! Doing well so far but a bit anxious to get to the next part. Can't wait to meet people in Marshall! The van is about to leave so I had better go or I might get stuck here. Thanks for your prayers! Kim
Nelsons Aug7
Saldotna, AK 8/7/10 9:30am
We are currently in the camp mess hall working on our first task. We are not sure how good we are at it yet because we haven't finished. “Hurry up and wait” is a lot harder than we thought. However, everyone agrees that if we have to wait somewhere, this is an awesome place to do it. If you like the Northwoods look, you would love it here. Our sleeping quarters were beautiful full log cabins built for 4-6 people. Hot showers were great this morning and a hot breakfast was waiting for us when we got to the mess hall. Unfortunately, bad weather is keeping us from taking off to our destination. We are praying for skies to clear and be on our way. We had an unwelcome surprise when we went to use the restrooms. Upon entering we came face to face with a BEAR FAN! (Tony's picture was plastered all over the walls.) I'm not sure which is worse, a bear fan or a real bear?! Other than that, all our travels have gone smoothly. Praise God! Please keep praying!
“The Replacements”
(The Nelson's)
We are currently in the camp mess hall working on our first task. We are not sure how good we are at it yet because we haven't finished. “Hurry up and wait” is a lot harder than we thought. However, everyone agrees that if we have to wait somewhere, this is an awesome place to do it. If you like the Northwoods look, you would love it here. Our sleeping quarters were beautiful full log cabins built for 4-6 people. Hot showers were great this morning and a hot breakfast was waiting for us when we got to the mess hall. Unfortunately, bad weather is keeping us from taking off to our destination. We are praying for skies to clear and be on our way. We had an unwelcome surprise when we went to use the restrooms. Upon entering we came face to face with a BEAR FAN! (Tony's picture was plastered all over the walls.) I'm not sure which is worse, a bear fan or a real bear?! Other than that, all our travels have gone smoothly. Praise God! Please keep praying!
“The Replacements”
(The Nelson's)
Tony Aug7
Tony here; we had a good day of travel yesterday and we are now sitting here ( sat. @ 9:00am ) waiting for the weather to clear to Marshall. Food is marginal at this point as we had to eat salmon and halibut for dinner yesterday. All in good spirits and anxious to get on the job. It was like a homecoming for me as I met up with many people I have worked with in the past. God is good!! Thats it for now. Bye.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
John Hood Aug 7
John Hood we are excited to be here. It has been a blessing to meet the people here at base camp. They have fed and taken great care of us. They truly show the love of Christ.
Jeff Aug7
Jeff writing: Hi Kelly, April, Baylie, & Riley. I hope your week gos well and safe. Girls be good for MaMa. I love you and miss you. I will think of you all week. Have A great week.
Love
Jeff
Love
Jeff
Aug 6 Soldatna AK
Our last leg into Soldotna was a little plane jump on a 24 seat turboprop. It was hard to see the scenery because of low cloud cover. On approach to landing Jeff saw a single bull caribou, fortunately outside the fence of the airport. Landing was uneventful.
We were met by two guys from Samaritan's purse, and piled all our bags into the extended van and pickup for the short drive to Samaritan's Purse base camp. What a wonderful facility they have here for us. Solidly built log cabins for bunk rooms, and a large log dining Hall.
Evelyn and Ernie the camp cook made a wonderful meal of grilled Salmon & halibut potatoes, salad, rolls, and cobbler. We were all hungry from travelling and ate hardily. Steve gave us rundown of the camp and the status of the work in Marshall. After dinner we had some free time. Several guys went into town to get fishing licenses and tackle.
Brice, Brianna, Dean, Kim and I went looking for a Geoches right next to our camp. It only took us a few minutes. Kim and I took a long walk across the Kenai river and found 2 more caches. It was great to get out and walk a bit after being on planes for so long.
It is a bit odd to have it be 10 at night and have the sun still shining. Fortunately the cabins are solid and have good curtains so you can sleep when it is still light.
We were met by two guys from Samaritan's purse, and piled all our bags into the extended van and pickup for the short drive to Samaritan's Purse base camp. What a wonderful facility they have here for us. Solidly built log cabins for bunk rooms, and a large log dining Hall.
Evelyn and Ernie the camp cook made a wonderful meal of grilled Salmon & halibut potatoes, salad, rolls, and cobbler. We were all hungry from travelling and ate hardily. Steve gave us rundown of the camp and the status of the work in Marshall. After dinner we had some free time. Several guys went into town to get fishing licenses and tackle.
Brice, Brianna, Dean, Kim and I went looking for a Geoches right next to our camp. It only took us a few minutes. Kim and I took a long walk across the Kenai river and found 2 more caches. It was great to get out and walk a bit after being on planes for so long.
It is a bit odd to have it be 10 at night and have the sun still shining. Fortunately the cabins are solid and have good curtains so you can sleep when it is still light.
Corey Aug7
Hi to everyone at home.
Friday was a very long day. Up at 2am and got to bed at 11:30pm (central time). A long bus ride without air conditioning (although the heater was working great). The plane ride from Chicago to Anchorage was about 6 hours. It was long but uneventful. A short delay from Anchorage to Kenai. The accommodations at the base camp in Saldotna are wonderful. The host couple are such neat people. We added two people to our team. A mother and daughter from the good old south. They do talk a little funny but they say the same about us northern folk. So we're yall gittin along fine. At the moment we are waiting for the weather to clear in Marshall so we can fly out.
I have been able to get to know my team members a lot better. These are a great group of people. I'm fortunate to be around a special group of people who love to do the Lord's work.
Take Care and God Bless
Cory
Friday was a very long day. Up at 2am and got to bed at 11:30pm (central time). A long bus ride without air conditioning (although the heater was working great). The plane ride from Chicago to Anchorage was about 6 hours. It was long but uneventful. A short delay from Anchorage to Kenai. The accommodations at the base camp in Saldotna are wonderful. The host couple are such neat people. We added two people to our team. A mother and daughter from the good old south. They do talk a little funny but they say the same about us northern folk. So we're yall gittin along fine. At the moment we are waiting for the weather to clear in Marshall so we can fly out.
I have been able to get to know my team members a lot better. These are a great group of people. I'm fortunate to be around a special group of people who love to do the Lord's work.
Take Care and God Bless
Cory
Friday, August 6, 2010
We are in Alaska!
We made it safely and on time to Anchorage. We are about to get on a much smaller plane for the jump to Kenai. We flew over some spectacular mountains in Canada and Alaska. Lots of snow covered peaks, glaciers, really cool stuff. The clouds had a limit on how much you could see. One side of the plane had a much better view than my side. WAWAWA. I only have a few minutes to post this and want to add some pics. More later???
These are some of the mountains we flew over.
The team at the Anchorage airport.
 | ||
| Jeff getting some well deserved rest. |
On our way
We left for Chicago at 3:30 am by bus. We all made it thru security and check-in with only a little shuffling of bags (Tony & Phil had the heavy bags) We are all excited to be on the way. Thank you to all of you who saw us off. We will post more as we can.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Waiting to go
We leave Friday Aug. 6 at 3 am from Woodlands on our first leg for Marshall Alaska. We are team three of 6 teams sponsored by Samaritan's Purse to help build a church/fellowship hall, parsonage, and guest cabin. I am excited to get the chance to see the interior of Alaska. We will be right on the Yukon river. I have confidence we will be able to do well on the construction part of our project. I am personally praying for the outreach part of the mission. It is one thing to build the physical church, and another to build the body. Please pray for us as we reach out with our hands that we also share our hearts and love of Christ with the people of Marshall Alaska.
Phil
Here is a link to a map to show where Marshall , AK is: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
Phil
Here is a link to a map to show where Marshall , AK is: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
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