A Month in Ministry

We have now been in Alaska for a month and are thankful to be settling into the new home, community, and ministry where God has placed us.

Home

Praise the Lord for the many blessings he has given us! Because the trailer was already unloaded and boxes had been distributed throughout the house before I arrived, unpacking was a breeze. I am incredibly grateful for the friends and family who helped me pack in the months leading up to our move as well as the joy it was to spend time living with family for the last month. I am equally grateful to be settled into an unpacked, more routine way of living. After the initial few days of setting up the house, I have been able to create small routines which help everyone adjust to living in a new home. We are renting a local home from dear friends of ours, so while we do not live in camp housing, we are less than a mile from the main lodge and only three doors down from the nearest staff home. This has allowed me to enjoy walks with the boys nearly every day and to visit Benjamin as he works or say hello to other friends. Despite it being an uphill journey the whole way to camp, Aaron has even ridden his “dirt bike” (a balance bike without pedals) on a few occasions – with minimal stops for gas and oil changes!

One of these days I will pick up an outdoor thermometer or two so that I can accurately answer the ever-prevalent question “what is the temperature?”, but until then I will continue to guesstimate. Probably in the 30s or low 40 most days. Since arriving we have seen snow or flurries of some sort most days, although the last few mornings have come only with a heavy frost. Despite the continuation of wintery precipitation, the snow has been rapidly melting and nearly our whole yard is now snow free and the boys have discovered the joys of a muddy garden before it completely dries up. Knowing that we are approaching planting season, I have begun to map out a garden for this year to help supplement our grocery costs. Many people have started seedlings indoors, but any cold weather crops, I have been told, can be sewn directly into the ground often around Memorial Day. The unfortunate downside of melting snow is that we have lost the little insulation that there may have been on the ground and as a result the septic field froze. Thankfully it was only two days before the pipes were dug up and they were able to come up with a temporary solution until the ground begins to thaw.

Meal planning has become a priority since moving here because the nearest grocery store is about an hour away and I’d like to make the trip into town as little as possible. The next time we make it to Anchorge (about a two-hour drive) I’ll be signing up for a Costco membership to help supply some of our regularly used bulk items. I am thankful to be living in a house that has enough storage to be able to plan ahead in these ways and am hopeful that many people will be able to come visit and be blessed by the beautiful landscape and ministry that we are blessed to call home.

Community

Because we were able to arrive before summer kicks into gear, Benjamin was able to participate in the last few “community breakfasts” that are hosted by the local lodge. During the slower pace of the dark winters, there are many ways to connect and be part of the Glacier View community. People also get together to enjoy fellowship through Sunday evening pickleball and Tuesday evening volleyball gatherings. Getting to know people in the community, not just people who are affiliated with camp, has been a priority to Benjamin and me since we first began to consider joining staff. It has been fun to get to know people and welcome them into our home.

As we model to our children what hospitality looks like and as we enter a new season of community, we want to welcome others to join us. One way we can do this is through fellowshipping over a meal. We have been able to invite many of the camp staff over for dinner and are slowly getting to know community members as well. As the business of the summer begins to build, we hope to continue this habit of hosting others and doing life together around the table. Pray for life-giving relationships to develop locally which will help to sustain the ministry God has for us.

Looking forward to the next few months, much will be familiar to what we have experienced in past summers. I hope to be able to build relationships at the local Saturday Market and join the community of local gardeners. Each day is an opportunity to interact with the people that God has placed around us, let us not take for granted the relationships that he has given us and the people who cross our paths. As we settle in, I have been thinking and praying over a potential small business opportunity and would love your prayers as I discern if this is the right direction.

Ministry

Our official ministry capacity is through Benjamin’s work at Victory Bible Camp. So far, he has been able to assist with the maintenance team and begin settling into the role of running the Doulos program that we have helped with in the past. Due to the fire in the fall which claimed on of the buildings on campus, there are also no longer any bathrooms in the vicinity of the gym which also doubles as the chapel. Benjamin has spent a considerable amount of time working up official drawings for a potential addition to the gym which would add bathrooms, showers, and a small kitchen. Having professional grade designs and working materials lists will help camp be able to apply for grants and have a realistic idea of what it would cost to begin the addition.

In less than a month summer staff volunteers will begin to arrive. As we meet each of those who will be serving, please join us in praying that God will encourage them through each interaction that we have with them. Also be praying that he will bring more individuals or couples who would be interested in serving alongside us in Doulos. All four slots for this summer have been filled, and we are looking forward to meeting all the people that God is bringing our way.

We continue to praise the Lord for how he has faithfully provided what we have needed. The trailer which we used to move up here was sold at asking price this past week and we know that while we are not yet fully supported, God has a plan and is bringing so many people around us – we can’t help but praise his name!

 

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, I look forward to continuing to update you on the ministry as we enter into our busy season!