Weekend in Selawik

This past weekend, God worked it out that my friends visiting from the states, myself and two others from Fairbanks were all were able to fly up to Selawik for a few days. I've talked to our missionary there for the past couple years about coming up for a visit, but it's always so expensive to fly there commercially. But God worked it out that we were all able to go on a private plane for the price it would normally cost for one person commercially. 

It was a beautiful, sunny day. Only bit a little bit of cloud cover during the approach into Selawik. It was a lot warmer there than I had anticipated. We had a good couple days there, exploring the town, visiting with friends, making new friends, tramping all over the boardwalks, having church activities and fellowshipping late into the night. 

our littlest traveler, Levi

Welcome to Selawik! This a village located among the tundra, rivers and lakes. It's pretty much a swampland. There are no large vehicles there; everyone travels by 4x4s or boats in the summer and snowmachines in the winter. Their road system is made up of a series of boardwalks, complete even with Stop signs and Speed-limit signs. Flights come in a couple times a day from Kotzebue, that is when the weather is good. It's a small town, but still 3rd largest in the North Slope with a population of 1000. It boasts of one of the largest ATV bridge which spans across the Selawik River. 

The Rainbow Bridge

In the center of town stands a Beacon of Truth, the Selawik Baptist Church. Our missionaries the Comptons have been a witness in this village for 18 years! They know everyone in town and everyone knows them. While Satan does have a strong hold on this area, God is still at work. The Comptons have been faithful and have remained strong in the work of the Lord. It's a hard area. While English is the spoken language and all are Americans, it can feel like you are in a different country when you visit. Pray for strength and grace for the Comptons and those who are striving to fight against the peer/family pressure to live for Christ.

the Lighthouse of Truth

Saturday night we held a teen activity at the church. I was in charge of games, though some others also introduced other games as well. We had a good group of almost twenty teens, including those of us visiting and the missionaries, we had about 30 people in the building. It can get quite loud very fast when you play an animal matching game.... Also had fun with a new game called "Mingle." It could lend to some awkward moments if one doesn't pronounce words correctly. :)

playing Assassin

the Teen group (minus the photographer, me)

One of the things I love most about Alaska is it's beauty. It's not a refined or cultured beauty, but a raw, wild, rugged beauty. Probably because I'm an Alaskan/country girl at heart, I love the wilderness. We reached Selawik after two hours of flying over just a handful of villages and mile after mile of nothing but wilderness. Lakes, streams, mountains, rivers, gorges, tundra - it's all beautiful to me. Coupled with a blue sky dotted with big, fluffy white clouds, it's breath-taking. 

Sunday was a full day with morning services, Sunday School for the kids in the afternoon and then an evening service. I enjoyed seeing some of the teens that have come to camp during the weekend. Several came to the teen activity and/or church Sunday. A couple really have a heart for the Lord, but it's a challenging place to stay true and faithful to God's Word. If you would, please pray for the teens that want to live right in a world of evil and darkness. Several asked why I wasn't at camp this summer. Really going to try to go next summer. 

hanging out on the Big bridge

crossing the "scary bridge"

Even in remote Alaska, Everts has a junkyard. :) 

old Evert's plane

We had a blast with the Comptons; with Gayle's good cooking, Warren's crazy (long) stories, Bethany's sweet spirit and Caleb's goofiness. It's a blessing to see a family so committed to where God has called them and who have stayed faithful for so many years. And even with all the trials and struggles they've been through there, they still love the Lord, love the people and want to see them come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We were on Village Time while there, so staying up late and sleeping in was the norm. I was just grateful for sleep. :) 

The Selawik Seven

our transportation

Goodbye Selawik! Until next time, which I hope won't be forever in the future. 

Selawik from the air

My Current Favorite Day of the Week

Thursdays have been good days for me lately. I have been working a lot, sometimes as much as 16 hours in one day. But Thursdays I get off about 2pm and don't have to work that night! So I have hours to do whatever I want! It's a wonderful thing. One week my sister, her friend and I went back to Angel Rocks. I think it was my first time there this year. It was a beautiful sunny day. Not too hot, with a little breeze. I was just glad to be outside with no time frame to worry about and could just enjoy the day. 

on the way up

tiny waterfall off the trail

Last Thursday my parents were just getting home from Valdez when my brother called and they decided to do an impromptu BBQ. The whole family was actually there. I'm usually at work, but since I don't work Thursday nights, I was even home. My nephew finally warmed up to us and we had a great time in the backyard, eating raspberries and jumping on the trampoline. Again, just a nice, relaxing evening with no time schedule.  

trampolines + curly hair = wild!

Legion and the girls

Sunny August

Summer's not over yet! The past few days have been sunny and warm. And the forecast for the next week is looking good.... I'm really happy we will have a few more sunny, hot days before winter sets in. Especially since I have visitors coming up this month! and we I have BiG plans for them! :)

It's rare that I get visitors! I do see a lot of people here in Alaska, but usually they come up for something else and while here I get to enjoy a little of their time. For which I am grateful, but this time I get them all to myself. Okay, so maybe I'm a little selfish at times. 

In anticipation of these friends visiting, I bought a tent. I've never really camped out in Alaska before. I mean I've slept in tents and stuff. But for hunting or teen camp, not just to camp. I'm pretty stoked about using my tent for the first time. It's going to be an epic camping trip.... with all FIVE of us! (four adults and one baby)

testing out my new tent

So, funny story about my tent... 

I had bought it and then was so busy that it sat untouched in my room for about two weeks, before I even pulled it out of the bag. One night decided to set it up to see how easy to set up it was and how it looked. Cleared a space in our living room floor and up it went. I wanted to take a picture to send to my friends, so I pulled out my phone. My dad was on the couch watching me, so he suggested I get in the tent and he would take the picture so I could be in it. Good idea. I handed him my phone and told him to push the white circle button on the bottom of the screen to take the picture. I proceeded to get into my tent. Stuck my head out and smiled. And waited and waited. Finally, I asked if he was ever going to take the picture. He replied he didn't know if it worked or not. He slid my phone back over and I looked at my camera roll. 

"Dad, you took 32 pictures!" haha, he has no idea how to use my iphone. He still uses an old model, flip phone. But it does work. And he even texts now! 

happy August to you all. Hope you have some sunshine wherever you are. 

July - work, sunshine, goodbyes

This summer has flown by! I can't believe tomorrow is August. We've had a very wet summer here in the Interior. This area of Alaska is actually considered a desert, because we get less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Even with several feet of snow in the winter, it's a desert. (that's cause our snow is so dry, that when melted down, you don't get much water from it) But this summer, we set a new record for the month of June for rain and July was the second wettest July on record. And it hasn't been a warm rain, but temps have been in the 40s and 50s. So, I was happy to see sunny, hot days a couple times this past week! The one day it reached 90 degrees here I was out of town. Go figure. :) 

If anyone has been wondering what I've been up to, since I sure haven't been blogging much, well I've been busy! Working lots, traveling a little, studying and writing papers for my online class, tutoring and sleeping when I can. The past two weeks we've had VBT (Vacation Bible Time) happening at church. During kids week, I was there only part of the time because of work. Tonight is the last night for the teens. Then tomorrow the Fair starts. 

Only a couple more week left for the summer airline season. It's been another fun and interesting summer at the airport. It's a job that keeps you on your toes for sure - with delayed flights, medical emergencies, lost bags, broken vehicles, radio communication, slides deploying, BIG airplanes coming in, rumors, friends, security, candy, crazy people and late nights. 

BIG plane

July was a month of Hello and Goodbye. My older brother, his wife and two year old son moved back to Alaska! That sure was a surprise! I didn't know until the day before he got here. He's already working and they are settling back in after seven years being gone. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and getting to know my awesome nephew!
Just a few days ago, had to say goodbye to a really good friend, Whitnie. She is heading back down to the States to be with family and I'm sure going to miss her! She came up five years ago with the intention of being here less than a year, just to help out her sister-in-law while her brother was deployed. Then God changed her plans and she's been here ever since. I'm so thankful for the friendship God allowed us to have and even though we may be miles apart, we'll always be friends and stay in touch. She's pretty awesome! Not only are we great friends and prayer partners, but she's my fellow curly-haired buddy. (her hair even has a name! bye Steve)

miss you my friend

saying goodbye at the airport

 The past two days have been beautiful! Almost forgot what a sunny, blue sky looked like with all the rain we've been having.... just kidding. But here's a few sunny pics!

soaking up the sun

Another Wedding

Couple weeks ago, I flew to Seattle, then took a bus to Vancouver, BC for a friend's wedding. When Hannah and I first met almost seven years ago, we instantly connected. We used to sit in our dorm, sipping coffee, trading stories of mission trips. Through the years, we've stayed in touch and last year I was able to visit her twice. So this month's visit was my third visit in a year and a half, but this one was the most exciting for sure. Weddings are special. But when it's a good friend, it's even more special. And when you really, really like both bride and groom and their story is such a sweet, loving one that God brought together, then well, it's SUPER special. :D

I've been to a couple out-of-town weddings and I really enjoy the ones where I get to spend time with the bride, groom, their families, etc. before the big day. It's nice to make memories during that week, rather than just come and attend a wedding ceremony, say two words to the bride and it's over. 

Friday morning we had a bachelorette brunch at a cute, little coffee shop in Gastown (downtown Vancouver). The food was great, the company even better and it was a sweet time with Hannah's closest friends and family. 

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes - yum! 

the beautiful bride-to-be

The bride with her crazy, Amazing sister-in-laws

West Coast Friends :) 

So many special memories during those few days. Meeting Hannah's entire family for the first time is quite the experience - Ha! But I loved it all - the loudness, the crazy kids running everywhere, adults laughing and talking over each other.... Some pretty special people in my opinion. And talented too. Hannah's youngest brother drew her "guestbook;" everyone signed in different colors depending on where it was on the picture. Don't have a finished picture, but it was cute. 

the "guestbook"

isn't he adorable!? Hannah's nephew 

Between the ceremony and the reception many of us went to the reception hall to get it put together. Whew, it was a lot of work, but it was so worth it to see her expression and excitement when she walked through the doors! It was better than she imagined and loved every bit of it. The catered food was some of the best I've ever had too. Everything was so unique to Hannah's taste and was perfect conclusion to the week. 

So glad I was able to make it to their special day! It's precious when you see a couple who honestly loves God, has followed His leading in their lives and in their story together. Jeremy is a perfect fit for Hannah and I wish them the best!!! 

Earplugs are a Must!

I told myself after last year that I would never travel internationally again without earplugs. Pretty sure I need to update that statement by saying, "I will never travel anywhere without earplugs." Monday evening right after work (actually left an hour early), I jumped on a plane to Seattle. There had to be 25 kids on my flight and every seat full. Now, I love kids. Except when they are undisciplined, wild, screaming ones. One family traveling a row behind and across from me had two little girls. Cute girls. Until about 45 minutes into the flight. Then they turned into holy terrors. Screaming. Did I say screaming? I mean SCREAMING at the top of their lungs. High pitch. Ear ringing screaming. I can kind of understand if it happens once. Maybe even twice. But after that, you had better get your child under control. Not this little one. Sporadically through out the entire 3 1/2 hour flight - screaming. Call me old-fashioned, but I firmly believe the parent should be the one in charge, not the child. And discipline? Well, it works today just as it did years ago. 

So finally arrived in Seattle, with ringing ears. Talked with my brother for a while before going to bed. And then I just laid in bed. Couldn't sleep. Ugh. What's wrong with me!? Yep, didn't get much sleep Monday night. No big deal cause I had all day Tuesday with no real schedule. Was out shopping and doing other errands, then decided to go back to my brother's house for a nap. Only thing was, the maintenance man was there painting the outside trim on their duplex. So every time I almost dropped off to sleep, the loud rattle of the metal ladder outside my window would wake me up. Grrrr. 

The moral to my story..... Bring Earplugs When Traveling!!! :)