Chiniak Weekend

There is a missionary family that owns a dry cabin in Chiniak, one of the two villages on the road system. They make the cabin available to people from the church to use; the usage fee is doing a maintenance project while you are there. This past weekend a group of young adults went out to cabin. And it was wonderful.

First, the rainy, cloudy weather of the last long time, broke Friday afternoon. So we arrived in the evening to the above scene, across the road from the cabin. And it got better!

We hung out on the beach, by the bonfire, for the evening. Slept in the cabin, some in beds, some on sleeping pads, one on the couch. Saturday morning Fred left early to go to work for the day and I didn’t fall back asleep. So Alanna and I went for a sunrise walk on the beach, while we waited for everyone else to wake up.

That walk alone was worth the whole trip (there were many of those moments, it was a great weekend).

We watched the colors around us shift with the rising sun, listened to the waves wash the shore, caught up on life. I felt refreshed and energized and so appreciative of the family that God has given us in Kodiak.

Both Fred and I have dear family by blood and dear family in the communities we grew up in. Our time at George Fox added more family, and in over six years here we have added more. So many dear ones, scattered around the globe, who hold our hearts, who have given us foretastes of heaven.

The day got better as more people woke up, as the fellowship extended. Work was good, conversation around work was good, lunch on the beach after work was good.

The sun was glorious, reading and visiting on the beach surrounded by people we love was wonderful. Most of the group left in the afternoon, leaving five of us (until Fred got back from work) who stayed until midday Sunday.

We went for drive, looking for a perfect spot to hang out in hammocks, then realized that the back of the cabin lot was probably the ideal place. So we got a fun ride in the sun and then had a restful session of reading/napping on the edge of the forest in the sunlight.

Fred brought pizza for dinner, followed by a rousing game of Bang, then a solid night of sleep. Sunday morning we had church together after breakfast and a last cabin cleanup. We sang, read Ephesians, prayed. Then drove back for needed showers and our regular Sunday afternoon potluck.

By Sunday evening we were exhausted, but what a good exhaustion! Soaking up sunshine, working hard, worshipping hard, loving each other, my heart is full. These times are my favorite, wherever they happen, with whichever part of my family, my spirit swells and sings, as we sang together, “Then sings my soul, My Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”

Positives

When I was a kid we used a behavior chart for awhile to determine allowances. It was called a positive/negative chart, and I still think in those terms sometimes. These past few years have had great positives (finishing 2 degrees, passing the NCLEX, my marriage, my brother’s marriage, my sister surviving a car accident in Africa, . . .) and great negatives (death of a dear friend, heavy class loads, Mom’s cancer, Grandma’s death, . . .). This is part of life, I know. Ups and downs. Highs and lows. Peaks and valleys. Sometimes they seem to come closer together, like this last year.

Recently we have had some great positives. Visits to different parts of the island continue to give us our much needed “adventures.”. We have driven to the end of the road by Chiniak, the end by Pasagshak (at Fossil Beach), the end by White Sands Beach/ Monashka Bay, and the end by Anton Larson Bay. We have gone to the top of Pillar mountain, out to Fort Abercrombie and hiked around Near Island. There are a lot of places on our list to still explore, but the more we see, the more we love this beautiful place!

We continue to be blessed by our church family here, though my work schedule interferes with my attendance. The people have embraced us and uphold us in prayer. We are making friends, and more importantly, building friendships. The last few weeks have held game nights at a friends’ house and at ours, coffee dates, dinner at our place, continued evenings at small group, a harbor cruise with friends and an afternoon of baking cookies. We have met new people and found encouragement in old acquaintances. God is good. So good to us.

Our jobs continue to be positives. Not only are we both working in our respective fields, gaining valuable experience, but we are working with great people and have supportive bosses. We are developing friendships with our coworkers and feeling comfortable in our work. We work in the same building and live near it, which helps us steal moments together. Valuable moments, since our work schedules conflict for the most part.

Technology is a positive. Technology allows us to keep in close touch with our family and friends in other, distant places. We get to hear their voices, see their faces, find out about changes as they happen. It is so much better than the days with only letters, or letters and rare telephone calls. We are truly blessed!