God's Plans for Us

Just five days from today, I will be on my way to Oklahoma.

I have five days left with my family. Five days of memories to be made before we are separated for three months by thousands of miles.

On Wednesday, my sister Emily and I are leaving home to attend Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City. This is a huge step for two girls who have lived most of their lives in isolated Alaskan villages. Whenever we get out of the village it is a bit humorous. We exclaim over riding in a vehicle at 60 MPH, paved roads, trees (ha!), going to Wal-Mart, and other such "marvels." (chuckle) This is going to be a huge change for us. The college campus itself is the size of my village's population. You wouldn't think we would experience culture shock, would you?

Last summer while my family and I were on furlough in the States, we had the opportunity to visit Heartland's campus. As we toured the buildings I had this undeniable sense, This is where God wants me to be. I had such peace. And I loved everything about Heartland. I knew it could easily feel like "home away from home." It wasn't too big or impressive, nor was it too small. My sister and I prayed about the decision for some time and finally came to know that Heartland was indeed where the Lord wanted us to attend.

At this point I am at perfect peace. However, arriving at this point was a struggle. It is true that am very hesitant about these life-altering changes in my life. I dread the thought of saying goodbye to my precious family. Even so, I am absolutely certain that this next step is God's perfect will for me. I want to cling to the familiar, but I know that I must go forward with God.

God's plans for us often take turns that we never expected we'd come to. Two years ago when I graduated from homeschool, we were making plans for my sister and me to leave home for Bible college. However, various situations led us to consider studying at home for a few years via correspondence. At that point I was uncertain about God's will for my life. I questioned whether it was truly right for me as a young lady to leave my home and my father's protection to attend college. To be truthful, I was inwardly bucking against the idea of going away to college because I truly thought it would be the wrong thing to do. And then the Lord led us to study at home through Landmark Baptist College's directed studies. I was immensely relieved and so happy. 

So the Lord allowed my family another two years to be together as my sister and I took our classes. It was a wonderful experience; we both learned and grew so much spiritually. At the same time, we were able to continue helping in our home and serving in the ministry. Looking back now, I can't thank the Lord enough for giving us two extra years at home. They were absolutely essential to my life. It was a time of preparation.

In the past two years, I have learned so many needed homemaking skills that I would have neglected had I left home. I have been given the opportunity of working alongside my parents in our ministry. God has taught me so many valuable lessons in the past two years that I would otherwise never have learned. At 18, I know I would not have been ready to face the many challenges and responsibilities of being on my own. This season of waiting and learning was so important to my life. I don't doubt for a moment that I have been in the center of His will all along, for I have been so blessed and so happy. The center of God's will is the only place where you can be happy.

Perhaps some people have looked at my life during these past two years and questioned my sanity as I told them, "I am so happy here." They believed it was my right to leave the confines of this little Alaskan village and experience "real life" in the States. Were it not for the contentment God has given me in the center of His will, I would probably have thought the very same way!

Busy but Blessed

Life has become extremely busy and blessed in the recent weeks. My blog might be quiet for some time. There are two longer-type posts (one on the trust you can place in the King James Bible, and another on the importance of dressing like a lady) that I have been wanting so much to finish writing since months ago, but I really can't see when I will be able to share them. That makes me sad because sharing with you, my readers, what the Lord lays on my heart is something I love doing. Even so, I am committed to redeeming every moment of time God has entrusted to my care, and I long to give my best to the responsibilities He has blessed me with. Blogging just happens not to be one of those things right now.

The Lord has been teaching me such precious lessons lately. I have faced some hard trials that I wish I just didn't have to go through, but His everlasting arms are beneath me and His sheltering wings are over me! I am so safe. There is no more wonderful place to be than in the center of His will.

Perhaps next week I will be able to finish a post about some big changes that I will be facing in three weeks... big changes concerning Bible college. God has led me through some stony paths. I have a long way still to travel. But I will follow on! 

I will write as I find time and as the Lord leads. Until then, I pray the Lord is blessing your life as richly as He is mine!

So Thankful for God's House

Yesterday was such a good day. I love being in God's house! I found so many things to give thanks for throughout the day. The Lord is so good in my life.

Another excellent message by Dr. S.M. Davis, How to Use Acceptance to Build Others. My dad has been in the Lower 48 since mid-May for shoulder reconstruction surgery (he will be home in only 10 more days!!!) and we have been showing preaching videos by Dr. Davis since the pulpit has been empty. I love my dad's preaching and I can't wait to hear him preach the Word of God again soon, but these messages have been so good. So many needed truths have been made so clear; I have received so much good counsel; it has made a difference in the our lives.

The difference a smile can make. It is the clearest way of showing acceptance to others. It is a ministry!

Quiet, restful Sunday afternoons.

A Sunday school lesson to prepare. We have been teaching through the Old Testament at a very thorough pace to give our children a good, solid understanding of these timeless stories. Those of us who grew up in Christian homes can't remember a time when we didn't know about David or Daniel or other Bible heroes. These children have never heard them before. Oh, what a privilege it is to teach them! I have taken these incredible stories (true stories that happened to real people!) of God's faithfulness and power for granted. Lately we've been learning about Joseph. As I have been preparing my lessons, God has been showing me such remarkable things about him that I never saw before. One of the best ways to learn God's Word for yourself is to teach others!

Happy, smiling little faces. Laura. Justus. Kayla and Tera (twin sisters). Kevin. Tiana. The children that come to Bible Time are some of my very favorite people in the whole world. We've made an investment in each others' lives; the difference they've made in mine is the greater. They give me so much joy!

Maak and Cora. Two dear ladies who come to church faithfully.

A quick, refreshing walk along the beach. After church as we were fellowshiping, someone called saying that a herd of belugas was swimming past the village. My mom drove my sister and me down so I could get some pictures. Sadly they had already passed that area and had been herded into the lagoon (yes, to be slaughtered =), but I got some beautiful pictures anyway. Oh, the lighting was just divine!

These were taken at around 8:30 PM. We have 24 hours of sunlight now. If you think you wouldn't be able to stand sunlight all day and night, you'd better get ready for Heaven (Rev. 21:23). (chuckle) I love it! Heaven will be so wonderful!

Poppy Glory

All last week we had dreadfully cloudy weather. It finally began raining towards the end of the week. A wonderful, refreshing shower. Saturday the sun came out, and with it came the poppies.

Nalukataq: People Need the Lord

Meet Maak. This dear lady has been our most faithful church member in the six years we have been in this village. She loves being in God's house and is such a blessing to my family. We love listening to her tell stories from her childhood; I especially love the stories of her father. It sounds as though he was a very wise, Godly man. Maak's father was a tremendous help to the two previous missionaries, Bro. Nick Serino and Bro. Gary Carlson, who served in this village before my family took over the ministry. Bro. Serino pioneered the North Slope by planting the first Baptist church in this village over 25 years ago, and since then has planted three other Baptist churches on the North Slope. He and his family made many sacrifices and faced many difficulties to start this ministry. They flew into the village in a little bush plane during the middle of a blizzard. Only by God's grace did they survive the storm and land safely. The Serino family had no place to stay in the village so they set up tents on the shore of the frozen Arctic Ocean. Maak's father happened to see these tents and was concerned for the Serino family, so he found an abandoned Eskimo house for them to live in. I wish I had time to tell you the amazing stories Maak has told me about her father. Someone needs to write a book! =)

Nalukataq: Jesus Loves the Little Children

...And so do I! =)

I had so much fun watching the little ones and capturing their adorable faces on my camera. These children mean so much to me. Several of the children in the pictures below come regularly to our Sunday Bible Time, which is probably my very favorite thing that happens each week. I love making them yummy snacks. I love leading them in singing songs. I love teaching them amazing stories from the Bible! I love praying for them... praying that they will each come to know Christ as their personal Savior, that they will grow up coming faithfully to church and living for Him, that they will each know the goodness that God gives. These children are such special people and my mom, sister, and I are so, so blessed to have a part in leading them to know the Lord.

Two sweet girls who sat next to my family at Nalukataq.

Nalukataq: Giving Thanks with Family

At Nalukataq more than any other time, we see families together. That is one of the things I love about it. To just be there with my own family and to see other families happy to be with each other, all sharing in the joys of the season, is such a blessing. Nalukataq is a time of thanksgiving as the Eskimo people thank God for supplying a bountiful harvest. It is a time when everyone finally feels "alive" again -- the sun is shining day and night, all of the snow is gone, water is on the ocean, grass is springing up, birds are filling the air with their music. Winter is just a memory! For all of these things we rejoice during Nalukataq, and that joy is evident on faces and in the air ringing with happy voices.

Nalukataq: The Traditions

Nalukataq (pronounced nah-LUK-uh-tauk) is a time of celebration after a successful whaling season. The Eskimo people spend a great deal of time on the pack ice during April and May as they harvest bowhead whales. They break up into crews, usually according to family branches, with each crew having their own captain. Dragging boats behind their snowmachines, they travel many miles out to the open water. They use huge spear guns to slaughter the gigantic whales, then comes the "tug of war" as each crew joins into a line to haul the whale onto the ice. It is then cut into large sections, hauled into the village, butchered by the women, and stored in cellars. In June, after the whaling season is over, each whaling crew/family provides a feast for the entire village to take part in. My village's first Nalukataq of the year took place last Friday, with two more planned for this month. It is such a happy, festive time -- as you will see!

Nalukataqs usually take place in our village's baseball field. Frames are set in a semi-circle and blacks tarps are hung across them. Long, wooden benches are then set up for people to sit on.

Mr. Sandpiper Snipe

This is the special something I saw in our yard upon returning from our walk! A pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melnotos), such a marvelous, unique bird. I've seen them flying around for a few weeks and, of course, have been wanting to get some photos. I don't think I'll be content until I get photos of every species of bird this summer. =D I'm well on my way to becoming an avid birdwatcher. They are just such wonderful creatures!

A Walk in the Spring

We had some gorgeous weather earlier this week but the past few days have been just nasty. It may be June but our weather doesn't believe it. Right now we have high winds, chilly temperatures, thick clouds, and yesterday evening we even had snow flurries! (Mm-hmm, that's snow flying in the above picture.) However, with all the wind, we hear that the ocean is starting to show signs of breaking up.

Welcoming Spring

On April 29, I wrote about Spring's Slow Arrival and about Promises of Spring on May 2. But today I rejoice to say that WINTER IS OVER! =) Spring has truly arrived in the Arctic and I am welcoming it with all of my heart. What a wonderful season! The singing of the birds, the warming air cleansed by melted snow, sunshine the whole day (and most of the night) long, the first smile-inducing sprigs of grass popping out of the cold earth. (enormous sigh) At this point we can see more dirt than snow -- even so, folks are still driving their snow machines!

A Cheerful Little Soul

Sunday evening, about 9:30 PM, my sister and spotted a snowbird on the sled outside our bedroom window, happily munching some yummy birdseed we had so generously provided. After numerous failed attempts to photograph the birds while eating, I determined this time I would not fail. I hopped into my pink rubber break-up boots, slung on a jacket, and grabbed the camera while rushing out our two back doors. As I crept around the house, icy snow crunching much-too-noisily beneath my booted feet, I readied the camera.

There he is! "Sorry to disturb your meal, Mr. Snowbird, but will you please hang around for a few minutes so I can get a few beautiful pictures of beautiful you?" =)

Promises of Spring

Today I took a lovely walk with my sisters and our dog Max. It was one of the warmest days we've had yet and it felt simply glorious!

Spring's Slow Arrival

In some places of the world, spring's arrival is sudden. Not so where I live. However, we are finally beginning to see some definite signs of winter's thaw here in the High Arctic, and is it ever exciting!

Our days are growing longer. The sun is up hours before we are and sets at around 11 PM. It's incredible how quickly we gain it back. I love this time of year!

A Prayer Request & A Birthday

My dad and brother are currently away in Fairbanks. They flew down for a men's retreat hosted by Bible Baptist Church. They had a wonderful time of fellowship and fun at the retreat and are attending to various things in town for their remainder of their stay. Among other things, doctor appointments for my dad. We originally thought it was a torn rotator cuff. We learned today that we were right. However, we never expected things to be this bad. My dad will need complete shoulder reconstruction. The doctor said there are five different serious problems with his shoulder:

• Two rotator cuffs severed
• Biceps tendon totally demolished (shredded)
• Calcium build-up on collar bone
• Spurs under bone joint
• Pillow under joint ruined by spurs

My poor daddy! =( We are in the midst of making plans for his surgery and the other details involved. If you think to, please keep my family in your prayers. It's not easy to work out these things when you live so far away from "civilization." Pray for my dad's surgery and his lengthy recovery (one year, the doctor said). Our Savior is still the Great Physician!

Now that I've depressed everyone (chuckle) I have some happy news to share. Today is my brother's birthday! My "little" Timmy is sixteen years old today. I'm having a hard time believing that. Where does time go? We had an early birthday celebration for my brother last week. Our good friend Bro. Van Sickle was in town for his two-week job shift so he was able to join us for my brother's "early birthday." We like to have him over for dinner once during his shift. It's always such a blessing to have company! When you're isolated, you soak up good fellowship like a dried out sponge. =) After a delicious meal of lasagna and Parmesan garlic breadsticks, we let my brother open his presents.

The happy birthday boy! =) Bro. Van Sickle is standing in the background.

My brother is a WWII history buff. He especially loves aviation (and wants to be a pilot). So, he's mighty pleased when he gets anything that has to do with WWII for his birthday.

Bagels & Biscotti

I got my Saturday baking all caught up last week but I was itching to be in the kitchen today anyway. There are a dozen new recipes I've been wanting to experiment for a while, so I decided to work on a few today.

Whole wheat bagels. They've sounded like so much fun since I found a recipe a few months ago, and it was definitely fun. They turned out a bit on the tough side and are rather "rustic-looking," if you know what I mean. =) But they taste amazing and I can't wait to make them again. Hopefully with the next batch I'll be able to improve their their texture and appearance.

Cinnamon biscotti. Yum. Perfectly crunchy, only slightly sweet (due to my modifications), fragrant of delightful cassia... and out of this world dipped in a mug of hot coffee!

In Memory of Duke

Yesterday we said goodbye to a good friend, our dear old Duke.

It happened so suddenly. He hadn't been eating well for a few weeks, and Saturday he just wasn't doing well at all. My sister went outside yesterday (Sunday) to feed him and a few minutes later came in crying. The end was approaching fast. My dad and brother went out to do what they could. I didn't have the heart to go out and see him suffering.

Poor Dukie! He was having a hard time breathing, and his mouth was shut tight. He was gasping for air. His back legs had no strength at all... he was just dragging himself around with his front legs, falling over, struggling.

I prayed, "Lord, if it's his time to go, please let him go quickly. Don't let him suffer for days."

At around two o'clock, Dad went to check on him once more. Dear old Duke was gone. There were many tears shed.

He had held on just long enough to say goodbye! What a faithful, sweet old boy he was. We will miss him so much.

Those eyes! How I'll miss seeing them shine.

Some Through the Waters

We have really gone through some "watery" trials lately. =) It all started last month.

Our water heater gave up on us. It had given us trouble for some time. Whenever someone took a shower, we'd all keep an ear open for pounding on the wall. That was the signal to go push the button on the water heater. (chuckle) But then one day, it wouldn't start back up. (Oh, no!) So the menfolk tore the contraption apart. They worked on it for two days. It appeared that the old thing had truly given up the ghost, so we began shopping for a new water heater. But then my genius dad found out what the problem was. Now it's doing better now than it ever has! Praise God!

Our kitchen sink has a separate water heater, so we ladies were able to wash our hair in the meantime. Gracious, I never knew washing two and a half feet of hair could be such an exhausting undertaking. =D

Then, last Tuesday our water went out due to construction taking place on our street. By day three we were into a routine. It was just like the good old days. =) On Saturday we were able to get most of our laundry done at a friend's house and the local laundromat, and we all "imposed" upon some gracious friends who let us use their showers.

On the Street Where I Live

I mentioned a few days ago that our water was out. It's still out. Today is our fourth day without running water. We miss it but we're getting along just dandy. =) Our "training" from Ruby has certainly helped this week. We go through about one seven-gallon jug of water a day. We use the tiniest trickle to wash our hands, catching all the water in a large bowl, and we save as much dish water as we can, emptying it all into a large bucket. We use the used water to flush toilets. After two days we were finally able to flush the toilet  in the bathroom adjoining my sisters' and my room. That was a relief, as you ladies can surely imagine. (chuckle)

Thank the Lord, we were all able to get showers! We got in touch with two public school teachers who come to church and they so graciously offered us the use of their showers. The construction crew told my dad the water should be back on this evening. How I pray all goes as planned, because we've got a million chores and a mountain of laundry to do tomorrow! Aaaah!

Here are some pictures of the construction that's been going on just outside our house, seemingly all winter long. They've dug holes, filled them in, dug holes, filled them in. Maybe they just like playing in the dirt? =D

This saw machine is so LOUD. It rattles down the road at a turtle's pace!

I'm Thankful the Water Is Out

For ten reasons.

We were prepared. We have two or three seven-gallon jugs filled up with water.

We've done this before. I am so spoiled, folks! When we lived in the village of Ruby, we were without running water for a year. How quickly one becomes accustomed to a life of ease. =D

I'm reminded not to take running water for granted. I mean, we live in a little village in Alaska! I need to realize that the fact we do have running water at all is an incredible provision. Thank You, Lord!

We were able to easily heat water to wash dishes.

The combined efforts of six hands to get those dishes sparkling and put away. Our time around the kitchen sink wasn't quite as light-hearted as usual -- no humming and whistling was heard -- but we managed to keep up a good spirit regardless.

I'll have some interesting stories to tell my children. Won't they be impressed with Mommy? =)

I just might have to do things like this on a regular basis someday. You just never know how or where the Lord might lead.

I should be able to get a shower tomorrow. (Please, please, PLEASE! Four days is just TOO much.)

Progress is being made in keeping up the maintenance of our village's water system. I'd much rather suffer just a day or two without water than weeks without water. Yes, indeed.

I find it is true! I can "in every thing give thanks"! You give me joy even when things don't go my way. Because life always happens the way You've planned.

86-95. Blessings abound!