Back Again!

We've been in Savoonga over 2 months now and I think this is only my second blog post! Not too good...so sorry! We are all doing well. Temperatures have dropped to around 0 degrees F and the Bering Sea is beginning to freeze over. The village killed 2 whales on Thanksgiving so there has been much excitement around here lately. Since I last wrote, I have prepared/eaten whale and cut up a chunk of reindeer for the freezer. I tried a bit on Thanksgiving and wasn't a huge fan of the gamey aftertaste, but I tried it! So we're learning to live in Savoonga. We still have a steady 20 or so for church on Sunday. We're told that at 11am most people are still in bed. We've started an evening service...there were 6 adults and 6 or more kids the first night. Hopefully word will spread and more will come next week. We started youth group...one child came for the beginning and two more came after it was over! Tuesday night children's church is happening...3 kids the first night, then zero, then 19, then 8...We'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm having fun preparing for it and leading it when kids actually show! Wednesday adult Bible Study brings a steady group of 8...going well. We recently decided that if you're shooting for numbers in Savoonga, you'll generally always end up depressed! I spoke with one of the teachers and she said it is the same at school. You never know how many kids will show. She said you could probably teach the same thing everyday because you always have different kids and even the kids who happen to be there two days in a row probably wouldn't remember what was taught the previous day anyway! God bless the teachers in Savoonga!
Jacob and I are using this as an opportunity to learn to play the guitar (Jacob) and remember how to play the piano(Kami). Last week, the only woman who plays piano in the village was in a honda accident outside the church and fractured her ankle and cut her head so she's out for 6 weeks...so my big piano debut was yesterday in church. The boys sat in their car seats next to the piano and ate Cheerios while I attempted to play. It went alright until the last hymn when they were in the back of the church seemingly happily playing with toys when on the second verse of The Old Rugged Cross I hear and see a screaming and crying Logan walking down the church aisle followed by Jacob holding a crying Owen. They finished the song a cappella while I retreated with boys to feed them lunch. Good fun. I better go as the boys are getting bored with cutting paper. We enjoyed company from Jacob's mom for a week. Sooo good to see Grandma and have someone we know well experience Savoonga with us. She joined us for Jacob's installation service...He's officially a pastor now. Amen! We also enjoyed a group of 5 pastors and elders, mostly from Anchorage, who joined us for the service and brought us fresh produce...amen, amen! After they left, our house was filled again with 5 adults and a 17 month old from Youth with a Mission. They will return for a month in April to minister to the people in Savoonga. It was great to interact with so many people for a time and we look forward to their return. Okay, I really must go. Blessings.

Savoonga--The First Month

We have been in Savoonga a bit over a month now and this is my first time to access the Internet...what a liberating feel! We've found that options for us to get Internet from home are not good, so a teacher who attends our church has offered to let us use her computer at school. In the future, we hope to purchase a laptop and make posts more regularly, but knowing us that will be at least a month from now...bear with us:) For now, know that we are doing well. All of our belongings have arrived and some of them were in one piece! I thank God that the items we really desired to arrive safely, did arrive safely. We feel pretty well settled in our home. Logan and Owen are enjoying their climbing gym in our family room, our many hours of crafts and cooking in the kitchen, and playing in the snow when the weather allows. We've met many, many children as they visit us daily. Church attendence is still rather low...anywhere from 15-20 on a Sunday, but we've been told that before we arrived there were usually about 5 people! Jacob met with the elders last Sunday and discussed starting some different programs and visiting people. People in the village seem excited about God and church and that we are here, but few people actually show up for events...the question is why and how can things change? It has been 10 years since the last pastor, so I think people are largely out of the habit of going to church and they've replaced that time with other activities (like Bingo). The weather is an added challenge as even some of the most devoted members have told us that as winter gets worse, they won't be leaving their homes. There are definate challenges to ministry in Savoonga, but there are also joys enough to keep us going!:) We certainly get to spend a lot of time together as a family since Jacob's "office" is in our kitchen. I've been enjoying learning to bake everything from scratch...something I've always wanted to do but never found time for...now if we want to eat bread, I have to make it, etc. And the boys are a joy here as much as anywhere! Well, I can see that the boys' patience is wearing thin, entertaining themselves in this 1st Grade classroom, so I better get going before they start destroying!! I hope to write sooner than later and I hope you are all doing well.

Last Minute Details

Our family flies out to Anchorage next Wednesday. We will spend 5 days there, interacting with Savoonga's sister church (a church who hopes to do vacation bible schools and more with us in Savoonga). The following Monday, we will fly on to Savoonga and settle into our new home and community. Our belongings have been shipped via barge and USPS. We just saw our ND and she loaded us up with vitamins and supplements. Jacob picked up our shipment of dried foods to be shipped to Savoonga soon. So, tomorrow we're going to the fair! I think we are pretty well set to go. We don't know when our computer will arrive in Savoonga, nor do we know when we can get Internet so I may not post to this blog for an even longer time than usual!...But, I will send out a mass e-mail when we have Internet and all and I can actually post regularly. Until then...we hope you all stay well and may God bless you.

Answered Prayer

One of my recent posts was entitled "Roller Coaster" and I described the many ups and downs related to our going (or not going) to Savoonga. As other opportunities arose, I would sometimes find myself longing to go elsewhere, but deep down, nothing felt right except for Savoonga. Our most frequent prayer was that God would make it completely and totally clear to us as to where Jacob should accept a call. It seemed that we had been waiting forever to hear from anyone and especially to hear from Savoonga...and then one day at my Grandma's, the phone rang. It was regarding the church-plant position in Bellingham. They offered the position to the other guy. Not even 5 minutes later, the phone rang again. It was Savoonga. They voted and everyone wanted Jacob to come and be their next pastor. Finally...clarity! Thank the Lord!
So we are definately Savoonga-bound (God-willing). We will fly out on September 17th, spend a few days in Anchorage where we will meet a church who wants to continue being involved with the church in Savoonga, and then continue on to Nome and finally Savoonga on September 22nd. Until then, we will be packing our remaining belongings to be either mailed or barged and then flown to Savoonga. I've learned that there is nothing easy about moving to an island in the middle of the Bering Sea! Please continue to pray for us as we wrap up final details before moving and as our excitement to begin life in Savoonga increases and please also pray for us and our family as we begin to say some goodbyes in the coming days/weeks.

2 Years Old

I realize this post may be a good 3 weeks late, but it's here!:) Logan and Owen turned 2 on August 8th and the week following the only 3 words they said were "no", "me", and "mine". Wow...it was pretty textbook! We began the birthday celebration at my parent's house in Sequim with Michelle, Todd, Caleb, and Ginny. Then, we finished off the weekend camping near Leavenworth, WA with old friends from Seattle. The first day we all kayaked (floated!) down the river and the second day Logan tried rock climbing. After listening to Logan's screams, Owen opted out of the rock climbing experience:) It was a great weekend, catching up with old friends and meeting new little friends. Since then, Jacob completed a Presbyterian Polity course in Seattle while the boys and I visited with my grandparents and cousins. We are now back in Sequim preparing for a move!

Roller Coaster

As I write this post, I'm feeling a bit guilty. Logan and Owen stayed home tonight with their Grandpa and Dad while their Grandma and I attended a conference at church. We returned home a bit early to find Jacob bathing both boys. The noises behind the door are so joyful that I didn't want to interrupt them to even let them know I'm home! So I'll write and let the "Washy washy wash your face. Washy washy wash your belly...leggy, etc." continue:)
Jacob has returned from a wonderful trek in New Mexico and we are so excited to all be together again. We had a great visit with friends from CA...so good to see them and visit area sites with them. They made me miss our CA friends all the more. Well, it is August 1st and I really thought that I would be able to write with great certainty where we will be moving next. Rather, I am all the more uncertain! Through recent talks with Savoonga, we have learned that the situation is much more complex than we ever dreamed it could be. I think the soonest we will receive a yes/no answer is another month. I will be the first to admit that my emotional stability grows less and less with each passing day! I cling to a recent word written to me by a friend. She knows that within God's timing, He will make it very clear which path we are to take. Tonight, as I sang and listened to the woman speak at church, I meditated on phrases like, "Will I be willing to leave everything I treasure behind" and I thought of Savoonga. That's a bit exaggerative. I wouldn't be leaving everything I treasure behind if we went to Savoonga, but I would be leaving many things, such as, family, friends, the luxury of enjoying much time outdoors, etc. And granted, we would be finding new joys in Savoonga...new community, etc. However, I'd be leaving enough behind that it has been a big step for me to embrace moving to Savoonga...each and every time that I've made the decision to go! I'm someone who needs to fully do something or fully not. I have a very hard time going back and forth and for several months that is exactly what has been happening. I can no longer say that I'm sure that we will be moving to Savoonga. As time has progressed, I saw clearly how things were weaving together, making it seem that we were being led on the path to Savoonga. Now, as I wait and ponder our next calling in life, I see how I could just as easily point out how God has been closing the doors and leading us elsewhere. Ihhh! Why does it have to be so hard?!! So I sit on this roller coaster with my boxes packed and labeled Savoonga and I'm so very excited to get off and know where I'm really going. In the meantime, I'm grateful for family who is gracious enough to let us store our remaining possessions at their homes(mostly my sister's) and let us sort through our life. Lord willing, by September 1st, I'll let you all know our new address!

Don't Give Up!

Don't give up on us posting to this blog!:) I'm realizing that it's been nearly a month since I've written and at this rate those promised photos of Savoonga may not be posted until we're living there! Since I last wrote, we had a tearful goodbye with Grandma Meadows before flying back to CA. It was good to reunite with family during my cousin's wedding and then spend a few days with friends in familiar places. Our few days in CA seem to be a bit of a blur as we hurried to pack up the rest of our belongings and move north. We already sorely miss our CA community. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly close relationships can develop within the body of Christ.
I can honestly say that we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Washington. Jacob enjoyed listening to NPR in the moving truck while Logan, Owen, and I followed in the car. I had my box of toys and snacks in the passenger seat and just kept passing them back. We generally drove 2-3 hours and then stopped for 1-2 hours to play. We all thought it was a good pace:) We spent the first night and day in Grass Valley, CA with Addi (friend from college) and Yamil. It was worth battling the smoke from the fires to meet Yamil and hang out with Addi and fam, seeing her life in her hometown. We drove another entire day and then spent the next night and day in Portland, OR with Dan and Robin (friends from college) and were able to see Catherine (roomate) at least briefly! We enjoyed watching the goats and chickens in Dan's backyard. (We had to make believe this time, but trust that there will be real ones living there during our next visit!) Our last day, took us to my sister's house in Oak Harbor, WA where we off-loaded our belongings, returned the truck, and went to bed.
We spent a couple of days here and there around the NW and have now spent an entire week in the same bed! Wow! It feels good:) Jacob has been to South Dakota and back and is currently in New Mexico accompanying his cousin's Boy Scout troop on a trek at Philmont. Meanwhile, the boys and I have been enjoying time at my parent's house in Sequim, WA, visiting with them and with my Grandma from MN.
I think that catches you up on our whereabouts over the past month. We are obviously still homeless and still waiting to hear from Savoonga! Last Sunday they voted on whether or not they want Jacob as their pastor, so we are basically just waiting to figure out logistics...like, when can we move there and how. Until then, we have many hours of preparations to complete so I'm not really in any rush...except, I'd like to arrive before the sea ice moves in preventing our belongings from moving in with us!:) Well, I'm off to bed, but I will try to be better about posting to this blog now that I'm feeling a bit more settled. And I still hope to post some photos:)

Practice Photo

Just testing to see if I could figure out how to post photos to our blog! I think it's working:) This isn't Savoonga, but I thought it was a great picture of Owen and Logan loving each other.

Savoonga, Alaska - First Impressions

As four sleepy travelers (Jacob, Kami, Logan, & Owen) touched the gravel runway in the 10-seater airplane, we tried to gather ourselves as quickly as possible to "disembark the aircraft." It had been a rather warm, sunny day in Nome, but the fact that the snow was flying outside, there was no "indoors" to this airport to be noted, and that our "ride" seemed to be missing as well, told us that we better bundle up before exiting the airplane. As we dressed ourselves in coats/hats/mittens... a man came on the plane and asked us if we were getting off. I replied, in what turned out to be a rather shaky voice, "I think so." He gave a little smile and laugh. I think it was clear that it was our first time to step foot in the Alaskan Bush!

We finally exited the airplane and it was windy and cold. We gathered our heavy bags (filled with the food and warm clothes that we were advised to bring along) and watched as everyone else drove away on their Hondas (4-wheelers). I looked at the village (wondering which building might be the church and if we did happen to stumble upon it, if it would be unlocked), our pile of bags, our frightened and chilly children, and the airplane. I said to Jacob, "Your mom said, `If it looks too bad, don't let that airplane leave without you. Just get back on, Kami.' " We laughed at her words while in Ohio, but I was beginning to contemplate them as sound advice. Just then, a man drove buy with a trailer and told us to throw our bags in the back...he would take them to the church. As he drove off, it did occur to me that for all we knew, he could be taking them to his home to enjoy our food while we starved and froze to death until, God-willing, the next plane returned. We began our walk and hoped we were headed in the right direction. Before long, an older man pulled up beside us and said, "I thought you weren't coming until 5. Get on." As Logan and Owen were still a bit frightened, I tried to convince the man that we would walk. I don't think he understood, so finally, what do you do, we hopped on...Jacob and Logan over the right wheel well and Owen and me over the left. I held tightly to the rack on the back and prayed the whole way! To my surprise, the boys finally relaxed in our arms. Apparently they found comfort on the 4-wheeler:)

We arrived at the church to find our bags (praise the Lord!) Upon entering the manse (the pastor's house), I was surprised. It was very clean, nice, spacious and warm. After a brief visit, the man left so that we could settle in. Later, a mother and son came to welcome us with a brief visit. Logan, Owen and I went to bed early as we were exhausted and decided we would take it all in better after a good night's sleep.

Over the course of the next 3 days, we gained a good feel for life in Savoonga. Of course, many aspects are still left to our imaginations, namely the weather and darkness, but we definitely gained a good feel of the remoteness and a surface level understanding of the people. I was surprised by the remoteness in two ways. First, as we flew over the Bering Sea, it struck me just how far away is Savoonga. Second, it struck me how well these people have adapted to this isolation. I expected to find a medical center much like the one where I was treated in Mexico City. A single room with a concrete floor, stool, and doctor with a medical bag. In Savoonga, I found a building that looked fairly new, with several exam rooms, a lab, an office, a waiting room, and even a dental room. They have a full-time Physician's Assistant and a Dental Therapist. They're open 5 days a week and on call 24:7. As I looked around the center, it was very evident that they were prepared for emergencies. During our visit, a man injured his head from a fall while suffering a stroke. He was taken to Anchorage and was doing well before we left. Upon news of the accident, the elders in the village gathered at the manse to pray. Later, another person fell ill and Jacob joined elders at his house to pray. We were amazed at the strong prayer life of these people. Other places in the village included, a fire brigade, two story city hall, post office, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Head Start Building, General Store (also a surprise to see how much they carried and aside from the $14 bag of tortilla chips, most items were only $1-$2 more than we're used to), a playground (in dire need of repair/replacement) and a K-12 school. They are currently building a new school that is very impressive. It should open Fall `09. The school they currently use is just steps from the church, as is the general store.

There are two sections of town...the new and the old. The new section of town includes the new school and several new homes. The old section contains everything else, including the church:) The old part is connected with wooden boardwalks. Logan and Owen loved walking on these! Around the old part of town and within the new part are dirt roads. We visited during the time of year when the snow is melting, leaving pools of water (in which the boys enjoyed trying out their new boots) and much trash. We were told that summer cleanup will come around and carry much of it to the dump. We were there early enough to see the beautiful sea ice breaking up. People were just able to begin leaving in their boats to go hunting. Our entertainment was watching them ride by on their Hondas, preparing to leave for hunting season. I think it was light 24 hours a day. The village remained fairly quiet until close to noon, but remained very active until hours after we went to bed. As we went out the first morning and were quite chilly as we played in the snow and such, we realized later that the locals were wise enough to make the most of the later hours of the day when it was warmer! We began to disagree with the description we received upon arrival of Savoonga people having a "slower pace of life." They reminded me of the Indian community whom I lived amidst in South Africa, in that, they worked hard and fast, but prioritized people, so would drop everything to visit and make you feel valued.

We spent most of our days playing within the manse (trying to gain a feel for what it would be like in those long winter months...challenging!) and walking around the village (attempting to meet people and see the town). We found most of the people to be incredibly welcoming as we received numerous smiles, waves, and "Welcome to Savoonga" greetings. We spent quite awhile in the General Store one afternoon as most people we met stopped to talk and share their perceptions of life in Savoonga. Another afternoon, we encountered a group of youth near the beach and they were so nice to play with the boys and visit (even after, to my horror, Owen threw a rock at one of the girls, putting a hole in her much coveted can of soda pop!) Everyone we talked with was quite excited about the possibility of having a pastor in Savoonga again. The last day we were there, a very skeptical looking older man stopped us and said, "Who are you? What are you doing?" (He's the only one who interacted with us in such a direct manner, by the way!) Jacob told him that he may be the next pastor at the Presbyterian church. The man's entire demeanor softened, a big grin covered his face and he said, "Praise God. This village needs a pastor."

We left Savoonga fully convinced that they do need a pastor, but I (much to my dismay) was not fully convinced that we were going to fulfill that role. I know it would be a much easier decision if I were not a mother! But I am and I have concerns for my children (and their grandparents!). As we continue to discern God's calling upon our lives regarding this matter, we will keep you updated on our decisions. I also hope to post pictures from our trip today or soon.

Summer Travel

We have returned from Savoonga and if the boys continue to nap well I will share our experience with you! First, let me dedicate this post to our summer travel. Since May 6th, our family has flown from CA to Ohio. After a week, we drove to Grand Rapids for a week before returning to Ohio. After another couple of weeks, we flew from Columbus (layover in Detroit) to Seattle where we spent 1 1/2 days with my family before flying from Seattle (layover in Anchorage...layover in Nome) to Savoonga. We spent a few days in Savoonga before flying from Savoonga (layover in Nome...layover in Anchorage) to Seattle where we spent two days with my family before flying from Seattle (layover in MN) to Columbus. We will have spent another week in Ohio before flying back to CA for a long weekend and then spending 6 days driving our car and moving truck to Seattle. The boys and I will stay put there until we discover the location of our next home, but Jacob will continue to travel to New Mexico (Boy Scout Camp chaperon) and South Dakota (to visit another church). So that means that in the space of 2 months, Logan and Owen will have boarded 14 airplanes and spent at least one night in 5 different states. While I am enjoying our transient life, I did envy my friend a bit as she recently described to me her normal day to day activities with her son about her home:)

Country Living

I haven't been great about keeping up with this blog, but figure that you will hear from me more than you probably care to once we are snowed and darkened into our Savoonga bungalow this winter!...if that is where God places us:) Tomorrow, we leave for Seattle and then Savoonga, AK. I'm sure that we won't have computer access until we return to Ohio, June 12th, so check back in after that date to learn more! I'm excited to know what I'll be writing too...I really have no idea what to expect when we get off that airplane. Over the past few weeks, I've come to realize that although I've traveled to areas of the world where people lived very differently from the way I was accustomed to living, Savoonga will be entirely different from anywhere that I've ever been. When I lived in a small village in the mountains of Honduras, it's true that they didn't have many material possessions, but they were able to do some things that I was familiar with to meet their needs...they had a few farm animals, they grew a few crops, they had a stream to collect water and wash themselves/clothes. None of those will be options for us in Savoonga. Sure, I have high hopes of growing some veggies indoors/experimenting with greenhouses...but I recognize that this will more likely be more of a hobby than a nutritional success! I wonder if we have a working washer/dryer or if I will be washing diapers in the bathtub. Gma Meadows took us to visit a local farm. Logan and Owen really enjoyed the young goats and I asked them if they'd like to share their room with one in Savoonga so we can have fresh milk and cheese. If we do end up in Alaska, life will indeed be different than we've ever known it to be. In all honesty, some days the adventure excites me more than others. We'll keep you posted.

Michigan - Graduation & More!

We spent the past week in Grand Rapids. Our primary reason to visit was to witness the culmination of Jacob's previous five years of study at his graduation. Jacob has attained a Masters of Divinity and is very excited to see where the Lord leads us next. While in GR, we also enjoyed visiting with old friends and neighbors. Logan and Owen were soooo happy to spend several days with their new friends Isabel (2 1/2 yrs.) and Charlotte (6 mos.) and all of their amazing toys. We were blessed to watch the children enjoy themselves while relaxing and fellowshipping with our dear friends Ben and Melody from seminary/church. During this time, the boys and I visited the school where I used to teach. It was wonderful to visit with the teachers and my "4th Graders" (now much taller and in 6th grade!) and to see the school doing so well. As I watched the 6th grade boys sincerely encourage one another and love each other, I longed for Logan and Owen to be part of such an amazing, holistic learning environment. Later, we enjoyed food and fellowship with the Mast family...they provided us with food and we provided them with entertainment (2 rowdy boys!) We also enjoyed sharing a meal with 2 other families from the seminary. We went out to a restaurant and I couldn't help laughing about how when we all first met 4 or 5 years ago we would have needed 6 chairs and now we need 6 chairs and 5 highchairs with another on the way in August! At least we're not outnumbered yet! How the Lord blesses:) Jacob's family joined us for the weekend. Uncle Tom and Cousin Alex helped Logan conquer his fear of the water and he actually joined them in the hotel pool! It was a beautiful sight. We also enjoyed visiting the old neighborhood and other favorite places. Our last night was spent with Simon and Judy (former housemate) and, as always, they blessed us with good food and fellowship. Amidst all of our other engagements, we managed to see our favorite doctor. At 30 lbs, Logan has returned to the 95th percentile, while, at 26 lbs, Owen continues to hang out around the 40th:) Both are healthy and happy. While we immensely enjoyed our time in GR, I think we all returned to Ohio exhausted! We look forward to resting once again.
Oh, before I sign off...we heard from Savoonga...we will be visiting June 5-9. We also learned that there is an exciting ministry opportunity open to us in South Dakota. Please pray for us as we discern God's calling in this matter.

Ohio - At Last!

After a 5 hour flight and a much needed layover in Milwaukee, we arrived at Grandma Meadows' home a few days ago. We have finally adjusted to the 3 hour time difference and are enjoying life with a shorter "To Do" list! Being in the heart of Ohio in early May has made me realize how good we had it with the weather in southern CA, but also how nice it is to be able to take a breath of fresh air. I definately miss the people we grew to love in CA, but am glad to be currently surrounded with more grass and trees than pavement and cars. We do frequently think of and miss our dear friends. Yesterday, Owen tried to stand up in the back of Grandma's Avalanche. As he hit his head on the truck cover, I said, "This isn't Susie's truck, Owen." Today, we played in a sandbox and I said, "Do you miss Gma K?" Both boys nodded and said, "Yesh." The neighbor started his lawn tractor and Logan looked to the sky to see the helicopter that makes a similar noise. We miss the helicopters!:) So, as with every move, this one is also filled with mixed feelings. We look forward to spending the future days with Grandma and Grand Rapids friends and will also enjoy returning to Bellflower the end of June.

Still Learning

We are about to depart southern CA and I promised many of you that I would start a blog before we leave! Here it is. I still have much to learn in the uploading photos area, but at least this is a start. A quick update: We have much more packing/cleaning/errands to do before flying to Ohio in 2 DAYS!! We will spend a little over a month with Jacob's family and travel to Grand Rapids to visit old friends and for Jacob's graduation. June 20th, we will return to our home in CA for my cousin's wedding, a final goodbye, and load the moving truck. Our plan is to drive north, visiting friends along the way, to Seattle, where we will store our belongings and visit friends and family until we learn of our next step. We are still in communication with the church in Alaska and hope to visit the latter part of May. We'll keep you posted as our journey progresses.