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.