Last Savoonga Photos

I just reviewed our blog and realized I haven't posted any photos for awhile. I think it's because it took forever in Savoonga and I was busy packing and saying goodbyes in the end. I'll see how quickly (or slowly) it goes in Bickleton!

Jacob returning from his daily snowshoe excursion.

Would you like muesli or mungtuk(whale skin/blubber) for breakfast?:)

Logan having his last fun in the sandbox.

Owen in the sandbox.



Best Friends

Happy Birthday Adadta Sivoy!



Fun with Levi

Pulling a casket to the graveside.

"Moving" to Bickleton. (Jacob pulled MANY boxes to the Post Office on that sled!)

Kami, Perine & Mandi...last real visit:(

Bernadette...flower girl.

Rachel and Joe's wedding in traditional dress.

Last night with Daphne. Owen held onto her until midnight that night and was so sad to see her go even then!

Goodbye Savoonga - You will always be in our hearts.

Loving Bickleton

Where else could I worship on Palm Sunday to the accompaniment of an accordian!:) I'm not kidding and I loved it so much! One of the things that has impressed me with this community is that they are so proactive. All of the church pianists were out of town for Spring Break, so rather than singing a cappella...the song leader played her accordian. There was just one moment when Jacob began to pray and she bumped the accordian and it let out a joyful noise. I didn't think it was incredibly noticable, but at dinner, when we asked the boys how they liked the accordian, Owen said, "It was real BIG! And...and...Papa, me be you...(he bowed his head, folded his hands, and very seriously said)Lord Jesus...HONK!" Jacob and I were biting our lips so hard not to laugh and then have our laughter repeated in front of the dear lady!! But along the lines of being proactive to better the community. I was told by another lady that the school used to put on a mother/daughter tea, but they stopped. So a group of women gathered and decided they would put on an annual tea for the girls. I was so impressed that instead of moping around that a good thing was ended, they took it into their own hands to make it continue.

Just one more story of the boys and church. I've noticed that they refuse to talk to most people. You know, "How are you boys?" nothing "Do you like living here?" nothing "Do you like your new tricycles?" tight lips! Finally, today I asked them why they don't talk to most people. They said, "Remember Mama? If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Oh boy! We still have more work to do!

I'm Back!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I think I'm ready to take up the blog again! We have been in Bickleton for 2 weeks and are getting more and more settled. It was very hard for me to leave Savoonga in the end...especially with no pastor to replace us and we had made some close friends. I've been keeping in regular contact with several friends still in Savoonga and are comforted to know that the YWAM group is currently staying at our old house and will stay for 2 months to do ministry in Savoonga.

Bickleton is another new culture to us! It truly is a small town and so far we have only been exposed to the beautiful side of small town living...our cupboards are filled with home canned goods, our freezer filled with locally butchered meat, and we've had a never-ending supply of cookies, biscuits, muffins, etc. The community has been extremely hospitable and welcoming. We are loving the sunshine, the time people take to visit, and the excitement of being involved in a new community.

The boys are adjusting. I no longer hear statements like, "Logan, did you hear that snow machine?" (when a truck drove by) or "Ew...it's stinky like walrus in here." (when apparently our house smelled!). Owen has suffered the most in this move. His moments of lying on the floor in silence or tears telling me that he misses Savoonga are becoming less and less. He no longer wants to go back to Savoonga...he just wants our friends in Savoonga to come to Bickleton. That's healthy growth, I think:) Overall, we are very happy here and know that we are extremely blessed to be given this place to live and grow.

Twin Memories

Although the boys and I still find ourselves hanging out now and then in the middle of the night it is no longer a regular occurrence…and certainly no longer common for me to be holding both of them on my lap in the wee hours. Both boys currently have some illness they are fighting and it has been waking them in the night. I just went into the room because Logan was crying…he crawled onto my lap and before he stopped crying, Owen started and also crawled onto my lap. They still fit!...and I noticed they were soothed almost immediately once they were both on my lap, unlike the few previous nights when I was trying to calm them independent of one another. A beautiful twin sibling moment. I found myself treasuring the time I was able to hold them realizing these moments are becoming fewer and fewer. Soon, I glanced at the clock and realized I should really get back to packing. Here’s where the real “memory” came in…I realized I was stuck with two sleeping children on my lap…what to do??? 
Just another note on twins/babies. Jacob performed a funeral on Saturday. The man who died and his twin brother were born 59 years ago in Savoonga. His eulogy stated that they were born premature and placed in loaf pans surrounded by feathers and kept warm near the fire. Their father kept them alive by massaging their tiny bodies for 3 days! I just thought that was a pretty amazing story to share.

Making Sense

Logan and Owen have entered the “Why?” stage and really want to figure everything out. I love this inquisitive time of life and make it my own little personal challenge to see how many “why’s” I can answer before I get stumped! I’ve also noticed that the boys are beginning to come up with their own reasons for why things are the way they are…some answers are pretty good…others are just quite hilarious.

A few nights ago, the boys were sorting through Jacob’s “shell collection”. Jacob came across a larger shell and he was trying to get them to hear the ocean. Logan said he could hear it, so Owen tried. He couldn’t hear it, so finally he said, “Maybe it’s out of batteries.”

This morning, Logan urgently called me into the room to tell me, “MAMA…MAMA…these socks are getting smaller and smaller!” Nope…I’m thinking your feet are getting bigger and bigger! :)

Laughter

I think most who read this blog have already heard that we are transitioning out of Savoonga on February 22nd and moving to Bickleton, WA where Jacob will be pastor of the church there. While it will be hard to leave Savoonga, we feel good about the decision and are excited to settle into life in Bickleton. So now I am realizing that we have just over 2 weeks to get a lot done! Things are going pretty well, but I realize now and then that I’m a bit on the stressed/irritable side…but how can I remain that way long, really, with my two comedic children!:) Today was one of those days that was really busy, but it seemed like at every tense moment, one of the boys would say or do something to make me laugh and keep things in perspective. This evening, I was bathing Owen when he said something amusing once again. I said, “I should have named you, `one who makes me laugh’!” As I was pondering what the Yupik name would be that held such meaning, Owen got a big smile on his face and I smiled in return, just in time for him to scoop up an entire cupful of water and throw it in my face! He laughed hysterically and said, “Me make you laugh!” I was in such incredible shock and so mixed as to respond with great anger or laughter. My life was put into perspective again by the sheer joy of my 3-year old and knowing it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do (from a discipline standpoint) I exploded with laughter. (We had a little chat about how, while I was truly laughing then, I would not find it funny to have a repeat dousing tomorrow night!) I thank God for children to help me remember what’s really worth fretting about in life...and to keep me humble!

Frozen Pipes!

Over a week ago, I tried to post about our frozen pipes, but we’ve been experiencing Internet woes again, so I’ll share it now! Someone broke into the pump house (if that’s what you call it?) and deliberately turned off the valve that allows water to continually circulate through the pipes in the village, serving the very important function of keeping the water from freezing in the pipes. At 19 below, it didn’t take long for the whole system to freeze up. We were able to get water from only one tank and it was rapidly being used up. For 3 days, we were told to strictly conserve water…no showers, no washing, only flushing at very necessary times. The third evening, I received the call that the water level had dropped to 2 feet and they had no idea when they would be able to solve the problem. Uncle Sivoy joined us for dinner that night and as I was closing the prayer before we ate, he said, “The water!” I said, “Oh right…And God please help us to enjoy the last drops of water that come out of our faucet. Amen.” When I opened my eyes, Sivoy was nearly doubled over laughing. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized Sivoy was probably expecting me to pray for a miracle. I said, “Sivoy. The lines are frozen solid. God could very well do a miracle, but look at the grace He’s shown us already…we’re surrounded by snow! I don’t really expect water to come out of this faucet again until spring.” That night, we filled up every container we could find in the house with tap water before it ran out sometime in the night. Then, we cleaned the toilets, gave them one last flush, taped them closed, and prepared our honey buckets. We went to bed excited to take the sled out the next day to gather snow to melt for our washing needs. I was wrong! We awoke to water flowing out of our faucet. Miraculously, sometime in the night, the line was cleared! :)