The summer days have turned from warm and sunny with blue cloudless skies to cool, cloudy, and a bit rainy.

Last week Mark left his desk and the paperwork which continually nags him day after day no matter how much of it he accomplishes to fly the King Air with Brian while I spent the day with Brian's wife helping to prepare their salmon for packaging. Mark and Brian along with the Casa, the Caravan, and another King Air, transported a VBS team to Napakiak and materials along with a work crew to Unalakleet to continue the building being done at Covenant Camp. Mark and Brian had a great day of work and flying and Elizabeth and I had a wonderful time working together. The work always seems to go faster and easier when it is accomplished through teamwork and great fellowship.

Mark and Jeremiah have been working hard to bring in the last of our allotment of personal use fish. The fish portion of our freezer space is full and we praise God for His provision. The salmon we harvest during these summer months will last us through the year.

Mark and Jeremiah with their dip nets in the water.

Jeremiah with the small one he caught. It will provide one GOOD meal for our family.

The shore along the mouth of the river is lined each day for weeks on end by not only local dip netters but many who come from as far as Anchorage and camp on the beach to harvest the salmon.

Our garden is doing great. It is so satisfying watching it grow. I'd post a picture, but with all the rain lately the chickweed is everywhere and I don't want to show you that. I don't know how, but I hurt my lower back this week and need to let it heal farther before I get out there and deal with the weeds.

The chicken coop is almost ready for chickens. We will acquire 10-12 older laying hens in August to start us out. We bought six chicks on Monday and have immensely enjoyed having them. They are so cute and so funny. I love how they fall asleep standing up and then topple over. I'll go over to the brooder and talk to them and they all look up at me. Here are a couple pictures. Oh, I have to brag on Mark - he made the brooder for me!

Aren't they adorable! They are Easter Eggers.

We are almost at the end of soccer season. August 1st is the Jamboree. The kids have had a great season and have shown much improvement in their ability to play the game. Jeremiah may have broken his toe last week and had to take it easy - sitting out on one game, but this week he is back in it and giving it his all.

Alaina blocking the ball and getting it to the other side of the field. She has done great in both defense and offensive positions.

Neakita shines as an offensive player. Her dribbling ability has improved greatly. And has no fear of the ball - even when she is smacked in the face with it.

Jeremiah has become much more aggressive in the game. He is a great defensive player that can really boot that ball.

Summer is coming to an end quickly. The fireweed is blooming - a sure sign. It is time to start getting materials and supplies ready for school. Which I have been doing for the last four months, even before the current school year had ended. Pray that I will be organized and ready. Pray that the Lord will prepare the kids hearts and minds for the new school year. Pray they will have an insatiable desire to learn.

Matthew 14:22-34 is the passage about Jesus and Peter walking on the water. Much truth can be gleaned from this passage, but for me, in the past couple of years it has admonished and encouraged me to keep my focus on the Lord no matter what my situation is. Just like Peter, as long as we walk toward Jesus, focused on Him, we will stay on top. It is only when we start to look at ourselves and the situation around us that we begin to drown in it. If we are not trusting all aspects of our life to the Lord, this life and the world around us will devour us - chew us up and spit us out. Only in the Lord is there peace, contentment, and life to the fullest. Jesus says in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and distroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Two sentences prior to this statement, Jesus says, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." Have you entered into the promise of eternal life through Jesus? He is the only way - John 14:6 "Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Don't let this life drown you, trust in Jesus to keep you above it all.

Last week, Mark came home from his day flight saying, "What a great day of flying!" I love hearing the joy in his voice as he tells me about the work he does. It is a work we are priviledged to be a part of. This particular day was an incredibly long one for Mark. From the time he left the house to the time he returned home must have been at least 15 hours. His task that day was to take staff and campers home from Covenant Camp. It was the last of camp for the summer in Unalakleet. There are five Bible camps throughout Alaska that MARC flies for. Please, pray that the many youth who attended summer Bible camps will grow in their faith throughout the year and will have the courage and clarity to share their faith with their family and friends.

Over the last year, the kids and I have gotten together one to two times a month with a few other homeschool families at our home for art class. The kids have loved it and have produced some great artistic creations. There is nothing like enjoying these times with friends. We will continue to enjoy these classes together in the coming year as well.

The kids have started the summer soccer season. They have great teams and great coaches. Please pray for their safety as they enjoy this activity.

With summer vacation upon us, I have plunged myself into ministry outside my home. I am teaching the 4th grade Sunday School for the summer and loving it. I have a great group of kids in my class. I have given extra attention to the ladies ministry that we MARC wives are continually involved in throughout the year. It is a blessing to work with the other wives toward a common goal. It draws us closer together, strengthening and encouraging eachother as we strive to be a blessing and encouragement to the pastor/missionary wives serving in the villages. I have stepped in temporarily to help out with getting the next MARC publications accomplished. Our church's VBS was a short term commitment I made. It took place in June and was an incredible success. It was a priviledge to once again work with the other 75 plus volunteers that sacrificed their time and abilities to minister to the children in our church and community. A big part of my minstry is communication through newsletters, emails, and regular updates which is the purpose of this blog. Communication takes an emmence amount of time. Unfortunately, during the school year, I don't have much time to devote to it as I am very focused on my children's education. Therefore, one of my goals this summer is to establish a routine in communicating. I have hope that this blog will be the key to my communication success.

The month of May brought beautiful weather and visiting friends from WA. It was a fun time. As you can see the kids took advantage of the warm afternoons. Mark arranged for himself and Scott to help move a pastor's family from one village to another in the CASA. Mark loves to show Alaska and our ministry here to visiting friends.

June has brought more beautiful weather and flowers. I have enjoyed planting flowers in containers around our house.

But nothing beats the wild flowers growing all around us. My favorite is the dogwood ground covering. We also have lupine and wild roses blooming.During furlough, Alaina's rabbit died. So when we returned home we began looking for a new rabbit for her. We had to wait a few weeks until the bunny was ready, but we added Blackberry to our family menagerie. Then a couple of weeks later we got two female half-sisters Dorothy Ann and Miksee. Miksee is Jeremiah's rabbit, so named because she has one blue eye and one brown eye.
The first week of June I hosted a Child Evangelism Fellowship kids club at my home. The Lord blessed us with warm sun-shiny days to hold the clubs outside.

We had the special treat of having new friends from Montana visit with us while they were passing through on vacation. It was a joy to have the time to get to know them better. Our kids are still talking about them. We praise God for the people He brings into our lives and every opportunity we have to fellowship with them and strengthen the relationships.

Another big event during June was Alaina's birthday. This one was her ninth. She invited about 12 friends, had games outside,
a chili supper, ice cream cake from the only DQ in the whole state of AK which happens to be here in Soldotna,

and more games outside.

VBS is a big June event for us and our church. I wish I had pictures to show, but I don't. I was again in charge of the snacks and kitchen staff. We served approximately 180 children and 75 volunteers.

Last week was consumed by getting our years supply of fish in. We always look forward to spending this day on the beach bringing in the catch,

relaxing and playing, even wading in the water - as crazy as it may have been, they had fun, eating salmon cooked over a fire - you can't get fresher than this, oh, yeah, and the corn cooked in the coals. Once the fish gets home, the work of processing begins. It takes four days to complete it. It is exhausting work, but now we have a new supply of one of our main staples to enjoy for another year.

Most of the flights MARC has been doing these last few weeks is for various Bible camps throughout AK. Pray that the Lord will use the time the kids have at camp to open their eyes to their need to have Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray that as the kids return home that they will be able to hold on to their new faith and that the Lord will grow it through the year dispite the critizism and mocking they might receive from family and friends at home.

Literally tons of cargo has been flown out to support the various summer work projects for churches around the state. These include a project at Covenant Camp, the youth center at Unalakleet, parsonage remodels at White Mountain, and Scammon Bay, and a garage/shop for the pastor in Mountain Village, to name a few.

Pray for Mark as he continues to work as flight scheduler/coordinator. The schedule changes day by day and sometimes hour by hour and requires constant oversight - even on days off. Pray that Mark will have discernment, wisdom, and clear communication with those we serve and those we work with. Pray that he is able to keep on top of the work. When he is out flying it piles up and is difficult to catch up on. Despite the demands of work, Mark has been able to accomplish much at home which has been a miracle of God in my eyes. We now have a woodstove installed as our primary source of heat. Now to be able to stock pile the wood before winter comes. We finally have a fence around our garden and it is planted. We have potatoes and peas and other vegetables popping up. We are very excited about the prospective harvest.

It is huge, isn't it? It is necessary to have such a big (8 foot) fence to keep the moose out. The next project is a chicken coup and run.

Some have asked how the kids did with the Standard Based Testing for school. I am happy to say they got through the week with mostly smiles. They especially grinned ear to ear when the testing was completed, for we had banana splits for a celebration.

April was so busy, before we knew it, it was over. Mark's first overnight trip was to take a Child Evangelism Fellowship team to Port Alsworth to conduct clubs during Spring Conference at Tananlian Bible Camp.

The next week Mark was out flying again this time for a Moravian Youth Rally in the village of Quinhagak. Weather made it a challenge to get attenders to the rally and unfortunately many were not able to go, but Mark was able to get 54 kids from various villages there.

Mark returned home just in time to participate in a Mission Safety International Safety Seminar. The first week consisted of the MSI staff conducting interviews of all our staff members including the wives to create a report that can assist our mission in making improvements in areas that would help us to be more effective in our ministry and create a safer working enviornment. The MSI wives provided two opportunities for the wives of MARC, Samaritan's Purse, Arctic Barnabas Ministries, and SOAR International to get together to fellowship, build relationships, and be encouraged. Both evenings were a blessing.

The Safety Seminar included Underwater Egress training. It was a great opportunity for our pilots. The kids and I were able to be there to watch.

In April we celebrated the life of fellow MARC staff member, Marge Cochran, who went to be with her Lord and Savior. We miss her very much as each of us will not forget how she has blessed our lives with her love and prayers. Please pray for Dave as he continues on without Marge by his side.

The end of April brought the end of AWANA. We are always ready for it to begin again after the summer break. Here is Mark listening to verses recited by one of the children on his Spark's team.

Now back to the second half of our furlough.

While in Eastern Washington, we were able to visit with Mark's aunt and uncle. This visit will be most memorable for the kids because they had the rare opportunity (for them anyways) to see a herd of white tailed deer gathered in the back yard.

It was great to be able to catch up with what is happening in our extended family's lives.

We had a wonderful ten day visit with Mark's mom, step-dad, and brother. The kids were completely spoiled. Okay, Mark and I were spoiled too. We had quite a bit of time to just kick back, relax, and pretend we were on vacation. And how could we not relax with a view like this out the living room windows.

(A typical misconception of "furlough" is that it is a vacation for missionaries. Furlough is a time for missionaries to visit friends and family and also to speak at churches to update them on the ministry. It is fun, but it is exhausting. It is more exhausting than being home and working in the minstry we are in Alaska to do.)

Grandma sure knows how to make a hot chocolate drink look like as Katelyn said, "My birthday cake!"

Grandma set up a table just for them, where they could do all sorts of coloring, painting, and crafts.

The kids had a blast riding around on the 4-wheeler.

Playing video games is always fun, especially when you get to play with Uncle Zac.

The kids got to experience bowling for the first time. We were very impressed with how well they did.

There was always a puzzle to work on. We must have gone through at least eight puzzles that week.

Flying kites was a highlight of the week for all of us.

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Grandma even made a ping-pong table out of the dining table.

Alaina and Katelyn made sure they captured as much of their Uncle Zac's attention that they could.

Making cookies with Grandma was a treat that lasted for days.

In addition to having time to play, which included an early Easter egg hunt, Mom planned and hosted three dinner parties to give everyone who knows us and opportunity to spend time with us. This alleviated the need for us to run around visiting everyone individually. Thanks Mom, it was a blessing.

Before returning to Western Washington, we spent a weekend with Mark's grandpa and Grandpa's dear wife. It was a sweet time for us.

Back in the Seattle area, we had only one more week to visit with everyone we hadn't seen yet and get ready to go home. What a feat it was. There were friends that we didn't have a chance to see and we are sorry for those missed opportunities. We sure did have a great time with those we did get to see. You know who you are.

We made sure we got one more visit with Mark's dad and step-mom. They gave the kids an Easter egg hunt and made a candy craft with the kids. What a fun time.

We are happy to be back in Alaska. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as the days have gotten longer we have been going at full speed, but have done our best to make opportunities to have a bit of fun in it all. With spring's arrival and summer approaching quickly we had fun this past weekend planting flowers around the house. And we made our annual Memorial Day hike to the Russian River Falls.

We're Home!

I know, I am really behind on keeping up with what we have done during furlough. I hope to catch up this week while the kids are at their Standard Based Testing for school. But first I wanted to let you all know that we are back home now and so happy we are.

The kids and I arrived home Monday night, March 30th and Mark got in Tuesday morning. Our flight from Seattle to Anchorage was diverted to Fairbanks due to Mt. Redoubt and delayed there for five hours. We were very happy to get into Anchorage only to discover that the airline messed up our commuter tickets into Kenai. It would be another two hour wait unless they just happen to have room on the next flight. We did get on the next flight but there was only five seats instead of six, so Mark stayed in Anchorage to wait for the next flight. I was not quite sure how I was going to handle four children and 20 pieces of baggage once we landed in Kenai. But Mark knew exactly what to do, he arranged for a friend to be there to help us. And what a joy it was to see Tom standing there when we arrived. He had our car running and warmed up and took care of all the baggage for me. All I had to do was drive home. God has blessed us emmencely with good, faithful friends.

Mark jumped right back in at the airport with King Air training and the kids and I took the week to unpack and get settled.

Here are some pictures of Mt. Redoubt. The daytime picture Mark took from our road and the night shots were taken by someone from an oil platform. We have not been effected yet by the eruptions, except for the flight delay on the way home. So far the wind has been blowing the ash away from us. The eruptions could last for months to come, so please keep us in your prayers concerning it.

God continues to give us incredible memorable moments as we travel and visit family, friends, and supporters. Neakita was priveledged with an inspiring opportunity to play her violin with a professional violinist. Here Neakita is picuture with her as she accompianies on the piano. The memory card in my camera filled before I could get a picture of them playing a violin duet. Lesson learned: always carry an extra memory card.Our time in Eastern Washington was filled with more visiting than we expected, but it was the most relaxing time we have had on this trip which helped us to recooperate from a virus that overtook us despite all the measures to stay healthy.
Memorable moments for our children during this last week have been for Neakita, playing her violin with a young woman that has been playing violin since childhood. It was so fun to listen to it. I tried to upload a video clip of it, but it wouldn't work for me.
For Jeremiah, he lived a dream of his to play an electric guitar and there is no greater fun for a boy than to shoot bow and arrow.

We are blessed to have friends who love us and give of their time and resources for us.