Week 2!

Our family has had a busy, great second week in our new home state of Alaska.  We have been looking at used trucks for Greg, and are hoping to make a decision soon. Also, the container carrying our home and van made it to Wasilla Thursday.  It feels a little strange driving our Georgia van up here!  But it also feels like a little piece of home! We sorted through all the boxes in the warehouse and pulled out all we want to keep with us for now - important things like barbies, legos, winter boots and more clothes and shoes for me! The rest has been put into storage while we wait for our Macon house to sell.  

This is all of our belongings that made the move from GA to the warehouse in AK.

We rented a U-Haul to bring some of our boxes to the house we are living in for now.

Our van!

Boxes and more boxes

Here's an update on our family:


Jackson just keeps growing...and growing!  He is starting to tower over me!  And when he hugs me he has to bend over some!!  A man at church told us that everything - including kids - grow faster here because of all the extra sunlight. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but something is happening!  He went to Bible study Sunday morning for the first time and had a good time meeting lots of new middle schoolers.


Turner is growing too - especially in his feet!  We bought him new tennis shoes Saturday night...and he now wears men's sizes! He also went to Bible study for the first time Sunday and met a boy who just moved to Chugiak from Japan.  They had been here only 4 days - I think it was nice to have another new boy there!


Caroline is our social butterfly.  She made a couple of friends when we were here in March and has picked right back up with them.  She spent the night with one friend last week, and her Sunday School buddy has been showing her the ropes - and where the donuts are kept! She is really adjusting well to life in Alaska.  She is even working on her fear of dogs.  The family we are staying with have the 2 sweetest, most well-behaved dogs on the planet.  But she has been very cautious around them...until the past few days.  She is getting more and more comfortable having them around, and even has started wanting to walk them every single day!  I'm so proud of her!

Greg is enjoying his role at The Crossing. He is getting to know the different members of the worship team and is doing a super job planning and leading worship. We had supper at the pastor's house Wednesday night with all of the staff and their families - God has blessed this church with a great team and I am grateful to be a part! And this Sunday after worship Greg helped with two baptisms in a very chilly lake. But it was a beautiful place to celebrate baptism!

The Crossing at Birchwood

Baptism at Mirror Lake

This continues to be a sweet, overwhelming experience for all of us.  While we still miss our family, friends and church in GA, we are loving this new place of service. God is pouring out His blessings and His presence on us daily and we are so grateful!

Our first week in Alaska

                                                                              
                                                                                

Our family has now lived in Alaska for an entire week!  And what a week it has been!  We have gotten a lot accomplished, seen friends from Macon, made new friends here, and had tons of fun!  Here are some pictures from the past few days.

The view from the top of the Anchorage Museum.  Aren't those mountains beautiful???

 The kids had a ball on the first floor of the museum - all the hands-on activities were so much fun!

 

The bubbles were the most fun!

This may be what we all look like in a few months!

Greg and Betty Hudgins (from Macon) were on vacation in AK and we met up for the Bear Paw Festival on Saturday. They also came to worship on Sunday morning. Such a sweet treat for us!

 We think it's cool that there is a Northwoods Drive in Chugiak...just like our home street in Macon!

 We went for a hike to Thunder Bird Falls with a few families Sunday evening.  It was beautiful!  

They were serious...the side of this trail was real steep!

       Thunder Bird Falls

Caroline and her sweet new friend Morgan

Yep...they really make bear spray.  Thankful that we didn't have to use it on this trip!

They have HUGE mosquitoes here

It's been an incredible week!  We are so thankful for the call God has put on our lives to bring us to this place.  We are excited to see what He has in store for us!  Thank you for praying for us!

The first 48 hours

Our family has had a busy, fun, productive first 48 hours in Alaska.  

We now have an Alaskan mailing address.  

We opened an Alaskan bank account.  

Greg opened all the FedEx boxes that contained our instruments - they all arrived intact and still in tune!  

After living out of them for two weeks, we are completely unpacked from our suitcases.  

 We took a walk through the neighborhood where we are staying - at 9 PM in the bright sunshine! 

We saw Denali right above the steeple of our new church.  

We ate lunch in Anchorage with the high school missions team from Ingleside.  

 

We went by our new church - The Crossing at Birchwood - and saw the pastor and a few of the other staff.

It has been an incredible two days!  We can't wait to see what God has for us tomorrow!

Here we go!!!

Well, the day has finally come.  We have spent months praying and asking God for His guidance and wisdom.  We've spent the past couple of months preparing our hearts and our home for a cross-country move.  We've spent the last few weeks saying goodbyes - first to our church family in Macon, then to Greg's family in NC and mine in SC. And now...it's time.  Time to pack the suitcases one final time.  Print off the boarding passes.  Say our final farewells.  And step into this new adventure, this new chapter of ministry that God has called us to in Alaska.


Over the past months God has used His Word to encourage me in countless ways.  But there is one verse that He has me going back to again and again. 


Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.


There is much that is uncertain in our future.  Many unknowns.  But one thing I DO know - God is faithful to His Word and His promises, and because of that we have nothing to fear!


So...here we go!!!