One month in Alaska

One month ago yesterday we were getting on a plane and flying to Alaska.  ONE MONTH! We have seen and done so much in the past couple of weeks.  Here's an update:


We bought a truck for Greg.  A big, Georgia-bulldog-red truck.  Some have suggested that we now need a big Georgia  "G" on the back of it (specifically, my brother in law, Bryan!).  Don't expect to find one on it, but it is nice to have a nod to our GA connections way up here!

We have an AK tag for the van now. AND...we BOTH passed our drivers license tests!!  We learned from my first attempt (where I failed it miserably!) and studied hard and were prepared for the test.  It was still pretty tough, but thankfully it's all behind us now!

Our boys have had a couple of moose sighting - Jackson and Turner saw a momma moose with her two babies in the driveway one morning.  Then Greg and the boys saw one while they were fishing a few days later.  Also, there were reports of a momma grizzly bear and her two cubs in the neighborhood.  The kids and I were taking the dogs for a walk when a nice man stopped, rolled down his window and told us that he'd seen the bears in his yard that morning, and he lived right down the hill from where we were walking.  We thanked him, and as he drove away, I looked at the kids and told them to turn right around and head back to the house.  It was the shortest walk ever, but I am not yet enough of an Alaska girl to want to run into a bear!

Caroline has completely gotten over her fear of Maggie and Molly, the two dogs we are living with.  She even had them sleep in her room some, and she can be found sitting on her bed with a dog on either side of her.  It's been amazing to see the transformation!  We are so proud of her!

The kids are officially registered for school now.  They will be attending Birchwood Christian Academy at our church.  Their first day is August 22, and we are heading out to buy school supplies and school clothes in the next few days.

We have spent many evenings at the park near our home.  We've played more soccer in the past week than I ever have in my life!  Our basketballs are still in storage, so we bought a new one so we can shoot some hoops before the courts are full of snow! Greg got the kids' bikes in working order, and they have enjoyed riding them. When the weather is nice we are trying to get outside as much as possible.  We have been urged by many to enjoy the nice weather while we can - we know the snow will be here before long!


We have a few requests we would love to ask you to pray with us about...


-We are all meeting new people every week, and with school starting we will be meeting even more. Please pray that God will provide us all with good, Godly friendships as we continue to adjust to a new home, new school and new church.


-God has graciously provided a place for us to live in Chugiak with a super couple from the church.  We have lots of space and feel so blessed where we are.  But, we would love to have a place of our own, where we can spread out, unpack all the rest of the boxes, settle in and feel like we are really home.  We are trusting God and His timing - He called us to AK, He knows we don't need a home that's 4000 miles from here, and His plans are perfect and for our good.  But He also says in His Word that we don't have because we don't ask.  So please join us in asking Him to provide the right family to buy our home in Macon and the right home for us here.


-The Crossing at Birchwood is doing so much to reach out to the community.  God is changing lives week by week.  It is an exciting place to be and we are so thankful that God is allowing us to serve Him here!  But there is one specific need we would love for you to pray about.  A while back, the church began the process of adding on to the church building, planning to add more children and student space. The local government is causing lots of problems and keeping us from finishing the job - for no real reason except that we are a church, and they are not in favor of what we are doing and what we stand for.  Please ask God to soften the hearts of those in the local government and for wisdom for our pastor and others who are interacting with them.  Pray that this will be an opportunity to share the Gospel and for lives to be changed.


-We have less than two weeks left before school starts. Please ask God to prepare us all for this new school experience.  I am thankful that school and church are all in the same building, and lots of the kids at school also go to our church.  That helps a lot.  But there will be many new things to get used to and figure out and names to remember and schedules to keep straight.


-Jackson has been going to Fusion in Anchorage with the youth group from church this Wednesday through Friday.  Pray that God will speak to him, challenge him, and give him opportunities to make friends.


-We have a number of decisions to make with the start of school.  Jackson and Turner are both considering playing soccer for school.  I am praying about what God wants me to do this year while the kids are in school. We have small group/bible study options we are considering. Please pray for wisdom for all of us.


Here are some picture...

we are loving this truck!!

the view from Greg's office window...that's Denali behind the telephone pole

we walked part of the costal trail in Anchorage and saw incredible scenery...

and ended up at a beautiful lake...

and we were able to watch the Thunderbirds practicing for the Air Show that was coming up that weekend.  It was amazing! 

after unpacking some of the kids' boxes, I realized that the house was VERY quiet... this is where i found them - reading their books 

we've spent many late nights watching the Olympics

Caroline and her new buddies

 

this huge mushroom appeared in the yard last week...we'd never seen anything like it!

Greg and the boys went for a hike with our pastor up the Bear Mountain where they live.