UPDATED NEWS:
Since writing this post, we have found out they do wifi differently here. I am sitting in the public library right now just tying to get this posted. So, unfortunately I will NOT be able to upload any of our pictures from the trip up to Alaska. I will however post them as soon as I possible can. Until then, all you get is words.... We are so sorry, but I will be trying to find a way to make it all possible until then.
NORTH TO ALASKA...
As we began routing our
adventure over a year and a half ago, October, 2013, I asked, well begged Momma
to plan to go up to Alaska after we visited the Paskey’s in Oregon and toured
Washington state, since we were right there at it…HA (little did I realize) We discussed it and due to the expense, she
said we would have to wait until we were out there to see if we could afford
it. Alaska has been a dream of mine for
a long time so we agreed to pray about it and let God handle the rest. The very next day, our Pastor came into the Hope
Pantry where I was working and asked if I got the email about needing help in
Alaska…. He showed it to me and YEP, you
guessed it, I was overcome with excitement!
As soon as I got home I pulled up the email and showed it to Momma, she
too got excited. She called the Director of Missions for
Hatcher Pass Association in Alaska, Gary Bearce, to inquire. A couple of phone
calls later, we were slated to work with them in ALASKA the summer of
2015. God not only provided where we
were going to serve, but He also provided the funds to get to Alaska through
love offerings that have been donated from different churches and ministries we
have served along the way. Again, God is
faithful, when He calls you, He provides a way, every time! SO, WE ARE HERE IN ALASKA!!! WOOOHOOO! WE MADE IT!!!!
Now, for a quick rundown
of our 2266 mile trek to get here from Seattle, WA. OH wait, let me back up to another God story,
I seriously have so many, it is hard to know which ones to share, but this one
is a MUST! I received a phone call while
we were heading to Oregon (April) from Zackary (my son) sharing with me that he
wanted to join us for the Alaska part of our trip. Not as a vacation of sorts, but he wanted to
plug in and come and serve as well. He
had been praying about it with his small group back in Tallahassee and he felt
God was calling him out for this. He
began all of the prep work, we contacted Gary (DOM-Alaska) and he said Zack was
an answered prayer for him because he needed another (male) collegiate summer
missionary to plug in. So, God opened
this door for Zack and he fully and obediently answered His call. In just a few short weeks (3 to be exact) he
was able to get a passport, all his stuff packed up and moved down to Ocala,
paperwork in to Gary, and got on a flight to join us in Seattle on the 19th
of May. What a whirlwind for sure, when
God moves, it can be that way sometimes, have you noticed that too?
So we officially began our
trip NORTH TO ALASKA on May 22nd.
We planned to take the trip in about 13 days, since it was going to be a
tough journey across Canada and into Alaska, 2266 miles of tough travel, so we
thought. We met a 30 year veteran from
Alaska while in Seattle (HA – imagine that..lol Thank you God) and he was
leaving on the 21st to head back home so he gave us the path he takes
to Palmer and we were able to talk about the road, severity, etc., of the
trip. I was definitely put at ease after
talking to him, but I was getting myself prayed up because I knew, it was still
going to be a challenge for me alone and I knew for a fact, God driving would
be the ONLY way I could make it.
The other collegiate missionary
team was arriving on May 28th and their orientation began on the 29th. Zackary really wanted to be there for that
but knew that it was not a reality.
Again, driving an RV is NOT like driving a car. The night before we pulled out we decided to
push our first couple of days to try to make up some time and cut our trip a
day or two short to get him there ASAP. So we did the first two days in
one. We would read the Milepost
(AWESOME BOOK) the night before and discuss the next leg of the trip and
decided we would try to double the next day as well. We did this each night, and we arrived in
Palmer, AK on Friday, May 29th just in time for him to join the team
in orientation. GO GOD!!! It was ALL HIM!! 6 nights on the road, 7 days of travel to get
there. Funny part is the hardest part of
the journey was about 30-40 of the last 60 miles.
A little about our trip,
even though it was really long days of driving, our average speed was probably
45 in most of the areas because of all the mountains we had to go UP. Even still, we were able to make time. God
gave me the ability to handle it and go full steam ahead - that is for sure. I NEVER could have done that without
HIM!
I will definitely say, if
you have never driven to Alaska, DO IT!
The whole way I kept thinking, all the people that fly, miss out on the
most amazing beauty I have ever seen. I
know y'all are probably tired of hearing me say it, but yes again, I couldn’t
believe what my eyes were seeing. Being
a true “flatlander” the mountains were just amazing! The veteran we met told us that there
are no mountains in the lower 48 that compare to the mountains of Alaska and
parts of Canada. Well, he was right. The size alone was crazy and then to see the
tops still covered in snow, WOW, just AMAZING!
The EARTH DECLARES HIS GLORY!!!!
I alone took over 1000
pictures in our 7 days of travel, not to count mom’s 1000 that she took, but
the funny part is we look back at the beginning of the trip remembering how we
were amazed at the mountains, then we would see even bigger and more beautiful
mountains, they just kept getting better and better. God was probably laughing at our excitement
over His creations and probably thought to himself, just wait until you come
around the next corner girls, just wait…I know our Father got a kick out of our
excitement!
I think my favorite part
of the trip though was having Zack with us, each night he would find OT and
NT scripture to read for us the next day.
Once we were on the road, he would read, share and discuss. So our first hour or so was basically my son
leading us in a time of worship, I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome
that was for me. I praise GOD for all HE
has done in my son’s life. He has
protected him and covered him until he Called him. God is doing lots of moving in Zack’s life
and I am so humbled by God’s grace and mercy.
And to see Zack’s obedient and willing heart to GO where GOD says to GO
is the most exciting thing that has happened in my life, apart from my own salvation experience. To God be the glory!
Now, our wildlife
sightings during out trek….2 black bears, 1 brown bear, 5 moose (2 moms with
kids and one single), 6 swan, 1 groundhog, lots of Canadian geese, 3 little
squirrel looking animals that weren't like ours, couple of chipmunk looking
animals and tons of birds, all
varieties. Sightings since we got here
– birds! Lol We are still waiting to see
some wildlife on some of our outings, but nothing yet.
Oh and another really
exciting (for me) thing we found out, it rarely gets over 68 here in
Palmer/Wasilla during the summer. Now
that is what I’m talking about!
We sent out a message to
pray for us as we made our way north and we wanted to make sure we thanked you
all that prayed, we truly felt the prayers.
God is so gracious to have allowed us to come plug into the churches in
Alaska.
We have officially made it
through our first week here, lots of meetings and planning sessions during that
first week. We look forward to all God
has in store for us and for His kingdom while we are here. We have met the other couple, John and Linda
Ross, who are here for the summer. We will meet the third couple once they
arrive in July. We look forward to
working with the other Campers on Mission as well as all the churches. Thank you God again for this opportunity.
We have no Wi-Fi at the
church where we are staying and are having a tough time finding it. We will post as we can, but may not be as
often as we had hoped. But please
continue to pray for us and the Alaskan peoples. It’s a whole different world up here that is
for sure, but the reality is we ALL need Jesus and that is why we do what we
do.
May God receive all the
glory in all we do for Him!
Loving God - Loving Others
Kristi
Carol & Bob
Galatains 6:9-10
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