April 10th Update

Our little crew is getting so big! Evie is about to finish 1st grade, Norah will begin preschool this fall, and Grady's vocabulary has become huge in the past month or so!

 

Justin and two friends went to Glennallen to get their caribou tags and threw their guns in just in case they saw some, even though they didn't expect to. They found a group of them right off the highway! Now our freezer is full of caribou! What an awesome blessing! Grady wasn't so sure about the big animal in the back of the truck, though.

Yes, there is a caribou carcass laying on top of my reclaimed barnwood dining table...yes, it looks ghetto...it's how we do it in Alaska. The body froze a little more than we intended while it was hanging, so we had to wait for it to thaw for a few hours. In the meantime the men played video games. :) The kids were fascinated by the animal in the dining room!

Our kitchen turned into a meat processing center for about 8 hours! We got around 90 pounds of meat. Here is our friend Mark who shot the caribou and kindly shared most of it with us!

Evie was a good helper when it came time to grind the meat! She wanted to wear gloves and made lots of faces, though. :)

A couple of weeks ago Norah slipped on the ice outside the church after Awana club. She got a good sized cut on her chin but didn't have to have any stitches. This was a few days after getting a 2nd-degree burn on her foot from our toyo stove. She was a tough girl through it all!

Raising their hands when I asked "who wants to dye Easter eggs?" We spent the holiday at my parent's house in Kenai.

Gathered around the kitchen table

Gray showing off his egg

Norah put herself to sleep on the pew at church Easter Sunday

Norah and Max are thick as thieves! They have almost a twin-like connection even though they are uncle and niece...but it's probably because they have birthdays 10 days apart. :) When we visit Grammie's house they play nonstop together.

We woke up Easter morning to snow! 

Family photo

Today is April 10th and the snow is quickly melting, but it obviously isn't ready to let go of this mountain altogether yet. :) 


We were able to meet with several people and families who support us while we were in Kenai. What an encouragement it was to relax and visit! We are so thankful for all who give regularly so that we can continue ministry here, and especially for prayers.

Here are some ways you can be praying right now:-A praise: through eliminating the foods she's allergic to, Norah's eczema has vastly improved! Pray that we can now be faithful to her special diet so that her digestive system can heal and we can lessen or even eliminate these allergies. This includes taking some supplements that Norah doesn't like...and when this girl sets her mind against something it's very difficult to get her to change it!
-Spring time is when Justin's programming schedule really picks up. Between springtime promotional events for camp, interviewing and hiring summer staff, and figuring out the summer Bible study curriculum, Justin and the whole program team are kicking into high gear. Pray that they will have energy and clarity as they make decisions for this summer.

-There have been some issues with the ministry office that have caused some stress and tension here at camp. These are things that have been discussed and worked on for months now, and this weekend the board will be meeting to hopefully resolve some things. Pray that issues will be settled and God will be glorified in our ministry!

-We are in great need of male counselors for this summer! Please join with us to pray that God will touch people's hearts and lead them toward serving here. And if you know any college-age guys who would enjoy serving God in a wilderness setting, send them our way!