North—to Alaska

Yes, I actually made it to Alaska with 14 other acquaintances from church who are now my friends. We spent a week in Anchorage working under the auspices of GraceWorks, an evangelistic group endeavoring to claim Anchorage for Christ.

Three Musketeers and Me

Our week definitely was not a vacation. To start with, the female dorm rooms were on the 3^rd floor of the renovated church we lived in—no elevator. Each team was assigned a park in town close to a new church plant location. Monday-Friday we had sack lunches available to the kids in that park, played kickball, volleyball, or soccer with them, did crafts and told them a Bible story, if possible. We not only got to know the children, but also their mothers, grandmothers, fathers, and daycare providers.

We attended a Thursday evening Bible study led by the young pastor of the church plant in the vicinity of the park and experienced a “williwaw” (I think). It was an unbelievable blast of wind that tore down an overhead shelter we had erected for the kids while their parents studied the Bible. That was followed by a torrent of rain that surely  rivaled Noah’s flood, at least for several minutes.

"mummified" trees at Wildlife Conservation area.  1964 earthquake lowered the water table 10 feet which was replaced by salt water. This in turn killed the trees but preserved them. Note the cloud just below the mountain top.

I would say the weather was the most unfriendly element during our stay, but despite the timing of nasty weather (like the beginning of a Bible story) and the busy schedule, we were still able to do plenty of sightseeing and fall in love with the gorgeous scenery.

We were able to use several mornings for designated hikes—saw the starting point for the annual Idatrod, a gorgeious vista of city, bay, and mountains some distance above Anchorage, and a hike along a glacier-fed stream, as well as the glacier(s) that fed the stream, and actually saw a mama moose and her baby in the wild alongside the road we were traveling.  (Thanks, Rachel.)           

Reindeer Racks--impressive

Baby musk-ox--so ugly, he's cute.

My week in Alaska was priceless for I gained much more than I gave. But God does things that way, doesn't He?

Where Are Your Treasures?

Back in the 1960’s “Mother Earth News” was extolling underground homes, earth sheltered homes, and solar heating—all unique, “green” methods endeavoring not to impact one’s environment negatively. Now we could also add wind turbines to the list as people continue to try to live “off the grid” or “go green”.

My older son has become interested in the minimalist lifestyle. Living in that fashion has been a challenge for him, partly because for generations, his family collected things. The grandparents all lived through “The Depression Era” and the phrase, “It’s too good to throw away” was almost a guiding principle.

However, I have been implicitly warned that much paring down has happened recently in Jeff’s home. He has become extremely interested in the Tiny House Movement and I must admit, for singles and couples, it really makes sense. I was able to tape some TV segments on Tiny House construction as well as Tiny Houses that are stationary which we watched this past week. (By the way, a “tiny house” dimensions are defined as 500 square feet or less.)

The question occurred to me: what’s the difference between a tiny house and a mobile home or large RV? The few articles I Googled supported my suspicion that Tiny Houses are generally custom built to fit your interests and desires as well as incorporating as much natural and re-purposed materials as possible. Open floor plans aid the impression of roominess and creative storage is a necessity.

The prime reasons for interest in these Tiny Houses seems to be  the mobility factor (like the turtle, your home can go with you everywhere), and the perceived freedom from “stuff.” (This would include less time needed for housework which piqued my interest immediately!) 

If you live 24/7 in 190-500 square feet you must take a very careful look at the things you deem necessary to comfort and peace of mind because paring down one's possessions is a necessity. Those who take the plunge into Tiny House living, for the most part, have not lived in this fashion for an extended time yet per the TV segments we watched. But they liked their cozy little nests and were delighted with the scenery they are living in or the places they are seeing, e.g. folks who move every few weeks or months like traveling nurses. Besides that, the price is right.

Interestingly enough, one segment featured an older couple looking to be in their late 60’s who have lived in their tiny house for over 20 years. The interior of their home looked delightful and the storage ideas were truly unique. The house’s exterior appearance suggested it was on a foundation although the size could have allowed it to be mobile as it was less than 300 square feet. Whether or no, they professed to love their home.

Anyone who has had to sort through belongings of a deceased loved one in preparation for a house sale would wholeheartedly vote for the paring down necessitated for Tiny House living. And one could say that it’s scriptural.  Matthew 6:19 warns, “Don’t collect things that can rust or be ruined by bugs or be stolen. Instead, store up treasure in heaven.” That type of treasure doesn’t have to find a storage spot in a Tiny House.:)

Flowers of the Field

My birthday was a delight. Phone calls complete with varied renditions of the Happy Birthday song either sung or played plus cards and FB good wishes and even some visits by friends. The crowning experience was a picnic with my two sons at the Lamoille Park followed by a trip to Lamoille Canyon.  

When we arrived at the Trail Head we immediately headed for Lamoille Creek  The wildflowers were blooming profusely and of course the sound of rushing water had a soothing melody all its own. 

I wanted to take the trail toward Dollar Lakes because within the first mile, I could remember seeing a huge boulder with a streak of quartz running through it. I didn’t expect the bonus of a beautiful display of wildflowers along the path. In spite overcast skies and rumbles of thunder in the distance, we pressed on and the variety of flowers was truly amazing. At one point, I stopped and said, “I can imagine the Lord saying, ‘Let there be flowers' and He flings out His hand and from His fingertips stream these magnificent colors . 

I have never been in the Canyon at the right time (before this year) to witness such bright, vibrant colors. My vision is not that great so for me to be able to experience such color depth was an amazing gift and such colors had to be even brighter to someone with 20/20 vision.  

A portion of the 12^th chapter of Luke was one of the readings suggested for preparation of our Alaskan Mission trip. Verses 22-34 deal with Jesus telling His disciples (and us) not to worry, but verse 27 is so appropriate for the natural beauty we enjoyed earlier this week. Jesus says, “Look at these flowers. They did nothing to become so beautifully colored/clothed and yet Solomon, the richest king in the world, was never dressed this richly.” Then He goes on to remind us that we are more important in God’s eyes than flowers yet He bestowed that beauty on them, so why should we be worrying about our wearing apparel (or anything else).


The last bit about no need for worry is thrown in for good measure. This post is actually just meant to say, “Thank You, Lord!”