Church Across the Bay

This last weekend, we decided to visit the church simply known as "The Church Across the Bay." We had never visited before, but we had heard good things about the place. So on Sunday morning, around 9:15, we showed up at the boat harbor where the Dina Marie awaited us.

We and several other people loaded up, found a place to sit, and then set off for the 45 minute ride across the bay. When we came close to shore, I looked up to see a dog perched on the edge of a wooded island, barking at us. Another vessel was dispatched to the boat, and he ferried us to shore.

After we got off, the boat left to pick up people from the nearby community of Seldovia. 

This place was Amazing.

Worship practice before everyone arrived

People have been getting together in this little spot for over 20 years, but it wasn't until about 15 years ago that they finally put up a church building. The pastor and his wife, Pat and Ann Daigle, run a commercial fishing vessel in the summers, so they have built a home in this secluded area to live in during the fishing season.

Looking down at the Dina Marie, with its passengers from Seldovia

Since we were visiting on Father's Day, they sang a special song for the Dads, to the tune of the Johnny Appleseed prayer:

The Lord is good to me,

And so I thank the Lord

For giving me the Dad I need,

The salmon and the moose and the blueberries.

The Lord is good to me.

I loved this version - Alaskan through and through!

Here's Pat, holding up the words for everyone to see.

 After service - worship, preaching, prayer - there was a big potluck with plenty of food for everyone.
Then some of the dads played tug of war outside with the kids.

The dads won.

Of course.

Since we had never visited before, we asked if we could see the pastor's home.

They said yes.

It too, was incredible. Reminded me of the Swiss Robinson family. Even the steps up to his home were handcrafted, since he had notched a log into a staircase leading up to his place.

When we reached the top (which was very nerve wracking to me, since I'm afraid of heights), we could see this beautiful cabin set atop the hill.

In the front yard they had set up a little campfire area, complete with a bench, wooden stools, and flowers.

Everything was beautiful. 

After checking out the Pastor Daigle's cabin on the hill, the girls went beach combing and played with their friends.  

Here we are, loading onto the vessel that ferried us to shore. Time to head back!

I think we will make a point to revisit that place regularly- as in every few months. It was so beautiful!

Looking back

Father's Day fun!

Coming back into the harbor

Well, if you're ever in Homer, I'd highly commend this for a family outing. The pastor, his wife, and the rest of the group there were down to earth, friendly, and oh-so-kind And the surroundings. . . gorgeous! What a joy to know such a lovely place exists.

Thank you, Pastor Daigle for your hospitality and kindness. May God continue to bless your faithfulness!

Home Sweet Homer!

Total stats: 5,608 miles 9 states 2 Canadian provinces/territories 3 time zones crossed 100+ people visited

Here's some highlights/answers to prayer from our travels:

Traveling mercies:  On Tuesday, May 30th, we were driving through Cooper Landing (about 120 miles away from Homer-almost home!), when a red car crossed the center line into our lane. Because there was a guardrail to our right, we couldn't give any clearance. When I saw him halfway in our lane I called out JESUS! A moment later, he had corrected enough to clear our vehicle, but took out the axles on our cargo trailer. Thankfully, no one was injured. However, his car and our trailer both had to be towed from the scene. They were undriveable. Here we are, stranded on the side of the road before the tow truck came: You can't see it, but the wheel was bent inward!  Passports: We left South Dakota without our passports. Thankfully, they made it to Washington before we did, and we were able to cross into Canada with no issues! Housing: The YWAM base has offered a small apartment for us to stay in while we look for long term housing. We are happy that it is in town, since we are currently sharing a vehicle. Abundant Provision:  We were blessed to experience the hospitality of so many friends and family along our way! Whether it was food, a place to stay, a physical map to chart the way, or a bag of snacks to carry along - thank you for your generosity! God not only provided for our needs, he also blessed us above and beyond. When we arrived in Valdez, we discovered all of our homeschool friends would be going out on a Wildlife cruise on Tuesday afternoon. One of our friends was able to get tickets for me and my older girls to go along. It was a gorgeous day! We saw orcas, sea lions, otters, and glacial ice out in Prince William Sound. Valdez Harbor Iceberg out in the sound!

Even nature has paparazzi!

Dog sledding, frigid waters, and close calls

Wow. This weekend was adventurous in more ways than one! Saturday morning I got all the girls up and ready to go dog sledding!! This week is Frosty Fever, a festive week of fun happenings around our little town. This was the first time we had ever been dog sledding!

If you want to check out my ride, you can click over here.

Afterwards, we headed to the harbor in town to watch the Splash In, a fundraiser for our local Fire Department. Ethan donned his Nacho Libre mask for the occasion:

We were all excited to see everyone dive in, but before it even started we had a mishap. I was hanging out with Sofia while keeping an eye on Rosalina and Maya. Jasmine was sitting on a bar with one of her friends and chatting. I didn't see it happen, but I did recognize Jasmine's voice when she started screaming MOM! MOM! She had lost her balance and slipped off the bar, knocking her head on the edge of a steel beam below. Ethan reached her first and held her as she continued yelling for me. Ow - my back hurts! Thankfully, there were paramedics on hand for the event, so they checked her reflexes as Ethan held her in his lap. We also prayed over her as she sobbed and kept repeating Home - I want to go home! The paramedics offered to call an ambulance, but we declined, and they briefed us on some signs to watch for. Afterwards, Ethan helped Jasmine walk up the gangplank, and I took her and the baby home.

As we drove, I prayed over her, and by the time we got home, she had calmed down. I gave her some Tylenol, then settled her on the couch with a popsicle and a cartoon so she could rest. Meanwhile back at the harbor, Ethan's sister and one of my friends captured Ethan's moment of glory:

He ended up winning a prize for the best costume. He deserved it.  :) Sunday morning I stayed home with Jasmine and the baby while Ethan went in with the other two. Afterwards, my friends forced, I mean asked me to join them on a trek back to the Valdez glacier. I almost didn't go- I'm terribly out of shape and am a homebody at heart. I ended up going though, and loved every moment- minus the not being able to talk part. (I haven't had a voice for a couple days now.)

Gosh, I love those smiles!

Sunny Day

Alaskan kids are cool.

 A friend's husband even dropped by on their snowmachine to give each of us a ride.

The surface of the cave was like polished glass

I think this was my favorite picture of the day.  :)

No filter - this is from the haze on my camera lens

This was probably my most adventurous weekend all winter!
Yay for making memories though, right? Minus my girl hurting her head, that is.
By the way, she is doing great. She even made dinner last night - a hearty vegetable soup!

It was delicious.

A trip to the pass

Have you ever seen the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? I watched it a few times growing up, and I couldn't help but remember it when our roads were finally cleared this week. THE PASS IS OPEN!! THE PASS IS OPEN!! just kept ringing through my head. After a week of having the roads closed due to an avalanche, it was finally cleared!! So, we took a little drive out to look around. It was freezing out, but oh so beautiful... 

Ethan and the girls standing at the head of an old tunnel:

The snow had frozen into these crystallized shapes:

Maya. She had no gloves, so she kept her little hands tucked inside her sleeves- it was literally freezing!

Nice to know our only road in and out of town is usable again.