angoon

i'm so incredulous about the things that my job includes.  the last few weeks we have had quite a few retreats -- school groups, family camps, and most recently the BOW retreat (Becoming Outdoor Women).  We have also been visiting a few different communities to do camp rallies.  Three weekends ago a few of our staff flew to Hoonah to do a rally and two weekends ago I was a part of a group of staff who flew to Gustavus to do a rally.

yesterday i flew to angoon, the only community on admiralty island with three of our other staff and our friend carolyn.  none of the staff i traveled with had been there before and we have had a very small representation of campers from there in the past. this is a community that we have been praying to develop some connections to.  it was such an answer to prayer to be able to go there with our friend who has a family cabin there.  she was able to get us connected to the school, introduced us to people around town and even provided a place for us to stay.  

i also got my first float plane experience !  it was such a blessing and answer to prayer to visit this community and share with them about echo ranch!  

earlier today a lot of our counselors flew into town and a few more fly in tonight.  orientation starts tomorrow and after that things are crazy!

please pray for our counselors who are just getting to town, for staff who is already here, for the community of angoon, and our upcoming trip to petersburg!  there is so much going on and the Lord is so good.  

blessings and an iced chai

while traveling to juneau on tuesday i got an iced chai in the seattle airport.  i've had many chais before in my life, but the story behind this one will stick with me for a while.

my trip to alaska started out fairly routine.  my dad and our good friend paula drove me to the airport. we arrived in plenty of time and there was no one in line.

dad and i before i went through security 

 everytime i fly by myself i think it's going to be the most boring time of my life.  i anticipate that my flights are going to seem SO long and that i'll just be so bored. so. i end up packing way too many activities… and that's why this is my life on airplanes :

knitting, new girl and chocolate. to be more specific, a chocolate, peanut butter and banana candy bar. i highly recommend it.

i sat down on my second flight anticipating to spend it the same way.  the plane i was on was stopping in seattle and then continuing to honolulu.  i sat down in my aisle seat next to a couple and they asked me if i was continuing on to hawaii.  i told them no, that i was actually continuing on to juneau, alaska.  the wife exclaimed that she was originally from ketchikan, alaska (also here in southeast).  they started asking me questions about where i was originally from and what i did in alaska.  i told them that i was from ohio, but had moved to alaska to work at echo ranch bible camp, to which the wife said she had grown-up going to echo ranch in the summers.  as our flight went on they asked me several more questions about echo ranch now, how i got involved, and what i do there.  we quieted down for a while until we got closer to seattle.  they leaned over to me and handed me a piece of paper with their names on it asking me to find them on facebook so we could keep in touch.  they wanted to hear how they and their church could be praying for me and for echo ranch.  before we got off the plane they said they wanted to pray with me before i left.  when they got off the plane they first asked if i liked coffee, because they really wanted to buy me some.  they bought me an iced chai and then sat at a table and prayed for me, my travels, and the ministry at echo ranch.  

i can't tell you how blessed and encouraged i felt after this encounter.  the Lord is so good and sometimes it feels like the world is so small. how awesome to be able to meet someone who was blessed by echo ranch years ago, and who desired to bless and encourage me on our flight.  

this isn't the greatest picture, but this is my view this morning as i am writing this.  so thankful for sunny skies and living so close to the water and mountains. <3