Monday, February 14, 2005

The Alaska Bush & Beyond

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Hello friends!

Thanks for all your prayers for me and my schedule while I have been here in Alaska. I have just left my two weeks in the Bush of western Alaska - and what an experience it was! My expectations were met with more than I could have imagined. Things went very well there, and I forged some great new friendships with brothers and sisters in Christ! I traveled from village to village in either small aircraft or on snow machine down rivers and through streams frozen over by the extreme
cold. The temperatures stayed well below zero for most of my time there capping off at -33 the day I returned to Anchorage.

I now understand better the prayer and support our missionaries and Christian friends need in far-reaching areas within our own borders. Keep Bill and Wanda Wilson in your prayers as they minister to folks along the Kuskaquam River. the Wilsons are with SEND International and were my host family in the bush.

Along with the extreme conditions of arctic winters, however, comes some fun and memorable events - namely trapping. I got to experience running a trap line with a couple of brothers 35 miles into the wilderness in sub-zero weather for about 15 hours. Word of Warning!! - if you even decide to buy really warm boots, make sure you shop outside of South Carolina. (Draw your own conclusions there!) I was amazed by the beauty of God's creation and the adaptability of man to its various
conditions. It was an experience I will not soon forget!

I just spent two days in Anchorage where I did music in a Christian School and reconnected with a "neighbor in the sky" - Steve Alden - who I met on a flight from Seattle. He is a great Christian brother with a wonderful family, and I look forward to spending more time and laughter with them in the future.

I just arrived in Glennallen today after not being able to fly yesterday due to weather. I will do a house concert tonight for the
SEND missionary staff and then a chapel service at the Alaska Bible College Tuesday morning before heading to Clear AFS near Fairbanks. There is lots of snow, and I will be driving for most of the remainder of this trip. Pray that I don't have any sudden meetings with moose - they tend to own the roads!

Thanks for your friendship and prayer! I hope to see you all soon!

Pack light, and don't forget your passport!

DAN