Only In Alaska

*************Cliffnotes available at page bottom****************

Having just recently entered our house again from clearing the drainage ditches that surround us, I’m reminded that there are many things that I have gotten to do recently that I have only get to do in Alaska.

I guess that feeling first hit me the first week after we had arrived. We spent the first few days after our arrival unpacking our things, moving in, and making this house that we are house sitting our home. Itching to get into the snow, and take advantage of this winter wonderland, we loaded up on the snow machines (that’s snowmobiles for anybody outside of Alaska) and headed up to the hills for some riding. It took us 15 miles of riding to arrive at our destination. It was a place where the snow was still deep, and the hills created a sort of skate park for our 600 pound machines. When we finally broke for lunch, and turned off our machines, the cell phones started ringing. Apparently the volcano Mt. Redoubt had blown and the ash cloud was heading our way. The fact it had blown was kind of a surprised to me. The mountain had actually blown a few days earlier, but the prevailing winds had taken the ash far away from us. I guess I just assumed that once a volcano blows, it’s done. Well I was wrong. (It’s blown something like 20 times since the time we first arrived). Apparently this was a big one, and the winds were bringing the ash right for us. As we looked to the direction of the volcano, all we could see was a massive blue and black cloud. In the discussion of what to do that followed, I learned that volcanic ash can destroy snow machines (snowmobiles). It’ll tear up the skis on the front, eat up the track that propels it, and if it gets into the engine, can wreak havoc on the motor. So the race was on. We had to get home before the ash started falling. From the hill the overlooked the landscape, I could see where we had to go, and it was right into the middle of where that dark blue cloud was just about headed. We pointed those machines and opened them up. Man we flew, and all I could think of was how cool this was. I mean, never in my life had I raced a cloud of volcanic ash on a snow machine. Only in Alaska. At one point I hit 70mph, just keeping up. We got home, covered the machines and about 3 minutes later, the ash started falling.

I’ve had that feeling others times here and there. Yesterday, for example, the day heated up to about 40 degrees. The snow started melting quickly, but the ground below it was still frozen. So the water started forming little rivers and streams looking to settle in low spots in the ground. Unfortunately the crawl space under our house just happens to be that low spot for the surrounding area. There was already about 8 inches of ice cold water sitting under our house when we first found it, and knew it’d be a lot more if we didn’t do something about it. Marla’s dad Tom went to a friends house to get a pump to take care of the water under the house, but we knew the pump would do little good if we couldn’t redirect the new water that was coming into the yard somewhere else lower. So with shovels in hand we began digging a network of water channels that cut through the snow. These channels soon became little rivers, and our house began to look as if it had a moat the width of a shovel that had been dug around it. As the afternoon wore on, and we were beginning to have success, I began thinking: never before had I dug a moat for the defense of my house. Only in Alaska.

Looking out our kitchen window this morning, I saw three bald eagles fighting over something to eat. The same few eagles we’ve been seeing for the past few days on the trees out side our house. We’ve had multiple moose (meece?) walk through our snow covered lawn. And on the drive home from town, we’ve enjoyed great views of the volcano venting a giant plume of smoke. In all of these times, the one thought that keeps coming to me: only in Alaska.

I know, most of these things are normal (except maybe for the volcano), and maybe I should have expected them, but hey! I didn’t grow up here. And though I married a local and even wear Carharts and Xtratufs, I am still very much a greenhorn.

Well it seems that spring has definitely sprung. The snow is melting, and the brown grass is starting to show through everywhere. It’ll be a completely different place in another couple weeks. Samara has been loving hanging out with her grandma and grandpa ‘laska while Marla and I have been busy trying to organize a trip to Texas that we’ll be taking in a couple of weeks. We’ll all be going down that way to fund raise, and we’d sure appreciate your prayers. We’ll be starting in Dallas, then driving to Houston, and then to San Antonio. We’ll then go participate in a mission’s conference in Waco before heading to Las Vegas, New Mexico. We’ll then drive back to Dallas, going through Amarillo. All and all, it’ll be just over 2000 miles in a car with a toddler and 2 month old. Please pray for: #1 God to bless this trip, and provide for our funding needs and #2. For the girls as they travel and sleep in many new beds in many new places.

Thank you for your continued partnership in ministry,
For the only cause that matters,
Micah and Marla

Ps. The first couple of pictures are of the ash cloud as it approached. Then there is a picture of Marla writing in the ash, followed by a picture of Noelle being held by grandpa ‘laska, and finally a shot of our little house.


**********Cliffnotes: Only in Alaska***************************
This was just a fun email about some of the differences in living in Alaska. Though my time here has been short, I’ve already got to do some things I’ve never done before. Things like race a volcanic ash cloud home on a snowmachine and dig a moat around my house for its protection. There have been wildlife sightings, and Samara is just loving her grandma and grandpa ‘laska.

Please pray for an upcoming trip to Texas. Pray that God would provide for our funding needs, and that they girls would travel well.