Home Sweet Home

Hello everyone!
I want to apologize for how overdue this post is. The last few weeks of project were a blast and they flew by so quickly! It has been a little over a week since I left Juneau. Last Monday, I checked my bags at the Juneau "International" Airport and made my journey home. Since then, I was able to spend one full day at home before packing the car and heading north to Fayetteville with Kelly. We were able to spend one night with Spencer and Christa (my brother and his new bride of about two months!) in their new house. It was so good to see them again and spend time with them. Since then, I have been immersed in the schedule of RA training while trying to get unpacked, settled into my new room, and spend time with friends here in Arkansas. It has been fairly hectic but I have enjoyed being here.
Leaving Juneau a few days early and knowing that project was still going on was definitely difficult. I have missed project girls so much! Talking over text and facebook is no where close to the same as waking up to their lovely faces or being able to walk over to the apartment next door to hang out. They have been a huge blessing in my life and I am so glad I got to know each of them this summer! God has huge things planned for each of their lives as they go back to their schools and homes. They can definitely use your prayer as they begin to transition back to time on their campuses.
KELLY- University of Minnesota
EMILY-Wayne State College
ABBI- Wayne State College
KELSIE- University of Kansas
SAMANTHA- University of Arkansas
ASHLEY- Graduated from the University of Wisconsin. Will be working and continuing to take classes.
Another prayer of mine is for the people in Juneau that we had the opportunity to get to know over the summer. There were many relationships built with people from our churches, coworkers, CRU and around town. I hope that we can be intentional in continuing those friendships and staying in touch.
As I look back over my summer, I see several ways that God decided to teach me new things and grow me in new ways. One of the things that God showed me during the last few weeks especially was about my concept of home. This summer was interesting as I become comfortable and familiar with the city and people of Juneau, it was a temporary home for me. At the same time, I missed being with my family in Texas and the comforts and familiarity of the home that I have there. Along with that, I was eager to be back in Fayetteville, where God has blessed me with a solid group of friends and Christian community that makes Arkansas another place that I consider my home. This feeling of having several homes and, in way, not having a single place to call home, compounded with a concept about time that God showed me changed the way that I see my life on this earth. Time is a funny thing, if you think about it for a moment. When we look back on our life and conjure up memories, some things feel so recent even though they were years ago and other things seem so far in the past even though they may have happened more recently. Time can be weird, frustrating and hard for us to grasp. Sometimes it moves so slowly and we would do anything to make it speed up. Other times it seems to fly by and we wish we could slow down the clock. Most of the time, we tell ourselves we don't have enough of it. About halfway through the summer, these thoughts hit a climax as I was thinking over my time spent in Juneau and the time I had left. Then God helped me to see that the reason time is such a difficult thing for us to grasp is that He did not create us for a place governed by time; He created us to be with Him in a state of eternity. Time is man's imperfect way of measuring our lifetime on earth. This world is not our home, so we are not meant to be completely comfortable in it. This simple fact blew my mind and gave me such a reassurance of who I am in Christ and the fact that I was made for more than just this life on earth and what it has to offer. Philippians 3:20 is so cool, it says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the LORD Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body." That's what we have to look forward to! Also, 1 Chronicles 29:3 says, "I have set my affection to the house of my God." This is a close to "home" as we can get, this side of heaven!
This is one of several things God taught me this summer, thanks for letting me share! I appreciate your support throughout this summer and would love to have your prayers throughout the school year. God is doing big things here on campus and I am so excited to see the ways that He will work!

Salmon Jammin'

What a week it has been here in Juneau! This time last week, Waffle Co was packed full of locals and Project Golfers as we cherished the last bit of time left with the staff before they hopped on ferries and airplanes to head south for the rest of the summer. Part of staff leaving is that they hand over the project to us students and give us complete responsibility and ownership for the rest of the summer. As you can imagine, this can be both nerve-wracking and totally exciting! Before leaving, new roles were assigned for both sides of the projects. I was asked to be the project director for the women, with my roommate Kelly leading alongside me as co-director. Emily and Abby are leading Action Groups, Samantha and Ashley are heading up Womanhood Development and Kelsie is our service leader. Although I was fairly nervous at the start of it all, I have had complete confidence in everyone of these girls since Day One in Juneau and was so excited to serve together in one heart and one mind. This past week has only strengthened my confidence in these women. It was a little weird at first, but the time on our own has felt so natural. There were moments when I thought my heart would burst from the joy God was giving me through time with these girls; floating on an air mattress in Auke Lake, working with our hands to build a roof, loving on fellow church members, hanging from hammocks, picking fresh salmonberries for a jam-making session with our friends Virgil and Lori, sharing Solarium with strangers in downtown coffee shops, taking communion together, sacrificing sleep to pray for together before work, inviting girls into our home to tie-dye and play games, digging into God's Word and confessing our sinful tendencies. Having the opportunity, not only to watch each girl live their life out for Christ, but to also participate in that with them, has meant so much to me.
This week our focus has been PERSEVERANCE. Galations 6:9-10 , our passage for the week, says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." This has been a good theme for all of us. We have about three weeks left here in Juneau, which seems like such a short time and yet, at the same time, still far off. The importance of being good stewards with the time and opportunities God has given us here in Juneau is huge. Our passage for the week has meant so much to me. I have had a really enjoyable couple of days at work so far this week, after going through a time of being slightly discouraged. I have had fun goofing off with coworkers (not at the expense of being a good employee, of course) and building my relationships with them. I am also getting chances to hang out with them outside of work. Chase, Brandon and Jesse (a few guys from the men's project who work downtown. Chase and Brandon go to school with me! WOO PIG!) have been able to build relationships and hang out with some of the guys I work with. The gospel has been shared with a few of my coworkers so please be praying for God to move in their hearts along with:
-Continued friendships that allow the gospel to be shared
-That I will have patience with a particular co-worker who kinda drives me crazy!
-Brandon McKay, David Matthews and the rest of the men as they lead their project, as well as ours.
-My family will be coming into town next Tuesday! Safe travels and a great time together, while balancing project and staying focused on Juneau.
-The rising up of local believers in Juneau. That they will be encouraged by Christ's love and through each other.
Thanks so much! I wish I could share more, I feel like I am just scraping the surface. I really appreciate your interest in what is going on in my life. Til next time!

Wet and Wild

I want to start off by apologizing for all the time that has past since the last time I posted an update. Things have been pretty busy, here in Juneau, I am not totally sure where to start or what to focus on. The past two or three weeks have been full of new experiences and exciting adventures. Some of the highlights have included catching my first fish, going crabbing (which included killing, cooking and enjoying it hot and fresh!).

Last weekend our group hiked out to the Mendenhall Glacier. It was fantastic! We were able to get right up next to the glacier.


The next day, Debbie Douglass, the super cool and godly Alaskan adventure woman I talked about a couple weeks back, took us out on the Mendenhall Lake and we spent several hours kayaking around by the glacier and a nearby waterfall.
Our weekends have also included service projects around town and free time to hang out with coworkers and locals. The long boarding lessons from my friends Suzy, Keala and Kimberly have continued and so far, wipe outs have been few and injuries minimal; let's hope it stays that way.

Work is going well, although the past two weeks were more difficult than the first few. Seeing my co-workers live their lives in such separation from God has started to wear on me a bit. God has provided several opportunities for His truth to be spoken into their lives but they have continued to settle for a way of life that is empty and broken. Being downtown, walking the streets during my breaks, and seeing the spiritual darkness has also starting weighing on me. Please be praying that I will not get discouraged or weary but that I will continue to love my coworkers and rely on God to do work on their hearts. Also, pray for the local Christians; Juneau is not an easy place to live for Christ and they need a lot of encouragement and support.

In other areas, God has been giving me lots of joy and encouragement. I am growing closer and closer to the women here everyday, especially my apartment mates, Kelly and Emily. They are both awesome girls and I love our time together; hanging out, laughing and talking about all the different things we are learning. Also, my family will be coming down for a visit in about two weeks! I am so excited for them to see what my experience in Juneau has been like and to meet the people that have been such a big part of my life the past few weeks.

This upcoming week is going to be a time of change as we prepare for the staff to leave on Thursday and hand the project over to us students. It will be a chance for us to show ownership of the community God has given us this summer and the opportunity we have to pour into the city of Juneau.

Your prayers are precious to me, as we continue on here, developing relationships, serving in our workplaces, and enjoying God through the oceans, mountains, and tasty berry bushes he has made!

Setting the Pace

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:24-25 has been our theme for the week, as we focused on strengthening the community of women God has given us for the summer through life-giving and encouragement. I am grateful for all the ways this has happened, even from the first day of project. Time spent catching up on our workdays over tea, washing dishes for one another, being in awe of God's creation together, sharing meals, serving Juneau, and praying for each other have all contributed to a strong sense of fellowship among the girls here on project. They continue to be an encouragement to me.
This was my first full week of work here in Juneau. I now have a pretty good sense of what my routine will look like for the next seven weeks. Although stocking shelves from 8 to 5 can make for a long day, I am thoroughly enjoying the job God has provided. I have enjoyed getting to know my co-workers and have already begun to have good conversations with them about who God is, the sinfulness of humans, and why the lifestyle of a Christian is so different from what the world says is normal. Although most of my co-workers are living lives apart from God, the interest that they have shown in spiritual topics and their eagerness to ask questions has been encouraging and gets me excited about spending time with them. It is also cool to see the ways that God used my job back at school (at the Hill Grill) to prepare me for interacting with people from other backgrounds and who are living dramatically different lives than me.
Now that we have been in Juneau for a few weeks, seeing relationships form with people we have encountered, whether downtown, on the bus, or at a local coffee shop, has been fantastic. God has brought a handful of girls, for us to minister to, all at different points in their relationship with Him. Each week we have opportunities to invite these girls and others that we have met to spend time with us. A couple Saturdays ago we had an Open Mic night at Waffle Co., this past Friday we did a Lock-In where we played games, enjoyed a late night pancake breakfast, had break-out sessions, a dating forum, and relied on God as we took time to worship Him through our exhaustion. Yesterday we had a dodgeball tournament, despite the rain and 40 degree weather. Three of my co-workers, Ben, Kate and Ray, joined us and had a great time hanging out. Please be praying that God will be at work in their heart. Also, you can pray for continued fellowship among the girls here as we try to live out Christ and point others to Him. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:35
Thanks for your prayers and for wanting to stay updated on happenings here in Juneau. I am so encouraged by your support!

I know I have some catching up to do since my last post, but for the time being I would like to skip to more recent excitement for apartment D7 (or maybe just Hope Petersen). Within the past half hour we have acquired a new addition to our extremely random collection of kitchen utensils and appliances: a coffee pot! For the past ten days, I have valiantly tried to substitute tea and instant coffee in place of the real deal but it just isn't the same. I wanted to share this moment of enjoyment; sipping my freshly brewed coffee and reflecting over the past few days (while my Dad is, no doubt, rolling his eyes).
A lot has been going on here in Juneau over the past week. I will do my best to hit most of the highlights. Last Saturday all the girls on project got to spend the evening at the home of Deb Douglass, an amazing single woman in her early fifties who is living here in Juneau. Deb is crazy adventurous and has been a kayaking guide for over twenty years. Her good friend, and well-known author of faith based books for women, Pam Farrell was in town and hung out with us for a few hours. It was really cool to hear these women share their stories and see the way they were serving God so faithfully. We were able to ask them questions on so many different topics and they answered with such honesty and wisdom.
Sunday morning was the first week of going to Douglas Island Bible Church. This will be my church for the summer along with Kelsie and several guys from the Men's Project. We all felt so welcomed by the church and are excited to get to know the members throughout the next couple months. Every Sunday night we play ultimate frisbee on the field of a nearby middle school. This is such a great chance to invite friends, coworkers and people we meet to hang out with us. I don't know if I can convey the greatness of Sunday Night Fris to you but I will give it a try. The turf is so awesome you can help but play barefoot, playing til 9:30 or 10 is no problem because it is still light outside, and...oh ya...there are majestic mountains everywhere you look. It's just all around fantastic.
Monday morning we had a brief evangelism training session before getting the chance to go downtown and strike up conversations with locals and tourists. My friend Abby and I spent most of our time talking to a girl named Kathy. It was a good conversation; I learned a lot about the Native American culture, which a large percentage of the population in Juneau is a part of.
Tuesday morning I went with a few other girls to help a husband and wife clean and organize a food pantry that they are operating. That afternoon I went in for a job interview at the Alaska Juneau Mining Co. Within five minutes I was set up to come into work the next morning! God has been so good in providing this job. I am working as a stocker at a rather large and very touristy store, keeping the shelves full and the store clean. Most of my coworkers are around my age and it has been cool getting to know them. I am also really excited to be working downtown, it has been fun catching rides to and from work with other project people and getting to walk around town during my lunch break. It is going to be a fairly exhausting schedule, with my hours being 8a-5p everyday, but I know it is going to be so worth it!
I wish I had more time to share all that has been going on, but we are about to head out for a night of camping. Thanks so much for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for me as I start spending more time around my coworkers. We have already begun to have conversations about Christ; pray that both my actions and my words will represent Christ. Here are the names of a few of my coworkers:
-Kate
-Steph
-Hannah
-Helena
-Ben
-Tony

Til next time!

Tee Time

Well, I arrived safely here in Juneau, AK and Project Golf is underway! For those of you that don't know, the Juneau project name comes from the Phonetic Alphabet, with the first year being called Project Alpha for the first letter in the alphabet to the now seventh year being called Project Golf for the letter G. From the moment I stepped off the plane and was greeted by our womens' director, Shelby, and other project members, my time here in Juneau has been amazing. Flying into Juneau was one of the most breathtaking experiences. We flew in around 9:30pm, catching a gorgeous sunset over the seemingly endless mountain ranges. I think one of my favorite things about Alaska is the air. It is so fresh, crisp, clean and smells wonderful!
I have settled into my apartment here on the University of Alaska campus. My apartment mates Kelly and Emily, are really cool girls and I am having a great time getting to know them along with the other four girls who are living next door (Sam, Kelsie, Ashley and Abby) and our awesome staff (Shelby, April, Jacqueline and Steph). Several of the girls on project are from up north (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska mainly) and it has been fun to compare accents and laugh at the weird phrases we use.
This week has been fairly busy. Here's a quick run down of what we have been up to:
WEDNESDAY- We had an all project orientation which included information about housing protocol, typical project schedule, which churches we would be attending for the summer and, oh ya, what to do in the case you encounter a bear! After orientation we went downtown to search for jobs. We all made contacts, set up interviews and filled out multiple applications. That night we went to the weekly UAS Cru meeting. It was great getting to meet and worship with the local Christians. We hung out afterward for ice cream floats and more time to get to know them.
THURSDAY- Me and a few girls went back into town to turn in a few applications. Thinking we knew where we were going, we managed to walk several miles in what turned out to be a giant loop around town! We never made it to our destination but we got some good exercise and learned our way around Juneau. Our group left that afternoon for about a 3 mile hike in Tongass National Forest to our cabin where we enjoyed a fantastic view of God's creation. We were able to go off on our own and spend time in the Word while talking to God about our fears, expectations and goals, for this summer. The rest of the night consisted of feasting on hobo meals and banana boats cooked over our fire while getting a chance to know the girls in our group on a deeper level. We were still enjoying our view of the mountains through the dusk that was still lingering even at 11:15 that night!
FRIDAY- Morning comes early in Juneau, with full sunlight by about 4:00! We didn't get up and moving quite that early but within a few hours we were packed and headed back down. We cleaned up and spent the rest of the day in town grocery shopping and continuing the process of getting jobs nailed down. We are becoming pretty good at using the bus system and finding our way around Juneau. Our first of many family dinners consisted of an amazing Southwest Stew and Kelly DeCaster's So Good Cake!

Ever since getting here, God has been providing in so many ways, even for needs I was unaware of. It has been so cool to watch Him do this. Some ways that you can be praying for us here in Alaska are:
-Jobs for girls here. A few have found some and a few our still looking. I should know by Tuesday where I will be working, probably either at Fred Meyer (a large local grocery store) or Subway.
-That we will use our jobs as an opportunity to build relationships with co-workers and employers that point to Christ.
-Encouragement for and from the local churches we will be apart of this summer. I will be going to Douglass Island with Kelsie and a few guys on project. They have a large group of high school girls that need spiritual leadership.
-Andrew, a student at UAS living on campus for the summer. That guys and girls on project can get a chance to hang out with him and share Christ.
-That we will love the people of Juneau the way God does.

THANKS SO MUCH! You are all such an encouragement to me!

North Bound

It's not everyday you wake up and say, "Today is the day I am flying to Alaska. Thank You, God!" It's hard to believe, with only a few odds and ends of last minute packing left to do, that by 4:15 this afternoon I will be hopping on a plane to spend the next 10 weeks in Juneau! I am full of eager anticipation for all that God will do this summer. There are several ways that you can specifically join me in prayer:
-Safe travels. Most project members will be flying/ferrying into Juneau today.
-Girls on Project:
Samantha
Kelsie
Ashley
Abigail
Kelly
Emily
Shelby
April
Stephanie
-His light will shine in the spiritual darkness of Juneau
-I will find a job that I enjoy and that allows me to build relationships and have great conversations with employers, coworkers and visitors.
-The remaining project cost will be covered (about $800)
-I will not contain God by associating the great things He does with the city of Juneau or the time frame of this summer.
-I will grow in understanding and love for our great God in a way that deeply affects the way I live my life.
Thank you all so much for supporting me in this! I appreciate your prayers and your encouragement! My address for the summer is:

Juneau Summer Project

4300 University Drive

Juneau, AK 99801