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!
