Dancing with the Killer Whales

Day 6 Pics

Makenzie & Patrick with their children.

Brooke & Jillian & Reid with the little ones!

Veronica & Darcey repainting words on stained glass.

Washing the wood

cleaning the kitchen

Reid washing the pews

Degreasing the hood

Killer Whales performing their clan dance

Our students participating in the dance

Killer Whale mask

Day 6 July 31, 2012

Today was another day of VBS followed by cleaning up the Metlakatla Church.  We had students out in the rain moving piles of weeds and debris, others cleaning all the wood and pews, others degreasing the kitchen, another group fixing screens for windows, and two of our talented students redoing the writing on the stained glass windows (great job Darcey & Veronica!)  All this while the rain came down in buckets!  Overall a great day, though everyone is very tired and fighting off getting sick.  Please keep us in your prayers! We got to go see a clan dance and even participated in the dancing (thank you Killer Whales!)- Christy

Today we had our second day of VBS!!! And for the opening I was in a skit. My character Jill didn’t get any supplies for her camping trip. So a little girl named Micheal gave me her very large red and white hat to keep my head warm! Such a sweet girl. It rained pretty much the whole day and I was very thankful for that because it caused a shorter work day!! No matter the weather it’s always beautiful here!! ~Hannah

Everything here is going great! VBS has been going smoothly, even if some of the kids don’t exactly listen. I’ve been in the skits in the morning (corny competitions at the beginning of the day), which has been an odd experience, but fun! I’m loving the weather here, the rain is AMAZING compared to the 100 degrees in Colorado. I’m not looking forward to going back to that exactly. We’re going to go see native dancers later today, that should be exciting! –Hope

Yesterday we had 23 kids for VBS and today we had 27!!!  It is so much fun!!! One of the little girls came up to me today at the end and repeated the bible verse we had worked on.   She couldn’t remember the one from yesterday so we worked on it.  She said she has been listening to the CD in the car.  That made my day.  I helped clean the wood.  It has definitely been a soup and grilled cheese kind of day today so everyone was happy to have that for lunch.—Brooke

P.S. I did discover last night that I am not the only one to blame for the snoring in our room.  Just Saying!!!!!!

Hi Daddy!! I miss you SOO much! I really wish you were here with us-you would love the mountains up here really a lot! You and momma will have to come up here when Jill and I are on our next Workstudy. I learned how to put a new screen in a window. Shoot-maybe I shouldn’t tell you that. We have windows at home that need new ones too! I also learned I don’t like rain as much as I thought I did. I am the only Sunshine here~It rains ALL the time! And it is uber cold rain! I can’t wait to see you and tell you all about our trip. ~Karli K

Hello to everyone back in Colorado. We are up to about 27 kids for VBS today. The VBS kids are starting to get used to all of us by now and are very energetic. We are all very tired by now as you can probably tell our spelling/writing. Several of us are fighting off getting sick at this time. The rainy weather is probably not helping with us all being exhausted. We are heading to a dance rehearsal for their big 125year celebration that is coming up at the end of the week. The locals have been wonderful hosts with introducing/showing us things about their culture. Last night we were all able to shower in the high school which is where we will have showers for all of the other days we are here in Metlakatla. However, these showers were freezing to where the rain outside would have been a warmer option for taking a shower. ~Jess

Hello Everyone- Showers last night were freezing…. The high school is better than Loveland High because of an amazing rock wall in their gym. So VBS…. We had 27 kids today, 3 more than yesterday which is a reassurance that they’re having fun. We cleaned up around the church today because it’s been pouring rain for about 15 hours! I thought I loved rain but I’ve realized that 3 days of on and off rain is way too much! We just finished eating a delicious meal of comfort food, many of us are starting to get tired and worn out. We’re now on our way to watch an Indian dance team practice, then off to the showers. Definitely missing my family now but I’ll see you on Saturday! Love you all! ~Makenzie F.

The good news is, all the wood in the sanctuary has been polished. Twice. The bad news is, it took about 3 hours with 4 people doing it. We got to go to a Killer Whale clan dance rehearsal for the upcoming 125^th anniversary. It was sooooo amazing. You can feel the rhythm from all the drums through your shoes. In some of the dances, we got to dance with them which was really scary at first… its totally foreign from what we’re used to. But after that, it became one of the best experiences ever! I loved it. I don’t know what all of the songs meant but the one they explained to us was about flirting… The guys tried to impress us and we played hard to get. It was sooo fun. I’ll remember it forever! ~Jill K.

          Good work day today. Got to do yard work out in the pouring rain and get totally soaked to the bone.  It adds to my experience on this trip because this is a natural occurrence to all the citizens of Metlakatla, since it rains almost every day of the year here, so we got to experience what they deal with everyday if they wish to get any work done outside.  Then, we went to watch some of their native dances this evening and we were accepted into doing a few of the dances with them, which was a neat experience, but since I am not a dancer at all, it was very strange.  Good day overall for sure. – Patrick

          VBS was fun today and I loved to hang out with the little kids and talk with the older ones. Watching them with their faces lit up and smiling makes me so happy. After that I went out with a few others to clear some branches and stuff away from a yard out in the rain. And it was pouring in sheets and there was a strong breeze. I was soaked everywhere and was grateful for those inside making us hot chocolate. After dinner and such we went to watch the people practicing their dances for the upcoming celebration. It was great to hear them sing and beat their drums and dance. Then they invited us to dance and I had so much dancing with them and talking with them even though I didn’t know what to do. It sure is cold but I keep loving Alaska more and more. ~Meaghan

Today at VBS, I had a cute little girl, named Lacey, become my cute new friend, and I tried helping another little girl feel better because her tummy hurt. I also helped with singing, even though I’m a story teller. After VBS, and a filling lunch, we had to do separate jobs, so Meaghan, Patrick, Ben, Adam and I all went to this local’s house to move some clippings from his yard to a dump. Sad thing was, Jim told us it was 1 small pile and load. Lie, it was four piles and three trips to the dump. At least we don’t need a shower tonight; we got a nice, two-three hour, cold one. But we were thankful the church had hot chocolate for us when we got back. A little later we went to some locally owned shops, but they were starting to close up, so we only went to the basket weaver’s. Then we stopped at a shop that only fit three-five people in it, but we got invited to a ceremonial dance practice. So we got back to the church, ate a quick dinner, then went to the practice. It was quite interesting, the way they danced was so graceful. They had us dance with them a few times, it was so much fun (especially the one where the guys were pretending to flirt with us so we had to walk flirtatiously and when a certain part in the song came up, we had to tell them no and go away.) long story short, best day so far. –Karli O.

Where to begin?! Today was such a great day! We got to go see Native dancing and it was amazing! I loved the flow of the beat and how they used their chest voices to sing. We actually were invited to dance with them in some parts! I had a fantastic time and really got to experience the culture! Today was definitely my favorite day!! ~Raelynn Myers

Day 5 pics

VBS games for older children!

Singing with the little ones!

Staining the Manse!

Day 4 Pics

Success in making a BIG pancake for breakfast!

Beautiful windows in the church!

Team building games!

Pics from Day 3

Up at Yellow Hill in Metlakatla!

Makenzie & Jill on the ferry to Metlakatla!

Katie and the girls making new friends at Metlakatla!

Pics from Day 2

On our way up Deer Mountain!

Making new friends at Saxmen Totem Pole park.

The Bear Cub we saw!

Day 5 July 30, 2012

Today was first day of VBS – we had 23 children and hope for more tomorrow.  In the afternoon, thanks to all the prayers of our friends in Loveland, we got to stain the Churches Manse (pastor’s home).  While doing this, we saw killer whales in the bay!  Totally cool!  Pics are coming as soon as we can! – Christy

We saw whales! They were pretty cool! –Ben

I have a new dog :D. It’s one of the island dogs, and the dogs can run free, so as we were working it came over to us and stayed with us, and it sat with me on the steps, and it’s a husky. Mommy, me wanty. Anyways, VBS started today, I’m a story teller. I miss home, and my puppies. Long day though. Bye. –Karli O.

Staining was good. VBS was good. Whales are cool.  No one can take running shorts seriously. – Patrick

The first day of VBS went very well! Most of the kids are full of energy and are excited that we are here! Staining the house went pretty well too! I enjoyed singing to many songs (with my singing buddies Hannah and Makenzie) and just enjoying the company of the youth group! I look forward to the rest of the week! ~Raelynn Myers

We saw some whales and found some jelly like thing on the beach that we had no idea what it was, used it to scare Jim and some girls, it was awesome (was a kelp pod). Staining and VBS went well. – Adam

Day 5 and we get real showers!!!!!   WooHoo I am soo excited!  Today was the first day of VBS.  I get to help the preschoolers-2^nd graders.  What cute little kiddos.  We played, sang and learned lots.  This afternoon we went to the Manse and stained the outside.  The pastor doesn’t think it had been done in 20 years.  While we were staining there were two whales that swam into the bay awesome!!!  Wildlife check list-Whales, Bears, Eagles, Salmon and HUGE mosquitos. –Brooke

 Already half way through our trip! The time is flying by so fast. Today, I discovered that Jess is a pretty amazing artist while we were staining. There is a “K” on my forehead just from her splashing her paint on me. The first day of vbs went so well! We were expecting maybe 5 or 6 kids in each grade and the pre-2^nd grade group had 16 or so kids. They’re all so precious( well, mostly) and I can tell that they love it! I love it too! So excited for what tomorrow will bring!~ Jill

BREAKING NEWS: We’ve seen whales!! Today VBS started and we had a great turn out!! Patrick, Mike, and I have 8 kids in our class ranging from 3^rd grade to 7^{th grade}. We had a great worship session, story-time, crafts session, and played fun games. After lunch and VBS, we went and stained the Manse (pastor’s house). When we came back, we had down time, ate dinner and are going to have our meeting early. So that we can shower tonight!! Pastor Leon talked to the supervisor of one of the schools and they offered the showers to us until we leave Friday. That means a shower every night!!! Can’t wait to continue the week and can’t believe that the trip’s half over!!~Makenzie F. 

Day 4 Sunday, July 29

WORKSTUDY DAY 4—Sunday

LaST night thE Church proVidEd us all with fresh soCkeye sAlmoN (baked, grilled, and fried)---all of which surprised the YOUth kids with how amazing it was. TeREsa AnD Gabriella (members of THe church) took us on a hike to Yellow Mountain. Yellow Mountain provIded uS all with breath taking views of the islAnd. WelL, todAy none of the boyS got up early this morning to run liKe they hAve the past mornIngS. There wAs a creW of our youth group that madE pancakeS for everyone fOr breakfast. Following our Morning devotionals wE played card games and banana grams prior to the church servIce starting. Leon the Pastor invited us all up to the front for cHild’s time. Leon’s messAge this morning went along with what we are Doing for more devoTions and lessOns : “Don’t JuSt ListEn: Act Out”. All of the Church members are so welcomiNg and even offereD to open up tHeir homes for all of us to take showers (we haven’t had an actual shower sInce the morning we leFt CO). Some of the ladies of the chuRch brOught us some more cereaL, they figured we needed someThIng More than chEerioS (which we have SeverAl other Kinds of cEreal that they must not have seen Cause the cheeriOs boxes are hiding them). We had to make another trip to the store for bread, tUrkey and other Lunch meat. Tonight we are singing anD doiNg The dance for one of the VBS songs for the “Singspiration” that the church is putting on. We are aLl Enjoying the fun times and leArning about the natiVe culturE. We all have now made a sUrvivor bracelet with the native cOlors (red, black and white the yoUth can now show Those that want to learn how to make them.----Jess

Hello everyone in Colorado!!!!!  Today it is cloudy and rainy in Alaska but it is still very pretty.  Last night we did an amazing hike where we could see for miles. We’ll post pictures later.  The people at the church are very welcoming and helpful.  Hope, Hannah and I went to Joanna’s

Finally got a shower! Probably my favorite day so far, just because of that. That’s not true, but you get the point. We all split into groups and went to some community members’ houses… but our person didn’t answer the door. Then Makenzie, Karli, my mom and I walked back to the church and showered at pastor’s house and got our first glimpse of the Olympics! This morning we got to go to church and it was amazing! Its so different from what we’re used to, but definitely in a good way. I was on dinner crew, which brought back some pretty great memories(MMMMM! Cigarette ashes!) Ya, we’re that great of cooks. Tonight is Singspiration, so pretty much the karaoke night of the island. We have to perform a vbs song, and Raelynn, Hannah, Hope, Makenzie and I had to teach everyone. Hope we don’t epically fail!~Jill

YAY!! We finally got showers today which made us all feel like we lost 5 pounds! We got to shower at the pastor’s house where there was PLENTY of hot water! We got our first look at the women’s beach volleyball Olympic games! You better be taping them for me Mom! Getting ready for Singspiration tonight where we will be performing a song from VBS for the community. Helped with breakfast crew this morning, kinda. Then helped out with dinner too! Burning noodles DO NOT smell good! J haha… Had a great worship service this morning and wish we were gonna be here next Sunday. VBS starts tomorrow and they tell us that we should be expecting 70-100 kids. More than we had expected, but still can’t wait!  Can’t believe that we’ve already been here for 4 days… It’s going by too fast!~Makenzie F.

Hi Mom Love  Alaska, Love Ian

Today we got showers! And rain, but tonight we get to sing for the church to an upbeat vbs song. Got to go do it now. Tired as monkeys brains though. So adios. -Karli O

Day 3 - Saturday, July 28

WORKSTUDY DAY 3 SATURDAY 28,2012

Today was the day to pack up from Ketchikan and head to the island of Annette and the city of Metlakatla (Met – la – cat – la).  After a beautiful hour and half ferry ride we were greeted by Leon Thompson, the pastor and led back to the quaint, old church.  Amazing stained glass windows framed by architectural curves – simply beautiful for over 100 years old!  The congregation provided an INCRDIBLE meal of Sockeye Salmon, Fresh baked rolls, homemade salads, and homemade strawberry shortcake.  We topped off the evening with a hike to Yellow Hill (the only yellow rocks in Alaska!) and a challenging evening message from Jim.  Wifi is sparse here, and I must go to the Library to be able to post, so will try and post when I can. - Christy

The ride to Metlakatla was long but there was a great view and it rained a bit. No whales though. The people were so warm and welcome and there was so much salmon! All the food was great and we got to talk to some of the people. This one woman and her daughter led us to a beautiful hike area and we all climbed around on rocks on the top taking in the view of the surrounding islands and mountains. Words cannot describe the beauty. The way down Hope, Veronica, and I were jogging along the boardwalks pretending to be Katniss Everdeen being chased by the Careers and shooting arrows and such. So far I am in love with Alaska. ~Meaghan Ford

Well today was pretty cool, taking the ferry and stuff. Metlakatla is pretty neat and yeah it’s cool. We went on a pretty cool hike, it was pretty and I got to do some fun bouldering and free climbing stuff. I’m moving to Alaska by the way! - Ben

Today was great! The ferry ride over was beautiful, and a little rainy. We had an amazing salmon dinner with some locals, best salmon I’ve ever had. And then the hike after dinner (which was a little hard with such full stomachs) was absolutely stunning! The panoramic view from the top of the mountain took my breath away. I’m officially in love with Alaska! –Hope

Well a nice relaxing start to the day was great!! The people here are so nice and accepting to all of us that it warms my heart! And did I mention the AMAZING weather that we are having, great for hiking which was very entertaining and very beautiful! The yellow rocks that we went hiking on can only be found here in Metlakatla, Alaska. The food is great and the salmon is even better!!!! FRESH!!! I officially want to live here in the summers!! Or at least visit here and around it!!!  ~Hannah~

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s true! The Klinger girls tried something from the ocean! And liked it! We had 16 sockeye salmon, some grilled, cooked, and fried. Then they did pistols at 700 feet above sea level on some random yellow rocks that shouldn’t be where they are. It’s been such an amazing blessing and privilege to be invited here. Even though everyone gives us looks like “Hey, who are those crazy people in the gray sweatshirts?”  They’re all so welcoming! Can’t wait to start VBS Monday!~ Jill K and Karli K.

OMG!!! Alaska is probably the most beautiful, green place I’ve ever been to!  After an hour and a half ferry ride, we arrived at the church, learned about the pastor, and finally settled in. After a VERY delicious meal of salmon…Yes Mom and Dad, I ate the salmon and it was AMAZING!!! We went on a hike to the yellow rock trail and experienced breath-taking views! We got to meet some of the locals and they are so inviting and welcoming, you almost feel like family. I can’t wait to start VBS on Monday and continue this crazy, fun, amazing, memory-making trip! ~Makenzie F.

Got to Metlakatla today. It’s like coniferous rain forest. So rainy. Anyways, we had a nice ferry ride, dinner (gracefully made by the locals SALMON TASTES LIKE CHICKEN!!!! :O), and a really nice hike in which a few of us took some nice rock climbing trips, and slid to our near tragedies. Well, it was a long day, and I’m even more tired than yesterday and we have to wake up at 7 am, sooooooo……………….. night. J -Karli O.

Day 2 - Friday, July 27

WORKSTUDY DAY 2 FRIDAY JULY 27, 2012

This was our free day in Ketchikan.  We got to experience nature (hiking on Deer Mountain) and shopping (in downtown Ketchikan) as well as a local favorite for dining and see wild life (a mama bear and cubs and salmon).  A terrific relaxing day! - Christy

This morning we went on a hike on Deer Creek. Guess what? We climbed over 710 feet in elevation! That was pretty fabulous, gotta admit. Our tour guide didn’t think we would make it that far. Unfortunately, as we descended, people had major trouble remaining on their feet. Ben scared himself in the process of falling down a slippery rock. Raelynn, Darcey, and Makenzie all fell too. The rest of the day was incredible too. Seeing the bear cubs and ever- so- ungraceful salmon flop around after figuring out how to be discreet in the woods was most definitely the best part of the day! ~Raelynn M & Jill K

Today was definitely a “fun day”! We went on a hike this morning but didn’t make it to the snow. After hiking we went shopping downtown and kept getting asked what cruise ship we were on. We came back and hung around for a while before going to dinner and driving 8 miles to a fish hatchery. There we watched bear cubs eat grass along with watching salmon flop in and out of the water. Raelynn, Karli K., and I all had to go visit some trees and bushes. What a fun day! ~Makenzie F.

          Yesterday was fun, got my gnarly knife fix, and some other cool souvenirs. Oh and we saw some neat nature. Alaska is pretty neat! - Ben!

The wild nature of Alaska, much better than civilization, especially the facilities that are provided.  Enjoying the time out here with everyone, but need to make pictures more fun, so please don’t expect any “normal” pictures of me. - Patrick

Today, we went on a hike, and it was very foggy the higher we went up. I stayed behind the rest of the group with a few of the advisors because we were walking slower up the mountain. On the way up there was a path that split two ways and I had to ask which way to go because I couldn’t see the rest of the group, and Katie Klinger said to go up, so I did, and we found the group half an hour later when they started to come back down. After the hike our “tour guide” Bailey, told us to go down town for some shopping. He told Jim where some good fish-jerky was, Ben where some knives were, and the rest of us, candy. It was raining all day. So, we decided to go back to the church for a few hours until dinner time at 6:00 pm (8pm Mountain time.) So the first thing the kids did was play Mafia with cards, while the advisors made bracelets. Of course, I died first both rounds. The game ended early and we got to go play Frisbee! In the rain! We played that for a good hour and a half. So then we piled into the van for dinner and fun after dinner, we went to a fish hatchery to look at salmon, bears, and eagles. After that we went to a totem pole garden and took a lot of funny pictures. Then we came back to the church, and got ready for bed quickly. Tiring day, and it’s only day two. –Karli O

Yesterday was pretty interesting, from our rainy hike to shopping down town among cruise tourists. But overall, it was good J And bear watching went very well but I don’t think the foreign folks liked us much! ~ Veronica

A Few Pics!

Getting ready to say GOOD-BYE to Colorado!

Everyone on the ferry from the Airport in Ketchikan to the City of Ketchikan!

Beautiful Alaska - we made it to Ketchikan Presbyterian Church!

Making NEW Friends!

Day 1 - Thursday July 26

We have asked students to write down in their own words memories from day 1.  It took a while to post since we do not have any wifi except at the McDonalds (that i am now sitting at @ 10:45pm and listening to conversations in english, russian, and spanish!)  Students are great!  Tomorrow we journey to Metlakatla.  Will post memories of day 2 (which is today0 hopefully soon! - Christy

About 14 hours in, and there is already crazy rain! But also crazy memories in the making! Everything here smells like fish! Bleh :P It is a really cute little fishing town though. We had a 20 hour day yesterday, and all our bio clocks are off. The sun here doesn’t even set until around 10, and it gets bright again at 4. Looking forward to a great next few days! Here’s to being Adventurously Expectant! ~Karli K.

We were all pretty much either asleep or running on adrenaline at the end of the first flight… Then our pilot decided to nearly crash land us. But we are all alive and it was worth it! Everything is incredibly beautiful here and we’ve seen a bald eagle across the street from our church! We’ve already made amazing memories (slug juice!) and are excited to make more! ~Raelynn M. & Jill K. 

I kinda burped really loud at an eight year old’s birthday party… J ~ Veronica

I see stone escalators and bald eagles and boats and it smells fishy here…. J~ Meaghan Ford

Makenzie is having SO much fun!!Everything is so beautiful and I didn’t really sleep because of Brooke’s snoring…. Alaska is AMAZING!!! It smells like fish and ocean and it’s a cute little fishing town. The sun sets at 10 and rises again at about 4… How crazy is that??? I can’t wait to start this amazing experience of a lifetime… ~Makenzie F.

Alaska is, as expected, a wet, verdant wilderness. Running this morning, with a fine mist in the air, was beautiful as we passed deep forests and climbed up the rugged hill, looking over the harbor. ~Reid

Half Way There! (In Seattle!)

Well, thanks to terrific Advisors, one awesome Associate Pastor, one crazy Summer Intern, one sweet Nurse, and TERRIFIC students - we have made it to Seattle.  Our flight was great - you will have to ask about the slight "rodeo landing" into Seattle which is covered with a slight low clouds.  But all is well!
Alaska Airlines was terrific with getting us all checked in again and I am now eating a Crab Caesar Salad and listening to our group playing card games while waiting for our flight to Ketchikan!


It will be a long day of travel, but all are excited and can't wait to see Alaska for the first time for the majority of our group.  When we arrive we will get our rental vans, and then head on over to Ketchikan Presbyterian Church.  I will have the students and Advisors write some to share with you about our first day!  GOD IS GOOD!  No doubt!  

1 Day! And counting!

Well, we are officially checked in to Southwest Airlines!
Now to check us in to Alaska Airlines later today!


Please be sure to be on time at the Airport!  5:30AM Sharp!


Make sure your bag doesn't weigh over 50 lbs!


Will be praying all day long about this trip! See you there!

LAST Prep Meeting

Well, everything went well at our last prep meeting!  Exciting stuff!  Can't believe that we leave in 4 days!  WOW!  Nothing like making sure you have everything you need!  Double checking and triple.
We leave bright and early Thursday AM!
See you there!

COUNT DOWN!

Time is passing VERY QUICK!
Be sure you have everything you need for the trip!
REMEMBER sleeping bags & mats are due Sunday July 22!


Pray about our trip!  Pray for safety, God to use us, and new friends!


If you have questions, contact Christy!