We are in week 6 of 10 in our time in Alaska, and it feels like it has FLOWN by! This blog post will reflect on week 3, because I haven't written in a while.
Week 3 was full of outdoor adventures paired with connecting one-on-one with some high school and college age folks whom I wanted to get to know better. Caitlin, Rehn, and Peter, my fellow intern coworkers were all volunteering as counselors at royal family kids camp during this week, and I stayed back in Eagle River to connect with those I hadn't gotten to know as well yet.
One of the craziest experiences that happened was on a hike I took up Harp mountain with Pam and Lisa, a couple parents involved in the church. Driving out to the trailhead, we passed several cop cars. They informed us that there was a missing person, and a search party was out looking for him. They said we were okay to hike, but that we should keep our eyes peeled. As we proceeded to park and then start the hike, we saw a couple helicopters sweeping back and forth over the valley, trying to spot the missing person. About halfway up, we heard lots of commotion, and loud screams. I thought to myself, "oh, its probably just kids playing in the neighborhood below." Minutes later we got an alert on our phones saying, "brown bear attack at the end of Hiland road. Use caution." The end of Hiland road was exactly where we had parked to start the hike. The screams were from a member of the search party getting mauled by what they think was the same brown bear who attacked and killed the missing person they were looking for. And we were less than a half mile away. We continued hiking to the summit, figuring it was safer to be further form the site of the attack. On the way down we made lots of noise, and kept our bear spray handy.
I didn't realize how much this experience affected me until a couple days later, when it sunk in. I felt sadness for the family of the man who was killed, and felt a fraction of the trauma of the member of the search party who was mauled and ended up suffering leg injuries. The reality of where I am living this summer sunk in after this event, and just how wild it is here.
This day also made me reflect a lot on the value of life, and how it can be taken from us at any moment. Our lives on earth are short, and 100% a gift from God. They are given to us to enjoy doing the things we love, share the hope we have in Christ with those around us, and give glory to God in all we do. Encounters like this make me realize the importance of seizing life where we are and living fully alive to each moment we are in. But more importantly, the fleeting nature of our lives on earth makes me more aware of my future, and the gift of eternal life that we have in Jesus. Since our life on earth is only a fraction of our life compared to what we will experience in heaven, there is no pressure to worry or try to squeeze in numerous experiences. Being with Jesus in heaven, our imperfections will be wiped away and our brokenness redeemed. I'm fully confident that we will be able to enjoy all of our favorite things, and experience what it is to be fully loved and fully known; a truth that we only partially live into right now.
LIFE IS A GIFT, and the giver is good. Enjoy the gift of life today.
Peace.
Farewell until the next blog!
(Here are some photos mainly of my hiking adventures)
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| Learning how to cook salmon with Erin! |
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| View from Mt. Baldy |
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| Elissa and I enjoying a sunny morning on Baldy. |
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| View on the way up Harp Mtn. |
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| Beautiful, sunny day! |
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| Working our way up the 5,000 ft. peak! |
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| Hiking buddies- Pam, Lisa, and Pippin the pup! |
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| Summit selfie! |
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| Pam and Me. |
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| Pippin! |
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A trip to the wine cellar with my host parents to bottle some port they had made!
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| How I feel about being in the mountains all summer. |
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