Names of New Stu

 

“Jean-neeeeeee!” I hear her call my name from the playground. She waves along with two other girls and a smaller boy.

With one hand holding onto Ruby’s hand and the other on the door to the green house, I squinted to see who was calling me. Did I know them? We had only been in New Stuyahok for a couple of days. I met many children, but don’t remember these. How did they know me already? I closed the door to the greenhouse and walked over with Wolfe and Ruby. The girls asked to visit, which I replied, “Maybe another day, when the sun is hiding”.  They must have not heard me as they poked Ruby’s cheek and stroked her long hair. “Can we hold her?” “Can we visit?”

Two weeks after, these girls and their tag a long, Kaden, would still be Ruby’s fans and Wolfe’s playmates. They would make a habit to come after school for homemade bread or cookies. Anya, Katrina, Elicia and Kaden. Four names and faces that I know by heart now.

Then there is Peter. He is the school janitor that has a slight bend in his back and a few teeth missing. He greets Wolfe by name and offers him a pretend astronaut hat he found in one of the teacher’s trash. He doesn’t remember me, but knows Wolfe loves space suits.

John is another one of Wolfe’s favorites. As the village’s garbage man, he rides his four-wheeler and trailer to pick up trash on Mondays and Fridays. He stops and talks to Wolfe who is in the doorway of our apartment. John is trying to teach Wolfe how to count to three in Yupik. Wolfe chants the numbers back to him and sometimes I give it a try too.

Meet Mary. She works at the school’s front desk and cares for her nephew, Jonah. Mary’s mother, Honey Bun, offers to take Wolfe home and braid “her hair”. Honey Bun is self-proclaimed the best babysitter in New Stuyahok. As long as the children don’t bring cats or dogs with them, you can ask her any day, anytime. “Midnight is okay too!” her husband says. I didn’t catch his name.

At the school, “Mother” introduces herself with a hug. Her face is sweet, plump with small eyes, and a smile that’s genuine. She hopes to see the children often too, she says. Her husband, Father, is the priest at the village’s Roman Orthodox Church.

Little Kaiser will lead you to anyone’s house if you asked. He likes to chew the same kind of gum your chewing too. At that exact moment.

Joel, youngest of seven boys, likes to give knuckles. He says, “Next time, you take you ring off, Jean-neee! It hurts to pound knuckles with rings!”

Maria will tell you to cross at the heart and pray before you eat a snack. 

Kara will ask to join you for a run, even if she already ran for track and field that day.

These are just of few names of people of New Stuyahok. They are slowly winning my heart, when I had hoped to win their hearts to Jesus. They are a people who are proud of their religion, who acknowledge their ancestors and heritage; and who are eager to teach you their ways. So instead of being the one to preach, right now I am the one who learns. And prays that God opens my heart a little more so they might see Jesus instead of me one day.
 

Fishers of Fish, For Now

They say this was one of the last good weeks for fishing salmon. Never had I been a fisher or hunter. I'd thought these activities were for sport,  or a hobby to perfect during a created season. Kind of like basketball. 

But it's a necessity here. They also say you need a least two salmon in your freezer for every week of the winter. And salmon in the river don't stay fresh past fall. The flesh start to rot and meat turns old and grey.

There are many things that I'm learning here. These first two weeks have been AK school for me. Fishing involved many lessons. The way the water ripples indicate the depth; fish eggs can be used as bait but the color of the hook could be in your favor too; and bull moose are the only ones to be hunted (that's not fishing, but you always take a gun in case you see a bull.) 

After long days in Dillingham for teacher PD, and the first days of work for Ben, we wanted a family outing. So we took both kids fishing on Saturday for what turned into a five hour trip. The boat was larger, allowing them to walk and lay down while we fished. Wolfe help our neighbor, Josh, reel the first one in. That was good considering Wolfe was the most intent on catching a fish.

The day after I went a second time with Josh and Beth, a girl from Tennessee who came to be a nanny. Here I learned that you can't drive the boat with the fish hanging out of the side. 

I learned that despite the fact you caught zero with a rod and reel, you might end up with twenty fish in your set net. I learned how to fillet.

Yep, me. The one who gets squeamish with bloody stories, passes out in hospitals, closes her eyes during gory movie previews. I skinned that fish each side and tossed the head and tail in the water. Blood was on my gloves and coat (thanks for my birthday present, Mom) and even splattered in my face. I worried about getting cut with the knife, but they assured me that if I did, I would not faint. I wouldn't be able to tell between the fish blood and mine. Sure. I didn't cut myself with the eight fish I butchered, and I didn't get light headed. And we have enough fish in the freezer for winter now.

Ruby was excited too...

Wolfe was excited to go fish!

Before we left a family had shot a bull moose and brought it back with their boat.

Ben had canned and vacuum sealed all the fish we caught!

Know Me Here for a Little

"I am," said Aslan. " but there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there". 
CSLewis~ Voyage of the Dawn Treader


Alaska. America's last frontier is our little family's first adventure. 

Meet the Garlets. Ben, Jeanne, and the two littles, Wolfe and Ruby.  If you asked me just six months ago about our voyage, I wouldn't have known what you are talking about. But lots of people say that's how it goes, how God works, how lives are called, challenged and then changed.

So we left last Friday night. We took three planes, total, to reach our final destination. 

We flew into Chicago and stayed with a three hour lay over. Wolfe and Ruby ran up and down terminal C with their friend Grace until we left for Anchorage at midnight. Grace's parents are also teachers in the little Alaskan village. They have another little girl, Olivia, who is 7 months old and making plans to run with the other three in the months ahead. 

From there we took a six hour flight with Alaskan Airways to Anchorage. Arriving at 3am in Anchorage, we stayed at a little church called Diamond Road Bapist Church. That Saturday we attempted to shop and ship out necessities for the next nine months. Then we flew out at 3pm to our village, New Stuyahok, arriving 24 hours after we left Grand Rapids.

Along the trip I felt my heart sink a little with disappointments. We packed too many bags and need to post them instead...we made several mistakes buying a year supply of groceries, we had sleepless plane rides and motion sickness, and no internet or phone service at our home, and a dirty apartment from the guy before us.... This was a great start to our lives for the next year.

Why would we do this? Why would we take time, spend money, bring our little family out of what's comfortable and familiar? Why did we feel called to New Stuyahok, AK?

We were greeted in New Stuyahok with wild blueberries, handshakes and invitations to the steam house. A meal was prepared for our family by other teachers from the school.

Neighbors shared their oatmeal, hand soap, bleach and paper towels.

While my kids slept, friends came and cleaned my apartment until 11pm that night.
Those disappointments turned to opportunities to be blessed by others in the community, and to be grateful to God we were finally here. 

Ben and I couldn't tell you exactly why we felt God calling us to New Stuyahok. We hope to be a light in a dark place, we hope to join the small community of believers, we hope to show our children our obedience to Him, we hope for adventure. We hope through all this, we come to know Him here a little more. And to learn from Him. Because doesn't that happen when you come when you are called?

So here are stories from our day to day life.... as we step out of the comfy place in the spare room and begin to make footprints in our chilly northern Narnia.