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.