Thank you for praying for our Alaskan Reconnect (the debriefing conference)! Things went really well, and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our missionaries in Alaska in this way! I'm already in Thailand as I write this, but I will make separate posts for my travel and the conference here as it progresses!
The Alaska Reconnect conference schedule included a variety of sessions and debriefs split betweent Nathan, Betsy, and I (take a look below to get an idea of the 2 days of programming). The sessions I was responsible for included Self-Care and Spiritual Pathways (1 each day). I was a little nervous about how the sessions would go (if people aren't willing to participate/share in the sessions, it makes it really challenging), but everyone jumped in to share and folks were willing to dig deeper in discussing areas where they have difficulty caring for themselves well and drawing near to the Lord. I'm SO grateful they were willing to open up and share, which gave the opportunity for others to both benefit from their vulnerability and allow others to speak into their lives. There is a lot of opportunity for people serving in Alaska to feel isolated, alone, and depressed - being so spread out over the state, witnessing all kinds of tragedies in the community, experiencing their own losses, navigating the cold and darkness over the winter - it's a challenging place to do ministry.
On Tuesday, I was able to call into the small group that meets at our home while Betsy ran the women's group debrief (Alaska is 4 hours behind Eastern Time), so that picture above was my view hiding out in the "Nursing Room" while listening in (and occasionally chiming in). It was nice to be able to participate, since we are so early in the semester and missing sessions really makes makes me feel disconnected from our church community back home.
The 2 full days of programming were pretty tiring, so thank you for your prayers for energy, endurance, and health! I managed to get enough sleep and stay well throughout the trip, and it was such a great opportunity to connect with the missionaries and staff there (out of respect for the privacy of the attendees I didn't take any pictures during the sessions).
On Thursday (the day before leaving for Thailand), I was able to get some rest, and we got to go on a little bit of local sightseeing. We drove about 20 minutes outside of Anchorage to check out Beluga Point, where we got to enjoy some beautiful views of the mountains and water. It was abit chilly and windy (my hands started to go numb taking pictures with my phone), so we didn't stay too long, but got to see a rainbow and some amazing scenery, especially once the clouds started to break!
We then drove a little further to a town called Girdwood, where we stopped at a delightfully quirky coffee house and went on a short hike into the rainforest (the northernmost temperate rainforest in North America) and saw an amazing waterfall. It's been so awe-inspiring to see the beauty of God's creation and appreciate His creative nature and how he's made us in a way to appreciate it.
That evening, the Alaska Field Director and his wife hosted us for dinner, which was a lovely way to wrap up our trip. His wife is actually a friend of mine from Middle School, so it's always a little extra fun to catch up with them, as it's rare for me to get to hang out with someone I know from so long ago! It's been special to both be a part of SEND and see how God has worked in our lives over the years.
I'll update again soon to share more about the travel day(s) and how things are going here in Thailand so far!
Prayer Requests:
- My sleep has been very off since leaving Alaska (I've been up since 1:30am local time, and it's currently almost 5:30am), so pray that I am able to get enough rest and have the energy I need over the next few days.
- Pray that I don't develop strep throat (one of the attendees at Reconnect came down with strep the day after the programming ended)
- Pray for general health and safety for me and the other attendees (we have women here this week for the retreat from all over the US, Europe, Asia, and Eurasia!)
- Pray that I will rely on the Holy Spirit in me and not my own abilities this week in order to lead worship and minister to the women
- Pray for the remaining portion of my fundraising (I'm at 80% of my need, praise God! I now only have just shy of $700 left to raise)
Please let me know if there are ways I can be praying for you!
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Thanks for such a comprehensive report on your travels and ministry. How exciting to behold the beauty of God’s creation in different parts of the World! Your prayer requests will be taken to the Lord for sure. May He continue to use you and the team for His purposes and Glory!