Spring is here in Alaska

So I would say that spring is finally here in Alaska. There is still a lot of snow in the woods but along the road and drive ways you see mud and grass. The birds are here and sing all the time. We hear a lot of wood peckers, chickadees, magpies, Robins and Kacie saw a pair of Trumpeter swans when she was in town. We are getting excited to start gardening. As long as we can fight off the moose.  We have some flowers started in the house given to us from our neighbor. It's neat to see how well the snow insulates everything on the ground. When the grass was uncovered it was green, but after a couple of cold nights it turned more brown. We even have a pansy that made it through the winter. The Rhubarb is looking beautiful and Kacie can’t wait to freeze some and make pies!!

It survived the winter!

This is the grass on the first week of April.

Here is the grass the last week of April.

Kacie's flowers safe inside!

Evelynn and Jared had birthdays this month. It was something special to celebrate together as a family.

For his Birthday!!

For her Birthday!

Her new favorite thing.

Her cupcake hat from her auntie

Now the other kids have been playing outside a lot. Kenten is almost done with school for this year. Here is what they are up to out side.

Working on being a monkey!

Playing with their friends.

Coloring on their tee shirts.

Jared has been busy checking and putting all the snow blowers and winter equipment away this past week. Also he is going to lead middle school age kids on nature hikes for out door education. He will take them to the Fossil beds and tell them some facts about the local berries, trees, glaciers and history. The kids will also go on a Glacier hike and be able to walk out on it but Jared is not going to lead those groups. It's a cool way for kids to get out of the class room, and a good way to share our beliefs.

A practice hike of where they take the outdoor education groups.

 Next month Jared will be flying to Galena to help with a community outreach program that Victory is trying start up with a pastor in that area. So we ask for prayers for safety and words to speak. This community is a population of under 500 on 17.9 square miles and you can only get there by plane or snowmobile in the winter. Jared is going to do what he does best... work with his hands. Him and two other guys are getting together and working on local peoples four wheelers, snowmobiles, and vehicles. Or if they just have questions the guys are there to help.

The moose have been out and about in camp. It is fun to watch them from a safe place. They will be calving soon. We haven't seen any babies yet. But here is the moose that has been visiting our grass almost every other night.

my plants are safe right now.

I had the opportunity to go to a homeschooling curriculum fair in Anchorage. Two other ladies and me stayed overnight and enjoyed a nice get away. Plus all the cool books and hands on activities the fair showed us to working into our home school year. So I think I have everything in order and it will be here and we will start in August. I am excited! The kids may have a different opinion.

The sunset from our hotel and that is the ocean in the distance.

 Thanks for our supporters and their commitment to our mission partnership. We have been blessed so much and we are so thankful for everyone who cares for us by praying for us. We think of everyone and the impact we are making together with all the people that we come in contact with. 

Mountains on the way back to camp.

Mission Outreach

We can't believe that it is almost April. There is so much to pray for and to be thankful for. This week, three staff members here at Victory, will be flying out to Galena, AK. They are going to meet with a missionary pastor there and discuss ministry opportunities. We need prayer for safety and guidance in this direction of mission work. We would like prayer for the decisions that will need to be made. We need prayer that the Lord will speak through us, at Victory, with our words and our actions. We need prayer that we, as staff, will always be provided for. We need the prayer support to pursue this calling for Victory Bible Camp. God calls us to be disciples. We are thankful for the many opportunities to present Christ through our gifts of service through Victory Ministries. We need to take advantage of these opportunities, because the time is near. What a wonderful day when Christ shall come...no more suffering, no more tears, no more pain. God has a big plan for Victory. Outreach is what discipleship is all about. Things are changing for the better.

Things that are going on.

A month has gone by since our last update on the blog. The weeks go by so fast when your having fun. There is much to do serving here at Victory.

There has been a lot of different groups that have been here this past month. Everyone from youth groups to the Alaska Bible College group, to Women's retreats. The weather has been warm for the most part. The day time highs are in the 20's and teens at night. We were able to see the Northern lights the other night. It is amazing the beauty in the skies. We are seeing a lot of sunlight these days. Even in a weeks time you can tell the sun is higher and out longer. It's light now from 7:00 to 6:30. We are looking for a deep freezer before it gets too warm outside. We have been using our trailer as a freezer for our meat and other groceries.

Here is some of the hamburger meat that we got. 

Here, in our stretch of the highway, we have the opportunity to be on the road kill list. We have signed up to be on call for the next available road kill accident. This involves responding to a call from the Alaskan State troopers to come get the dead animal. This animal may be a bear, elk, sheep or a moose. Most of the time the road kill animal is a moose. This animal is free meat as long as we take care of it. We have already received a call on a moose. Jared and some of the other guys went and picked it up and processed it. It worked out so well. There was not much bad meat on the moose. The moose was small, a yearling, but we were able to salvage 70 pounds or so of meat. So we are very thankful for everyone that helped us out. The meat is similar to whitetail deer, very lean. It tastes a lot wilder. We enjoy it. Alison loves it the most.


The kids have been playing outside with the warm weather. The best way to have Evelynn outside is in a backpack carrier. Then she can see what is going on. It has made it easier on Kacie with Evelynn being happier when she's outside. Kenten is doing well in school. He enjoys playing outside in the afternoon with the other homeschool kids. Kacie is looking at what curriculum to use for next year with the kids for school. Other than schooling and running the house, Kacie still has time for her hobbies. She is working on sewing a dress for Alison, knitting slippers, and is working on some window treatments for our house. Kacie enjoys going to Ladies night out every Wednesday night to get together with the ladies from the community. They will do crafts or play cards and shoot the breeze. We had new family pictures taken. We are doing a parenting class at church to help us get to know the people and build relationships.

Jared has been doing alot in the shop. With not as much snow this month, he has had time to work at some projects that were put off. All of the plow trucks are running and going good. Camp has recently purchased a new town trip vehicle. A 2002 Olds Bravada. It seems to be in great shape with few miles on it. This was a blessing. Jared is starting to work on the Bobcat. The engine needs to be overhauled. The word on the street is that the wrong fuel may have been put in it. I never rebuilt a diesel before. Today, I replaced a set of points on an old Case International Tractor...never did that before either. We have been keeping the runway plowed for future use. There are many possibilities for future plans. They are not set in stone yet. There are possibilities of flying to villages for outreach ministry opportunities. Only the Lord knows the plans. We will listen to his word and go where he sends us.

The Church that we have been attending has sent a group of guys up to Brooks Range bible camp. This is a camp for the native kids near Bettles, AK. There are plans to add on to a building. They are bringing 40,000 lbs of building supplies and fuel for the camp. They have to bring it all there by snowmobiles pulling sleds for 60 miles one way from Bettles. You can only get there by Air plane otherwise. It is only a summer camp and it is north of the Arctic circle. This is all for the village kids in the Brooks Mountain Range. Here is a video from last year http://vimeo.com/27412710. We are excited to hear the stories from the guys when they get back. We are praying for their safety.

Here are some more pictures

Trying to get unstuck from the deep snow.

One of the many projects I have... plus good blackmail for Kenten later on in life.

Moose at the end of our drive way. 

The Mountains and sunshine.

All the snow!!

New Family picture

Kenten has a loose tooth and very proud.

sledding down our drive way.

Here is some of the housing at camp. I know some people wanted to see them.

Here is another place to stay right by the lake

I still have to clean it!!

Thanks for all the support and prayers from everyone. We appreciate everything. God is wonderful and we love being able to serve Him.