We Made it!

The flight was just fine, many of the kids slept and we made it on time to Anchorage on Thursday morning. We all gathered in the airport and Laura and I went and picked up the 2 15 passenger vans and headed to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. We unpacked all of our stuff in 2 separate rooms and lounged around for awhile. After we got established we went for pizza at the Moose's Tooth. The pizza was amazing and we all ate till we were stuffed. We then went back to the church and many played in the activity room ALL Night, others hung around and loafed for the rest of the evening. Darla and I took some more adventurous souls and explored downtown Anchorage.
We awoke Friday morning and headed to Seward stopping along the way to see many sights. I think the highlight was stopping and exploring Exit Glacier. It was amazing! Laura has not been there for 6 years and said it had withdrawn quite a bit in that time. I also talked to a nice couple from Virginia who stated the same thing. We then went and explored downtown Seward stopping for lunch and eating halibut. For many it was there first time trying this. We spent the rest of the afternoon down at the beach and exploring.
Saturday we all went to the Alaska Zoo and saw many of the animals native to Alaska. After the zoo we headed to Chugiac and unloaded at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.We then went to Hatchers Pass and the Independence Gold Mine. The gold mine has been closed since 1943 when gold mining was deemed non essential for the war effort.  For dinner we had a picnic at a park in Wasilla, AK. We met some friends of Laura's at the park and the kids were able to run off much of their energy.
Sunday morning we loaded up for the long drive to Copper Center. We arrived at the Mt. Drum Fellowship  Hall. We are unpacked and settled in for a week of work.We were welcomed by members of Alaska Mission for Christ and they were very friendly. There was a group from Great Britain leaving as we were arriving. The kids enjoyed visiting with them.
I am glad we all made it safe and without many incidents.
I am looking forward to begin our mission in Christ.

I will be able to post some more, since the lord has blessed us with wi-fi!

The Journey Begins

Well we got all of our bags loaded into the trailer last night in the Vinje parking lot without a hitch. This morning started early as we all met at Vinje at 2:00 am. Pastor Mary met us there and we all prayed for a safe and prosperous journey. For some this is longest they will be away from their families so it truly will be a growing experience. We are blessed to have such a great group of kids to chaperon.
We arrived at the Humphrey Terminal to board our Sun Country flight to Anchorage. Sun Country was wonderful throughout the check in process. It was very quick and efficient. I unloaded the bags from the trailer and checked in and then proceeded to the Park n Go lot with the van and trailer. When I arrived they were waiting for me and as promised they had a spot reserved for me. I want to commend them for their great service!
I am typing this from Gate H5 and the kids have kind of settled down in anticipation for the flight. For some of the group this was their first flight and of course their first trip through a TSA checkpoint. We sailed through without a hitch and now we are very close to boarding and beginning our journey.
My next entry will be from Alaska!

Counting Down

Today was a big day at Vinje as the congregation commissioned our Mission this morning. Pastor Chad and Mary gave us a blessing and we had many well wishes from many of parishioners. The time has been flying and we will be having our last meeting on Wednesday when the members bring their checked luggage to the church to load in an enclosed trailer. I would like to thank Kent Johansen who is my employer for donating the trailer for us to use. We are asking that all the bags are loaded and ready to go so when we arrive very early Thursday morning all we have to worry about is carry on bags and getting to the airport.
So it is off to finish packing!

Mike

1 week to go!

 This is my first official blog, so here I go.

We are down to just 1 week until we are in Alaska. The kids have worked real hard and raised the funds needed to make this mission in Christ a reality. I am sure everyone is going through the checklist and starting to get packed. Darla has been working hard on getting all 3 of us ready to go on this trip. For some of the group this will be their first time on an airplane which they will find an awesome experience. I still remember my first flight. For others this will be their first time traveling so far from home. Overall it will be a life changing experience for all of us.

I will be posting on this blog throughout our journey and invite you to follow along! Many thanks to all who have worked and contributed to this mission! Your generosity is appreciated.

Check back often for updates as the date gets closer.

God Bless,
Mike