Back in Pennsylvania

Hello Windsor family and other friends!!

Our entire team made it back to PA, safe and sound. We are a bit off with sleep, but getting back to normal. Thank you for following our team on this little adventure and, especially, for praying for us. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.

~Team Alaska

Hello all,

I have been a jack of all trades this week. A little bit of supervising on the burn pile (you never know what Al and King will do), weed wacking and lawn mowing (don't let on to my parents), staining a deck, and now painting trim/ helping to repair trim. It truly has been a wonderful time up here with many experiences along with hunting for bear in the "Back Country". We had a near siting but it turned out to be a stump. Hmmmm...... Finally did see two, but they declined to stick around for proper introductions. Eagles are plentiful as seagulls are back home. I declined the climb to Barometer, but conquered Old Woman....saw an extinct volcano and a mountain lake. Oh and threw a few snow balls :-P Overall, it has been great. Angela and Rob, along with their sons Robbie and Simeon, and daughter, Emma, have all ministered to us with their willingness and openness to serve and host us while we have been here. And the camp counselors have blessed me as they teach and help the children discover what God is about. God is abundant and clear here, working in many ways and through many people. I am glad to be a part of it. In sharing with you and allowing you to take part of the spirit hear, I will ask a blessing for you today. (Something we have done every morning here for each other.) May God bless you this day with abundant love and laughter.

Lindsay

I have been working on a 580C Case back hoe this week. Some things never change no matter where I am. I have moved at least 50 large logs out of a storm struck area. The neatest thing I have done was to climb to the top of Barometer Mountain where I saw the beauty of God's creation.
Randy

King and I were in charge of the burn pile. It consisted of old sofas,mattresses, and limbs from the trees from the storm area. In the afternoon of the second day, a young camper girl asked me what I was doing. I told her I was working on the burn pile. She told me that I was ruining the atmosphere and the earth. Then she looked up from me and said, "I guess the trees will benefit from this. " Before we came here, Pastor Ben emphasized unity in the group. I see this happening every day, even while rooming with Charlie and Randy. I have enjoyed the scenery, especially the daily siting of bald eagles.
Al

Charlies REAL Birthday!!!

Today is Charlie Popjoys real birthday. He thought yesterday was June 10th but today is actually June 10th. So we had to celebrate his birthday twice.

4th Morning - June 10th

Good Morning Everyone! It's 7:30am and we're straggling in for breakfast before Chapel and the beginning of our 3rd work day. Today will be only a half day of work and this afternoon we have some free time to explore this majestic island. "Jewel Beach" is on the Coast Guard grounds and you can find sea glass that washes ashore. There are also areas where, at certain times, you can see whales and seals. Fort Abercrombie is nearby as is fishing and a few local shops. Sometimes the best fun is the unplanned, though. Like last night's ice cream excursion to finish out Charlie's birthday celebration. None of the staff or regular volunteers here can believe that we are having the 5th straight day of glorious sunshine. God has richly blessed our time here and we've been able to accomplish much of what the goals are for the week.

Eternal Power and Divine Nature

People keep telling us that the weather this week is unusually pleasant. The staff here at the Mission and the people on Kodiak island tell us things like: "This weather is SO unusual... normally it rains ALL the time," and "Someone must be praying for God to give you such good weather."

To be in Alaska is simply a pleasure. To be here and able to take in all the beauty of it is an unusual blessing. The first chapter of Romans says, "what can be known about God is plain to all mankind, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made (verses 19 & 20)."

The beauty of nature leaves us in awe. It refreshes us. We feel a release when we gaze at snow-capped mountains. Waves rolling onto a shoreline can be incredibly soothing. Looking around and what God has made, and knowing that it shows us who He is, inspires us. It is an unspoken message to mankind, inviting us to join in worshiping the One who created all of this--inviting you and me.

Pictures Being Posted

Sorry everyone for taking so long to post pictures. It has been very hard for us to upload them because our internet connection has been very weak. We will continue to post pictures here and there so please bear with us. Thank you for keeping up with our team and praying for us!

Charlie Popjoys Birthday!

Today, Tuesday June 9th, is Charlies birthday!! Pray that he will remain healthy and safe while away and that the Lord will grant him many more years to continue serving the Lord.

Monday June 8th

Today we started the day with chapel which included the camp staff. It was lead by Trevor, executive director of Kodiak Baptist Mission (KBM). Chapel starts with each one lighting a candle then passing the candle to another person, giving them a blessing for the day. We sang and Trevor read Psalm 116 and Mark 7, then some commented on what those passages mean to them. We ended in prayer. Our team had a meeting with Trevor to be informed of our tasks for the week. There are 3 tasks so we broke up into 3 teams. The one team will be burning a pile of debris left from the winter, another will be clearing all the evergreen trees that have fallen into a knarly mess in a wooded area, then the 3rd group will repair the picket fence and clean up the yard that was damaged during the winter. We all went about our tasks with enthusiasm. After dinner in the pavilion with the camp personnel, we left for a boat ride with Trevor. We drove to the boat on Near Island, then went to Woody Island, a camp owned by American Baptist Women. We walked to inspiration point where Tom Peazzoni read from a book he is reading on missions. Pastor Ben then instructed us to find a quiet area to "be still and know God". This place was a beautiful part of God's great creation. We returned to Kodiak Island and prepared for bed, tired,yet excited about what this day meant to each of us.
Prayer request:
Pray for all the soreness many of us are experiencing due to climbing mountains and using muscles on the jobs that we do not ususally use.
Pray for continued safety on the jobs.
Pray for continued unity with each other.

Flight and Sunday

Sorry about the long wait everybody...

TRAVEL DAY JUNE 6th
If you are not aware here was our flight schedule...

• Philadelphia to Detroit, #1769, Northwest (NW) 6/6/2009 12:30pm--2:22pm
• Detroit to Anchorage, #295, NW 6/6/2009 3:55pm--6:44pm (Alaska Time)
  
• Anchorage to Kodiak, #4898, Alaska Airlines 6/6/2009 9:30pm--10:40pm (Alaska Time)
  

On the flight from Philly to Detroit we went directly over the Pittsburgh Stadium
We also met some really interesting people one being a two time war veteran

SUNDAY JUNE 7th

We rose in the morning to a bright and sunny day (Same as our Night). Before eating a delicious meal prepared by some ladies from Kansas we headed out for a stroll down the road of Kodiak Island. We came upon a beautiful beach that had many Bald and Golden Eagles resting and feeding. Following this we headed to the Community Baptist Church to hear a sermon on John 3:1-17. It was a family like small church that you would see in the country. After attending a awesome service in the Lord we split up into three groups to go hiking. Some hiked up the Barrometer Mountain, some up Old Woman Mountain, and one member of our team headed to Fort Abercrombie. After taking in all of Gods creation and seeing how intricate everything He had created in the mountains was we headed back to were we were staying to settle down for our night. We thank God for the beautiful day he gave us to enjoy the scenery and rest before we start up our work tomorrow. Sometimes we forget how much power and how amazing God truly is and we dont think of the little things like creation, so as we sign out on this note we would like to challenge you to take a few minutes out of your day to look at all God has created and just be in His Word. Please continue to keep our group in prayer!

Final Pre-Trip Team Meeting

Last night our team met for a cookout and to cover the final details of the trip.

It was a night of increasing excitement for all of us. As we sat and heard stories of how God has used such trips as these in the past we shared a desire to have God use us in powerful ways. We heard of answers to prayer, of missionary biography heroes, and of expectations for this trip. We paused several times through the evening to commit this effort to our Lord.

The next time we will all see one another will be Saturday morning at Windsor, when our travels begin!!

Please pray for us. :-)

Pray For Team Alaska

On 6 June 2009 we will be traveling to Kodiak, Alaska for a ministry trip.

Our team of fifteen represents different ages and skill levels. We represent the church family at Windsor Baptist Church, who are all part of this effort. Many who would like to join are not able. Some have given financially and many are praying for this ministry. Please join us in praying for the following:

• That God will be glorified through all of this.
• That our team would be unified and grow together in knowing our Lord, Jesus Christ.
• That we would be a blessing to the Kodiak Baptist Mission.
  
• That our team would be safe and healthy.

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