Driving in Fairbanks

This was from week before last. The snow is almost completely gone now, except for the huge snow burns on the side of the roads and parking lots. We don't even wear coats during the day. Shortly after we arrived we quit wearing hats and gloves. The mid-temps average in the 30s and 40s but it feels a whole lot warmer!

The air is very dry here. We have to drink extra water and wear extra moisturizer and conditioner (for the static). But I must say, after living in the very humid South all my life, this is an interesting change. I like it!

Sunset

The surnrises and sunsets are spectacular up here. Of course they are very early and very late now! We are having a very, very difficult time going to bed before 11pm because of the beautiful energizing sunshine. However, I hope to purchase blackout curtains soon!

Expect many more pictures of the sunrises and sunsets. We love them!

Rucci and Revells Little Cheeses

How did we celebrate Easter?

This snowman was built on Easter Sunday! We would like to dedicate this picture to John Andrew Chassevent. Sorry John, it didn't make 10 feet, but maybe next year when you come to visit!!!

The other two youth in the picture are Jared MacGregor and Alicia Markle. They are awesome with our children. John-James asks all the time when Jarry (Jared) can come over! Alicia is a favorite of all our children. Brennan and David race her and play video games with her, and the others love it when we lived with her and they could play after school!

Chapter Two

We moved in this week...thus no blog entries! Sorry!

We have enjoyed our church services so much! Easter was so special. The worship was free and set our feet to dancing. Even Brennan went forward and danced. He was so excited!

Wednesday night Chris had the group collectively list about 30 BHAGs (that would be Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals). That was fun and revealed the passions of our youth. We will be strategizing over the next few weeks to set our "UnAshamed" groups core values and purpose.

This Sunday we had a guest speaker, Dan Baker. The worship was phenomenal again. I was dancing with Brennan, Gabriella and John-James with streamers and a flag. It was so freeing! We are learning a lot of new-to-us songs.

Here is a snapshot of the latest news: David asked me today to pray for him so he wouldn’t miss everyone so bad. Isabella is now eating rice cereal. Elysiana is talking in short sentences. Gabriella and David are in a race to lose their bottom teeth. Whoever wins gets an extra 25 cents from the tooth fairy. Gabriella and David have splinters in their hands from the wooden fence behind our house. (The enticing slush back there is very deep.)

We have a functional kitchen and bathroom. Tomorrow the plans are to complete the bedding. By Tuesday we want to finish the closets. Hopefully we can get our curtains up by Wednesday. Gabriella and Isabella still need a bed. The boys children and Chris and I need chests of drawers. I need a few misc. kitchen tools and lamps, end tables, etc. There is a bit of wallpapering and painting left to wrap up, but all in all, this really feels like home. We are very excited to be here and discover what God has for us.

Cleaning Our Home!

The youth and college group wanted to help us clean our home! Check this out! Wow!

Snow-machining and Ice-Fishing

The LaBean family hosted an evening on the frozen Chena River. They used snowmachines (aka snowmobiles) to haul all the fixin's for hotdog and marshmellow roasting to the middle of the frozen lake - very cool! Then they let everyone snowmachine. We have video of the boys learning to drive and riding all over the lake.

John-James went ice-fishing and immediately caught 2 fish and then proceded to drop the reel into the lake! Chris pulled it out by the line. It is very interesting how John LaBean drills a paper plate-sized hole in the ice many feet down to the water. You gather around in camp chairs and fish with shrimp (defrosted in your mouth).

Brennan and David talked non-stop about us saving up enough money to buy a snowmachine...I know what will be on their Christmas list next year!

The New Home and Church

This is a little clip showing a bit of our new home and Jubilee Worship Center. Listen carefully to the children's reactions. They are funny.

Alaska is AWESOME!

The weather is amazing, here! It is warming up and Fairbanks is going through "spring break-up." The snow is disappearing rapidly - well, as rapidly as several feet of snow can! John-James has enjoyed splashing in the slushy snow. I have to wash his clothes everyday just about because our other clothing hasn't arrived yet.

We were glad the children had at least one chance to sled the big hill up at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks (UAF). This is a giant hill. They came home exhausted.

It has been in the 30s-40s during the day, but because it is so dry here, it feels much warmer. We don't even have to wear coats during the day. The sun is so beautiful! It rises early and sets closer to 10pm now. We have stayed up late every night to maximize our time with the Rucci's. I can tell it will be hard to go to bed this summer with the gorgeous sunlight streaming through the windows.

Our little home is getting painted (by Chris and Rob) and yesterday, we got a new front door. Hopefully, soon we will be able to move in. Moving will be very easy! Just haul six suitcases and some miscellaneous Wal-Mart bags over! Unpacking will be even easier! The girls are the only ones with a chest of drawers. Most everything else will stay in a suitcase! Which reminds me, I must purchase hangers for our few hang-up clothes.

A family here is giving us a futon/bunk bed and TV and 2 wing chairs. The youth are raising money for us to have a nice bed. Other families have given us a lot of baby and toddler items. And we have continuously been given gifts of winter gear and food, diapers, etc. Now that Mary Beth has cleaned out all the kitchen cupboards and lined them with brand new paper, I can start putting away all these gifts.

God told us to trust Him for He knows what we need and He would add all these things to us. He is indeed my faithful Father.

Ruccis

Well, I know everyone is anxious to know more about our surprise guests and their visit! Rob and Mary Beth Rucci flew ALL the way to Fairbanks to help us move in! They were able to extend their visit to almost TWO weeks! We are in the middle of it right now. I will post some video and later some photos of all the children. They have been such a blessing. This transition time has been easier on our family having our best friends here.

Here we are up at UAF to check out the museum (which was closed!) and then some snow video...

From a sister, Amy's blog:

We had the privilege of having one of Greenville's best families over for dinner tonight. We dined on rice and beans, monkey bread and faithful stories! Our kids played together and laughed together. You would have never guessed 15 people were in our little red house.
Our two families are true kindred spirits. Not only do we have large families, homeschool, and have many similar beliefs in almost EVERYTHING, but we have the same passion and faith for our family, friends and God.

My heart is so sad. These precious people are moving to Alaska next week. They have been on a long three year journey that has prepared them for this calling. At our table they shared their testimony on how God has led them thru trials and tests. With amazing faith they followed blindly to His calling... not knowing why things were happening to them... but just trusting.
They found out a few months ago that God was preparing them for the ministry in Alaska! A place much different than here! 2 southerners moving to a place where daytime and night take on a whole new meaning.

They are leaving with books and clothes and gave away everything else. To some, this may seem like an impossible task, but its what their "hard training" had prepared them for.
Our families will always remember tonight. I will never forget this family and will pray for them daily along with our other missionaries.

Enjoy the pictures of the ELEVEN children and the two sets of parents they belong to. You would have never guessed they were in the home. They played and laughed and blended perfectly!!!
We love them!

______________________________________________

Yesterday we had some last minute business to take care of at our friends home. They had left the day before for Alaska. We had a key and felt their presence everywhere. I walked the empty rooms in their home and imagined all the love and laughter shared. A crib still stood in one corner, curtains remained on the walls and a few odds and ends that they didn't manage to give away yet lingered in the garage. The house was just an empty shell, the soul of the home ( all 8 souls ) were in a very loved white suburban about to embark on a long journey.

Enroute...on Purpose!

Here is a note from our dear friends in Canada:

Chris and Jeannie,

Wow...thanks for sharing with us! We bless you guys...You are so surely "Enroute and ON PURPOSE!"....We bless you in this huge but awesome step...Remember, no one who puts "houses and lands" on an altar does so without the Lord's multiplication tables kicking into gear!!!! Amen!

I'm writing today from Mayerthorpe, Alberta...about 1 3/4 hours northwest of Edmonton...and the excitement of that is that the road right near the church connects right into the Alaska Highway!!!!! I can't wait until you drive that for the first time...it really brings Alaska into perspective...and of course, it's all mostly through Canada!!!!!! We won't be driving any further up this highway this time...but certainly will be watching, watching, watching, for that first invite to come your way in Fairbanks!!

Look at Numbers 10:29...starting at: "...We are setting out for THE PLACE about which the
Lord has said, 'I will give it to you.' That verse is so for you guys right now as you head to your new "place" of divine assignment...and to "the place" which He has ordained for you in His amazing plans!!! The end of that verse is for you as well: "...for the Lord has promised GOOD THINGS to Israel"..and to you!!

Keep us posted! ...and we'll then head right onto that blog site to "see" the "place" right along with you!

With rejoicing,
Jack and Peggy

A note from our favorite missionary

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I love it! What glorious fun!

We love you and we're bursting with pride. Follow on...follow hard! Yippy! What a glorious ride!

Shelley

Layover in Seattle video

Well, we are missing everyone tremendously! But we know, O so surely, that we are exactly in God's plan. That surety of knowledge gives us unsurpassing and out-of-place peace. Do you know that you are EXACTLY where God wants you? Do you have an unexplainable peace? Email me if you want to find out more!

So until my next post... as my friend, Amy says: God bless the internet!!!

Lulu in Seattle

Chapter One, continued...

Tuesday morning we got up at 5:00am in DC; shuttled to the airport; caught a 8:00am flight; flew for 5.5 hours and endured an 8 hour layover in Seattle; flew for almost 4 more hours; landed in Fairbanks; got settled in several hours later = over 21 hours of traveling and sheer exhaustion!

Wednesday and Thursday have already become a blur! We have had so much to take care of, not including the regular routine of the family. You know, it is amazing, David declares that we must eat. Chris and I figured one trip to Starbucks in the morning could very well last most of the day!


Anyway, I will post these videos of the trip. You know, a video is worth a thousand words!

We arrived at the Fairbanks International Airport late Tuesday evening. We were greeted by the Markles (the senior pastors) and many of the young people from our new church. They were all prepared with a warm Suburban (on loan) and helped us load ALL of our luggage - no small feat! It was wonderful to have such a warm greeting because we were exhausted!

Well, the past few days, we have been scrambling to get our new home ready. The children are acclimating well. They have had moments of grief and erratic behavior, but they truly love where we have been called - Alaska.

Well, to conclude this entry...we had the most amazing surprise! Our bestest friends from Greenville have flown all the way to Alaska to spend a week with us - helping us to clean up our home, paint, repair work, moving in, etc.! Now I know you all want to know who in the world would fly 4200 miles to be with us during this critical transition point... well, you will just have to wait until my next post!