... we have arrived and so has He. Ok, ok yes He has been here all along but now is oh so loud. Thursday morning we set out on our 3 1/2 hour drive to Anchorage, by way of exit Exit Glacier. It sits at the edge of the Kenai Peninsula, a last lingering view of the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield where wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests surround this vast expanse of ice. Alaska Natives relied on these resources to nurture a life entwined with the sea. Today, shrinking glaciers bear witness to the effects of our changing climate. Hiking the mile to the glacier, the students got to experience first hand the power of nature. We continued our mad dash to Anchorage, landing straight at Kid's Kitchen. Our students jumped right in, serving pizza, making crafts with the kids, getting crushed on the basketball court, and just talking .... comfortable or not.
Once leaving, exhausted, dirty and road-tired even the hard church floors and lack of showers sounded good. But our host Kate said we needed to go to the Alaska Native Medical Center as they had a church service in the lobby and some cool artifacts and artwork. We may have been a little short on enthusiasm. The Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) is a non-profit health center which provides medical services to around 138,000 Alaska Natives. Just for clarification: Native Alaskans are born here. Alaska Natives are the Alaskans of heritage (Eskimos). As we arrived, we were cautioned that the melodies we were about to experienced would not be what we were used to but would be a great way to experience the culture. Entering the dome-shaped lobby, we saw an elderly Eskimo woman (Hilma) playing an accordion, a gentleman with a guitar and a scattering of audio equipment. 3-4 women stood up front singing hymns into the microphones with Hilma the voices whirling up thru the dome to the five floors of the hospital. Twenty or so people, patients and visitors sat around listening and worshiping and the elders sang. When 28 Gusuks (white people) arrive from Southern California - we a little more than stand out - and that's not even describing the age difference. And then there was God.....
As Hilma noticed us, she asked who the obvious guests were and whether there was a spokesman - taking the microphone I was able to explain who we were and why we were in Alaska. As things progressed we found ourselves listening to CJ Larson playing guitar and singing Amazing Grace along side Hilma on the accordion. This was a God moment like no other we had experienced to date. CJ's voice was clear and strong, the small crowd worshipped and raised their hands to their Lord. The energy in the room was palpable. The night continued with a variety of Alaskan Natives signing a variety of familiar and unfamiliar songs. after words there was time of fellowship and prayer as the elders interacted with the students. As we left tears were flowing and the stories came. Stories of God moments, prayers, sightings, messages and tremendous insight. The insight was incredible. The impact life changing to many of the kids.
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