Okay first post so here we go hopefully I can figure this out and I'm going to try my best to update this at least once a week for you all.
The trip out to Alaska was awesome, it didn't at all feel like I was traveling all day long. When I came into Anchorage Pastor Steve picked me up and after we got all my bags we went out to dinner at a diner just down the road from the airport. I ended up only bringing two bags out to Alaska at first due to the fact that the cost of bags past two bags was an extra $100 a bag. So as of right now I do not have my golf clubs out here, I'm trying my best to cope without them. Believe it or not there are actually quite a few different golf courses up here that I will be able to use once I actually get my clubs up here.
I am now getting into my second week here which is VBS! The first week was a lot of paper work, getting email contacts into my computer, and setting up my new email. (which is Strehlowr@gmail.com if anyone didnt get it) Sunday was an outdoor service for fathers day which was a good opportunity to meet quite a few people. The nice thing was that I didnt have anything to do in the afternoon and Monday is always my day off so I had essentially a day and a half off almost as soon as I got in.
On my first day off the past intern, who is still up here helping me adjust to everything, took me to Matanuska Glacier which was just a massive block of ice that you could hike all over. It was about an hour drive north to the area where it was, and the pictures were just awesome! Pastor had taken me to a few different nature areas earlier in the week when I got in but Kristi (the old intern) pulled over quite a few times so that we could take pictures. I'm still getting used to this whole taking pictures of things deal, but I'm trying my best to keep you all informed. The pictures do not give justice to the beauty of God's creation all around us all the time here though. To walk out of my apartment and see the inlet and Denali and Mount McKinley is just insane, and there are mountain spans all around me as well.
My apartment is awesome about twice as big as last years, with three less people living in it which is what I keep telling everyone. I almost dont know what to do with all the extra space. I am living with a host family, Chuck and Terri, and their dog Jorge, there is also a cat but I never see her and dont know her name either. Eventually once I move out of their place they are going to use their downstairs apartment to open a bed and breakfast so everything is remodeled and the apartment has everything that I need.
The majority of the first week was simply getting ready for VBS, so I made quite a few trips into Anchorage to get different supplies and I am figuring out how to get around very easily. It also helps that there are only five major highways in Alaska and I only encounter about two of them where I am so it is extremely difficult to get lost. I received a car from a member in the congregation, its a 2002 red Ford Taurus Station wagon, its awesome lots of space to put stuff, and even an extra seat in the back to hold a total of seven people.
My second Sunday we had my Installment service and also the installment for all the VBS volunteers. It was followed up by a potluck where I met more people in the congregation and they had a gift card basket for me. I should have at least my first two months of groceries paid for and also I got a few other gift cards to help me splurge a little bit without having too much of an impact on my wallet.
That pretty much covers everything so far, as much as I can remember at least.
Ill put some pictures below so you can see some of the stuff that I have done, otherwise on my facebook are all my pictures that I have so far
No Alaskan snow Princess so far
God's blessing's to all thank you for all the prayers and thoughts I'm trying my best to keep up with emails and everything but stuff is a bit crazy now so sorry if it takes awhile to get back to you
Ryan
