Travel
We left Hillsboro mid-morning on Monday, April 21, bound for
Juneau. At Kansas City airport, we
quickly realized our plan for carry-ons was not going to work as well as
anticipated. Surely our 5, 4, and 2 year
old could carry their own backpack and rolling suitcase, right?? Well, that’s how it started out, but by the
time we got to security, Ryan and I were carrying the bulk of the 11 bags being
brought onto the plane. Plus the
necessary jackets and security blankets.
And being asked consistently, “Hold me!?” But honestly, that was the hardest part of
the entire first leg of the trip! Our 3
½ hour plane ride to Seattle was calm and peaceful, thanks to movies, Color
Wonder, and some creative gymnastic moves in the seat. We didn’t even lose any kids maneuvering
through the large SeaTac airport to the motel with all that luggage! I count that as successful parenting J.
The second leg of the trip was slightly different. With such a great day yesterday, I should
have known today would have its share of trouble. We had happy kids for about ½ hour after
waking up, then lots of crying, fighting, whining, and hitting. Did I mention that Asher woke up Monday
morning with pinkeye? Well, getting the
drops in 4 times a day is like trying to hold down a wild Tasmanian devil. He actually said yesterday, “I want you to
put the drops in in the motel so the people at the airport don’t hear me
scream.” Good son he is, helping us
maintain a positive reputation J. So between the tortuous eye drops, typical
sibling quibbles, and a bit of jet lag, we arrived at SeaTac slightly flustered. Then I had the genius idea that it would be
fun to ride the escalator. Have you ever
seen a human avalanche? Because I’m
fairly sure that’s what it looked like with the kids and the luggage as we
ascended the moving stairs. Screaming
children, begging to never go on one of those again, needed hugs and bandaids
at the top. Many thanks to the couple
who helped Liesl at the bottom as I tried to stop the avalanche. Next was the security line. Which was LONG. I’m sure everybody believed my daughter as
she yelled several times “I’M NOT TIRED!” while waiting J. After walking to our gate (with the
above-mentioned 11 bags dispersed between Ryan and I, with a little help from
Asher), we collapsed and Ryan sought out some breakfast. Liesl and Ephraim passed the time by cleaning
the seats with baby wipes (you’re welcome, SeaTac). We ate, I got some coffee, and Ephraim
promptly spilled some on his hands. He’s
fine (must not have gotten much on his skin because it wasn’t even red after a
minute or two), but I had several seconds of panic and visions of visiting the
local ER, skin grafts, etc. We boarded
the plane and Liesl decided to get really tired (translate: fussy) right as we
had to buckle the seatbelts. Turning
circles in her seat, yelling and dropping things, trying to unbuckle, etc. It was short-lived, however, because she
passed out right as we lifted off, after I told her to stare at the seatbelt
light and tell me when it turned off.
Arrival
We landed in Juneau at around 1:30pm and were picked up by
Randy, the camp director. It was a
beautiful sunny day. After some quick
shopping for essentials and the usual answering of constant questions from a toddler
and preschooler who were still trying to wrap their little minds around this
concept called ALASKA (Ephraim: When are we going to be in Alaska? Me: We already are. The ground around you is Alaska. Ephraim: When are we going to be in
Alaska? Me: Remember? We already
are. Ephraim: No, I know the ground
around us is Alaska, but when are we going to be at the building Alaska??), we headed
out to camp. This ride consists of driving
to the “End Of The Road” and around the cove along the beach at low tide. If it were high tide, we would have to take a
boat. With the kids at this point
completely convinced that they would be putting on suits and swimming in this
water, we went down to the beach to feel it first. I was fairly certain they would decide it was
way too cold and never touch it again. How
wrong I was. After an hour of
practically swimming fully clothed with the tide coming in and watching whales
do their spouting (so cool!), I had to almost drag them out to come look at our
apartment. Watching their excitement was
so precious!
Life is never dull!
Nor would I want it to be, even with the frustrations. God works in all things and an easy life
means I would never grow. In each
situation, God presents me with the opportunity to grow: in patience, in love,
in understanding, in compassion, in passion for Him and the gospel. I need to allow that growth and allow Him to
chisel and shape me more like Christ.
Thanksgivings:
- · For those who are joining us in Echo Ranch’s ministry, both in prayer and in financial giving, and those who gave of their time to help with preparation for leaving, to talk and encourage, to hug, and to love on us.
- · For safe travels thus far.
- · For smiles from strangers that just minister to a mother’s heart.
- · For nice flight attendants.
- · For coffee J
Prayers:
- · For our hearts to be open and ready for God to work.
- · For missionary hearts, that we would not be ashamed of the gospel, but would boldly proclaim God’s love and salvation to those around us.
- · For our kids – adjustment to a new time zone, new surroundings, new “normal”, safety, etc.
- · For the Echo Ranch team to grow together this summer, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, encouraging one another, and building each other up in love.
- · For other personnel needs: mechanics and counselors
In Him,
The Regier 5
