The Gathering

Last weekend was CYAK's annual college-aged retreat called the Gathering, in Big Lake, AK. Each fall, the Arigaa ministries (Arigaa means 'sweet' or 'so good' in Inupiaq, and is the name of our college and young adult ministries across the state) from the University of Alaska – Anchorage, the University of Alaska – Fairbanks, Job Corps in Palmer, Alaska Christian College in Soldotna, and Amundsen Educational Center in Soldotna. This year there were about 50 students and staff who gathered at the beautiful Camp Maranatha for a weekend of refreshment. We heard from great speakers, canoed, shot skeet, berry picked, laughed, had a basketball tournament, and just had a great time. I am already looking forward to the Arigaa retreat in February!

Beautiful fall day in Big Lake, Alaska.

So many beautiful golden trees.

Group photo!

John (Arigaa-Fairbanks Director) and Jim (photographer) smoking up some delicious Moose "scoobies" for all of us to enjoy!

Fall is FUN.

It's a blessing to work alongside these two beautiful ladies with CYAK! Amy and Julie both live in Anchorage.

Doesn't get much better than this.

Cute girls. Kia and Charlee joining our canoe party.

Ultimate!

Alaska map representation of where all of the students are from in Alaska. Pretty awesome!

Fall

Well, autumn has definitely arrived in all its glory. It's looking like it won't be much longer before winter rolls around though (there was snow on the Chugach mountains this morning), so I've been trying to get out and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. I've done a bit of berry picking for lingonberries, high bush cranberries, and currants, and Mary and I drove down to Seward last weekend for a final "hurrah!" before she moves up to Unalakleet. So, here is a hodgepodge of some of those pics! I hope everyone is doing well!

Lingonberries from Houston!

Beautiful fall colors in my back yard.

Playing with Osa and Kiana in the back yard. They'll be leaving in a couple of weeks when Mary moves to UNK. I'm going to miss those pups!

Our tiny little cabin in Seward.

Resurrection Bay, Seward.

So many cool murals in Seward!

Exit Glacier in Seward.

It's huge!

We took the tram up the mountain at Alyeska. Beautiful scenery!

Crow Pass

This past Saturday and Sunday, 5 friends and I set out on a 24 mile hike from Girdwood to Eagle River to experience "one of the best hikes in the Chugach Range", Crow Pass.  Every year in late July, there is a race along this trail, and people complete it in as little as 3 hours. We on the other hand, opted to do it in two days. And even that was tough (though we did have a bit more weight on our backs, to be fair...) Regardless, it was an awesome hike and we had a great time.

A major highlight was the wide variety of land that we passed through. We hiked ... up a steep incline, past an old mine, next to Crystal Lake, by Raven Glacier, across snow patches, over a bridge spanning a gorge, through thick mud and brush, past 6 black bears and 2 cubs (they were high up on the hillside, don't worry!), in deep woods with towering trees, by crashing waterfalls, through grass fields, across the glacier-fed Eagle River, and so much more. Needless to say, by the time we reached the last mile, we were ready to rest our feet! But it was an awesome experience to say the least. I am already looking forward to doing it again next summer :) Hopefully the pics will give you a glimpse of all the great sights we saw along the way!

A map to give you an idea of our trip.

The Group: Pierre the pup, Ingrid and Nathan Reep, Jason and Jami Bahmer, Julie Diercks, and Me!

Soaking in the beauty.

Looking back down toward Girdwood.

Taking a break at Crystal Lake.

Crow Pass.

Standing in front of Raven Glacier.

Rushing glacial water through the gorge.

Headed into the valley.

Our camp spot for the night 9 miles in. I didn't take any pics during the few miles prior to camp because it was all MUD.

Coffee to get us going in the morning. 15 miles to go.

Crossing Eagle River, fed by Eagle River Glacier. aka FREEZING water.

And some more river crossings.

Taking a much needed break.

24 miles and about hundred blisters later ... we made it to the end! Such a fun trip!

Fair flowers and fresh fegetables...vegetables.

One of my favorite parts about Alaska in the summer is all of the flowers and fresh vegetables! There are so many different types of wildflowers that grow throughout the summer – and they grow EVERYWHERE. Plus, in late spring our landlord built a few vegetable boxes, and now we have fresh veggies! We planted lettuce, kale, snap peas, green onions, broccoli (though it wasn't too successful), zucchini, and a bunch of flowers.

Not only that, but the other day I was riding my bike and I saw a sign for fresh produce just a little over a mile down the road from where I live. It was an idyllic little place called Larson's Nursery. They have all kinds of flowers and fresh produce to choose from. I talked for a while with the owner, and he said that on Saturday mornings, they have fresh strawberries, so needless to say, I will be back! Next time, I'll be sure to bring my camera so I can share what a great find this place is!

Wildflowers picked from along the road in front of my apartment.

Fireweed at Bible Camp in Unalakleet.

California Poppies in our garden!

Daisies from along the road!

Mary getting ready to chop some kale from our garden!

Lettuce from the garden.

Carrots and squash from Larson's Nursery, and kale and snap peas from our garden. YUMMO!

Let's try this again.

Hello friends and family,

If you are reading this, thank you! I realize I absolutely flopped in posting to my blog last year. I know that probably disappointed some of you – especially those of you who followed my blog while I studied abroad in Sweden, since I did so well at updating that one regularly. After giving it some thought though, I think the reason why I was so bad about updating this blog is because I live in Alaska, and this blog is about my life and ministry here. And its not that my Swedish blog wasn't. I definitely lived in and experienced Sweden. But its different, and I just didn't feel like I had enough to "update" you all on.

However, I am glad to say that I have realized a few things:
a) I am always learning and experiencing new things
b) I actually do enjoy blogging, and
c) I enjoy sharing my experiences with others, especially when I know how many of you are supporting me and my work in one way or another.

So, having said that, I am excited to "re-start" my blog for year number two! I hope you'll follow along!

~Lauren

PS- I'll put up a few pics that highlight the last few months...enjoy!

Unalakleet, AK from the Bering Sea in June.

King Crab!

A few of my Jr. High Campers at Covenant Bible Camp!

The CYAK/Bible Camp office in Unalakleet. I spent about 5 days in here coordinating plane travel for campers.

Back in the MatSu Valley hiking Lazy Mountain with Kara Bladel!

Beautiful Eklutna Lake. Went on a couple of bike rides here this summer with some friends!

In July, I went with some coworkers to a cabin 30 miles NW of Tok in the Alaska Range.

Hiking up Marmot Peak with Mary Helwig, and enjoying the greenery!!

Back to Unalakleet for Nick and Nikki Bruckner's wedding!

And Kylie and Austen Erickson's wedding too!

...and for Vision Camp – Bible Camp for young adults!

Lots of berry picking! Salmonberries, blueberries, and currents!

One of my favorite parts of summer in Alaska: Beautiful and abundant fireweed.