The Frozen Chosen

It was minus 25 degrees below zero F. ( minus 33 C.) on the sign at the Dental Office on the Steese Hwy this morning. A friend of mine just got home from a well deserved rest in Hawaii. When he got off the plane it was minus 38 degrees F.–the cold hit him like a frozen slap in the face. Those of you who have never experienced (and do not want to) this kind of bitter cold may say we are crazy to live here. It is hard on cars and harder on exposed flesh but it is our home. I have found there are some really warm hearted people here–it makes up for the cold outside.

There is a handful of these warm hearted souls that will be traveling to Indonesia on Friday. There are eight from Alaska and one from Illinois that will be a part of a short-term team. We will be thawing in the heat of the tropical islands of Indonesia. We plan to work with the Children’s Home staff to upgrade them on the early childhood development training. The medical workers on the team will be training the medical staff and working with tropical diseases such as malaria, leprosy and dengue fever. We will also be evaluating some engineering projects. Then three members of the team will be encouraging the entire staff with teaching from the Bible. This will be a rewarding time of sharing gifts, skills and teaching. We will shed our parkas for t-shirts and walking shorts. We hope to bring warmth and friendship from the frozen arctic.