September 8, 2019

Northern High-Lights 8.0 September 8, 2019 https://northernhigh-lights.blogspot.com/

Rev. Jeff Childs, Mission Volunteer

After returning from my trip up to Nome, I had a couple days to work around camp before my younger daughter Ellen and here fiancé Paul came for a visit Labor Day weekend. With some weather delays for them leaving Boston they arrived a day later than planned but we still had 3 fantastic days to enjoy one another’s company and to see most of the things we wanted to see. Near here we went to a musk ox farm and walked among the pens and fields housing about 30 animals. We took a whole day to drive up to Denali National Park, but with the clouds we did not see the tallest mountain in North America, but we did see several wild animals along the 6-hour bus route into and back out of the park. There were moose, Grizzly bears, caribou and mountain sheep. And on the way back down here we drove by a mama black bear and two cubs along side of the road. We also passed through an area that had been hit by a forest fire. There were many hand painted signs along the road thanking the firefighters and several places we saw where trees had been felled by the road to make a fire break at the road, and around individual homes. But we also saw where the fire breached the road and a couple homes that were burned up in the fire. We were blessed to also have a good day to walk out on a glacier – something that was on my bucket list.

After they flew home I got back to work helping to clean out and straighten up the pole barn to make room for two trucks and the 4-wheeler for the winter – yes winter is coming though I do not know if I will see the first snow fall before I leave in 5 weeks. The leaves are falling. Around here there are mostly birch and aspen trees and so the fall color is yellow. I miss the maples and oaks! This week I had the task of spraying the exteriors of all the 19 wooden and log buildings and cabins for carpenter ants. My arms and hands ached from carrying the gallon spray jug and hose around. It would not have been so bad if I just sprayed around the base of the buildings, but at times I was reaching up over my head to cover all the way up and down all the walls.

This weekend I was to host a large group of men at camp, but they had misread the contract and thought they had signed up for next weekend! There is already a group signed up for next weekend, but the staff are working out how to accommodate two groups in one weekend. I’ll let you know how that goes next time.

But with a “free” weekend, I was blessed to check another item of the old “Bucket List.” Since my army days, I had wanted to jump out of an airplane. Forty years later the opportunity came this weekend. The camp director’s husband has been doing some skydiving and earlier this summer took several interns to experience it as well. I had told him I would go later and so he arranged it for me for Saturday morning. He drove me out to the Palmer, AK airport where I got to fill out a lengthy document to absolve them from liability if I should die from the experience. That was a bit unnerving, to say the least! I watched a video about the dive. This group does tandem dives. You are attached in your harness to the experienced jumper behind you who has the para shoot. I got into a jumpsuit and harness and practiced the arching of the back and raising arms and legs back to cause the wind draft to allow you to fall forward towards the ground. 

We went in the second lift off of the plane and I was up front seated backwards on the seat of the aircraft next to the pilot. My partner and I would be the first out of the plane. One other novice and his partner would go second. The four of us pretty well packed the plane. Rain clouds were coming in as we got to about 7500 feet – below the planned 10,000 feet for the jump. We each turned around to face forward and crept forward on our knees to get close to the door. When my partner cinched us tightly together, I could only take short breaths and my knees and thighs began to ache. But the pilot opened the door and I swung my feet out onto the small platform to the rear of the door and when my partner was fully out behind me, he pushed off and we began to fall – fast. The wind and cold rain hit my face. I was glad the suit came with goggles. After a few seconds he pulled the rip cord and the shoot opened and we were jerked into a slower descent. He loosened the straps so I could relax and breathe freely and just enjoy the view. The small mountain range was eye level and I did have a bird’s eye view of the airport, town and river valley below. We hit the ground right on target between the taxi way and the runway. All in all a thrill of a lifetime – or until the next thrill on my bucket list.

Besides the larger Alaskan wildlife I have also seen some of the smaller ones. One of my jobs has been some pest control as we have had shrews in the dining hall and kitchen area which I have trapped and removed. But this afternoon as I sat by the swimming area basking in the afternoon sun, a curious ermine kept running upon the deck to take a quick look at me before scurrying off to come out from another angle for a better view. Here it is standing up on its hind legs to better size me up.

After two months with only a couple days of rain, there are 8 days of rain in the upcoming 10-day forecast. As we approach the end of summer the days are getting shorter, cooler and the nights are dipping into the low 40’s. (I am glad there is a heater in my trailer.) No matter what the work is for this week, I have my rain gear ready to go.

The General Board of Global Ministries notified me that I had a couple more people support me as a missionary last month at https://advance.umcmission.org/p-642-mission-volunteers-individual-volunteers.aspx  Once again allow me to say “Thank you” to all my supporters. And thank you all - for your prayers and for reading my blog. I am blessed to be “living the dream!”