Pussycat

September 28-29

Monday morning, we woke up at 7 am. The sun wasn’t up yet. Funny. When we arrived in the Arctic, we fell asleep in the sunlight; on our departure, we awoke in the dark. We wanted to get an early start, but by the time Kurt dumped the trailer tanks, loaded some last minute items and I ran over to say goodbye to our RCMP neighbors, it was closer to noon. And of course, we had to say goodbye to the Hanthorns (Dan and Heather had already left for work). The hugs were going all around, and Ezra called out, “Lynn, don’t forget about me!” The snow was falling, as we climbed into the van, and the Hanthorn kids followed us out, shouting, “Goodbye, goodbye!”

We crossed the ferry with no trouble, and even though there was a fair bit of snow, the weather was amazingly calm through the mountain pass and gorge. The roads were frozen and the driving conditions had dramatically improved since my trip to Dawson.

We had to use chains twice on the hills, the first time only because a transpotr truck had stopped in front of us. When we stopped at the Arctic Circle for a photo op, Kurt heard a hissing sound. One of our trailer tires had a leak. We made it to Eagle Plains, 40 km away and Kurt had the tire repaired at the tire shop, while I fed the kids some hot stew from the hotel cafe. We didn’t even have to wait. By the time we ate, our trailer was ready to roll again. The Eagle Plains Hotel motto is “an oasis in the wilderness,” and it is very aptly named, simple as it is.

We also hit some heavy snowfall a couple of times, but there was no wind and it quickly let up. Several times in succession, Evangeline asked, not as a question, but more like a conversation “is the road nice, Daddy? The road. It’s nice?” By God’s grace and Paul’s chains, we reached the end of the Dempster (which Ezra calls the “Dumpster”). Paul said in any season, the Dempster can be a pussycat, but it can also be a tiger. We are thankful that the Dempster only gave us a few cat scratches.

Seeing the winter scenery along the Dempster Highway was an experience not to be missed. It was beautiful. It was also a wonderful perk to drive on the snow because there was NO DUST! Any McPherson resident I spoke to about the Dempster, said they prefer driving the Dempster in the wintertime, including the Aussies! The roads are smoother, there’s no dust and no one has to wait for a ferry (because of the ice road). Even more poignant, with as much fuss as we Southerners make over the dangers of the Dempster, the people who actually live it and experience in their daily lives, barely give it any mention at all. The only time Northerners pay it lip service, it seems, is when they’re ‘counselling’ a Southerner.

But I digress.

We reached Dawson and parked at Mel’s. Mel worked with Kurt at Johnson Point and had invited us to stay in his yard. Tuesday morning, Mel gave us a tour of the house he is building, right among the gold dredge tailings. We hit the road, stopping at Five Finger Rapids, so Bronwyn, Keegan, Mackenzie, Josiah, and Diana could hike, and then continued to Whitehorse. We went to my favorite bookstore (again) and then had a celebratory dinner for the completion of Kurt's Arctic work. And we are now going to have a much needed early night. Good night.

The Last Hurrah

September 28

It's here.

Today was our last day in Fort McPherson. It seems ages ago since we left home and yet it's hard to believe it's time to leave. There's mixed emotions on all accounts. We are going to miss our friends here, but we are anticipating many happy reunions at home as well.

I went over to the RCMP compound in the morning and cleaned as much as I could before church. Keegan came and helped. It's amazing how much time there is beforehand when church doesn't start until 1 PM. We ALMOST finished. The church was full for worship. There were more people today than I have seen, apart from the building project week. Paul preached on Hebrews; Kurt and the kids sang. I said goodbye to those I knew.

After church, Keegan, Bronwyn, and Mackenzie finished the last of the house cleaning. Just in time for supper too. To celebrate our last day here, we had a turkey dinner with the Hanthorns and Dan and Heather. I made cranberry sauce with the fresh cranberries I had received. Yum! It was all very delicious. We reminisced over our photo collection on the TV, and then the kids let off some steam with a snowball fight (even Ezra joined in).



I slipped away briefly because Rose had invited me for a last cup of tea. Then we all sat in the Hanthorns' living room and sang songs. To top it all off, Lynn and Paul and each of their children took turns telling us what they appreciated about each one of us and prayed for us individually. What an encouraging gesture and a humbling experience.



The kids filtered off to bed, and Lynn, Paul, Kurt, and I had our one and only visit together without the distractions of familial duties. It was a nice way to spend our last evening. But even good things come to an end, and we thought sleep might be in order before our departure.

Lord, I pray for the Hanthorns' ministry to continue to bear fruit, for the completion of the church building,for the strengthening of their faith and of those in their community, and for your Hand on them as they work, play, and worship. God Bless the Hanthorns.

Getting Ready to Roll

September 25-26



It’s getting close to our departure date and the packing has begun.. Chris, the police sergeant, was kind enough to let us stay in the RCMP house as long as we gave it a good clean before we left. For the past two days we have been busy in ‘our’ house, organizing our stuff and trying to clean around it in the process. No easy task. (Isn’t that right, Tanya and Cam?) I feel for Kurt. He just got back from his job on the Arctic Coast and jumped right into the chaos of our big move without so much as a breather. But he did sneak in a little nap.



Lynn invited us for supper on Friday night, which I really appreciated, so we could focus on our cleaning. Youth night followed right after our meal. I took the three ‘E’s home and Kurt stayed to watch a movie with the others. When it was over, he came back with Josiah, Diana, and Naomi, but Bronwyn, Keegan, and Mackenzie almost pulled an all-nighter. The Hanthorns told them it’s almost tradition to do so before their guests leave. But since we’re not leaving for a few days, Lynn thought they should pace themselves. “Why don’t you do half of your all-nighter tonight, and the other half tomorrow?” At least that’s what the kids said. At any rate, when Estelle finally fell asleep at 3 am, and the big guys still weren’t home, I decided to walk over to check on them. Lynn had gone to bed, forewarning my three that they had better be back on their doorstep at 3 am and not a minute later. (She drives a hard bargain, hey?) My guys were just heading out the door and we walked home together.

On Saturday, we woke up to snow on the ground and everything else. Winter has begun in Fort McPherson. Other than the snow, it was a mild, calm day. We continued cleaning, but after an exercise in futility working around our stuff, we made a quick decision to move everything in to the trailer, just before we headed to the Hanthorns for Esther’s 5th birthday party. Lynn had a houseful of people and was just waiting for the main course- from us. Kurt cooked salmon and salmon burgers for everyone and no one was the worse for waiting. We did the birthday thing- presents, cake, and games. And Josiah got some extra attention for being the birthday boy.



I had a nice visit with Mary C.and it was good to see Dan and Heather again, who are living at the Hanthorns again. The other missionaries, the Drosts, Daniel and his visiting sister, our neighbours, and some others from McPherson came too. It was amazing how we all fit inside Lynn and Paul’s house. After her house cleared, Lynn and I talked, Kurt tried to set up wireless internet for the church with Paul, and my 3 eldest continued the second half of their ‘all-nighter.’ When we do hit the road, I think there will be a lot of sleeping going on.

Double Digits

September 24



It was Josiah's tenth birthday. His birthday started off well, with his daddy being home and all. Kurt was calling Josiah's birthday "Deca-dude-da-day." Jo ate his requested breakfast-Froot Loops. I'm seriously thinking of reconsidering my "Eat whatever you want on your birthday" policy!

After breakfast, Josiah went on a scavenger hunt for his presents. Bronwyn did not disappoint. She made the hunt very hard, with some clues hidden inside hand cream containers and one was even inside a balloon. He loved it. I got him a pocket knife when I was in Dawson, which was a good thing, because he guessed what his gift was ahead of time.

Josiah got a custom made embroidered and monogrammed cap from the Tent and Canvas Shop. Naomi decided to get a bag too, since her birthday is going to be on the road. It looked like so much fun, Bronwyn decided to buy a bag for herself as well. And Kurt joined in and bought us a teepee!

Josiah kept thanking me for his birthday, and he said it was the best birthday he has ever had. He got his letter and gift inside from Grandpa on his birthday. (Good timing, Colin and Gerty!) Bronwyn also took Josiah to the Northern store and let him pick out a toy, and Keegan gave Jo his iPod. Aren't big brothers and sisters great?It doesn't get much better than that! Kenzie, Naomi, Diana, Ezra, and Evangeline blessed him in their special way as well, with encouraging notes and pictures.

The Hanthorns came over for supper and we had a steak and potato dinner. I saved the strip loin all summer so we could have it at the end. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The kids played inside and out. The festivities got a little out of hand, momentarily. Someone tripped, bonked their head, and there is now a dent in the wall in the boys' room. I guess a family of 11 people don't make the best house sitters. We played a game together, that involved racing to someone's empty seat, and it was a hoot!

Happy Double Digit Birthday, Josiah. I am so blessed to call you my son. You are a treasure from the Lord. I love you.

So Happy Together

September 23

Kurt called in the morning to say he was flying into Inuvik at 1:30 pm after spending the night in Yellowknife. There was a native conference in town, so all the hotels were full. Or should I say the decent ones. He got booked in a hotel room with cigarette burns in the floor, a broken down bed with springs he could feel in his back, and a noisy party next door. Kurt slept on top of the bedding because he didn’t want to risk crawling under the questionable covers. The hair on the pillow and under the sheets might have had something to do with it.

Lynn offered to come with me to Inuvik after our eventful drive from Dawson. I was grateful, especially with a baby in tow. Josiah wanted to come too. I’m sure he wanted to see his daddy, but he also offered to help out with Estelle. Awwww. The roads were rough from the start, but improved as I drove. I was still thankful for Lynn’s company, though. We had time to visit and she took the driver’s seat when Estelle got fussy. Kurt was waiting at the airport when we got there. It was so good to see him, but as soon as we were together again, it was like he had never left. We did some running around in Inuvik and it was a luxury when it was Kurt, and not I, who carried Estelle. We bought some pizza for the ride home, another luxury after living in McPherson.

When Kurt walked into the house, there was the usual tradition of card giving, hugs, and exclamations of “DADDEEEEEEEEE!” The kids gave him a tour of the house and got Kurt up to date on all their activities. But he was hard pressed to hear it all when the little ones were all talking to him simultaneously. Estelle decided to make Kurt feel really at home by keeping the two of us up until 3 am. (We found out in the morning the reason why- her second tooth broke through.)

It still hasn’t really sunk in that Kurt is done his work up here. No more 3 week stints without a husband and daddy. No more flights to and fro. No more time apart. So happy together. Now all we have to do is pack up all our belongings after 4 months of Northern living. How long do you think that will take?

Caribou!

September 21-22

Paul invited Keegan and Bronwyn to go caribou hunting on the 22nd. They were more than eager to go along. Since we did not bring all the necessary paraphenalia for keeping warm, Paul outfitted them in good, warm, winter gear. Joel was overjoyed to have his first opportunity of the season to use his Ski-doo. Annah, Judah and some friends in McPherson were also part of the hunting party.

The roads were still rough, wet, and slippery, and Paul's van and trailer got stuck on the ferry landing. Deja-vu. The trailer had to be unhitched, and after over an hour of towing and maneuvering, they crossed the river and headed south. They drove to the mountains. The wind was blowing and there was at least a foot of snow, probably more. Paul hitched a sled to the snowmobile and the hunt began. They spotted three caribou and headed in their direction. As the hunting party approached, 70 caribou came out of the bush. Joel managed to get a caribou before they all ran in different directions. Because of the delay at the ferry, they didn't have as much time to hunt as they would have liked but it was a good, successful excursion. Keegan and Bronwyn were so fatigues when they got home,, they fell into bed and I had to wait until morning to hear of their adventure.

I have to say it is interesting to witness a culture that is still very tied to the land. The people in McPherson follow the migration of the Porcupine Caribou herd, and from what I can tell, most depend on the caribou for their meat supply. When the caribou are running, the hunters are out in droves. Joel, Annah, and Ruth might even have an opportunity to go on a community hunt that is going to give all the meat to elders, single mothers, and those too ill to acquire the meat for themselves.

Many people also go and live "on the land," as it's called. During the summer months, many Gwich'in people go out into the bush and sustain themselves on whatever they can catch or pick,, sometimes for a month or two at a time.

We are learning so much! Thank God for the caribou!

Home Alone

September 16-20 (Kids’ version)

The kids had a remarkably smooth weekend without parental supervision. It was hard to leave, though. Just as I was climbing into Lynn’s van, Mackenzie came out with Evangeline, who was sobbing, “Mommeeeee! Mommeeeeee!” I gave her one last kiss and said goodbye. It was comforting to know that Paul and Heather were not far away if a need arose.

Friday must have been uneventful for my gang, because none of them seem able to recall what they did. On Saturday, Kylin, from next door came over and played for 5 hours.

On Saturday evening, the kids went over to the church to clean and set up for Sunday morning. The kids played games while Bronwyn, Ruth, and Paul practiced songs for church. Mackenzie and Keegan watched Dan mud the drywall for a while. They had a good time but their highlight was eating ice cream. Diana bought ice cream with her birthday money from Grandpa to share with her friends. She had $50 to spend. Three 2L tubs and a container of gummy worms later, her money was all spent. Paul smeared ice cream on his forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin, and warned the kids not to get ice cream on their faces. Then, Paul licked out his bowl and said to Evangeline, “Now, Evangeline, don’t lick your bowl like I am.” Bronwyn, Mackenzie, and Diana stayed a little longer to clean up after their ‘party’ and Keegan, bless his heart, took the little guys home and gave them baths.

My troop walked to church on Sunday morning through the snow. Ruth and Mackenzie made pancakes for the Sunday School. Evangeline walked up to Paul and said, “My mommy is gone. My daddy is gone.” It’s like a cry for help, don’t you think? Bronwyn said Ezra and Evangeline have never been so well-behaved during church. With no Mommy around, there was no lap to fight over and they cuddled with Keegan and Mackenzie. Instead of a sermon, Paul and Dan shared how God has been working in their lives. Dan explained how God orchestrated his move to McPherson with Heather and Ruth. Paul shared a story as well.

“Two years ago,” Paul said (or something to the effect), “Someone invited me to their church down south to share our plans for building a church. I didn’t know what to say, but I told them what I could. When I finished, all in attendance seemed very interested and asked what they could do to help. They were instrumental in the building of this church. If it hadn’t been for them…” While Bronwyn was listening, she was thinking, “Wow, that sounds like a great church. ” Then Paul said, “It was the Kures’ church, Kurt was the one who invited me, and Michele and Les were at the meeting.” (Were you there too, Elbert?) Bronwyn was, needless to say, very surprised. Lynn and I were talking this week, as well, and she said that if it hadn’t been for Sarah’s bout with cancer, Paul wouldn’t even have been there. God can certainly work ALL things for the good to those who love Him!

After church, Mackenzie, Josiah, Diana, Naomi, and Ezra went to the neighbours’ house for Rayden’s birthday. They had a great time with all the food, goodie bags, and games. Inge told me later that Ezra spent most of his time chatting with her at the kitchen table. That’s my boy….

When I got home after midnight, everyone was still up except for Ezra and Diana. There were hugs all around and we stayed up even later to talk and catch up. There’s no place like home….even when you’re not at ‘home.’