Metlakatla Fishery

Okay, so I finally finished blogging the Mexico episode of our life. But, there's still a lot of things I haven't written about yet. My schedule finally caught up with me and it's been pretty hectic trying to balance work at Knudson Cove with finishing up school and all the other projects I've got going on.

So, when we got back from Mexico, I still hadn't completely finished unpacking when the fam. announced that we were heading out to Metlakatla to pack fish for a couple weeks. So I threw everything back in my suitcase and we were gone the very next day. We left Jo at home; she had to work...

Dad and I drove the boat out to the bay where the fisherman were and the next couple days we spent waiting...

and waiting...

It wasn't like we didn't have anything to do though. We played Risk. ...again and again. And by the end of day-2 we were all hating each other pretty bad. Our conversations would be peppered with 'who really should have gotten Europe' and 'how it wasn't fair to hole up in Australia' and such... :)

Getting the boat ready for buying fish.

It was in the middle of the night when the first boat came to give us fish. We all stumbled out of our bunks and clambered up to the deck and pulled on our gloves, ready to work. The whole seascape was black, spattered by the lights of the boats spread across the bay. Scales flew through the air as the fish slid down the de-water box and into the tank. Mom watched Sam in the galley and made up hot dogs and coffee for the fishermen. Emma wrote fish tickets. Paul ran the fish-pump. I operated the weigh-box and tied up boats. Dad ran the hydraulics and kept everything in order, and Johnny hosed off the deck between loads.

Steadying the weigh box.

When we actually got to do some of the work in the day time, it's was amazingly beautiful out. The sun graciously brought out the smell of the herring though as well as the warm weather. None of us really minded though- the nice day was way worth the reek of fish. :)

The best meal in the world ;).

Goodbyes -Part 4-

This is the POST-MEXICO shot of all the kids that went down to Mexico. Yes, a little more sunburnt and quite exhausted (which explains the hot-tub format of the shot).

But, before we found ourselves back in the RUSH of the states again, there were goodbyes to be said. Lots and Lots of goodbyes.
-

On the last day in Mexico, our team went to the homes of the families of each kid that had come to the camp.
Before we got out of the van, the camp instructors talked to us a long time, preparing us for the vist. I doubt any of us were really ready for everything that we ran into that day. We'd all seen pictures of towns like the one we were about to enter... we thought we were completely prepared. But seeing pictures and actually BEING there are two completely differant things.

Two of the things that they told us were 1). not to feel 'sorry' for the families that we saw. For they were placed in their situations by God, and He's got everything in His hands and it's all a part of His perfect plan. and 2). we should be especially cheerful, dispite the goodbyes and our new surroundings.

Jo, with Dania and the rest of her family.

We walked from house to house in the small commuty. And at each place one of the team memebers and their 'nino' would have to say goodbye. As we walked on to the next place, the tears would have to be wiped away and cheerful smiles put in their place.

Some of the homes were trailers patched up with tarp, others, plywood structures the size of a small room. But at each place the family would welcome us with open arms. When we asked for prayer requests all they wished was our safty... each mother, or parent was tearful with gratitude and there was no way our hearts couldn't have broken.

The 'nino's didn't want us to go, or ever forget them. Many of them exchanged their name tags for ours, or gave us things that were really special to them. At each home we'd give the kid a bag of things that we'd compiled especially for them, and to the whole family we'd present a food bag.

Dayanah and I. Probably the best and worst moment of my life.

Right before we got in the vans to leave, she came running down the hill with a letter wrapped around a little chocolate. And right when I thought the tears were all gone, they came right back again :).

One of the houses that we visited insisted on feeding us lunch. It was amazing. Deep fried oysters and home made tortiallas and salsa. The hospitality of every family was beyond touching.

On the van ride back to the camp it was the quitest 30 minutes any of us had spent yet. More tears, comitments that we'd never again take for granted the things that we have... and it was good that we all had eachother to lean on and talk with about the incredibly amazing day we'd just spent.

I think all of us agreed that until you've been there in a place like that and had a relationship with someone like that, you'll never completely understand the feeling of love for that person and place, nor will you fully understand the impact of their situation upon your own life.

The next morning we got up early, had to say goodbye again- this time to the Genesis Diez staff and the camp that had been our home for the past week. We started the long drive back to the states. This time we went back up through Tiajuana. That was another experience in itself. There were people EVERYWHERE, vending their things, and knocking on you car windows.

But nevertheless, we made it back to San Diego all in one piece. The next few days we spent relaxing before flying back up to Ketchikan.

GOODBYE MEXICO

-The End- (finally)

:)

Mexico - Part 3 -

Construction, Cuisine and Campfire

During the afternoons, our team was put to work on construction jobs around the camp. Several of us were lining the outdoor showers with new tarp:

Nailing up the walls.

We gathered all our own fire wood and found the chore was much different from the way it's done in Alaska. Everything was dry as bone, and when we'd pick the fallen branches up off of the sandy ground we often see the tail end of an escaping lizard.

It didn't take long to work up a good sweat, working under the hot Mexico sun.

Others of us spent construction time painting things like the outhouses and picnic tables.

Us with our two amazing construction leaders. The one in brown is Enrique, and he helped some of us in preparing some new dorms. The one beside him is Tony. Tony worked with those of us re-doing the showers- He was an amazing inspiration, and as we were working not only would he joke around and make it fun, he'd bring up biblical applications and he really influenced our spiritual walk as well.

And now about the Food! - I think a lot of us went down to Mexico thinking that our meals would probably be meager and we'd probably have to force down a lot of stuff that we wouldn't want to eat. Boy, were we wrong! The cooks at the camp were absolutely amazing, and the Mexican dishes were fabulous and plentiful! We got to eat things like Shark Tacos (pictured above), cactus and cheese, and lots more. And of course, just about every meal came with yummy tortillas, beans and sometimes rice.

Our lovely outdoor mess hall!

Helping the staff BBQ some steak.

At the end of every day, we'd all come to the fire pit and sit around the blazing fire under the stars, swapping stories about the day and singing songs. During the span of the whole week, we each shared our testimonies. It was an amazing time of fellowship; laughing together and times, and crying together at others.

(the crew that painted the outhouses and picnic tables during construction also painted one of the benches as the 'Alaska Team' bench, and all of our names are still scrawled all over that long blue bench by the fire) :)

It was rather cold at night, and we always made sure to 'blanket up' before coming to 'campfire'.

We also were each given devotions to do during some time in the day, and often a couple of us would sit together on the benches by the empty fire pit and have a beautiful and peaceful time meditating on God and His Word.

There's nothing like a good group singing around a camp fire to end a beautiful day.

Part 4 -Goodbyes- Coming up!