Q&A PART 5

And so, it is Monday. Which means another Q&A is here! Sadly this is the second to last one. (Unless more questions come in). So, enjoy this while it lasts.

What kind of work can we expect from you in the future?

You can expect a lot from me. There probably won’t be a ton at first, as I need to get stock footage and photos first. But as of last, I had a list of 16 promotional videos. Those probably wont be done for some time. There will be a lot of other projects that you will see almost instantly. If you are there for the summer, you will see newly designed HUMAN STRATEGO cards that I had designed. Then there are some ministry cards that I just sent in. These cards have Victory’s Mission/Values/Vision on them. They will get passed out to counselors and be available for anyone to pick up at Victory.
As for when I get to Victory. The Alaska state fair booth is a big project. I have an overhaul of it that should look cool if it works out. There is also the brochures that I will be making for various retreats and promotions. Then, we have camps Facebook and the website that I will be adding media to. My biggest goal is to be showing people the many projects that are going on at camp. We had our airstrip worked on, and I don’t think many people knew about that. There is so much that is going on that our supporters and people associated with Victory don’t know about. My goal is to keep them in the loop.
Other than that, there are some other projects up my (rolled up) sleeves. I don’t have anything set in stone on them, or even if it will be possible. It would be really cool if I can get this project to work. It would be a ton of fun and keep you guys informed about whats going on, as well as giving you a good laugh.

What does a typical day look like for Daryl?

If you are talking about camp and the full-time position in public relations, I am not sure what to expect. There is one thing that is certain, and that is our morning (except staff meeting days), we meet around the fireplace in Miracle Lodge to start off our day in prayer. Other than that, my days will consist of design material for advertising and promotions, as well as updating everyone on what is going on at Victory. The occasional meeting. As well and video taping, taking pictures and posting tons of media online. There is also the tasks that come with snow during the winter, as well as helping maintain the facilities throughout the year. When guest groups are in, my days will then shift to focus on the groups that are in. That means cooking, busing tables, washing dishes, and my favorite... making coffee. I can’t leave out 3pm. That’s coffee time. Other than that, there might be the occasional trip to Fairbanks to visit Li-Wa and do a project here or there. But nothing is typical. Every day is up in the air. There are days where I walk in, and I am put on task to drive to town the next day in our weekly Costco/Sysco run. Then there is summer, which is never really scheduled out. If it is, it is in pencil. Plus weekend camper runs. Yeah. So, that is a brief and unorganized overview of a typical day for me. Each day is unique in itself. Ministry is/can be chaos. But it is how you handle the chaos and run with it that matters the most.

Are you excited to be working there for God or are there places you would rather be heading off to?

If I got a call saying that support was raised and I could leave for Alaska, I would leave ASAP. It is what I am called to do. I have looked into other ministries and camps. In the end, God keeps pointing me back to Victory.

There is a joy about serving at Victory. Even when it comes to the nitty gritty work. Everyone there is there to serve God, no matter what. During the internship at Victory, I got a chance to work various areas of camp. There were jobs we loved, and jobs we didn’t care to do again. But when you are working at the ministry, there is a sense of joy in service. What you are doing is part of glorifying God.  A sense that what I did was glorifying God, and I can be an example to those around me. This was even true of when I was working retail. I don’t really want to be anywhere but up at Victory at this time. I know it is where God is calling me.

Can you describe a gross camper story? Vomit, weird smells...

This wasn’t while I was at Victory. But during a summer at LeTourneau (NY), I heard a girl break both her wrists. That noise was awful. We were doing a backward running relay race... she tripped. You can fill in the rest.
Other than that, I don’t really have any gross stories. No vomiting, or weird smells. Sorry.

But there was the one time that there was the fire in the bathroom at Frontier Camp. Steven Cornfield and I got some minor smoke inhalation. I was puking and had trouble breathing. Weird taste in my mouth for days. (The fire extinguisher shot repellant out in a spray/cloud instead of a stream)

What is the deal with 3pm coffee?

“It is not an addiction, it is a tradition”

There are many stories and legends to how this started. But I believe this started when a particular British-American once shook his mug and declared it empty. It seems they have a tradition with tea. But he needed something stronger. And I had coffee. I brought my Starbucks 32oz french press up for the summer, and I had saved all my free bags of coffee from my job at Starbucks. In all, we had 13 pounds of coffee for that summer. We went through close to probably 16 pounds in the end. But I would brew some during the afternoon, and my friend Shutter and I would have a cup to relax for a moment, and mark what would be the push till we got done late at night. With a 32oz press, there is extra after you serve two mugs, so I offered some to our glorious British Ally... Andy. It then started to become an allotted time during the day (phone calls, radio calls, yelling calls signifying, it was 3pm). Then it became a briefing time. We talked over work, what was going on, planning projects, and much more. Plus it gave us time to go “whew”... and relax a bit. It just stuck. I think that it has faded over the years. I think the absence of our British Monarch keeping us aware of the time had made us slip up on when we brewed the coffee. It just became whenever this last summer. It might get back into swing once I’m back. We’ll see.

Well, there you have it. Q&A #5. What I will do int he future (after #6), is maybe add a question or two to the bottom of a post here, or make a post in itself. These have been fun, and I hope these have been informative. Thanks again for all your questions.

-Daryl

P.S.- Its 3pm somewhere in the world, go have a cup of coffee. Take a break. Contemplate what God is teaching you today.