Summer 2K14

Wow time has gotten away from me. One minute we are expecting summer leadership to arrive, then camp is starting tomorrow. Life went from some-what quiet and learning my job to relearning AV team and joining on with summer leadership.

(Sorry if doesn't flow or grammatically sound right. Sinus issues and a cold are clouding me.)

This week started with an interesting turn of events. Sunday night saw temps drop, causing us to get around 7 inches of snow. Unlike the normal powder that Alaska gets, this was the heavy, packable kind I'm used to from PA. By Tuesday, most of the snow was gone. It was a fun little treat while it lasted, and a fun surprise for the summer staff that are from states that don't get snow.

Camping out is always a plus in my book. The staff hiked to Hikes Creek for our campout and to get Ranch's campsite set up. My little Eureka! tent gave me a comforting home feel. And it was fun building fires and tying knots again (a reviving of my Scout skills).

Week one is going to be interesting. Along with relearning AV and doing ministry work, I'll be the fill in drummer for the worship team. I'm praying that God will give me the strength to push through and not get burned out in week one.

I wish I could tell you more, but mentally my mind is clouded with this cold. Be praying for the summer staff and that God will give them strength, guidance and wisdom as they preform their camp duties. Pray that the kids coming to camp be open to the gospel, and that lives be changed. Pray for campers as some will return home to some rough situations. Keep me in prayer as I juggle ministry work, summer work, support raising and more throughout the summer. I thank you all for your continued prayers and support. It is greatly appreciated. God is doing an amazing work and continues to show lead me as I serve here at Victory.

Grace & Peace,
- Daryl H.

Observations In The Evening

It is evenings like these in which I fall in love with Alaska all over again. There is something about taking a short walk at 10:30pm in the still lit night, fog has settled over the surrounding peaks. There is a mist in the air. It's cold moist breathe cuts through any permeable layer as the wind gently pushes it across your face. You don't know whether to put up your hood, or keep it down. Broken sprinkling of snow show on mountain edges as they slowly reveal then disappear in the evening fog. It's hard to believe that yesterday it was 85 degrees during lunch, and now it is 40. In town today it was 68. While driving back into the mountains, you can smell the rain just as it is visible on the range in front of you. As you ascend, the air turns cool; moisture cuts through your skin. At first it is a sprinkle, then a light shower. The dust dances as droplets try to dampen it's dry erred surface. Soon, the dust dances no more. The rain stops, leaving a chorus of birds chirping in the blue dusk. This is Alaska. It's unpredictable at times, but yet lovely. If you stop and observe, it has a way of branding your mind with memories and you fall in love with it.

Camera couldn't get a clear shot with the mist.
Fresh snow on Victory peak.

Goodnight from Alaska.

Grace & Peace,
Daryl J. Howard

Knolling

Good morning from Alaska. It is evident that spring has set in and summer is fast approaching at Victory. Over the weekend, last remnants of ice broke up and melted off the lakes. Trumpeter swans, have taken residence in shallow lake; beavers scavenge the shores of Index lake; while the crisp morning silence is broken by the call of a lune. It's also a comfort to see the little death machines (mosquitos) have dwindled in numbers. The name may sound odd, but after you have been awoken out of your sleep by the high frequency hum of this tiny irritant, and as you watch a freshly swatted fiend rise back up to strike again, you start to give them fun nicknames.

One clear sign that summer camp is around the corner is the now pieced together dock at waterfront. Tuesday a group of us went down to waterfront and moved the dock pieces into the water. With many hands makes light work. This is true when it comes to the dock (if you have all the pieces), and moving hay in the barn.

One little interest of mine is pocket dumps, EDCs and knolling. Within the last year this has perked my interest. I blame my frequent visits to Tested.com to starting this spark of interest. It was all because they mentioned knolling and I had no idea what it meant. What is knolling you may ask. Well, it is a form of organization and inventory. You put away what you are not using, then organize everything that you are using. I'm not OCD by the definition, but when doing a pocket dump or showing off an EDC (Every Day Carry), you can't help but knoll.

Pocket Dump: EDC 001

I've recently been digging into Paul's letters to the churches. It is interesting to see how the first church grew. Paul's corrections and affirmations in His letters show how each group of believers had to inventory and knoll what they believed and were practicing. This is true about where I am right now. As I have had to adjust to life and work in Alaska, I've had to leave behind and put away things that aren't important or pertinent to what I am doing, then inventory and put everything else in its' place. The experience isn't easy by any means. Though there are physical things that were left in PA and things that I am looking to dispose of right now, there are many spiritual and life plans that need to be sorted out and evaluated. I'm just blessed to have such a great group of believers around me that I can dialog with, and hear sound advice or get some much needed prayer. I shared on a podcast question of the week that this next year is going to be a defining year. This year is going to reshape who I am. I'm not sure where this life knolling is going to take me, but I'm sure God is enjoying looking at the EDC He is creating in me.

Grace & Peace,
Daryl J. Howard

April Thaw Brings Mud

To quote the poet Robert Plant

“We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun...”
Plant wasn’t talking about Alaska, but fitting words for Alaska. 

Ice breaking up on Shallow Lake

The thermometer memory shows the low at 31 degrees during some point in the last seven days and a high of 77. Interesting swing in weather we are having. Daily walks to work in the morning have me either wearing a light jacket or a technical fleece. By lunch, it is sometimes returned home and placed on the coat rack.  

Kenai

The road to Miracle Lodge

Looking back toward Alpine & Kenai

Miracle peeking through the trees as I walk to work

Miracle Lodge

There is a certain convenience with living where you work. From Kenai (my rustic Alaskan bachelor cabin) to desk is a short walk that takes only a handful of minutes. A far cry from the half hour commute in PA. The surroundings have greatly changed since driving through the gates in late March. Roads around camp were snow-packed for the first few weeks. Stepping off a path meant getting into snow as high as your knee in areas. Then came break-up and the mud. You can tell where you have driven by the color of mud on you vehicle. The roads at camp have a silk grey color. A less saturated color compared to the light earthy brown color from the Kenai driveway. Driving to the end of the airstrip and back toward wilderness campout will yield a tan colored earth. The kids doing a donation car wash loved the muddy vehicle I blessed them with, and evidence of my journeys were washed away.

A moose by off the side of the airstrip

Work is starting to take form. There are a few project request forms chilling in the processing file.
Unlike many forms of work where you can just get a cup of coffee or a small soda to give yourself a boost when feeling burned out, design work gives mental fatigue. Adding more caffeine only worsens creative block. As the work starts to come in, I have to start tracking my mental hours to map how much fatigue I am putting on my mind. There are times where I will leave the office and retreat to a place of refreshment. Then, in the evening hours, my creativity will catch a second wind, and the creative process continues. 

This week welcomes in another milepost in the journey we take here at Victory. Outdoor Education groups started to arrive the evening of Cinco de Mayo. For two weeks different school groups will come through our gates. Some students will be familiar with the surroundings. As past campers, they will share memories with classmates. And in return, classmates will return home wishing to return to camp with friends. For others, this may be the first time they have ventured this far out of the “city”. No matter the amount of familiarity or not to Victory, Outdoor Ed is a great tool to teach kids about the outdoors, as well as showing them a place to escape for the summer. 

Many ask what it is like to go through the light change here in Alaska. Not like popular belief, Victory is in an area that doesn’t go through periods of no sun or all sun. When I arrived in late March, the sunlight was almost identical to that of Pennsylvania. As each day went on, we gained 4 to 5 minutes of light. Now we have the sun set around 9:15pm, and it rise back up around 7am. During Summer Solstice, the sun will dip behind the horizon, though it will look like dusk during the midnight hours. It’s a little hard to get used to as my body won’t shut down till late, then wants to get up around 5am right now. During the winter, it will be a different story as we will lose direct sunlight for a few weeks. For your viewing pleasure, here is a shot of what it looks like at 10:45pm (no touch-ups to the photo).

Outside Miracle Lodge looking down into the conference side of camp

I'm thank all of you for your continued prayers and support. Though it is taking some time to adjust to the work I do here, it is a blessing serving here. And yes, I know the title doesn't rhyme. 

Grace & Peace,
Daryl J. Howard

A short hike can yield some great views

Adjusting

Greetings & happy resurrection weekend!

All is quiet at Victory Bible Camps & Conference Center. For the staff here, it is a much needed time slotted with no guest groups on site. This allows them to get away as families and get some refreshment before the spring/summer sessions & groups. As for me, my mind is like a flywheel. It is just getting going.

Snow still blanks much of the ground here at Victory. In the morning it can be a little treacherous when walking to the office. Much of what melts during the day turnings into ice during the cold overnights. But as the temperature starts to rise during the day, the walk between work and home becomes slush and mud.

Work is slowly taking shape. It is taking a little to get in the swing of things. Going from standing behind a espresso bar to sitting behind a computer screen is a mighty big change. Many of those that saw me work at the coffee shop were amazing at what it took to craft an espresso drink. You would probably yawn and go out of you mind if you had to shadow me. It's a complete pace change. My skill and mind are some what out of practice. But that is slowly changing. Hope to share some work with you as things get finalized.

With spring comes the winter thaw. And with the thaw comes waterline issues. For me, this makes two since I got here. The first was discovered after midnight when water started coming into my bathroom. A little 1am trenching in ice session occurred to prevent any further flooding. Thankfully it was only a valve connecting to my cabin that thawed, showing us that it was left open. After that quick fix, it was back to normal in Kenai (my little cabin). Than last weekend came the next little issue. A seal on some piping came loose, causing us to loose pressure, as well as loose much of the water out of our tank. The problem was quickly found, and maintenance went to work. Now water is running fine.

Work on finding the water leak
(My cabin "Kenai" in back ground)

Mark working around our Alaskan bandaid

Maintenance staff doing what they do best

Mark and Chris shaping some piping on site

End results. Glad they didn't use my cabin to fill in the hole

Living in Alaska has it's perks and quirks. In this little segment I want to point out some fun things I am learning about as I adjust to life here. Perk: awesome scenery. Quirk: little shrew that is being very brave for a rodent. Perk: a lot of quiet time. Quirk: Small septic tank = tossing the wash water outside.

In all honesty it is fun. I don't mind the quirks what so ever. It is humbling being in the position I am, and taking everything with a grin and coping with it. But with that, be praying for my septic system. It's having some issues which makes us have to pump it very frequently.

Hope you enjoyed this little post. Can't wait to continue to share what is going on, and what God is doing here in Alaska. Don't forget to visit Victory Bible Camps & Conference Center on Facebook. We are starting to post information on summer, as well sharing some of what is going on behind the scenes.

Grace & Peace,
Daryl J. Howard

P.S.- Forgot to mention. I'm officially Alaskan (document wise). My car and I are both licensed here.

Behind the Scenes

What you are going to see on this blog is hopefully going to be a good look at what is going on at Victory, as well as the work I am doing here at Victory. Behind the photos, videos, stories and of course the breath-taking scenery shots is a project of rebuilding and renewal. Upon returning to PA in order to raise support, I found myself creating bad habits and building upon ones already instilled in me. Then came the call to Alaska. Support isn't at 100% and I'm honestly insecure in my abilities. With coming to Alaska there is a joy of serving with amazing group of believers and reaching the people of Alaska, but there is also the newly formed struggle that will happen with finances as tight as they are. Over the next few months, I will face some of the hardest times of my life, and I welcome them. They say don't ask God for patience. I asked God to show me what it means to be a better steward of what He has given and will give, as well as what it means to rely on Him fully. What a reality as I had to leave a bunch of things in PA and my budget is completely shredded to a basic needs list, and I wonder how some needs will be met. But within this reality that would make people upset comes a peace knowing there is no escape from this, and it shall be met with welcoming open arms.

It's funny how sometimes we don't need to ask God for some nugget of truth or a reminder of His control. Most of the time we just need to open our eyes and become aware of what God is doing around us or saying each day. There is one particular verse that is underlined in my Bible. Not sure why it is underlined, but it is for a good reason. Before my trip this verse came up in devotionals. Lately it keeps popping up in letters, messages, cards, etc. So obviously, this verse is meant to be my motto as I go forward.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,

for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

- 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)

As God sends me forward, no matter what happens, this time here in Alaska will not be useless, but a joyful offering to God.

Grace & Peace,

Daryl J. Howard

The Beginning

This week was the official start to the working at Victory. For many that start a new job, there is a lot of learning the ins and outs of the daily job. This was true of some areas this week. But in reality there is a lot that will have to be learned and figured out along the way. And with a unique job at Victory, there is more than just PR work that will be done during my time here.

To start off my work here, there was a simple shaking off the dust by putting together a slideshow that will run on a loop for the fundraiser banquet next week. Once I remembered what I needed to do, it became an afternoon project. Other projects had me reworking our name tag template so it works across all the campus computers, and is able to be worked and printed by anyone from pro to novice.

The actual work week actually started with sitting in on the CCCA conference hosted at Victory. I chose to sit in on CCCA president Gregg Hunter's talk(s) on "Branding" and "Tell You Story". This got a lot of gears turning on some project ideas that will take some time to develop and get out. Time was also spent meeting with various camp staff from all over Alaska, as well as sharing resources, ideas and praying for each other.

Away from the PR/media work, there was learning the ropes of guest service duties. Since getting here, there have only been a handful of days that there hasn't been guests on the grounds. As one group leaves, another arrives. This is becoming the norm here as groups see the potential Victory has for hosting groups.

To add a little excitement to the start of my stay here, I decided to fulfill a promise made to friends back home. When a baptismal was cut into the ice, a few of us thought it would be fun to do a polar plunge. In reality, the water wasn't bad. Once out though, things started to ice up, so a toweling off was needed ASAP. It wasn't till after a shower that I noticed abrasions and cuts from jumping through a thin layer of ice and climbing out of the hole. This will need to become a tradition.

As things start to settle out at work and with life, I'll start to work on some fun updates. Many want to see what I do, as well as see how I live in Alaska. There are some Q&A's coming, as well as some videos. My goal in the coming months is to start to share what goes on behind the scenes at Victory, as well as the ins and outs of daily life here.

Thank you all for joining in on this adventure. There is a lot that is going on and much more to come.

- Daryl J. Howard

P.S.- With only having internet access at the main lodge, updates won't happen as frequently as I wanted. So be patient me.