Vacation (4)

Alaska vacation.

As I said before: most people are enthralled by an Alaska-trip, but for most of us it takes planning and saving. Most people we talk to are either planning to go, wishing to go, or have been there. With the help and encouragement of our daughter and our son-in-law we embarked on a sea cruise from Vancouver, BC, to Seward, AK; followed by a land cruise to Fairbanks, from where we flew home again. We spend the night in Minneapolis, where we were visited by Tony & Dawn, our children from Hollandale, MN.

In my previous post I gave you a very brief description of some of what we saw and did and I shared a few pictures. There are more pictures on the blog-site of our children (http://realrick.blogspot.com) .
Rick and Monique also posted a few albums on face-book. So if you have access to either our or their page you can feast your eyes on many pictures of us and the beauty of Creation we were blessed to see and experience.

We were really blessed with many days of sunshine. The weather in Alaska is usually expected to be cloudy with rain showers, but we mostly missed that; not that we “missed” it. We had four ports of call and we cruised two fjords. During both “days at sea” the weather was more in keeping with Alaska’s norm, but the port visits were enjoyed with beautiful sunshine. We rode a paddle boat in Ketchikan and were treated to a saloon show while on board and the performers explained the days of the gold rush.


We also explored some more of the town and took some nice pictures.

In Juneau we did some sightseeing and got a repair kit for Corrie’s glasses. Her primary glasses broke, her back up glasses were missing one nose pad. I was successful in repairing the back-ups. In the afternoon we went on a bike trip, north of town, in the area of the Mendenhal glacier. After enjoying the beautiful spring scenery,

the snow still in the ditches, we also visited the visitor-center at the glacier. At the close this memorable ride we stopped of at the only authentic commercial brewery in Alaska, appropriate called “Alaska Brewery.” Every thing needed to brew beer here is imported, except the water. We got a really good taste some of their specialties. All in all a very good day.

So, onward to Glacier Bay. The silt filled water was smooth as a mirror, with lots of ice flows, mini bergs. Then we saw where all this ice came from: Marjory glacier did not disappoint us by calving many times while we were in her vicinity. A powerful display of “white thunder” and falling “chunks” of ice. Our brides brought us some special “Captain’s coffee” while we were enjoying the spectacle, during bright sunshine and cool air.





The next day we called on Skagway. This is a very small town, which still retains some of its frontier character. We bought hoodies, expecting cooler weather farther North; and they came in really handy, as expected. In the afternoon we went on a hike, away frm the bustle of the town and all the cruise boat passengers. We hiked along the shore, through the woods and over rocky outcrops.
Obviously we were treated to many gorgeous views and scenery. Spring had fully sprung here also. Again the weather was sunny and relatively warm; although, we did wear our hoodies on the hike.


Overnight the swell became very noticeable. We had ordered breakfast in our room, and although it took some time to arrive, we got it and ate it without spilling any.
During the morning the sea quieted down and by the time we were cruising “College Fjord” it was very still again.
There was a lot of cloud cover, and it misted, so we were privy to some regular Alaskan weather as well. The next day we disembarked without difficulties in Seward. Here we started the land portion of our trip. (To be continued)

Vacation (3)

So, we are home from Alaska!

Two weeks without any computer. We just took pictures. (As long as the storage room is adequate, you can just keep on clicking) Here are just a few to whet your appetite. We had a real vacation! No worries at all. Our kids had taken care of it all, we did some collective planning, but the execution was theirs! It is not easy for a "controller" to let go; but I did and the experience was richer for it! Click on the pix to enlarge them, if you wish.

Vacation (2)

Alaska vacation.

Most people are enthralled by an Alaska-trip. It takes planning and saving for most of us. Everyone we talk to is either planning to go, wishing to go, or has been there. With the help and encouragement of our daughter and our son-in-law we are planning to embark on a cruise from Vancouver, BC, to Seward, AK next week (we leave Des Moines on Saturday, May 16). This is followed by a land cruise to Fairbanks, form where we plan to fly home on May 30.
In keeping with my previous post, we plan to take it easy. There is a dichotomy between enjoying the “trip of a lifetime” and “seeing it all.” There is so much we have not seen, so much we have not experienced. Yet, I believe that to enjoy the things we do experience, that we need to focus on being where we are at the moment, not looking to go somewhere else. The grass may be greener on the other side, but as this proverb implies: this could be wishful thinking.
King Solomon shares in Ecclesiastics 5: “After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift!” (Quoted form “The Message”)
I will post some pictures after we come back ☺

VACATION

Vacation.
What is in a word?
Vacant
Vacancy
Vakantie (Dutch)

The word seems to imply an emptiness, void, or space.
So, why do we rush so form place to place to fill our “vacation” with busy, glitzy places?
Things to see, things to do, money to spend?
Do we really understand the need to be “vacating” from work so we can be recharged in order to function with joy in our daily drudgery? Many vacationers seem to need a “vacation” to recover from their vacation.

When we “retire” - which does not mean to change a tire, but could mean: to go to bed in order to go to sleep; do we “rest?” Or do we pursue other quests which wear us out?

I do enjoy the more leisurely pace of this season of my life.
Traveling on secondary roads, seeing small towns, enjoying the budding trees, dogwoods; going some-where ...
Yes, we do still have goals, and I still don’t have time for golf ☺
Sometimes we have to get “there.” Volunteering is an interdependent activity - but we are volunteers, not staff. There is a certain freedom here. Freedom from worry, of being in charge.
Planning helps.

So, enjoy, your vacation, lie on the beach, but don’t get burned
even if it means to fill it with trivial things,
but skip the drudgery!

Sea, sand and sun

We are on our way home from CEF, with a stopover in Panama City Beach.
We had a great time in Missouri, working and visiting. The trip to Florida was uneventful and the weather here was nice and cool so we could get used to the warmer temperatures we are enjoying now. We have been positively lazy: sleeping in, walking the beach, enjoying the water, getting dry in the sun, (without burning :-), sitting in the hot tub and watching some commercial free TV. I guess there must be things to see and do around here, but our days were filled with rest. Sand, sun, sea, surf and sun-sets. We should arrive back at our home by Tuesday of next week (April 28). I think we have found spring. It has been green, we have seen flowers burst forth, and we have soaked up the sun.
Enjoying creation come to life, enjoying life such as it is, and being assured of LIFE, we live on as travelers as time marches onward.

Our work at CEF.

(the pictures are clickable for larger views)



Although most of the volunteers here work at the Mailbox Club, some of us work in different areas, like maintenance and grounds for many of the able bodied men. Corrie and I usually work in the production department. We are involved with collating, punching and comb-binding books of “flash-cards.” Some of these books also contain text and songs, for use in clubs. The CEF press here also publishes Spanish versions; some of the international books contain just the flash cards. Also we have been helping pack kits for the various Gospel Clubs, like the Five Day Clubs, or Good News Clubs. The Supreme Court ruled in 2001 that Good News Clubs can be conducted in public elementary schools, so many kits are prepared for use in Good News Clubs held at these schools.

Corrie is the one volunteer who is trained and trusted to make “Wordless Books.” These booklets use color to tell the salvation - gospel story. Green is for Salvation and is the outside cover. Black signifies our sin, Red the blood of Christ, White is the washing away - purity, Gold is heaven, the presence if God. Many of the club leaders like to use these little books. They are made in strips, which produce 6 booklets. In a day a person can make about 200 strips, or 1200 booklets. CEF press also still makes flocked pictures, which can be used on flannel boards; again, there continues to be quite a demand for these as well.
Most of this work is labor intensive, therefore the use of volunteers is very beneficial.

For relaxation we have a country band sing along, called “Picking and Grinning” once a week, usually on Thursday night. We do a lot of old “homecoming” songs, and some fancy guitar picking goes on as well. All good clean fun. Many evenings we go for a walk on the grounds, but this time, the weather has not been cooperative. It has been cold and rainy, most days. So we have been relegated to watching some DVD movies on our computer in the room.

On "Assignment"

Here we are again, working at the beautiful Child Evangelism Fellowship campus. It is nice to be back here among old friends while making new ones. The CEF Headquarters is always a bustling place. Just the operation of the Mailbox Club keeps many volunteers busy. Corrie and I usually work in the finishing department, with the production of flash-cards, binding them into books; or assembling kits for “5 Day Clubs,” or “After School Clubs” where the Gospel message is presented to children. During our stay at here in Warrenton, Missouri, we again noticed te colorful center of the campus; the International Plaza. CEF is present all over the world and the world is divided in 8 CEF regions. Although each region has a regional director, each of the countries in these region is individually represented. The plaza sprouts nine flagpoles; one for each region and the 9th one for unreached nations. There are about 59 nations in the world where CEF is not present. Each of the 8 flagpoles flies a flag from a nation in the specific region, the names of the individual nations are listed on the base of the poles. I used to recognize more flags than I do now, and it is always a nice challenge to me to guess the country represented by a specific flag. The flags are changed weekly during a scheduled ceremony attended by staff and volunteers. During the dedication service of the plaza last year, a specific national flag was run up the associated regional flagpole after a brief history and other information regarding that flag and what it represents. The first flag up was from Brazil, representing the Latin American region; the first international endeavor of CEF, back in the 1940s. Next Europe was represented by Albania, the country in which all religion, – including Christianity, had been stamped out. After the fall of communism, things definitely changed! For the unreached nations the international board selected Egypt to initially be represented; after all Jesus went there first. Every day now, as we walk to work and back to our room in the lodge, we are continually warmed in our hearts by the grace of God, who allows His word to be spread to all the children of the world.