This week I have looked at several different issues surround life in Alaska and how it affects Church. Today I want to add one final thought.

*You have no concept of Alaskan life until you live here *

I could not have imagined all the lessons I have learned in the last several years. I thought I would come here and be hunting and fishing all the time. For fishing, salmon only run a couple of months in the summer. You need a boat to fish the ocean and those are expensive. For Hunting, you need to either drive thousands of miles to get away from people or have thousands of dollars to invest. Most of my wild game meat has come from road kill.

Winters are long and hard. Summers are fast and furious. The joke is that there are actually two seasons – Winter and Company – since everyone wants to enjoy our summers.

Alaska can be very, very transient. People move here with all kinds of expectations and they often fall way short. TV has perpetuated many myths about Alaska that make people confused.

Homer is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but even looking at glaciers and mountains can get old. Everyone who visit my house says that if they lived here they would just sit on my parch and enjoy every minute. While it is beautiful it does become normal.

Finally, Church here is nothing like I had experienced before. The people who move here with dreams of a Church like they had down below will be greatly disappointed. The seasons are different, the people are different but thank God we still have the same Lord. I am an American on American soil, but most days I feel like a missionary in a foreign land. If you don’t believe me, come for a visit. Well, that will not give you the whole picture:-)