The rest of our Alaskan adventure. Including photos from working with the Kodiak Baptist Mission Adventures Day Camp. Our time there was certainly an adventure.
Caleb and I volunteered for the week that we were at the Kodiak Baptist Mission. We were day camp counselors and were the leaders for photography camp that week for 4-8th grade. If you love Jesus, love kids, and want to be in Alaska serving Jesus and kids in one of the most beautiful places ever, you should really check out the Kodiak Baptist Mission. It only costs you a plane ticket and your time, but it is SO WORTH IT!
This haven is what we call "Hammock Land." Why you ask?
Wait for it...
Seriously, it's just a bed of fishing nets in midst of trees to hang out in as you please.
You ain't ever seen a hammock before until you come to Hammock Land.
These were the kids that were in our photography camp. Some of these kids I had when I was a preschool teacher! Crazy how fast time goes by! This day we did a photo scavenger hunt competition downtown -- my team versus Caleb's team! (my team totally won by the way)
The next day we did another scavenger hunt, except this time the kids were looking for a familiar object landmark around the mission shown in photos and at each landmark was an envelope hidden with a photo letter in it. At the end when they had all the envelopes they had to decode all the letters they found! It turned out to be a really successful photography game! Here are a couple of the landmarks where a clue was hidden. Can you KBM people recall where these are?
So what does the message say?
They figured it out pretty quickly. These are all letters we took in Kodiak!
Everyday at the end of camp, the kids and counselors gather together for what is known as Counselor's challenge. It always involves something embarrassing for the counselor's to do in "competition." And in the summer that means a lot of water and a lot of mess usually.
This is sister against sister. The person to break face and spit out their water loses, but do they really?
That photo is a gem by the way.
Light-writing with the kids. They loved it!
This is my son, Cole. I adopted him last summer. :)
We celebrated Caleb's birthday while we were in Kodiak, which was so much fun! One of my friends from the mission was super awesome and made a cake for Caleb. Afterwards we went out Kayaking around the island!
The next day was my mom's birthday. We took her out to the best sushi restaurant in town, The Powerhouse (out of like 2 places). She has lived there for over 20 years and had never gone, so we took her out for their amazing lunch special!
I lurve my mom.
Our last day of camp, so I wanted to capture as much as I could!
This crazy gal is my friend Meghan. She and I were teammates and roommates when I volunteered overseas in India with Adventures in Missions. She was one of the only ones from my team that actually came and volunteered in my hometown after I blabbed about it for like 3 months. :P It was a great reunion I tell you.
The whole KBM gang (for the most part). Love them.
Our last evening, the fog was rolling in quickly, so we decided to watch it roll in and consume the island on the easiest mountain to go up--Pillar mountain. It's so easy to go up to because its the only mountain you can drive up.
Caleb and I had to utilize this light and get a "Pride & Prejudice" photo.
He did not take it seriously whatsoever though...
Our last day we drove out to the very end of the island which is called Pasagshak --another place neither of my parents had ever been to. It takes about an hour to drive out to the end, but with my parents it took like 2 hours. haha it was great though.
We were hoping to get fogged in (which we almost did), but alas our vacation had to end! We had to leave my beautiful home and say our goodbyes at the airport. I didn't get photos with everyone, but Meghan was the one that stuck it through with us until our place finally landed --3 hours later!
Until next summer, Alaska...
Things that were awesome about Alaska (or really Kodiak) this summer:
- Getting back to the island life.
- Sunshine for dayzzz (well at least this particular summer).
- Running photography camp and running around the island taking photos.
- Seeing and spending time with my family and my wonderful friends.
- Hanging out in some BA hammocks with some BA friends.
- Kayaking on Caleb's birthday (photos MIA because I keep forgetting to get them from his waterproof Camera. For another day I suppose)
- Spreading the joy of light-writing.
- McDonald's 75 cent cones.
- Ice Cream Fridays. Enough said really.
- Being able to see my old teammate and roommate from India, Meghan (the girl I am way too giddy with on the mountaintop)
- Alaskan sunsets (was never up early enough to watch the sunrise, though it was soon after the sunset anyway...)
- Kodiak beaches and their warm, warm black sand.
- Fish galore.
- My home church, Berean Baptist Church.
- The wonderful taste of Harborside coffee.
- Running around my favorite spots (Abercrombie, Near Island, Hammack Land, Pillar, Pasagshak, The Mission)
- Being in Kodiak during the summer with my husband!
- Volunteering with and living at the Mission. I seriously love the kids and counselors at the mission! Plus, Meghan and Nanette threw us a Bollywood night on our last night and it was awesome! (No photos though because I was sick that evening, but I managed to stomach down Indian food and enjoy some Shah Rukh Kahn).
- Did I mention the beauty of the ocean there?
- Just being home. It really is sweet.
If you couldn't tell, I love home. I've been praying since we left that we'll be able to return again next summer. Hopefully way longer than just 10 days, because really it wasn't enough. If we are to return (which we will) we will for sure conquer some mountains and see more of my favorite spots that we missed out on this summer. AND we will definitely go camping and actually catch some fish this time! It was a great vacation this summer and through all of it I am reminded of how much the Lord loves me that he would bless me to grow up in such a beautiful place. And I am continually reminded...
Isn't life loverly?
Until next time,
- xo Alicia
