First Stop in Alaskaby Rick Millikin | May 8, 2022 12:22 PM
We made it to our first stop in Alaska, and stayed the night at Mat-Su Evangelical Covenant Church in Wasilla. Now we are headed to the airport to take a much smaller plane all the way to Unalakleet where we will be serving for the rest of the week.
We’ll Post as Soon as We Can!by Rick Millikin | May 9, 2022 10:52 AM
As we serve in this remote village, we have no cell service, so we may not be able to post until Thursday. We have access to an emergency line if needed, but otherwise, we’ll take lots of pictures and share when we can!
We Made It!by Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 12:48 PM
We made it to the village of Unalakleet . We are partnering with Unalakleet Evangelical Covenant Church. Upon arrival, Pastor Nick is giving us the grand tour. And we’ve just helped set up for their Baccalaureate service, happening tonight at 7. We’re so excited to see what this week holds for us.
Best Friends Alreadyby Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 12:50 PM
After the baccalaureate service, the church hosted a fellowship event, in the basement. We made fast friends with some of the kids and can’t wait to see them at basketball camp tomorrow!
Projectsby Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 12:53 PM
Not only are we doing basketball camp, but we are also helping out with various projects at the church, at a church members house, and at a community members house. Here we are organizing a storage closet to help make better use of the space.
Projectsby Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 12:55 PM
The church also took advantage of our height. We were able to clean the rafters and the ceiling, without ladders.
Projects by Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 12:56 PM
We also helped organize and distribute books within the church’s library.
Projectsby Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 12:59 PM
A member of the community’s House burned down about 3 or 4 years ago. It’s been a slow process in helping her rebuild. We were able to don hazmat suits and take care of some insulation and hang some sheet rock.
More Than A Missionby Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 1:49 PM
We didn’t spend all of our time working. We also found time to spend together, sharing our stories and playing games. We bonded so much in our downtime. We came in, as mostly strangers, but we’re leaving as best friends. Mission trips seem to have this effect.
2nd-4th Grade Campby Stephanie Lindsay | May 17, 2022 2:16 PM
We had 24 kids show up for the opening of basketball camp. We had so much fun teaching and running around with them.
High Fivesby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:01 PM
We are all super stoked to be at basketball camp. There’s a lot of joy out on the court. And it’s contagious!
B-Ball Campby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:10 PM
We ran drills and helped with fundamentals. We are doing dribbling and control drills here. There is some good competition among this group. We had so much fun playing with them!
Sunsetby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:12 PM
One of the craziest things we learned on our trip, is it the sun doesn’t set until almost midnight. We loved being beside the Bering Sea and getting some great photo opportunities with God’s creation.
Victoryby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:15 PM
This van was stuck in ice and snow. It took us two days to crack through, but so worth it! We had to have a front end loader come and pull the van out, after we dug around it. We felt very accomplished. We celebrated by sledding down the remaining snow wall.
Oh Whale! by Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:22 PM
One of our basketball camp participants brought us muktuk to try. This is the meat and skin of a bowhead whale. It was a lot chewier than we thought it would be. Some of us had a hard time keeping the muktuk down. However, we are all grateful that we tried it!
Ice Hoppingby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:29 PM
We got to experience some really cool things while in Unalakleet. One of the coolest was ice hopping on the Bering Sea. Alaska’s Eskimo Ninja Warrior, Nick Hanson, took us out and showed us the ropes. It was not easy, but it was so much fun! Nick showed us how to determine if the ice floes were stable enough for us to jump on. Some of the hops that we made where ridiculously hard. Two of us ended up in the freezing water. But it was totally worth it!
More Iceby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:32 PM
Here we are further out, I’ve hopping. It was so awesome!
After The Ice by Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:35 PM
Here we are, after ice hopping, with Alaska’s Eskimo ninja warrior, Nick Hanson. It was so awesome spending this afternoon with him and his buddy Isaiah!
Constructionby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:40 PM
We also helped Nick with building his new home. We put up insulation and sheet rock. It is really hard to get supplies to the village. So, any construction or renovations can take a very long time. We loved being a part of helping Nick!
B-ball Campby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:43 PM
After a fun afternoon of ice hopping, we had an intense game of Knockout with the campers. We are having a blast spending time with these kids!
Breakfast Invitationby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 7:53 PM
We met so many incredible people on this trip. The Ivanoffs are no exception. They opened their home to us and shared their breakfast table. We were up on the hill and it was snowing. It felt like we were in our very own Hallmark movie. It was an awesome way to start the morning!
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:00 PM
We learned about the Native Youth Olympics and the various events. Some of our basketball campers participate in the state wide competition. This event is called the wrist carry. It is incredibly difficult. You must wrap your wrist around the pole and hold on to your arm with your other hand. Then, your two teammates carry you as far as they can before you release the pole.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:05 PM
This event is called Stick Pull. And you guessed it, you pull the stick. There are three rounds with hand positions changing in each round. If you start with both hands in the middle, then the next round your hands are on the outside.
We had to put our feet together and then, on the count of three, start pulling until one person was polled to a standing position. This required us to have good posture and good core strength. Most of us tried this event.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:06 PM
More of us doing the Stick Pull.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:07 PM
More of us doing the Stick Pool.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:08 PM
More of us doing the Stick Pool.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:10 PM
More of us doing the Stick Pool event.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:17 PM
This event is called 1 Foot Kick. We had to balance on one hand while trying to kick the hanging bean bag with one foot. After the kick, we had to land on the same hand without touching our backsides to the floor.
This required a tremendous amount of balance and core strength. A few of us were successful in kicking the beanbag and sticking the landing.
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:18 PM
More 1 Foot Kick
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:19 PM
More 1 Foot Kick
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:19 PM
Prepping for the 1 Foot Kick
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:42 PM
This event is called the 2 Foot Kick. For this event, we had to get a running start, then jump with both feet together, then kick the hanging bean bag. We then had to land on one leg. This event is insanely hard. However, a few of us caught onto it quickly and were able to be successful on multiple attempts.
NYO by Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:44 PM
More 2 Foot Kick
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:45 PM
More 2 Foot Kick
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:46 PM
More 2 Foot Kick
NYOby Stephanie Lindsay | May 18, 2022 8:50 PM
This event is called the Seal Hop. It’s an old technique used by Native Alaskans to sneak up on seals while they are hunting them. The fat from the seals and their oil are main stays in most village homes. We heard many people describe the oil as Eskimo ketchup.
With the ice breaking up on the Bering Sea, we were, in Unalakleet, at the perfect time for seal hunting.
