Such Great Heights.

Here we are back in the "lower 48" as Alaskan's would say. It was interesting flying over the Rockies after seeing such massive snow tipped mountains in Alaksa. I'm not saying the Rockies aren't beautiful for I know they are, but once you have seen such great beauty it's hard not to compare.

The biggest shock to me was how flat our land is here. I guess I've always thought it was pretty hilly and mountainous, but really it's not at all. Here you have to drive a few hours to reach such great heights, in Alaska they are in your backyard. I love Colorado, please don't get me wrong, I just really love the beauty of Alaska too.

One thing I really enjoy about being home is the sun! We only had 2 maybe three sun moments in Alaska (I saw moments because there wasn't a full day of sun)!

Hope you enjoyed the photos of Alaska, and I may post more later! 

Travels by Foot, Train, and Sea.

 Watch the photo below first...glacier calving!

I was SO excited to get this on camera !

Ted was here for most of the boat ride, he was so sick. I woke him to see the glacier.

 beautiful 

this area was called God's view or something

The rainy summer made beautiful waterfalls.

The first views of this massive glacier

Those are mountains surrounding this glacier. Which means, yes, this glacier is HUGE!

I was in awe of icebergs. I've never seen anything like that before.

The blue hues are scattered back when light deeply penetrates frozen glaciers... i thought that was a really cool fact!

Ted's parents bought us an 8 hour cruise!

Kenai Star, the boat we took out.

taking photos was extremely wet and cold, but worth it.

Rainy view from our table, that's why I was outside for most. (oh and there is supposed to be an eagle on the top of this rock, but you can't even tell.)

Ted and his dad. The lakes are aqua from the glaciers. 

yikes...

Ted and I took a 4 hour train ride through the alaskan mountains!

This is one of my favourites. Check out the mountain reflection behind.

This is what you wear to a spontaneous hike. I was freezing.

Everything is blurred except the tunnel, i like it.

Side view of the train.

Pickin' blueberries... very very sour.

Look at the vibrant colours - from our hike.

Takin' some video for the fam. (YAY!)

Ted's a smarty.

This ain't no smokey the bear...

Salmon spawning... Ted was excited to show me the size of the fish here

Otter Lake on Fort Rich army post (where ted lived for 6 years)

The beginning of our hiking trip, we spotted moose!

They were so close, Anisa (Ted's mom) and I were frightened.

Ted's dad Ted (see how close we are!)

One Step Beyond.

Please pray for Ted and I as we are dealing with a few situations where we need to rely on God's peace and put in His armor.

God has really been emphasizing peace in Ted and I lately. In areas where we usually would react or shrink back, He is calling us to push forward and pursue peace.

Alaska is the perfect place to pursue peace. It's beautiful, stunning really. And where we are located is extremely peaceful.

I know God is on control, and He will take what the enemy has planned for evil and make it good, but the part where I need to trust Him and wait...well it's a little easier said than done. Remember the unconditional trust lesson... yeah still working on this. 

Also, while we are up here Ted is getting his dental work taken care of. He is in need of a root canal and can get it cheaper up here, so we are waiting for an open appointment. The past three mornings we've been up around 6 am to drive to the dentist and wait for an open appointment, this will continue next week until we hopefully get an appointment! '

Pray this opens up so he can get everything taken care of!

Thanks for your prayers! We love you guys!

Jami (& Ted whose snoozing on the couch)

photo above: a street sign here in AK

Moose Siting!

I get excited about little things in life, as you can see.

My first moose siting, here in Alaska. (We think we saw one in the mountains in wyoming last year too.)

I was on the phone talking with friends I know (and soon will see!!), and I had told her that I haven't seen a moose yet. I then turned around on the road I was standing on, out front of Ted's house, and there stood a female moose!! I pretty much freaked out, well I did.

It was a great exciting moment. Hopefully next I'll be writing about a bear, well... one not so close to me.

Pursuit of Peace.

Day 2:

Ted and I went for a long drive through the lovely mountains here. I am not kidding when I say we are surrounded by beauty. It is absolutely breathtaking. 

We decided as we drove, to make it a time to worship God, so we did just that. It was incredibly peaceful which I needed today. We are calling this Alaskan vacation our pursuit for peace.

love, 

Jami

Our Alaska Travels

(Photos of our flight out of cloudy Denver. The clouds looked like an ocean of cotton balls. Ted and I were in awe. The best part of flying it the beauty above!)

Day One: 

We awoke early this morning to head out and travel the road to see Alaska! Because our flight was late last night, I wasn't able to see the beauty of Alaska until this morning. The view from Ted's front window of the home he grew up in is absolutely phenomenal. A huge mountain covered in the many shades of fall. The we walk to the backdoor and I find that they actually live in a valley! They are surrounded by beauty! After checking out the yard, Ted wanted to take me for a drive in his old firebird. It's a really old, very nice beautiful red firebird, it's just too bad that we can't bring it home to Denver. It would just be a terribly long, expensive drive!! 

We then took off on the road, and began our day travels. And let me tell you, Ted is in his element! He has been pointing out places he used to hang out, the place he was baptized, the places he worked, his first church, places he went to school, etc. Although most of the time, I was unable to actually see the places, due to the enormous and countless trees everywhere! There are so many! We then drove to a river to see salmon, and let me tell you they were huge!  Ted told me that those weren't even the largest, the king salmon I guess are huge! 

I'll just wrap it up to say, we are already enjoying our time here. More pictures to come!

Walking My Talk.

( Okay, so I know I literally just wrote the blog below. I didn't want it to go on and on, so bare with me on this one! )

Another attack we feel is in my health, yet again.
On the return of our Febraury outreach, I got very ill with first stomach sickness and then bronchitis for almost three months. My asthma was terrible inflared and painful.

This time around, I have strange infections. The night we returned to Denver I stepped on a carpet tack strip and three of the tacks peirced my skin, one becoming terribly infected. That was almost a month ago, and here I am on antibiotics, a gimp, and with my cheap attempt of a bandage on my heel.

Then to top things off, before I began my antibiotics my wedding ring finger became infected from my allergies to my wedding band. (Yup, im allergic to my forever to be worn band!) This immediately flared up into a nasty pus- infection just as my foot.

I am now on antibiotics, and learning A LOT. I'm learning a lot about infections, and facts and myths on how to clean them...but that is not what I am talking about.

I am learning a ton about how much God wants me to walk the talk. I can write a novel on wanting and longing to trust God unconditionally, but truly...walking this out when times like these come, it another novel in and of itself.

I'm learning with everything coming our way, God is saying

"Hey trust me despite how great, bad, or ugly this situation may be. I'm trusting you to trust in Me."

We by no means have this nailed down. But we're loving the lesson. Seriously, this has been one of the most eye opening times for me.

Walking my talk.

Unconditional Trust.

It comes as less of a shock each time. With each attempted blow, we only turn farther in to our Saviours arms. Learning to trust Him unconditionally, with the occasional step outside of our refuge, thinking "we can do this on our own strength". (Think again, silly ones.)

I wrote the blog below, as Ted and I are both being challenged to trust God unconditionally.
Honestly, since being back we have been hit with the most outrageous situations, ones which we think cannot possibly get any worse and yet they do.

Are current home sweet home, is in the basement of a YWAMer (& 2 other staff above). It is such a blessing to live with a kind of "family" (consisting of four boys & me), and especially ones who are in the same boat as us. It is encouraging.

Before outreach we let our apartment know (verbally) that we were leaving the country, that our place was cleaned out, that we were turning in our "30 days notice" in and we would turn our keys in on the day our lease was up (Aug. 10). We actually spoke with them twice before outreach, and it turns out, due to our ignorance of a written notice, it doesn't matter how many times we tell them verbally that we are turning in our 30 days notice...they need it on paper. It was not their obligation to share this with us.

Needless to say we are paying for it now. We are currently still paying two rents totally out to $1,500 for rents. And can I just say, God has been incredibly good to us. He has blessed us this month with more support than we normally get.

Why am I writing? Surprisingly not for the reason you may be thinking but instead for your PRAYERS. We need them right now, hardcore.

Ted and I have spent a lot of time in prayer, because we know that we are being attacked. In one of the things the apartment manager said, really struck us and we immediately felt the enemy in this all. They knew we are missionaries, and told us to "just go and ask your church for more money". Can't you feel the enemy in this?!

But we are not of those who shrink back.
There were times when sitting with the managers when our flesh wanted to raise our voice, fight for this, I won't deny that, but we walked away knowing God will settle this however He so chooses.

Thanks for listening to my babblin. I just needed to share.
Love you.
Jami Joann

Abundance.

"The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." - John 10:10

We've just returned from a wonderful, victorious (& redemptive from the previous) outreach so honestly I expect nothing less from the enemy. His schemes and attempts to get us down, to believe lies, we will not accept. 

I am writing for prayer because we really need it right now. I've really believed a lot of lies about who I am, the enemy telling me I am like I used to be. It makes me feel as though I am depressed.

I am not and I want to move forward, not take a huge step back, not even a little one. 

I have really been doing great in walking in who I am in Christ! So this has been discouraging. 

Please pray for Ted and I. Ted's also struggling too. Please pray for us!

The enemy has been defeated.

Christ came so we may live abundantly, to the full.