Hey All
We just got back from Ahousaht. Instead of a two small fast boats we took on big, old, retired fishing trawler named the Command Performance. It was a slower, more quaint ride...kind of interesting if you are looking from the other boats.
Saying our farewells to Asa and his family was hard. Also the kids got attached or rather should I say this dog Tayla got attached to our kids and she saw us off at the dock...she practically went everywhere we went...she was our island escort/mascot. Also Grandma Inna and some of the VBS kids were at the dock to see us off.
The experience in Ahousaht was...I was a bit nervous the past week when we arrived in Tofino. I knew Canada Day and staying in Tofino would be fine, and it was fun enjoying Canada Day with the other leaders and kids, having lots of fun and laughs in this small, cute town. But on the trip to Ahousaht, I didn't know what to expect. When we got there, we were greeted by Asa, Marty, Colin, and a few other locals with trucks to help us transport our equipment and luggage to the Asa's house, or the lighthouse where we would stay. A short bumpy dirt road and we had arrived.
Now people are saying Ahousaht is like wet Mexico. But only in looks, with dirt roads and older houses. The village has some money flowing through it, people work hard for a living and the community has made wise choices. People have ipods, cell phones, and other electronics. And all communication locally is by VHF radio. However, to our delight, they did have a town wide free Internet that was actually quite speedy! And that is why you are able to see our blog from a remote locale! Also most locals have satellite TV too. Alycia, Asa's wife says that a lot of the locals keep more in touch with things that happen in the United States than in Canada. For instance more watched our last presidential election than Canada's own Prime Minister election.
The VBS the kids ran went really well. We were super heroes again and we ran a program similar to that one in Ucluelet in 2006. We didn't have the mass of kids we had last time in Ahousaht in 09, but we had about 40 kids, which made it manageable. The superheroes, the kids, were able to also better speak to the kids and get to know them better.
The Ahousaht people depend on each other for many things. The one is food. The fishermen usually give out their extras to the neighborhood and since we had a group of people in and everyone knows Asa, we had fresh caught salmon and bread for at least 5 meals! A lot of houses on the beach have their own smoke houses, so we had salmon smoked and baked to order and it was so good! And better yet, it was free! Loved it!
Anyhow, time to head back to the community center for our dinner time. Hopefully Ill have time to blog later, otherwise, we'll see some of you at home soon!
Yours Truly,
Alan
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
From Corim
hello world!
i just want to tell people of what ive been going through in these past few days. to be frank i really love being here with my friends here. ive met lots of new people and i have fallen in love with them and they way they live. when i first got here i was terrified of not being accepted into the ahousaht culture. but now i see that the people here are amazing and loving and they love to laugh, care, and help. if i could bring my family here, i would totally live here. im just saying. but anyway, in being on this i have learned of the need of trust and obedience to do Gods will. its an amazing feeling to put all things unto christ. i am surrendered to him and ready to live the way he wants me to live! im not liking having to leave here but i am excited to go back home. hopfully ill see federal way sometime on sunday! wooot! woot!
(i love my mommy and daddy very extremly much!!!!!!!!! and i miss them oh so much!)
i just want to tell people of what ive been going through in these past few days. to be frank i really love being here with my friends here. ive met lots of new people and i have fallen in love with them and they way they live. when i first got here i was terrified of not being accepted into the ahousaht culture. but now i see that the people here are amazing and loving and they love to laugh, care, and help. if i could bring my family here, i would totally live here. im just saying. but anyway, in being on this i have learned of the need of trust and obedience to do Gods will. its an amazing feeling to put all things unto christ. i am surrendered to him and ready to live the way he wants me to live! im not liking having to leave here but i am excited to go back home. hopfully ill see federal way sometime on sunday! wooot! woot!
(i love my mommy and daddy very extremly much!!!!!!!!! and i miss them oh so much!)
DOGS!!! by Shaanon and Gabby
Hey guys it's me Shannon. Gabby just read that in a Miranda voice.
There are SOOOO many dogs here, we finally just started naming them! Here's a list of our favorites in order of preferance.
1. Pringles/blackie-this dog makes me laugh, and then I feel bad for laughing. He got run over by a car a few years ago and his front leg was broken. No one helped him, so his leg was left to heal on its own. Now it is permanently stuck to one side at a ninety degree angle, and he's forced to hobble around. It shouldn't be as funny as it is, but he has no pain and the community treats him the best of all the dogs so we (pretty much the entire team) figure it's ok.
2. Taila!!!- this chica is a playa! She has more boyfriends then we can count!!!!!! Enough said. Anyway, she follows us EVERYWHERE, and always waits for us to return to the Lighthouse when we leave. We took a four mile hike today and she followed us the whole way. Awwwww.....
3. Dreads- DREADS DREADS DREADS DREADS!!!!!!!!!!! No one bothers to cut this poor dogs fur, so he has dread locks hangin' from his butt. He's so fun and hyper and we all love him!!!!!!!! (and he's Gabby's favorite... she says hi, and she loves her daddy and Bella)
4. Bear- Gigantic golden retriever, like a minature polar bear. Enough said.
5. Max- Taila's main man ;)
6. PEPPER!!! (who lives in Tofino, not Ahousaht, but we loved her too much to leave her out)- big. beautiful. Probably some kind of pitbull mix. And we love her. (Shannon named her!!!!!!!!! With Gabby's help)
7. Many many many more (like, a lot)- The amount of neglected dogs on this island breaks my heart (but Gabby says to get over it). Oh well. We're here for sharing Christ, not saving dogs. Seriously though, there are a lot of dogs here!!!!!!
Thanks for listening to us rambling!!!!!!! God bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Shannon and Gabby
There are SOOOO many dogs here, we finally just started naming them! Here's a list of our favorites in order of preferance.
1. Pringles/blackie-this dog makes me laugh, and then I feel bad for laughing. He got run over by a car a few years ago and his front leg was broken. No one helped him, so his leg was left to heal on its own. Now it is permanently stuck to one side at a ninety degree angle, and he's forced to hobble around. It shouldn't be as funny as it is, but he has no pain and the community treats him the best of all the dogs so we (pretty much the entire team) figure it's ok.
2. Taila!!!- this chica is a playa! She has more boyfriends then we can count!!!!!! Enough said. Anyway, she follows us EVERYWHERE, and always waits for us to return to the Lighthouse when we leave. We took a four mile hike today and she followed us the whole way. Awwwww.....
3. Dreads- DREADS DREADS DREADS DREADS!!!!!!!!!!! No one bothers to cut this poor dogs fur, so he has dread locks hangin' from his butt. He's so fun and hyper and we all love him!!!!!!!! (and he's Gabby's favorite... she says hi, and she loves her daddy and Bella)
4. Bear- Gigantic golden retriever, like a minature polar bear. Enough said.
5. Max- Taila's main man ;)
6. PEPPER!!! (who lives in Tofino, not Ahousaht, but we loved her too much to leave her out)- big. beautiful. Probably some kind of pitbull mix. And we love her. (Shannon named her!!!!!!!!! With Gabby's help)
7. Many many many more (like, a lot)- The amount of neglected dogs on this island breaks my heart (but Gabby says to get over it). Oh well. We're here for sharing Christ, not saving dogs. Seriously though, there are a lot of dogs here!!!!!!
Thanks for listening to us rambling!!!!!!! God bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Shannon and Gabby
More Fun Stuff!
Gabby again!
Today started out... weird. It didn't feel like the last day of VBS. I was really sad to see some of the kids go. I'm really going to miss a little girl named Gladys. She had some kind of skin disease (I think it was Excema), but just loved everyone immediately. I'd heard about her from some of the other high schoolers who had been to Ahousaht previously, and I'm SO glad I had the opportunity to meet her this time around... Gah, I can't even explain how much I love her, haha (:
Later today we went on a looooong hike to Third Beach (my feet are still screaming) just to see some dumb whales. I was pretty irritated at first that Tim would drag us out there over some dumb porpoises, but as we went through the trail, I was able to appreciate God's creation. Seriously, Ahousaht is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been to. We finally got to the beach we were looking for, and me and Paige sat down for a very long time on some nice rocks that worked like reclining chairs. We almost got soaking wet when one of the village dogs that followed us (Taila) came strutting up, dripping with water. Not. Fun.
When we started heading back, some of the more... motivated hikers decided to break off from the slower people and moved forward on the trail ahead of us. I was walking with Paige when we saw porpoises. I don't know about you guys, but after hiking for 4 miles through a crazy-thick forest and only being able to rest for about 20 minutes, those whales were the most amazing thing ever. I remember thinking angrily that if I had to go on this hike, I had better see some whales. God just has a sense of humor, I guess. It was very reassuring that He knows just what I need when I need it. Remember that, guys.
Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well and not missing us too terribly. We leave for Tofino tomorrow at 10:30, and while I do love this island, I can't wait to be home. I really can't.
Daddy, once again, if you're reading this, I love you lots and lots! Muah!
-Gabby <3
Today started out... weird. It didn't feel like the last day of VBS. I was really sad to see some of the kids go. I'm really going to miss a little girl named Gladys. She had some kind of skin disease (I think it was Excema), but just loved everyone immediately. I'd heard about her from some of the other high schoolers who had been to Ahousaht previously, and I'm SO glad I had the opportunity to meet her this time around... Gah, I can't even explain how much I love her, haha (:
Later today we went on a looooong hike to Third Beach (my feet are still screaming) just to see some dumb whales. I was pretty irritated at first that Tim would drag us out there over some dumb porpoises, but as we went through the trail, I was able to appreciate God's creation. Seriously, Ahousaht is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been to. We finally got to the beach we were looking for, and me and Paige sat down for a very long time on some nice rocks that worked like reclining chairs. We almost got soaking wet when one of the village dogs that followed us (Taila) came strutting up, dripping with water. Not. Fun.
When we started heading back, some of the more... motivated hikers decided to break off from the slower people and moved forward on the trail ahead of us. I was walking with Paige when we saw porpoises. I don't know about you guys, but after hiking for 4 miles through a crazy-thick forest and only being able to rest for about 20 minutes, those whales were the most amazing thing ever. I remember thinking angrily that if I had to go on this hike, I had better see some whales. God just has a sense of humor, I guess. It was very reassuring that He knows just what I need when I need it. Remember that, guys.
Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well and not missing us too terribly. We leave for Tofino tomorrow at 10:30, and while I do love this island, I can't wait to be home. I really can't.
Daddy, once again, if you're reading this, I love you lots and lots! Muah!
-Gabby <3
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Hello! :) by Lauren
Hello all! I'm missing you but having a geat time! The kids here are so sweet! And I'm getting a crash course in Ahousaht culture. Monday night we got to participate in a community dance and last night we went to a special celebration of new born baby. The baby's name is Nita, she was born pre-mature and was only 2 lbs at birth! They don't have a celebration for every baby born but since Nita survived and came home after spending months in the NICU the family wanted to have a party. Everyone was invited. In fact, the chief here even stopped by where we are staying and personally invited our group!!! He said that we are family now and he's so glad where're here and if he had keys to the community he'd give them to us. It was really neat. Anyways, the dinner was awesome. We had fish and deer and potatoes and even dried halibut eggs! I tasted some. They're considered a delicacy here. All I can say about it was that they were crunchy.
Since we've been here the community has really just welcomed us in with open arms. Like I said, we were given the honor of being visited by the chief. The guys are staying in the upstairs of the youth center, and apparently they are the first Christian group that's been allowed to stay there. We're also cleaning the basement of the building, but more on that later. We are the only group that has been allowed to come and minister this summer. God has certainly had his hand in this! This is sport's week in Ahousaht, a community event. We've been able to participate in come events, such as the dance, also volley ball and tonight some of the guys are playing basketball. It's so cool how everyone is allowing us to take part in their community. In fact, Elizabeth told me that she was talking to someone and was saying that she was here 2 years ago. The man was happy to hear that and told her "welcome home." And that's really what it feels like. Everyone is loving us and welcoming us here. Last night we were worshiping on the beach and a fisherman came up to us and said that he had some salmon for us and where should he put it? He gave us two HUGE salmon that he had caught that morning. And Bri was talking to a lady at dinner last night who said she wanted to bring us some homemade bread. It really does feel like we're part of their family here.
Of course we've been able to return the favor in service. Like Gabby told you, we have spent the last two mornings cleaning the basement of the old youth center that went bankrupt 10 years ago and hadn't been touched since. It looks a lot better then when we started. Spent most of this morning mopping the dusty floors but yesterday was just hauling junk out. We found some really cool stuff, and some not so nice things. Also there's VBS. We had the most kids we've had yet today: 29 kids. A lot have been coming back and several of the more rowdier kids have really grown to be respectful and love coming and getting involved. Even the older boys are doing the hand motions during songs! Thank you so much for your prayers. God has been with us this whole time and is working in this community!
And to my family: I love you so much and am excited to spend time with you went I get home. Ben I hope the guinea pigs are ok, and they squeak for joy when you feed them. Take care of Anna, you know she's a cute, dumb little dog. And tell her I want my bed back when I come home! I hope the other critters are ok, and you are giving them lots of love. I can't wait to come home and read Hank the Cowdog books with you! Mom and Dad, thanks so much for supporting me on this trip and I can't wait to come home, give you hugs, and tell you all about it! I love you all very much!
Since we've been here the community has really just welcomed us in with open arms. Like I said, we were given the honor of being visited by the chief. The guys are staying in the upstairs of the youth center, and apparently they are the first Christian group that's been allowed to stay there. We're also cleaning the basement of the building, but more on that later. We are the only group that has been allowed to come and minister this summer. God has certainly had his hand in this! This is sport's week in Ahousaht, a community event. We've been able to participate in come events, such as the dance, also volley ball and tonight some of the guys are playing basketball. It's so cool how everyone is allowing us to take part in their community. In fact, Elizabeth told me that she was talking to someone and was saying that she was here 2 years ago. The man was happy to hear that and told her "welcome home." And that's really what it feels like. Everyone is loving us and welcoming us here. Last night we were worshiping on the beach and a fisherman came up to us and said that he had some salmon for us and where should he put it? He gave us two HUGE salmon that he had caught that morning. And Bri was talking to a lady at dinner last night who said she wanted to bring us some homemade bread. It really does feel like we're part of their family here.
Of course we've been able to return the favor in service. Like Gabby told you, we have spent the last two mornings cleaning the basement of the old youth center that went bankrupt 10 years ago and hadn't been touched since. It looks a lot better then when we started. Spent most of this morning mopping the dusty floors but yesterday was just hauling junk out. We found some really cool stuff, and some not so nice things. Also there's VBS. We had the most kids we've had yet today: 29 kids. A lot have been coming back and several of the more rowdier kids have really grown to be respectful and love coming and getting involved. Even the older boys are doing the hand motions during songs! Thank you so much for your prayers. God has been with us this whole time and is working in this community!
And to my family: I love you so much and am excited to spend time with you went I get home. Ben I hope the guinea pigs are ok, and they squeak for joy when you feed them. Take care of Anna, you know she's a cute, dumb little dog. And tell her I want my bed back when I come home! I hope the other critters are ok, and you are giving them lots of love. I can't wait to come home and read Hank the Cowdog books with you! Mom and Dad, thanks so much for supporting me on this trip and I can't wait to come home, give you hugs, and tell you all about it! I love you all very much!
Post by Isabelle Evans
Hello everyone:) Its Isabelle here!
Man, i miss you all so much but i am having so much fun here! God has blessed us so much and Im so sad that we will be leaving here in a few days:(
When we first got here we where told that the Ahousaht people had seen the wolf, orca, eagle all at one time meaning that help was coming. The next week we ha arrived, i think that that is just so incredible. We have done a whole lot since we have been here just a few days ago we started working in the Ahousaht peoples old youth center. They have left it there to rot for 10 years and the past visitors who have come havent been aloud to go down there we where the first. I feel as if the people here really enjoy or presence. VBS has been going very very well and our time that we have spent with the community has been great as well.
We have more days to go and people are tired and worn out. Living with 29 people for a whole week can be hard.
Prayers are requested!
Thank You and I miss you all! (if you you happen to see my parents tell them i miss them and love them)
Isabelle Evans
Man, i miss you all so much but i am having so much fun here! God has blessed us so much and Im so sad that we will be leaving here in a few days:(
When we first got here we where told that the Ahousaht people had seen the wolf, orca, eagle all at one time meaning that help was coming. The next week we ha arrived, i think that that is just so incredible. We have done a whole lot since we have been here just a few days ago we started working in the Ahousaht peoples old youth center. They have left it there to rot for 10 years and the past visitors who have come havent been aloud to go down there we where the first. I feel as if the people here really enjoy or presence. VBS has been going very very well and our time that we have spent with the community has been great as well.
We have more days to go and people are tired and worn out. Living with 29 people for a whole week can be hard.
Prayers are requested!
Thank You and I miss you all! (if you you happen to see my parents tell them i miss them and love them)
Isabelle Evans
Derp
Helloooo everyone, Gabriella here (: Let's try this blogging thing out and hope I don't sound too incredibly dumb.
This trip has been one of the best mission trips I've ever gone on, probably because this is the first one I've gone on by myself, as a part of the youthgroup. I miss my Daddy terribly, and I'm regretting telling him not to come. I know, however, that God is putting me through this for my own good, and I know that even though I might have had bad days previously, He will make beautiful things come out of my suffering.
Moving on! The team usually has some down time before we start VBS, and we've been using that time to help out Asa and the community. Yesterday we started cleaning out this room down below the youth center that hasn't been touched for at least 10 years. I know. Gross. It's an interesting experience, and I won't be sorry to leave it behind. There's some pretty cool stuff down there, though. They probably had a haunted house/Halloween thing down there at some point, so there's a bunch of creepy props, fake spiders, plastic knives, fun stuff, etc. that nobody's touched for years. In one closet, there were these GINORMOUS bones (we're pretty positive they're whale bones) wedged back into the corner, and I'm pretty sure there was something moving around back there. Ugh.
That's what been going on for the last couple days... Exciting. Cleaning stuff. Yay.
Your prayers and love is appreciated!
--Gabby <3
P.S. Daddy and Bella, if you're reading this, I love you lots and lots and I can't wait to be back home! Muah!
This trip has been one of the best mission trips I've ever gone on, probably because this is the first one I've gone on by myself, as a part of the youthgroup. I miss my Daddy terribly, and I'm regretting telling him not to come. I know, however, that God is putting me through this for my own good, and I know that even though I might have had bad days previously, He will make beautiful things come out of my suffering.
Moving on! The team usually has some down time before we start VBS, and we've been using that time to help out Asa and the community. Yesterday we started cleaning out this room down below the youth center that hasn't been touched for at least 10 years. I know. Gross. It's an interesting experience, and I won't be sorry to leave it behind. There's some pretty cool stuff down there, though. They probably had a haunted house/Halloween thing down there at some point, so there's a bunch of creepy props, fake spiders, plastic knives, fun stuff, etc. that nobody's touched for years. In one closet, there were these GINORMOUS bones (we're pretty positive they're whale bones) wedged back into the corner, and I'm pretty sure there was something moving around back there. Ugh.
That's what been going on for the last couple days... Exciting. Cleaning stuff. Yay.
Your prayers and love is appreciated!
--Gabby <3
P.S. Daddy and Bella, if you're reading this, I love you lots and lots and I can't wait to be back home! Muah!
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