Back in Bethel

Yes, we're back in Bethel, Alaska. We flew here from Anchorage on Wednesday afternoon. We had a new experience while we were boarding the plane for that flight. Just as we were standing in line to board, the airline personnel told us to have a seat because there was an emergency situation. They called several passengers up to the podium to give them new seat assignments. Brian saw an ambulance go to the plane along with several TSAs. We eventually found out that someone was being transported from Anchorage to Bethel on a stretcher, and that isn't a quick or easy task! There was no jet bridge for this plane, so all of the passengers needed to go outside and climb the steps into the back of the plane. This obviously wouldn't be possible for someone on a stretcher. In addition to that, many commercial planes in Alaska have passengers in the back half of the plane and cargo in the front. So the cargo needed to be unloaded, the individual on the stretcher was taken into the plane through the cargo area, then the cargo was reloaded. Three rows of seats were "flattened" to allow the stretcher the lie flat. All in all, the process took about 40 minutes, and we were soon on our way.
When we got to Bethel, Peter, one of the pastors of the Moravian Church, was there to pick us up. He had told us ahead of time that we would be staying in a house that his family is moving into in May. But we didn't really know what to expect. When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised to find a fully furnished house with a full kitchen, family room, and two bedrooms for us to use. The one thing the house doesn't have is internet access, so we're making good use of the public library's free wireless internet!
The work with the translators seems to be going well. Even though Brian just worked with them six months ago and has gotten some updates of their progress, it's always a bit of a mystery to know exactly what work they've done. There are always surprises (both good and bad), but all in all he feels they should be able to meet their deadline of finishing the project this year. Bob Bascom is here as well this week, and it's been fun catching up with him and getting together for meals.
Speaking of food, we've been buying quite a few groceries and cooking at the house to avoid having to go out to eat all of the time. I know I wrote about this last time, but it always amazes me how expensive food is here! I'm just not used to paying $7 for a box of cereal, $2 for a pound of bananas, $8 for a gallon of milk, or $7 for a small bag of chips. We pretty much just buy whatever is on sale and eat that! But that's better than going to a restaurant and paying $12 for a hamburger!
The weather has been cold and windy everyday with some snow. Good thing we were prepared and brought along mittens, boots, stocking caps, and winter coats. I know no one in the Midwest feels sorry for us having to deal with blizzard warnings right now after we avoided most of their awful winter! Despite the cold, the days are incredibly long already with over 14 hours of daylight. It seems so strange to have the sun still shining at 10:00 p.m. I can't imagine being here those months when the sun never sets.
Well, the library is about to close, so I better close as well. We're looking forward to attending the Moravian Church tomorrow morning (see picture), relaxing in the afternoon, and then preparing for a full week with the Yupik. Please be in prayer for Mary Jane, one of the translators who was admitted to the hospital here in Bethel yesterday with possible pneumonia. We constantly see how the devil does not want this work to be accomplished! Thanks for your support of Bible translation! Donna