A Taste of What is to Come

I had only been in Homer all of ten minutes when I was told that if I had 150 to pay for the Ferry ticket I could join the team on an outreach to a native village. I had the fare and was game for the adventure. So after a hectic three days of helping to cook for a team of 34 teens I and 3 of the YWAM staff and 5 kids boarded a 12 hour ferry to Kodiak. We arrived in Kodiak the next morning, went shopping for supplies and then hopped a much smaller boat/ship/water vessel which carried us to Spruce Island and a small village called Ouzinkie. It was a beautiful trip as you can see!!!!

The rest of the YWAM team were already there and had been repairing/remodeling this really old mission house that had served as a kindergarten and Medical clinic (I think) for the village for some 54 years. For the most part the labor they needed was reserved for the people who actually had skills, but I helped out as I could. It was fun getting to know the people who lived in this village. There was this teenage girl who hung out who was starved for affection. I and two other YWAMers had the opportunity to join three native guys on a fishing trip. That was a lot of fun!!!! I actually spent most of my time on the water hoping I did not catch anything, since legally I should not have been fishing. It was funny as I was the only person on the skiff who never had to re-bait my hook. But watching everyone catch was not real fun either so I was pretty happy when we floated over a school of Cod and everybody (including me) caught some fish. The native guy who had taken us said we should not worry about the white man’s fishing licenses since as far as he was concerned we were doing nothing wrong but catching food to eat. Though I hope to be legal next opportunity I have to fish.

I made some cool discoveries.

• Salt water or the sea has a unique and cool smell, can’t describe it really.
• Jigging is a term that has nothing to do with dancing…though technically I suppose it could be said you were making the bait dance in the water to attract a fish.
• A Banya – is sort of like a sauna, only different as it involves no clothing and well that is a slightly awkward story J.
• Well so far fish is not as bad tasting as I recall. I have tasted halibut, salmon, shrimp, crab, scallops and something else.
• Whale’s are really big and wow, I want to see lots of them!!!!