The Church

I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together...

Of course much of what we do revolves around the church and its people. We have been warmly and wonderfully welcomed here. We've had island tours, fishing trips, "movie night" on a Blu-Ray TV, even a volunteer to take the dogs for a run once. We've had referrals to special people and special stores, and formed what will likely be lasting friendships.

It is the custom of this congregation on the first Sunday of the month to have not only Holy Communion, but also a potluck following the service. So we've not been deprived of either church fellowship or food!

Yesterday George conducted a memorial service for a 49 year old man who was killed in a helicopter crash. He left a wife, five children (ages 7 to 28) and 4 grandchildren. He was the manager of a cattle and caribou ranch on Umnak, the next island to the west. Here being a "cowboy" means riding a helicopter, not a horse, because of the huge distances involved. One of the stories told about him was how the volcano on the island exploded about three years ago. This man had only his two-seat helicopter at his disposal, and his whole family plus guests at the ranch. He ferried each of 12 people, one at a time, off the island to Unalaska Island. When the ash got too thick to land at the helicopter pad, he took the remaining folks off the beach.

It helps a great deal in getting to know a place to have a community to relate to and a role other than "tourist."