WAITING FOR THE NEXT PITCH (May 27-June 26, 2023)

Seward, Alaska

 

We caught the early flight from Indianapolis to Minneapolis and on to Anchorage, Alaska.  It was about lunch time in the "Final Frontier" so we convinced our driver, Danny, to stop at the world-renowned Burger Man (Artic Roadrunner).  Then, with our hunger satisfied, we began our two-and-a-half-hour drive to Seward!  Danny, a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Seward, filled us in with some of the blanks on the church as we drove by mountains, streams, rivers, lakes, forests, and meadows.  

It was good to be back in what has become our summer state!  In recent years I have served as interim pastor for churches in Soldotna, Eagle River, Juneau, and now, Seward.  This is not something we planned but something we have fully enjoyed.

We arrived in Seward in midafternoon and immediately were impressed with this port city on Resurrection Bay.  We were shown our upstairs, three-bedroom residence and spent the next several hours unpacking and moving in for what could be a four month stay.  After a long day of traveling and a four-hour time change, we were ready to call it a day at 7 p.m. Alaska time.  The problem was that in Alaska in June the sun doesn't set until after 11 p.m and it never "really" gets dark.

In the ensuing days we have met so many wonderful people and taken some time for exploration in our new environment.  Church service went well, a work and witness team from Georgia did their thing, and then it happened.

                                                           

End of Nash Road

                                          REFLECTIONS

The work and witness group headed back to "the outside" and within hours our small congregation found itself immersed in Covid!  That's right C O V I D!  Hadn't heard of a case in months and now half the church, including me, were fighting the virus!

Instead of watching Sea Lions frolic, I am watching reruns of "Foods That Made America Great".  It's one of my favorite programs but, not quite what I was expecting to be doing in Alaska. Instead of relaxing on a rustic bench, breathing in fresh mountain air, beside a tree lined and mountain framed trail, I am sitting on a leaned-back recliner, trying to take a deep breath without coughing.

Life has a way of throwing us change ups when we are expecting fast balls.  The secret is to remember it's a long at bat with several more pitches to come.  There is no need to panic and even should we strike out it's no big deal.  Professional baseball players become All-Stars by batting .300.  That means that 7 out of 10 at bats are failures.  With that in mind, I am going to stand back (well actually lay back) and wait for the next pitch.

I figured it out.  I am going to be here for about 100 days, so if 30 of those days are exceptional it will be an All Star kind of experience.  On top of that, I have an awesome manager and a great team (church) on my side.  We got this!

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