Alaska!

The unit (left to right: myself, Tyler, Renee, Leah, and Marlene)

The first three days in Anchorage Service Adventure have been a joy! The unit is already feeling like family and we've had no shortage of interesting activities, outings, discussions, and much more. We all start work at our service placements the day after Labor Day, so we have been enjoying some time before then to get the lay of the land. I'm loving Alaska so far - and we're all looking forward to exploring more of what the surrounding area has to offer, as well as build relationships with those around us, in the church and community.

Here's a quick run-down of some of the highlights so far for me:

• mountain biking: several of us hit the trails at Kincaid Park on mountain bike. Good group bonding and quite a thrill as we managed to achieve a relatively high velocity!

• Getting to know members of Prince of Peace Mennonite Church, the supporting church of our service adventure unit. We've been to church for only one Sunday, but already feel very welcomed and supported. I've really enjoyed talking with members of the congregation, whether over a potluck, fixing bikes in the back yard, or at someone's house for a delicious supper. I anticipate that this connection will only become more deep and integral to unit life. 
• Beautiful scenery in all 360 degrees! We've been fortunate to have great weather so far - it has allowed us to see Denali all three days. Merely biking on trails affords some pretty scenic vistas.

• The amount of daylight! Even two months after the summer solstice, there's still a nice amount of light in the sky late into the evening. Not anything extraordinary for someone who's lived here, but coming from Kansas, I'm still amazed at how much extra time we have to do things up here!

Our unit house at 10:30 pm

I look forward to the coming weeks as we get into our service placements and the flow of things. We're still getting to know one another (and will continue to do so), but its exciting to begin to plug in to the community here: whether through church, the natural world, or unit life.

Blessings,

Mark