A First Post

Kako, Alaska What I had in mind when I first created this blog was a personal Growlery, an easily editable webpage where I could collect all the writings that make me happy so that when in need of a Growlery I could come and comfort myself. And so my first post was a poem of Dorothy Sayers' that I recently discovered (from Catholic Tales and Christian Songs). But my sister Krista took me to task. She insisted that there really are things that I feel strongly about and ought to be writing about. Even though I may not be going to exotic places or doing anything particularly glamorous, the life of the mind would supply the content. So, duly chastened, I determined to intersperse my literary posts for my own sake with more traditional blog posts for others' benefit. Incidentally, now that I come to write, I am going somewhere exotic and have a job that is more glamorous. I leave tomorrow for Kako, Alaska, a former gold mine that my Grampa and Gramma turned into a Christian camp and retreat center. It's in the bush; there are no roads and so life is very different there. Lots of salmon, moose and bear to eat, a small number of people to interact with, and pretty much the same scenery day after day. Everything at Kako has to come in either by plane or down the river by barge, so I will be bringing some odd cargo: a bunch of arrows and pottery glaze for the kids' camps and as much California fresh produce as I can fit in a duffle. But that's nothing, last time I flew in I brought a live rabbit named Charlie! The new job is as the lab coordinator in the Psychology department at Westmont College. I'll be doing a little teaching, keeping the lab tidy and making sure the rats stay alive. So I guess it's not all that glamorous but I am excited about it because it's in psychology, which I love and am good at. I'll say more about that later, but for now I am occupied with Alaska. I don't know how much access I will have to the internet while there, but if possible, I'll post a bit to let you all know what it's like being a camp counselor in the last frontier. 1962: My grandparents arrive in Alaska Dave and Janette Penz Valerie, Jeanne (my mom), and Dianne Dad the gold miner. 1983: I go to Kako for the first time. All sooty after taking a tumble down the stairs. Kako mine is a dangerous place for a toddler! 1992: My family and I drive to Alaska Me, Krista, Adelle and Erik with Uncle Jonathan. 1996: I spend six weeks at Kako as kitchen help. Charlie and me. 1998: I go on a missions trip to Mekoryuk with my youth group. The kids of the village. As for serious analysis of an idea, I think now is the perfect context to point you to a short essay/blog post I wrote on what constitutes missions in response to a post of my pastor's. It's on the sacrifice that true missions entails.