Kotzebue - Week 3 (17)

I awoke this Morning to an Arctic Blizzard or what is also called a "Whiteout" here in the Northwest Arctic Borough (see attached map and pics) hub of Kotzebue. Even as I write to you now, the 60 mph "tempestuous wind" (Ezekiel 1:4) continues to pound at the window I'm looking out of. Yet, I am reminded that the Fear of Jehovah is wisdom, because "he set the force of the wind." (Job 28:25)

This week we were able to finally move into the modest apartment that we will call home for the time being. It sits approximately 1 block behind the small airport and about a block and a half from the Kotzebue Sound and the now frozen, Chukchi Sea.

We spent the week with a combination of moving and the ministry. I have observed that the local residents, the native Alaskans have become quite used to seeing us locally in the town and have begun "warming up" to us. (Pun intended lol) Evidence of this is from the fact that we were invited to a few of the local social functions that they have had here in the community. The timing for us to share in anything like that with them for this time of year isn't exactly favorable, as the so-called "Holiday Spirit" in this village is very high.

The weather this week (see attached) reminded me of a few verses in the 147th Psalm. We read starting in verse number 16, these words: "He sends the snow like wool; He scatters the frost just like ashes."

The dense coating and brisk rushing of the thick snow that has fallen and keeps falling even as I write now to this Frozen Tundra that I inhabit, reminded me that the snow is comparable from Jehovah's standpoint, to Wool.

Next, notice verse 17: "He hurls down his hailstones like morsels of bread. Who can withstand his cold?"

That last question is so very appropriate for the timing of the Arctic blast that we have gotten this week. In fact it's a question that I have asked myself many times as I walked along the Sound and in the -7°F cold with the wind pulling and tearing at my face so many times. While rhetorical in nature, there is a very answer I have found to that question that I would like to share with you. In these harsh circumstances, I am continuing to be taught daily by Our Father Jehovah that these elements I am living thru are from His Hand. Every day, he teaches me that with His Love and Strength I can "withstand his cold" because it comes from Him. So I have to rely solely on the Source of all Power, the "Confidence." (See Kotzebue - Week 1) The one to whom the "cold" truly belongs to. It's such a very humbling, sobering and beautiful (and most times a very painful) lesson to learn. I consider it a rare privilege to share this time alone with my heavenly Father and "his cold".

I have mentioned previously that one's Mental health and positive perspective are so very key and such a critical component in an assignment such as this, when you are completely isolated from the local friends, the warm association of congregation along with the meeting arrangement. Under these circumstances, Reliance on Jehovah isn't just a concept or an idea, it becomes essential and vital for your survival each and every day you live.

Notice the awesome power Our God posseses in verse 18: "He sends out his word, and they melt. He makes his wind blow, and the waters flow."

With just a "word" from Him "they melt". And with "his wind blow" "the waters flow"
Let's look at first: Who is "they"?

Well in order to clearly have the answer, we have to go back to the previous verses in the context and see very simply the terms "snow" and "frost" in verse 16 and then we observe again, "hailstones" along with "cold" in verse 17. Consider this, when "they melt" what do "they" turn into? They turn into Water. And then still in that same verse of 17 we are next told, that those very "waters flow" all from the Power of Our Mighty God, Jehovah. So again Jehovah teaches us that he harnesses the elements we live under from His Hand.

With that thought in mind notice what we are told next in 19: "He declares his word to Jacob, His regulations and judgments to Israel."

Jacob and Israel were special in the eyes of Jehovah and he counted them worthy to know and have a close relationship with Him. Well what of each of us today?

Look at what you and I are told in verse number 20: "He has not done so with any other nation; They know nothing about his judgments."

He hasn't used anyone else, he hasn't utilized any other creation, no He views us as worthy and special enough to have chosen you and I, as imperfect people to come to have the accurate knowledge of "his judgments" and then to take and to share with others, these things so that they too may come to know the Creator of this majestic planet we live on. Then we along with them may as the verse concludes: "Praise Jah!"

May we do our utmost to remain close to the One who these conditions on this earth belong to. My prayer is that each of you will patiently and faithfully endure whatever you may be facing. Yes "Jehovah finds pleasure in those who fear him, in those waiting for his loyal love." (Verse 11) Continue to fear Jehovah and wait for his "loyal love". Trust the Power He lovingly provides. Draw closer to Him every single day that passes. Gain Strength from a close and personal relationship with Him. Very soon, we will all be gathered together under perfect and paradisaic conditions on this globe. And then, for all eternity our voices will unite in the magnificent song: "Praise Jah!"

With the warmest of love and "his cold",

M. J. Penfield

Alaska Fact of the Day: The daily low temperature in Kotzebue dips below freezing around 250 days per year. Snowfall averages 40 inches per year, rainfall 9 inches, with more than 100 days of precipitation per year. The Kotzebue Sound is free of ice from early July to early October. The topography of Kotzebue consists of a gravel and tundra spit, low bushes and no trees.

Kotzebue - Week 2 (16)

Greetings to you all. I hope you are doing well as you read this post today.

Today December 21st, 2014 is the Winter Solstice or the Shortest day of the year based on "Daylight" not "Sunlight". Remember, there's a major difference especially here in the Arctic. (See Week 12)

As I looked at the Frozen Kotzebue Sound in this -3°F Cold, I couldn't help but think of the 19th Psalm and it's rather striking application to my current assignment. Why you ask? Let me share a few verses that stick out in my mind there.

In verse 1 we read a very familiar and poignant statement: "The heavens are declaring the glory of God; The skies above proclaim the work of his hands."

But today with the lack of Daylight I especially appreciated verse 4. There we see: "But into all the earth their sound has gone out, and to the ends of the inhabited earth their message."

But notice how that same verse concludes: "...In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun."

What I found so striking about that was Jehovah, by means of the Psalmist, usage of Symbolism. The Sun retiring to sleep, as it were in a "tent". Apparently the Sun is still in that "tent" around this time of the year. Shows us a humorous side of the God we worship.

Rather than feeling down about that fact, I thought it was a good opportunity for me to find a way to draw closer to Jehovah, because it Magnifies Him as the Supreme Creator and the Originator of the Solar and Lunar Cycle you and I have the privilege of witnessing with our own eyes.

Notice how that point is further driven home in verse 7: "The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring strength. The reminder of Jehovah is trustworthy, making the inexperienced one wise."

You and I are "inexperienced". No matter what we may think in our imperfect minds we are truly from Jehovah's standpoint "inexperienced". But yet, so very lovingly we are given "The reminder of Jehovah" which proves to be add the verse says "trustworthy". We put our Faith in it and we are made wise as a result.

And Jehovah by means of this light shortened day has 'reminded' me that He is the Creator and the God of all eternity. Having this in my mind and heart, makes me want to continue to give my best in this assignment each and every day and put his interests 1st in my life, helping the Inupiat people to do the same.

To conclude, my prayer for each of you reading, are the words of verse number 14: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be pleasing to you, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer."

With warm love from the Arctic Circle,

M. J. Penfield 

Alaska Fact of the Week: The name Alaska is based on the Eskimo word "Alakshak" meaning great lands or peninsula.

Kotzebue - Week 1 (15)

I hope that this reaches each of you all doing well. I apologize for my delay in not writing to you sooner. For the last week and a half, I haven't had a location to write as I have been traveling for the Branch. I also haven't had very much internet in my various locations, so I have had to wait until I could get a very limited WiFi signal.

As you can see from the title of this post, I am writing to you from my new Branch assignment of Kotzebue, AK. I landed and arrived on the ground here on Wednesday December 10th at about 6:20PM from Anchorage. I had spent the last few days there in Anchorage attending the 2015 Kingdom Minstry School with the other 9 brothers assigned here and the Elders of Alaska Circuit 1. (See attached) What a privilege it was to attend and share in the program with these brothers! The love and hospitality that were shown to each of us by the local friends and Jehovah was truly incomparable. In addition to this, over the days there were other necessary matters to care for, such as Dental maintenance and getting clothing and gear suitable for the Harsh climate that I would be living in, that the Branch office wanted cared for before arriving into Kotzebue.

On Wednesday, after arriving on the (very cold) ground here in Kotzebue, what a joy it was to discover that my cell phone didn't work at all. This would mean that I would have to get a new phone and number in the interim here in Kotzebue from the Regional carrier that locals use. After getting my bags, my teammate and I took a taxi from the airport to our temporary accommodations of a small, local hostel. The trip cost each of us $7 to go a half mile. So $14 in total. Yes, that's correct. What they consider to be flat rate I suppose. I also learned that gas is $8 a gallon here. (Yes you aren't reading wrong) Little did I know that this "rate" was just a small preview, really a fore-gleam of what I was going to find in general with regard to prices in this town. After putting the bags in the room, we took a half mile walk in the -48°F cold to the local grocery store.

And was it ever a shocking, and eye opening experience! The usual, everyday things that you and I eat or use cost considerably more. In some cases 350% more. Orange juice, ice tea, chips, etc. I have attached some pictures so that you can see what I'm referring to. Do some comparison to the prices you usually pay for the same things and see the difference. After walking and gathering my composure (lol) I bought some Pop Tarts and a bottle of Water. After being rung up by the cashier for $22.87 (Yes) for the 2 items I walked back to the place I would lay my head for my 1st (of many I'm sure) Arctic night.

The next morning, we had some things to take care of. Such as, getting local cellular service to let family, friends and the Branch office know we were safe and could establish contact with them. We were able to get that taken care of. The next item on the list, was finding longer term accommodations as per our instructions from the Branch Office. We went to the local Tribal Housing Authority called KIC or Kikiktagruk Iñupiat Corporation. There we were asked to fill out an application for housing in the area.  This quickly changed when we informed them that we were missionaries and that our Headquarters in NY would be caring for payment and leasing details. The leasing manager told me: "Well if you hurry you can still reach them before 5pm..." I quickly looked at my watch (which I leave set to Eastern Time-That's another story) and it said 4:56PM. I quickly called my contact at the Branch who had been waiting to hear from me (remember no cellular service for going on 36 hours) and I informed him of what was the current situation. He told me that he would get in contact with them and get the process going for us to move in and get going on our assignment.

Upon hearing this, the manager said: "Well...let's go look at some of the places." To which we agreed. We rode over to a apartment building they manage and before long we had picked out a place and we're given keys to the place in less than an hour. Obviously, "the Blessing of Jehovah" (Prov 10:22)

To switch gears for a moment, a very good friend of mine recently mentioned something very interesting to me about the author Jules Verne. You may be familiar with him perhaps. He wrote such notable titles as: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Journey to The Center of The Earth" and "Around the World in 80 Days" and now with my new location and some of the experiences that are ahead of me, I could perhaps write a story or a chronicle of a similar title like "Life Above the Artic Circle" or just simply "Above the Arctic Circle" (kind of catchy right? I may have to trademark those lol) and while each title is very truthful and accurate titles for the life I will have now, I couldn't help but think of a more appropriate and truthful title for this journey found in the book of Psalms.

If we consider the 65th Psalm verse number 5 notice what's said. There we read: "You will answer us with awe-inspiring deeds of righteousness, O God of our salvation; You are the Confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of those distant across the sea."

This latter part of this scripture rang out in my mind when I looked across the Kotzebue Sound and saw the vast frozen Arctic Sea covering the distance between where I was standing and the country of Russia with only 50 miles separating each point. (See attached)

Notice the interesting title that I think will fit well, my journey going forward: "The Confidence of all the ends of the earth." We see here that the word Confidence is shown in this passage with a Capital letter "C". Why is that? Well if we also look above in the context of the verse, we see there that this is referring to our Father Jehovah God. This is yet, another one of the many titles He carries. It's encompassed and embodied in His very name. So He is our Confidence and not just that, but that Confidence has no limits, yes it extends to "all the ends of the earth, and of those distant across the sea." This comforts us and bolsters us, stabilizing the Anchor of our Faith.

Continue to read further there in that same 65th Psalm verse number 8, and notice what is further said: "The inhabitants of remote places will be awestruck by your signs; You will cause those from the sunrise to the sunset to shout joyfully."

Very interestingly we read: "The inhabitants of remote places...." Knowing the very unique makeup of the population of my new home here, I eagerly look forward to helping the Iñupiat people who inhabit this "remote place" make My Father their Confidence as well. I thank Jehovah for this privilege each and every day.

Please know and be assured that I keep you all in my daily thoughts and prayers to Him. Yes, it is true, now I am serving "Above the Arctic Circle" of the Earth. It's very cold, to a deadly degree. The Sun doesn't rise. It's dark 23 hours a day here. Food and sustenance are very expensive. Basic Survival becomes a part of ones daily routine and a very simple yet, at times, an intricately complicated objective. And still, I continue without having congregation meetings or the support of a congregation of local friends to associate with. But in spite of these extreme & perhaps seemingly insurmountable conditions, I continue to find my Joy. And with that Joy I send to each and every one of you my warmest love and greetings from the other side of this Planet. May our Loving Father Jehovah for all Eternity, continue to be, your "Confidence of All the Ends of the Earth."

Your Fellow Worker and Slave,

M. J. Penfield

Alaska Fact of the Day: The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed. It directly depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of 2° over a 40,000-year period, notably due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. The Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 49 ft per year.