Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

Today we visited two different Episcopal churches – St. Brendan and Holy Trinity. The morning service at St. Brendans was familiar – with singing, prayer and a great homily. A welcoming place the day after exploring the
wide variety of religious cultures and traditions in Juneau.

After the service we were overwhelmed with the congregations hospitality
toward us. The team had a great time of food and fellowship following the
service. After the St. Brendans service we made our way to the downtown
Episcopal church – Holy Trinity. One of the most beautiful buildings in
Juneau, it was rebuilt under difficult circumstances.

Holy Trinity was a victim of a young mans angry attempt to get back at
those who disrespected him. His attempt at torching a boat turned into the destruction of a 100 year old church one Sunday before service. After reliving the tragedy and triumph we prayed for the building, congregation, community and Bob – the young man who burned it down. A powerful experience!

Afterwards, our team hosted a picnic in the park with food, great
conversation and games. Both youth groups came together for an afternoon
of fun.

Later that evening Cooper caught even more fish as the master fisherman of
the group. All are trying, Cooper and Darcy have succeeded. In the
evening hour we prayed and talked about the powerful events of that day.Asking ourselves the question – what can we do to actively support our new Episcopal brothers and sisters here in Juneau?

Today, like each day on this journey, we began with a time of prayer led and directed by the students. Using the Book of Common Prayer they choose the “spiritual tone” of the morning.

Our journey today led us through an exploration of the spiritual roots of
Juneau, its culture and geography. After an extensive tour of the city and Douglas Island we headed to our fist appointment of the day – the Russian Orthodox Church. The caretaker of this beautiful building is a 5th generation Tlingit Indian and Orthodox Christian.His father was one of the first Indian Orthodox priests.After learning the history of this
place,some great stories, and had some Q and A we headed to our next challenge – the Mt. Roberts trail.

The hike represented one of this teams first physical/mental challenges.At 3 miles long, 1800 vertical feet and boasting narrow passages…this
adventure challenged the entire team.Upon our arrival at the top we
watched a movie about Tlingit life and culture while learning a few
phrases.After we were done the team took a tram down, had a quick look
downtown and departed once again for the Shrine.

We enjoyed a quiet evening together reflecting on the day, what we saw and
experienced.

On our first full day in Alaska, we were still suffering from some jet lag but that did not stop us from having an enjoyable day.

In the morning we participated in a community service project: moving firewood from the hilly forest to a truck and then re-stacking it in a shelter.
The retreat center uses wood through out the winter months and was in need of manpower. We worked up a appetite for lunch – which was ready and awaiting our arrival.

Later that afternoon we went fishing.I caught the only fish which was promptly thrown back.The experience was a good one.

The youth prepared a meal of veggie and chicken stir fry with ice cream for dessert. We topped off the day with an outdoor service an enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

As the plane ducked beneath the clouds and into Juneau I could not believe what I saw – Alaska…the final wilderness frontier. Snow capped mountains, forest as far as the eyes could see, glaciers, waterfalls, and water – lots of water.

The beauty had enveloped us and everyone was excited. Once we were picked up we headed for Mendenhall Glacier Park. Once there we explored the natural habitat, hiking trails, and the beach leading right to the tip of Mendenhall Glacier and a huge waterfall. The students elected to do a longer hike which gave them unparalleled views of the natural beauty that surrounded us. This team was not acting like they just traveled for 14 hours. After the park we returned to the retreat center for dinner, evening prayer led by Laura, and reflection. All the students jumped into the conversation – this is going to be a great week.

Oh, did I mention the Bald Eagles and Salmon jumping out of the water.