In the Yukon Territories

It’s Friday, June 21, the first day of summer. I’m in the Yukon Territories visiting with Julie and family. We are having a great time. What follows is a diary-like, play by play of my life since June 11. Enjoy.

To Janet as I travel home from Africa: I am in Frankfurt feeling like I've been run-over by a truck. I didn't sleep last night. You are probably driving as I write. I really enjoyed being with you in Zambia. Every minute was special. It occurred to me that I never even looked back after I left the truck in the airport parking lot. I was too preoccupied with Jason and his girls. Sorry. My brain doesn't always work. The Frankfurt airport is not as cold as the Jo'burn airport. PTL. I had to walk up and down stairs in Jo'burg to keep from being chilled. I also drank a hot chocolate. I asked for a hot chocolate with only half sugar. They did that for me and it was better than the syrup they usually serve. It also warmed me up.

I got your text saying you made it home. Glad to hear it. I made it home also. It was a long ride--45 hours without sleep. I slept from 6 pm to 3 am, last night. It's 4:30 pm now, and I am zonked. There is always so much to do.

As far as I know, we, the ASI Exec. Comm did everything we could do to get Randee Reynolds to replace Ramon Chow, but up till now, Randee hasn't rec'd a call. I wrote to my colleagues at the NAD asking what the hold up was. I think they dropped the ball. They finally had the required meeting but In the end, Randee refused the call. Bummer.

Mavis' birthday, today, 74. I did the devotion at the LSC this morning and I have two sermons to preach on Sabbath—one at the 11 o'clock service and a talk for the graduating students in the evening. I have nothing prepared, as yet.

Janet’s internet is working. That is such a blessing.

I slept another nine hours last night. I'm shaking internally like I was very nervous and I don't know how to account for it. (Lack of sleep, I think.) In any case, I don't have time to worry about it. I have two sermons to prepare and already I am bombarded with extra things to do.

Janet and I have new cupboards sitting in my exercise room. My new replacement teeth are waiting for me to come home. I need to find a dentist willing to put them into my mouth without charging an arm and a leg. I leave for Whitehorse early Sunday, so no time for anything but two sermons.

Heading for the Yukon adventure: I'm sitting in the Denver airport waiting to fly to Vancouver and then to Whitehorse. I only arrive in Whitehorse at 11:40 PM. No problem, it is still light then. Ugh! Big Sabbath yesterday. I baptized Danny Szerbak, graduated our eight students and preached twice. Two of the students, Chad and Sharon raised their hands to indicate they want to be baptized. I believe Judy Goldsberry will study with Sharon and I hope to start studying with Chad when I get home. Chad is staying at EVI to work with David.

Elsa Sabbath finally left EVI. (This is a Catholic lady with all kinds of environmental allergies. She lived as a recluse in one of our trailers for years.) Apparently, the Spanish couple, Gustavo and Angelica, with their three girls will move into her trailer. I didn't know that till this morning. David drove me to the airport. There is a fear that Elsa had Mersa and the trailer may be contaminated. I think we should be careful about sending people in there. We probably need to fumigate before doing the work.

Matthew and Jennifer want to get married in a couple of months, but I am trying to get them to wait longer. I talked to Jen about going home for a couple of months to keep temptation at bay. She is agreeable, at least outwardly.

Julie has me organized to speak four times in Whitehorse.

Marilene and Eldon Stevenson from Australia are thinking to replace my wife in Tanzania. That would be such a blessing. We need her at EVI, almost desperately. 

First day at Julie's house: We got in last night at 12:30 AM. I got up at 6 AM. Not much sleep. We had breakfast and I did the dishes and cleaned up around the kitchen while Julie and the boys managed to make $400 in about two hours of sewing badges on jacket sleeves. Easy money. After that we went and filled bags with manure to bring to an old lady in town. We went swimming at the recreational center. Well, the boys did. Julie and I spent the time in the Jacuzzi. We delivered the jackets and picked up another batch, which should bring in $900 more. Had a great supper and now I am ready to crash. I've got to stay up another couple of hours or I'll wake up too early. Besides spaghetti supper doesn't digest that easy.

I was in touch with Dr. John Clark this morning. I don't know if he is interested in working at EVI, but I'm giving it a spin. (Dr. Clark pointed me to Dr. John Kelley.) In the end, Dr. Kelley will help us with a weekend at the Blue Mountain TV in Walla Walla, but the idea of joining EVI doesn’t seem to be very strong yet. I wrote him again trying to encourage him to pray about it.

I can't wait to get back into a routine at home--travel, no exercise, eating supper, lack of sleep, all add up to the weakening of this old body.

It's another clear, sunny, cool day in the Yukon Territories. We are supposed to be canoeing today. Fun? Not sure. I hate being cold and it isn't always warm around here. But, we are having fun. Yesterday, we walked to the bluff, two kilometers away. Beautiful view. I had prayer meeting with Julie's gang last night. It went well. Nice people, though each one seems eccentric on one level or another. Caleb worked all day on the ranch next door at $4.00 per hour. He's doing well. Julie works at making money for her trip to Washington and to help Art to pay his American taxes. America decided to demand taxes for the past seven years from all Americans living in Canada. Art is determined to pay and then revoke his American citizenship.

I sat on a Conference call with the Norway board, yesterday. The Freidheim Lifestyle Center is still doing well. I also had a Conference call with my Program Committee for ASI. I believe we are finished with our convention programing.

I have so much work to do for ASI, EVI and OCI that I am spending at least till noon every day working. We worked on putting badges on the jackets Julie was working on yesterday. She makes $36 per jacket. Today she will turn in $900 worth of work. We were supposed to go canoeing yesterday, but I managed to change the activity to swimming. Not so potentially cold. Caleb, Jacob, Julie and I raced in the 25M pool. Caleb and I come in neck and neck. Julie is one second behind and Jacob two. Give it another year, and I am toast. 

Ziggy got hurt in the pool. Some kid smashed his head against the bottom of the pool. He got two stitches under his chin.

Bill Knott of the Review and Herald, asked for someone at ASI to write an article explaining what ASI is for the special magazine he produces about ASI every year. Donna wrote back, "Frank will." So there you are, I have an article to write. 

Caleb is working next door every day now. He comes back pretty filthy. He seems to have grown up quite a bit, but the boys are still boys. We thought we'd do Subway for lunch, but a subway sandwich is more than $10 each up here. Forget that. We bought the makings for pizza and made our own. Well, I didn't, Julie and Jacob did. It was better than I could have done or that Subway would do.

So there you are. You are in on most of the mundane of my life. Today is June 21. The sun is shining and all we plan to do is preach to the home church tonight for vespers. Blessings to all.