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May, 2006 Greetings, Everyone! I received an email after our last letter from a pastor who thought that the last sentence of the "Really Stupid Moose Story" was perhaps better suited for hunting camp than a prayer letter. Just in case there are others who share his view, I would like to apologize to you. I am forever looking for the humor around me, and sometimes I get a little carried away. My mother called after receiving our letter to berate and browbeat me over a flaw she noted, thus catapulting me into billows of nostalgia and homesickness. Actually, she made an excellent point. "Where," she asked, "are the stories of the people you’ve been able to lead to the Lord? I was really looking forward to reading about them." I was kind of embarrassed. I got so wrapped up in telling you about our plans for the future, that I forgot to tell you what the Lord has been doing right now. I’m going to change the names of the people that I’m going to write about. I know that a few folks up here are reading The Chronicles (that’s good– we need all the prayer support that we can get!), but Fort Yukon is small enough, that even if I only use someone’s first name, everyone will know to whom I am referring. I want you folks, down in the lower 48, to be able to pray for these people, but most of them have been dealing with some difficult situations, and I don’t want to embarrass anyone. Shortly after we arrived last summer, a lady (I’ll call her Betty) knocked on our door around midnight, or maybe a little later. She said that she just needed to talk to someone, and that she was "just miserable." She said she came to our house because we "looked like nice people." She was intoxicated, and even though I’m not sure if someone in that condition is capable of making a genuine decision to accept the Lord as Savior, I knew that the only real help for her was with the Lord. Heidi and I shared the Gospel with her, and she prayed with us. "Betty" has stopped by our house a couple of times since then to visit, but we haven’t yet seen any evidence that her conversion was genuine. Only God can see the heart. Please pray for Betty. I’ve told you about the opportunity to fill in as a guard at the jail occasionally. Late this past fall, I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a young man that I’ll call Jack. "Jack" was also very much under the influence of alcohol, but he was afraid and wanted to talk to me. He prayed with me, and asked the Lord to save him. He doesn’t live in Fort Yukon, so I haven’t had any opportunity to follow up with him. (Keep praying for that airplane!) I had another man come to church this winter. "Ben" stayed after the service ended to talk with me. Like the others, he had been drinking heavily. He told me that he hadn’t been sober for two years. As I shared the Gospel with him, he began to cry. He too asked the Lord to save him. "Ben" has been to church a couple of times since then– sober and cleaned up– but I haven’t been able to get him to have a Bible study with me. Please pray for "Ben." I received a phone call from another lady this winter that I’ll call Stephanie. "Stephanie’s" husband was out of town, and she was alone in her house with her children. She said that she was afraid, and asked me to come and "bless her house." I’ve received requests like that before in New Jersey where the Catholic influence was very strong. Here in Fort Yukon, most of the folks attend the Episcopal church which, of course, is very similar to the Catholic church. "House blessing" is definitely not a Baptist practice, but it is certainly an excellent opportunity to witness. Our van wasn’t running, so I walked to "Stephanie’s" house that day. (It was only thirty-five below zero that morning, so it wasn’t too bad) :~) I told "Stephanie" that the only sure way to keep Satan out of her home was to invite the Lord Jesus to come in. She said that she wanted to be saved, but that she was afraid to. She wasn’t sure what she would tell her husband. We talked for a few more minutes, and then she bowed her head, and asked the Lord to save her. I believe that she truly accepted the Lord that morning. She was excited about telling her husband (he was due back that evening), and she asked me for materials that would help him to understand the Gospel. She also told me, "The Devil scared me really bad (words to that effect anyway), but the joke was on him because I got saved in the end." I returned the next day with the video "Somewhere Forever" and a Bible and some other materials. Her husband was home, but retreated to the safety of the back of the house when I entered, so I wasn’t able to share the Gospel with him. "Stephanie" has promised to be at church several times since then, but has never followed through with those promises. She calls Heidi every now and then to talk, but like the others, we’re having a difficult time encouraging any growth. Just a couple of weeks ago, a man showed up at our house named "Mike." "Mike" was far from sober, and told me right off that he wanted me to "save his soul," and that he could beat me up without even trying. Since he was about half my size and could barely stand up, I wasn’t too worried about the potential beating, but I was very interested in his soul. It’s very difficult to share the Gospel with someone who is drunk. Folks in that condition can’t concentrate, and it’s almost impossible to stay on the subject. Nevertheless, "Mike" finally seemed to understand the points of the Gospel (1. That he was a sinner. 2. That the penalty for his sin was death in hell. 3. That Jesus paid the penalty for him on the cross. 4. That salvation is a free gift, available to all who will ask for it.) I’ve seen "Mike" around town a couple of times since then, but once again, I’ve been unable to get him to have a Bible study with me. I trust that you’re seeing a pattern here. Alcoholism is a huge problem in the village. Please don’t misunderstand me– there are a lot of folks in town who don’t drink, but there are many more who are enslaved by it. Many of the people here live miserable lives, and are desperately seeking for help. I think that they sense that the only genuine help for them is with the Lord, but alcohol has such a deep hold on them that it’s almost impossible for them to escape. But our God can do anything. Please pray for all of these people. By the way, we’ve also been able to share the Gospel with several others in town, and we would really appreciate your praying that the seed that’s been planted will grow and bring forth much fruit. I received another email from a lady in New Jersey, who said that several of the folks in her church were curious what the winter had been like up here, and what we thought of it. It seems that people everywhere derive some kind of perverse pleasure from convincing others that they are more miserable than everyone else. Being a spiritually mature, missionary/pastor, I am, of course, well above such childishness. With that fact firmly established, I can say without any fear of contradiction, this is the coldest place that I’ve ever lived, or am ever likely to live, and it is certainly colder and more miserable here than it is where any of you live. ;~) I’ve also come to believe that all that drivel about "dry cold" not being as bad as "wet cold" was made up by people who live where it’s really not very cold, but who want to feel good complaining about their "frigid" twenty-five degrees above zero. Furthermore, I can tell you now from experience that sixty-five below zero just plain hurts– even if it is a dry cold. (Heidi tells me that this paragraph sounds a little bit like the sarcastic ranting of a deeply disturbed person. I guess that just goes to show you the depths to which, a soft-spoken, humble, sincere person like myself can be misunderstood– even by those of his own household) Actually, it wasn’t too bad, but it does kind of wear on you after a while. The kids were really excited when it warmed up to twenty above. Mostly though, you dress for the weather, and just go about your business. Skin does not freeze solid in a matter of seconds– even at sixty-five below (though you definitely want to keep it covered, and minimize exposure). I never wore a coat when I walked from the house to the church (it’s only about 100 feet), though I will admit that I walked quickly. It’s cold enough that the snow never melts after it begins to fall in September, so it stays very clean and white throughout the winter– it’s really beautiful. The roads are pretty much left unplowed because almost everyone uses snowmobiles for transportation– that means about a foot of ice and snow has built up by Spring. The roads, which are dirt and gravel, become almost totally impassable for a few days when everything thaws. If you take a walk when it’s round twenty-five below or colder, you’ll notice the inside of your nose freezing up almost immediately. I know that sounds a little gross, but it really feels weird, so I thought I’d mention it. Your eyelashes will also develop a heavy layer of frost from your breath, and your eyes frequently freeze shut (your top and bottom lashes stick together). That’s not usually a problem unless you happen to be doing forty or fifty miles per hour on your snowmobile (called "Snow-goes" or "Snow machines" here). It gives you a real panicky feeling to suddenly find yourself hurtling down a trail with your eyes stuck closed. Someone told us that once the temperature reaches forty-five below, if you take a pan of boiling water outside and throw it up into the air, it will completely vaporize before any of it hits the ground. I admit that I was a little skeptical, but we gave it a try anyway. It was amazing. There was just a big hissing sound as a big cloud of steam formed. The water never reached the ground. Our neighbors must have thought we were crazy after our third pan of water. By the way, tossing pans of boiling water into the air is a good way to burn your face, but I’d rather not talk about that. Our prayer requests haven’t changed much since the last letter. Please pray for the folks that I mentioned above. Also please continue to pray for the funds to pay Pastor Starr for the property that he signed over to the church. The church has now turned that property over to the lady who signed over the property for the camp. (Is this getting confusing?). Anyway, all of the papers are signed; we’re just waiting for the state to process everything. $12,500 has been pledged for the property, but we’re still short $68,500. Keep praying for the kids as they finish school, and especially for Andrew as he seeks the Lord’s will for his future– I can’t believe he’s starting college this fall! We have several work crews coming this summer. Please pray that the time that they spend here will be profitable for them as well for us. Please pray for their safety as they travel. We receive a lot of mail from you folks, and we sincerely appreciate it. I especially enjoy receiving letters from kids. I thought you might enjoy reading some letters that I received from some third grade students at Somerset Christian School in Pennsylvania. I’ve included my reply after each one. Pastor Craig,
Hey, Horsey! I love riding four-wheelers too, but I have to admit that I'm not too crazy
about riding horses. I've found that if I ride one for too long, it gets . . .
umm . . . uncomfortable. It gives me what I like to call "horse burn." By the
way, I'm sure a good vet can take care of that Hackney problem with your pony.
;~)
Good afternoon, Puppy, We have two cats, Stormy and Lizzie, and we used to have a dog named Dudley, but he died this winter. We were all pretty sad. Your dog must be pretty tough to kill a groundhog. I used to have to try to keep the groundhogs out of our garden when we lived in Indiana, and I know that they can get pretty big and really mean! I'm glad you like the stories. I'm going to try to get another one out this week, but I'm not going to promise you anything because I am absolutely, positively, the worst letter writer in the world! I like a lot of things about living in Alaska, but parts of it are really hard. I think the hardest thing is being so far away from my mom, dad and brother. I guess my favorite thing about Alaska is being able to walk a couple of miles outside of the village and be completely alone. You can't hear any cars or airplanes. Everything is absolutely quiet unless a bird is singing or the wind is blowing through the trees. I like to go out by myself and pray or read my Bible.
Buenos Tardes, Wolverine, We have wolverines around here, but I haven't seen one yet. Actually, I probably won't ever see one. They're pretty rare and reclusive. Congratulations on your new baby sister! Be sure to keep your receipt in case you want to return her later. Without the receipt, in-hospital credit is about the best that you can hope for. I've owned a few motorcycles, and I always loved riding them, but I've never done any motocross stuff. I like to watch other people do jumps, but I've noticed that it's impossible to steer once your wheels leave the ground. Trust me-- that can lead to severe problems. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET!!!! I took a corner a little too quickly once, and ended up doing a triple somersault with one and one-half twists over the handlebars. (The Russian judge gave me a 3.0 because I came out of my tuck too soon). Anyway, I took a big chunk out of the back of my helmet-- I was really glad that the chunk didn't come out of the back of my head. My right leg has a pretty big scar from burning it on the exhaust pipe-- I was wearing shorts (another big mistake!). Dear Pastor Craig,
Dear Chipmunk, It sounds like you love animals. I do too, if they're cooked just right. My wife, Heidi, came up to me just the other day, and asked, "How do you microwave a muskrat?" I said, "You don't microwave a muskrat! . . . Muskrats have to simmer . . . the slower the better!"
Howdy, Presto, It would be really great if you could come up to visit some summer. Maybe you can save up enough money to come up for a week of camp. I think you would have a lot of fun. Who knows? Maybe God will want you to come up here to work with us when you grow up. I always thought it was kind of exciting to try to figure out what God wanted me to do with my life.
Greetings, Hamster, It sounds like you have a great summer planned. I used to like to swim, but I've eaten a few too many Oreos, and put on a little too much weight-- okay, okay, I'm FAT. The problem is that every time I try to lay down on the beach to get a tan, people start yelling, "Quick! Roll it back into the water before it dies!" It gets a little embarrassing. Some of the people swim up here, but I think they're crazy! The water is WAY too cold to swim in here. I don't see how anybody could enjoy it unless, of course, they had a secret desire to become a popsicle. I've never heard of any mental illness that causes people to want to become popsicles, but I did hear about a lady that went to a psychiatrist's office one time because her husband thought that he was a refrigerator. The doctor told the lady that her husband's condition was harmless, and that she shouldn't worry about it. "I wouldn't," she replied, "but he sleeps with his mouth open, and that little light keeps me awake at night!" Dear Pastor Craig,
Salutations, K, I can sympathize with your little brother. I can only stand when I am concentrating too. It usually doesn't cause me too many problems, but every now and then, when I'm preaching in front of a lot of people, my attention wanders, and . . . well, enough of that. Scrappi sounds like she is a lot of fun. Jack Russels are really smart-- I'll bet you could teach her a lot of tricks if you wanted to. I never thought of using a monkey instead of a rope for a tug of war. You're going to have to be careful though. If it ever catches on, those animal rights folks are going to be after you! About the only job that a one-armed monkey could get would be turning the crank on a hurdy-gurdy (look it up in the dictionary) for an organ grinder, and just how many of those jobs can possibly be available? You could single-handedly put a whole lot of monkeys on disability. If I were you, I'd definitely think twice before I told a lot of people about your idea. I was in 4-H when I was a kid. I did photography, cooking, and rocketry. Since I never owned a saddle, I never joined the saddle club, but it was a lot of fun anyway. We always went to the fair every year to look at all the animals and other entries.
Felicitations, Cat, Actually, felicitations means "congratulations," and not "hello," or something like that, but I was running out of synonyms for "howdy." Oh well. Yes, I can juggle pretty well, but my brother, Andy, is really good. He can juggle pins, rings, and all kinds of stuff. We used to juggle together side by side with each of us only using one hand, but if you want a real challenge, you ought to try juggling cats sometime. Write back to me and let me know how it turns out. Thanks for saying all of the nice things about me. It's all true, of course, but it's a little embarrassing when folks make such a fuss over me. By the way, you don't have to call me Pastor Craig-- Your Majesty will do just fine. :~) Dear Pastor Craig,
Dear Swordfish, I'm glad you like to go on our website. I'm going to try to put a lot more pictures on it (soon) so you can see what Fort Yukon and the people look like here. I've been to Hershey, but I've never been to Hershey Park. It sounds like a lot of fun. We used to go to King's Island in Cincinnati, Ohio just about every summer. I love to ride the roller coasters best. My wife likes to ride the rides that go around and around, but when I ride too many of those, there's a good chance that the person riding next to me is going to end up wearing the funnel cake that I just ate. It wouldn't be so bad if I just put powdered sugar on my funnel cakes, but I prefer them with strawberries. If I also happen to have just eaten a corn-dog with some French-fries and a large Coke, well . . . let's just say that I'm not too popular with the other people on the ride-- or with the people waiting in line below me. Well, folks, I guess I really need to close. I think I’ve set a new world record for "longest prayer letter." I’ll have to contact Guinness to find out for sure. I know I’ve said it before, but I really can’t tell you enough how much you all mean to us. This ministry would be impossible without you. "You are the best! You are incredible! You are awesome! You are great!" :~) Yours in the Lord, The Craig Family
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