Well just a few more, we visited the Turnagain Arm (a 50 mile long fjord)-saw the Chugach National Forest and the Portage Glacier. Never mind it's summer and they still have hunks of ice floating on shore. We even saw one young nut out on a wind surfer....is there a wet suit warm enough for this water and wind????? We so wanted to see the Beluga Whales- no luck. We will have another chance when we drive down to Seward/Kenai Pennisula.
TYONEK- OUR MISSION VILLAGE
Interesting things about Tyonek: Tyonek lies on a bluff on the northwest shore of Cook Inlet, 43 miles southwest of Anchorage. It is the only community in the Kenai Peninsula Borough that is not located directly o
n the Peninsula. Although, the community is located in the Anchorage Recording District, you can't get there from here....at least by car. Single engine prop here we go. The area encompasses 22 sq. miles of land and 3 sq. miles of water. It is a Dena'ina (Tanaina) Athabascan Indian village. Various settlements in this area include Old Tyonek Creek, Robert Creek, Timber Camp, Beluga and Moquawkie Indian Reservation.Population in July of 2007: 206 total - 114 males, 92 females. That translates to less than 3 people per square mile. Over 95% of the population is American Indian/Native Alaskan. Tyonek became a major port during the Resurrection Creek gold rush of the 1880s, but declined after the founding of Anchorage on the other side of Cook Inlet in 1915. Tyonek was moved to its current site when the original village, located on lower ground, flooded in the 1930s.
The Alaska Commercial Company had a major outpost in Tyonek by 1875. In 1880, "Tyonok" station and village, believed to be two separate communities, had a total of 117 residents, including 109 Athabascans, 6 "creoles" and 2 whites. After gold was discovered at Resurrection Creek in the 1880s, Tyonek became a major disembarkment point for goods and people. In 1915, the Tyonek Reservation (also known as Moquawkie Indian Reservation) was established. The devastating influenza epidemic of 1918-19 left few survivors among the Athabascans. The village was moved to its present location atop a bluff when the old site near Tyonek Timber flooded in the early 1930s. The population declined when Anchorage was founded. In 1965, the federal court ruled that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) had no right to lease Tyonek Indian land for oil development without permission of the Indians themselves. The tribe sold rights to drill for oil and gas beneath the reservation to a group of oil companies for $12.9 million. The reservation status was revoked with the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. Beluga, a site near Tyonek, is owned by Chugach Electric Association and provides some electricity for Anchorage.
At our prep class, Issac, a member of the tribe, explained what our mission building project will be, what our living conditions will be like (he promised to fix the hot water hea
ter for me) and a history of the church community. His Grandfather was the Chief of the village and had the Orthodox Church built in 1932. We look forward to our flight over on that single engine prop.... Joy. And can you believe Issac is buying a condo in Fort Pierce, Florida!And by the way Father Leo said the state resident's "dividend" this year was $2000 per person and they also rec'd another tax return of $1200! Maybe Sarah should show Arnold how to run the budget....
RECONCILIATION
The second part of that Forgiveness thing is RECONCILIATION.
So when I forgive I need to be open to reconciliation. This is forgiveness in action-not just floating around in my head. Actually isn't reconciliation the goal of forgiveness? What stops me from reconciling with a person? A fear? An expectation of the other person? Isn't forgiveness only fulfilled in "reconciliation"? Why is it hardest to forgive those closest to me? Why do I get involved in criticism and judging others? Isn't that hypocritical? Pray for me family and friends that I may also master RECONCILIATION!
