Praise the Lord

We have exciting news...two more of our players (Cameron Heath and Ben Minard) accepted the Lord. It has been so neat to see the other guys on the team really talking to their teammates and sharing their heart for the Lord. We are very excited. We also shared with the Kenai Oilers last night and it went well. Both Hank and Brad did a great job sharing their testimony and the gospel. Knowing these guys are making decisions for eternity makes everything seem so worthwhile.

We also had our host family appreciation dinner last night after the game (which we won ). We have some great families who really enjoy getting to know their guys and diving into their lives also. We truly couldn't do this with out them. Of course my boys love this evening because it is non stop party food.

Today we have a double header with Kenai. Please continue to pray for a couple of our players who still haven't committed their life to Christ. Also pray for us that we will make the most of every opportunity and that we will Finish Strong!
Danielle

Back in Fairbanks

Well the next day we went and played Putt Putt with Alex and then to our game which we won! Then bright and early the next morning we got in the car for 6 hours to Fairbanks. We saw a moose with her calf which was cool. Then we had the day off today. The boys wanted to stop at a military surplus sale where they spent their money on BDU's . They are happily playing army. Although it is a day off...we are busy getting ready for our final week here in Alaska.

Danielle

Hatchers Pass & Independence Mine

Then after an exciting sleepover we all drove to Hatcher Pass. It was beautiful and thankfully we didn't get any rain although it was chilly. We had learned about Hatcher Pass this school while studying the Gold Rush. We toured through Independence Mine which was pretty neat. The owner Stohl really tried to keep his miners happy through good food, piano music, shooting range, movies and even brightly painted buildings. The mine closed in 1943 due to WWII. It was very interesting we even tried to pan for gold ourselves but we didn't find any gold. Then after a picnic lunch we went on a hike up the mountain to a small lake. It was beautiful. The kids were tired but loved getting to run through all the rocks and fields. Thanks Ty and Adria did a great job and we didn't have to carry them too much. The top picture is actually Ty trying to help Adria up the path. After a full day we headed down to the valley to our baseball game. It was very cold and windy but we cheered on our guys anyway.

Danielle

Sleepover

We got to sleep over at Alex's house. First we played basketball in their house....isn't that cool....their mom actually lets them play with a real ball in the house. Then we had a dart gun war, ate pizza and watched a movie. That night we got to sleep in a tent in their house. Unfortunately we woke up at 6:30 am which I bet was a bummer for Mrs Wuerth. But she made Swedish Pancakes which are yummy. Ryan even tried them this year and he thinks they rock. Jackson

Prayer Calendar

Well the boys are off to Alex's house for a slumber party tonight. They are very excited. Although Jack is a bit tired from puking up Taco Bell last night...not such a good idea late at night. Anyway I took advantage of these precious hours while my dear friend watches my kids to spend some time with the Lord. And as I opened my Bible I looked at my prayer calendar that many of you pray for us for throughout the summer. Yesterday you prayed for Joe who ended up pitching last night and did a great job to lead us to a win. Today I am on the calendar and how fitting that I am getting a moment to myself after being up half the night with Jack. Thanks for praying for us.....it is such an encouragement to us. Pray that we will finish strong and make these last two weeks count with our guys. Pray for our kids too that they will finish strong even though they miss home and that our health will endure!
Thankful....Danielle

Bee Stings and Chickens

Today was an eventful day. We went to the Wuerths and played baseball. Then Mr Wuerth had a an idea to throw basketballs at a bees nest. Unfortunatly I said yes and we threw basketballs for about 10 minutes. Then I hit the bees nest and part of it fell down. And we all ran in the house. But the bees didn't come so we went back and kept throwing the balls. Well it fell down and a bee stung my chin. I learned it isn't such a bright idea to throw basketballs at a bees nest. Luckily I found out that I am not allergic to bee stings but it hurt really bad.
Then tonight we went to the ballpark and they had the San Diego Chicken. Well Ty was in the dugout as the bat boy. As you all know the Chicken likes to mess around with the visiting team which was us. At one point our team was throwing water balloons at the Chicken (this is all part of his act)...well Ty got to throw them at him too, although he missed. Then the Chicken was playing around with the Umpire and Ty brought out a bag too her. The Chicken said he would work for food....well there was a big KFC bucket in the bag. Ty did a good job helping out the chicken. He got a stuffed animal "chicken" for his hard work. We also had a great game and actually WON! All in all a very eventful day. Tomorrow we get to stay the night at the Wuerths......we are staying away from the backyard and the bees!
Jackson

Win!

Sorry for the lack of blogging. We have been enjoying having daddy home the last week....we head back to Anchorage on Sunday morning for a week. The great thing is we have been wining our last few games which is always fun. Chris went fishing last night after the game. He wasn't able to reel in the 6 that he caught but he had a great time. Tonight Ryan went camping with Donny & Dustin Duke. He was very excited so hopefully tomorrow he will blog all that he did. Jack and Ty are begging for a longer kids game tonight after the game.
Danielle

Daddy is home!

Well after a week on the road...Chris has come back with the team. They were 4 - 4 on the road. They had a great time hanging out with the guys. Ryan Hutson a friend of ours from Faith Bible Church in Ohio was the discipler and had a great time with the guys. The guys loved what he taught them too. So Thursday the team traveled back to Fairbanks. Yesterday they had a game and lost 11-9. Today we have another game against the Bucs. Of course the boys were thrilled to see daddy and the players. And the Kids Game last night after the game is always a highlight.

El Dorado Gold Mine

We went to El Dorado Gold Mine while daddy was gone. We got to ride a train. First we saw different ways they mined the gold. Then they let us pan for gold. They gave us a bag of dirt which we panned. My first two bags only had two tiny specks of gold so I got a third bag. But that is okay I got tons of GOLD. I got more than everyone. Mom made $4 worth of gold, Jack got $9 worth, Ryan got $6 bucks worth and I got $31 worth. I rock. We had fun. Then they gave us cookies to eat :)

Ty

Happy 4th of July

Today we went to the 4th of July celebration at Pioneer Park. We saw the military band and a 50 gun salute. We also participated in the three legged race and the water balloon toss. We had fun at the Air Museum and playing on the playground. While there we got a text from dad that one of our players, Matt Freeman had accepted Christ last night. We are excited for him and although we don't know all the details we think one of our players led him to the Lord. Tonight we are relaxing with Snacky Wacky Dinner and a movie. Happy 4th of July.....We have Freedom because of the Brave.

Ryan

Dinner at the Dukes

The other night while Chris was gone we went over to the Duke's for dinner. After a yummy meal of Hamburgers and Hot dogs (my kids favorite) we had a game of wiffle ball in their yard. My boys love playing in their yard since they have a great hedge which my kids call the home run wall. Ryan went yard and was thrilled. After that Mr Duke took the boys to the Chena river to see if the King Salmon were running which they weren't. Then the best surprise came....FIREWORKS. Because we are always in Alaska for the 4th of July and the sun doesn't go down in the summer we have never really done much with fireworks. But it was awesome. There were a lot of different types and the boys loved it especially the torch that the Dukes use to light their fireworks. We had such a great time with friends....we feel truly blessed.

Danielle

Snakes! Snakes! Snakes!

At the library they had an afternoon of snakes! One of the snakes was an albino Burmese Python and the other was a green anaconda. The owners told us all about their snakes. The Anaconda can get to over 25 feet long. They like to wrap around things. We also learned they have a great sense of smell. The owner of these snakes feeds these two snakes goats! After the talk they let us pet the Python.....my mom even touched it! That was impressive for my mom. The part my mom was most excited about was to learn that there are NO snakes in Alaska because it is too cold. The people here that own snakes as pets have to warm up their cages, since they are cold blooded.

Ryan

Pioneer Park

We went to Pioneer Park. We rode the carousel. Carl lets us go on the carousel for free. He also comes and watches our games. We also rode the train for Ty. And then we played Putt Putt. My mom won, with Ryan in second and Ty beat me in third place. I am sure I will win next time though. That evening we watched FireHouse Dog! We had fun!
Jackson

Daddy on a roadtrip

Well on Wednesday daddy left for a roadtrip to Kenai with the team. I am really sad that he had to leave without us. He will be gone for a week. I wish I could have gone but I am glad I missed the 12 hour drive....my buns would have been burning! Daddy arrived safely but he saw a bear and almost hit a moose while driving!

Ty