• An Anchorage version •
[2½ MIN READ]
A community-service trip, like a mission project, might not conventionally feature a fixture like a foodfest, at least not one I was to design. One like that would prioritize conversation. This is a truth that people who spend time with me might soon discover; however, my annual mission trip to Alaska wasn’t designed by me, a fact that I’m consistently reminded is not at all a bad thing.
I arrived for this year’s trip 2 days after the other 3 team members. Knowing that these opportunities are shaped by the hospitality acumen of team-leader Helen, I was entirely ready to contribute to grocery shopping and cooking. The primary activity of leading the teen program of the native-Alaskan Wrangell Bible Conference wasn’t to come until after we drove into the south-central Copper River basin. Until then there were still many now-young-adults to meet in Anchorage, the opportunity-laden big city of the 49th state.
Gaby and Helen hunkered in the kitchen of apartment 3 of the building that we had rented from SEND North (the local mission organization’s landing ground for its staging team members before departing for final posts). Helen, an experienced mother of 4 now-young-men and fathers had the menu planned. The gals had their assignments. Edson and I had ours which we executed in the kitchen of apartment 4 across the hall. We were finishing our preparation as the friends arrived who themselves understood their responsibility: set the backyard picnic table and place the food. We did introductions for new participants over the meal. Musicians Edson and Gaby brought the kind of vocal and instrumental-community-building abilities that we take whenever we get suitably equipped team members.
Expecting another group of friends to arrive for a second sitting, we engaged in more casual conversation over card games. When they were unable to come, we had more time with those who were able to loiter after the first sitting. This bonus was prime time for me.
I sat down with the young parents and did my thing. We’d already heard about one couple participating in a well-timed Christian couples’ event. I leaned into and reinforced the takeaways they gained from their experience. Another young mom asked about the experience Barbara and I had adopting our own now-young-adult children. That opened the door to conversation about the realities of that vital Native-Alaskan community practice within extended families. And the conversation continued.
Several hours passed from start to finish. We distributed leftovers to feed the friends for another meal or for other friends who couldn’t attend. Edson and I prepared to drive 2 teens whose father had originally dropped them off at the guest house. Their grandfather would be driving them up for the conference in a few days. We would obtain assurances of that as we conversed while driving them home in the car that we were also renting from SEND North. But first, Edson and I restored our strength as we ate from the remaining leftovers.
FINE PRINT ¶Text: Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-posted: (1) Facebook 2025’07’24’R and (2) Native Alaska @ iCandybyWangC
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