Week Nine update and the end of my time in Klemtu =(

Well friends, this will most likely be my last official update from Klemtu. I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I really can not believe how quickly the time has gone and writing this post is incredibly bittersweet. Last Tuesday, June 30, was Brent and Tiff's ninth wedding anniversary. I asked them a few weeks back about their anniversary and they told me that since they have a tendency to forget the official day, they now both set the alarms on their phones to go off the morning of the big day. In fact, they told me that the first year they did that neither of them knew the other had set an alarm until their phones went off at the same time. Anyway, Tiff made her famous chow mein for the occasion and had me over to share in the meal. After dinner, we headed up to the field for a family fun night marshmallow and hot dog roast. There was an excellent turn out and we talked around the fire until close to midnight.

Wednesday was Canada Day and everyone had the day off from work. I was invited to a birthday party picnic out at Pidwell Reef, which is a beach on the south end of Swindle Island that is about a half hour boat ride from Klemtu. We loaded up two punts full of people and food and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we rode along the coast on a gorgeous day. Without a doubt, the highlight was when we saw two pods of killer whales. There were about nine total that popped out of the ocean and gave us an incredible show. Tiff was able to capture some of it on video and I've put it up for your enjoyment! We got there around lunch time and ate both lunch and dinner out there. Pidwell Reef was on a white, sandy beach and we had a great time playing in the water (I actually just watched as I was too much of a chicken to test the cold water), playing baseball, drawing in the sand, and simply enjoying each other's company. It was a wonderful day that I was quite sad to see come to an end.

I began phase one of cleaning out the house on Thursday. I then went for a run (no wolves this time) and stopped at the hotel to see what it looks like on the inside. The rooms were quite nice and they all have a really nice ocean view (your kind of place, mom). Afterward, Tiff and I walked up to the pond to pick up her girls and head down to the band store to get some items for the camping trip. It was getting pretty late by the time we were done and so we decided to order food from the cafe' to take back to Tiff and Brent's. Tiff managed to order me a "Klemtu burger" without me knowing and we had a pretty big laugh as I attempted to eat it back at their house. It consists of two very large hamburger patties topped with mushrooms, bacon, cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup. Tiff got a nice picture of me trying to take a bite out of it but I don't think it's going to make it on the blog. I got through about half of it before it was time to head up to the field for soccer (definitely not the best pre-game meal). It was a pretty warm day and I had a hard time getting the kids to come out of the shade to play, but we managed to get a small game going. After we finished, I headed down to the youth center to help Tiff get some more stuff together for the camping trip and print off permission slips. We did as much as we could to get ready, and then I headed home to rest up for what was going to be a very fun weekend.

Tiff and I both got up early Friday morning to get everything packed up and ready to go for the camping trip. It was quite a long process and we ended up filling up the back of a truck with all of the food and gear for the trip. We then loaded up a punt with the majority of our stuff and took about half of the kids out with us to Marvin Island. The other half stayed behind with chaperones checking in on them until the boat could make it back to get them. It usually only takes an hour to get out to Marvin Island, but because our punt was so full and the seas were a little rough, it took us two and a half hours. We got pretty wet but we all had a good laugh about it and were just that much more thankful when we arrived. We got there a little after supper time and unloaded our stuff into the cabin. Half of the group stayed in the cabin and the other half stayed in tents. Even though we were in a cabin, it was a real camping experience as we had no electricity, plumbing, or running water. The views from the island were spectacular and the sunset was perhaps the best I have ever seen. We sat around the campfire and then attempted to go to bed around midnight, but were kept up most of the night by the sounds of whispering and giggling teens. I felt like I was back in junior high at a sleepover where you stay up all night talking. I finally fell asleep around four and was able to catch a few hours of sleep before getting up to start the next day.

Saturday was another beautiful day and I was one of the first ones up so I went outside and read on one of the rocks along the ocean. Once everyone started getting up, we had lunch and went outside to play a very funny game that one of the chaperones taught us. The object is to not laugh or smile while the other team does all they can to make you do so. I was not very good as I hardly made it two steps without bursting out into laughter. We then took a punt out to a spot known as Kwa Kwa. Once we got past the slippery rocks, we made it to a nice open area that was great for swimming as it contained fresh water and not salt water. This time I sucked it up and jumped in for a lap to the other side. I didn't last long, though, as the water was quite cold. We then headed back and tried some of the fish head stew that Brent had prepared. Apparently the head of a fish is the most flavorful part, which was a fact that I was not aware of as I have never seen anyone eat the head. Even though we didn't have any propane, we decided to make a meal for the kids that evening. I was in charge of the rice, and with a little bit of help it turned out just right after cooking it over the fireplace inside the cabin. We also had salmon that was a total team effort to prepare. Clark cut the fish to personal steak size, Tiff seasoned the fish, I wrapped it in aluminum foil, and Brent cooked it over the fire. It was a really tasty meal and the kids were very pleased. We finished the meal with s'mores and then played night games, which also brought back some fond memories from my youth. We ended the night with a game of "spoons" before we headed to bed. This time, I slept soundly through the night and was very glad to have a full night of sleep.

We woke up Sunday morning, had breakfast, and then cleaned out the cabin and packed up to go home. It was quite time consuming as we had brought a lot of stuff with us and had a lot of kids staying in the cabin, but we finished shortly after lunch and then loaded up the punt to head back to Klemtu. The ride only took an hour this time and was quite smooth except for a few bumps as we neared our destination. We then unloaded all of the stuff, had dinner, and then I headed to church for my last Sunday night service. A church group from Hope, BC had just arrived on the ferry that day and I was very happy to meet them all at the service. One of the women played the piano and we had a wonderful time of musical worship. They were all excellent singers and their voices lit up the church. Nan Violet made multiple comments to me about how wonderful the singing was. I spent some time after the service talking to a few of the men from Hope and two of the Klemtu church leaders and then headed to Tiff's for some lemon meringue pie. I then headed home for a long overdue shower and a much anticipated sleep in my comfortable bed.

After getting some stuff done Monday morning, I headed over to Tiff's with some of the other camping chaperones for crepes, which were delicious as always. I then cleaned out some of my food and then headed to Nan Violet's for one last visit. I brought her a bag of sugar along with a couple other items I thought she could use with all of the baking she does, and she told me that she was so thankful for the sugar because she had just run out of it that morning. Pretty cool the way God works. She gave me a napkin holder and cross that she had woven and I gratefully accepted. We then hugged goodbye and I told her I hope to see her again next year but that I would definitely see her later. I then had Tiff`s family and some other friends over for a final meal at my house. I continued on with the breakfast theme and made french toast and fruit and jello for dessert. We then played spoons and had some of Brent`s famous popcorn mixed with seaweed before everyone headed home for the night.

It is now Tuesday morning and I am getting ready to start packing some of my things. I leave Wednesday afternoon on a small seaplane, trasfer planes in Bella Bella, stop in Port Hardy, and then onto Vancouver. I will then stay a couple of nights with the Markloffs (who I stayed with before I left for Klemtu) before taking the red eye home Friday night and landing in Indianapolis Saturday in the early afternoon.

God has stretched and challenged me in ways I have never experienced, and I am so thankful that He chose to send me out on this journey 10 weeks ago. I have developed some of the most genuine relationships in such a short amount of time, and it is going to be very difficult to say goodbye. With that said, I plan on coming back to visit next summer and hopefully bringing my family with me to meet the friends I have told them so much about. Klemtu is a beautiful place with wonderful people and I will forever be grateful for the hospitality they showed me while I was here. And so I sign off from Klemtu not with goodbye, but rather with a see you later, friends.