Another Crazy Week of Surprises and New Beginnings!

At the beginning of the week I started writing this post. I saved it and now come back, realizing so much has happened in only a week! We started off the week with Sunday off work. The first Sunday since we first got up here. It was such a blessing to be able to just relax together! After not being able to go to church for over a month, I have never been so excited and thirsty for the Lord. When able we have been going to Kalifonsky, the church where one of the fishing guides leads worship at. It was a fun service with a good majority of the Jimmie Jack fishing team there. There was a guest pastor from India who shared a powerful message about the power of God and the need to unveil ourselves before Christ and live in complete freedom in this way. He shared many powerful testimonies. His mission for the past few years has been to plant 25-30 churches every year in various locations. WOW!

For the fishing report this week, both the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers were closed earlier this week to King Salmon fishing. Our guests have been extremely disappointed. Many travel up here specifically to fish the Kenai King Salmon. However, because of the lack of fish this summer, many people believe that this is necessary in order to save and regain the species for the future. There continues to be a lot of controversy between the sports fishermen and commercial fishermen. Because of the lack of fish, there isn’t enough for everyone, which means someone won’t be happy. Since they closed the King Salmon Fishing, no commercial fishermen are allowed to fish either. All the neighbors at the lodge are commercial fishermen, which makes things interesting :)

The Sockeye Salmon have also just showed up in the Kenai this week. The Sockeye are also called “Reds.” We knew the reds were in when it became a lot busier in town and off every bank there were people dip netting. The sockeye run will only last until the end of July, so just a few more weeks. The residents of Alaska are allowed to keep 25 Sockeye Salmon per head of the household, plus 10 fish per additional family member. For some families, this means over 50 Sockeye Salmon, hundreds of pounds of fish that will last all year! Everyone is traveling here to fish for the Reds, so the rest of July in Kenai will be pretty busy and full of dip netters. 

As for the fishing at Jimmie Jack's lodge, Jacob and the guides are taking the guests on Sockeye trips. They are fishing from the banks of the river. Although some guests seem to be disappointed that the King Fishing is closed, most are still enjoying the fishing. Sockeye is one of the best Salmon for eating and they have been limiting out, so lots of fish!!

At the beginning of the week our lodge mama here at Jimmie' Jack's had to leave for the rest of the summer. After receiving some unfortunate family news, she decided it would be best to be home in Wasilla, Alaska. Needless to say, I am now the new lodge mama! Wow. I have been promoted from boat washer and lunch maker to the lodge mama! God always has different plans than our own, and I believe this just may have been one of them! We are incredibly thankful that god's plan is bigger than our own and we continue to have faith and be reminded of that! I also feel as if I got a glimpse of God's plan coming full circle, after working the past four years as a caterer and groundskeeper for the Gonyea Fellows at PLU. My experiences there and what I have learned from the Anderson's about hospitality has truly helped equip me in this new position. I must not go without saying that all my Dad's Saturday morning breakfasts and mom's great cooking and baking has also helped me as lodge mama. Thank you!!  :) My new role includes making and overseeing breakfast and lunch every day, as well as all the housekeeping and cleaning that we do here. The key role is to be hospitable to our guests and help them have the best trip possible. It is an honor to be in this position. It has been a crazy whirlwind of a week, trying to learn and figure out how everything works here, but I have been enjoying it!

Babysitting baby Enzo!

Jacob and the boys...Billy and Enzo! They are precious.

A fun family that came to the lodge. Look at their awesome shirts!!

We love the people we meet and the friendships made!

It's already July!

Hello Family and Friends~

Once again, time has slipped away and gone by so quickly! So much has happened in the past few weeks. On June 28th we celebrated our one month anniversary! We can’t believe we have already been married a month (and now almost 2!). Thankfully, we were both blessed with a day off from work  so we got to spend the day together. Relaxing, reading, watching movies, and just enjoying the time off. It was the first day since being up here, we both had off, so it was extra special! 

We also got to celebrate the 4th of here, which was quite a different experience for us. We are both used to big celebrations, family get-togethers, and lots of fireworks. It was a lot different celebrating the 4th up in Alaska. Because it is always light out, fireworks are not very big up here. I don't think I heard a single firework on the 4th. Crazy! Every culture celebrates differently. We went out to dinner with a friend from work and had our own fourth of July celebration, remembering and honoring all the past and current soldiers and their families who have sacrificed so much for our country and many freedoms we have. Especially thinking of our Life Church family in Dupont on this special day.

At Bucketts, celebrating the 4th!

Update on the Lodge: Fishing has been incredibly slow this summer. Both the Kenai and the Kasilof Rivers have been closed on and off all summer. When open, it is only to catch and release. Where have the fish gone??! No body really knows. There are a lot of different theories. Some people believe it is because of poor regulation, others believe differently and think it is related to the salt water and Japan. When it comes down to is, greed comes into play. Right now there are not enough fish for all those who want fish, which has become a problem for both he Sports Fishing and Commercial Fishing. It has been interesting learning more about both industries reasons behind the lack of fish from both perspectives (our neighbors at the lodge are commercial fishermen).  After a slow month of fishing in June and beginning of July, the past couple days have picked up and we believe the second run of Kings are in! Praise God. We are very happy and so are all our guests! We will see how the rest of the month of July is... 

Jacob with a few different guests at the lodge!

Aside from the fishing, we have a new addition to the team. Her name is Cassie and she is from Minnesota. She is also helping in the lodge, which has been incredibly helpful and fun to have her around. Prayers for rest and peace for the lodge mama have truly been answered and continue to be a constant mission for me. As you see, our new friend is quite the hunter, and is always on the lookout for squirrels and rabbits. :( 

As promised, here are a couple pictures of our new home. Also known as the "honeymoon sweet." We have come to really love our new home. It has become a comfy little home to us. After work we have come to love relaxing and reading together, along with occasionally having movie nights. Both which are fun! We also have been enjoying cooking different meals and have realized the crock pot is our new best friend!

The Hirsts! (sign made my my aunt and uncle)

The Honeymoon Sweet!

We  made taco soup! Thanks to the Fords for the great recipe! :)

We continue to pray for direction for the future and plans after the summer, and would appreciate your prayers as well! While praying for the future, we also continue to pray that the Lord uses us and his will be made known to us daily. It has become very clear that our purpose for being in Alaska is beyond fishing, and we are continuing to pray for clarity.

Our new mailing address for the summer is:

Jacob and Jordan Hirst

PO Box 2374

Kenai, AK 99166

We got our first official piece of mail! From Ashleigh Duckett! How exciting :) We would love to hear from our family and friends!

Love you and miss you all very much~

Jacob and Jordan :)