similarities, seasons, and salmon

As I ride a bike along Highway One and then make a turn on to Kalifornsky Beach Highway...I can't help but see the similarities between all I experienced living in Los Angeles and the challenges and opportunities that currently lay in front of me.

We had an all-staff "retreat" (more like an all day meeting) in which one of the agenda items was to discuss the college's mascot. There were a few candidates: the bald eagle, the spruce hen, the salmon, and the mahlemuit (an Alaskan breed of sled dog). All having their own unique and beneficial attributes (yes even the laughable spruce hen) I had my mind narrowed down to two preferences. I thought 'bald eagle - cliche and overdone, the hen - ha good one! the mahlemuit and the salmon were both good catches in my opinion. I had to vote for one though...

Living in LA I was able to spend a good deal of time volunteering at the Bicycle Kitchen (a do-it-yourself/together bicycle workshop) my job description includes bicycle mechanic here too. Strewn outside of the office building a number of bikes support one another as though they were singing Lean on Me to one another. Walking by I cringed at the bikes' state of utter disrepair the students of last year had left them. My supervisor gladly deferred the repair to me and allowed me to purchase some spare tubes, tools and other bike supplies. With grease blackened palms I thought to myself, 'I am getting paid for this!' Not only that, but I had the opportunity to get to know the maintenance crew on grounds as I invaded their workspace.

Now I know that all the interviews that I had gone through this past spring didn't go to complete waste. I mean, at times they were therapeutic to talk about myself and give myself an honest evaluation, furthermore they have proved a valuable experience in this new job. As Resident Supervisors (RS) we have the opportunity to elect student Resident Assistants (RA). The other male RS and I sat down and put together a list of questions that we would ask our aspiring RAs; questions that would hopefully give us some insight into how they would deal with conflict, the why question, and strengths and weaknesses. One of the students we interviewed has been at the school for a few semesters already and he took full advantage of the question posed to him, "...and do you have any questions for [the RSs]?" He made sure we knew what we were in for. That took us a little by surprise that we were getting interviewed also.

Another time I have been caught off guard is in a new found form of recreation...basketball. Amongst all of the villages in Alaska basketball is a big deal. I never would have thought that I would be enjoying playing basketball as much as I have been. I now look forward to Tuesday and Saturday evenings when we will go to "The Rec" to play ball. The students have been teaching me how to properly shoot the ball, how to dribble with my eyes up rather than down at the ball and any number of other useful pointers. They have confused my endurance and my go-all-out attitude for being a good player, ha! Well I am learning to shoot and not look like a monkey (although I still shoot with my left hand). I still have a little bit of hope in me that I might find some eskimos who love to play soccer (like the youth in Boyle Heights do) but I am coming to terms with this game that they call basketball.

As I reflect on all of what I have seen so far I am struck by how the gang life in LA and the village life in rural Alaska share so many similarities. The two environments, as different as they may seem, both reflect a community that at times can feel like a trap. The gang life is confined to maybe ten square blocks of 'turf' while many of the rural villages are accessible only by airplane; there are no roads that reach them. The villages have a lot of problems with alcoholism and suicide and the gangs let drugs keep them trapped. Everyone in the gang knows one's business, similarly anonymity in the villages is non-existent. Both stand in limbo of wanting to escape and feeling a sense of obligation to help change the culture.

both need hope.
not escape.
both need
Jesus.
for now.
and for the future.
They need the Jesus who brings about the Kingdom here and now and not just a Jesus who acts as fire insurance.

During orientation weekend we had to get all sorts of insurance information from the students but we were also able to do some fun activities. One such event was hiking to the Russian River Falls. The hike itself was relatively unimpressive, however the falls itself was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. By my (self-proclaimed) expert opinion we came upon some class IV rapids. There were three to five foot waterfalls that came down the falls. I wished I  could raft down the rapids! But then, like a scene from national geographic, there were red and silver salmon making the most incredible leaps that I have ever seen up the falls! Schools of fish were taking rests in the nearby eddy (calm spot in the rapids) and some of the natives even were able to grab fish with bare (or bear) hands. Having spent a good deal of time in whitewater over the summers I have a good understanding for the force of the current, and I have a healthy respect for it. Not every fish made the leap on the first try but the persistence of the spawning salmon inspired awe. Their goal - to make it to the calm waters to reproduce, to give a hope for future generations; to return to their birthplace; to give back what they have been given. It's no easy task to achieve.


I think the salmon has my vote.