We hear the saying, "seasons come, seasons go" and think of either the changing of the fall foliage that occurs during the Autumn months. Perhaps maybe a day at the beach under the warm sun and the bonfire in the cool evenings with friends. Perhaps it is seasonal jobs?
I was blessed with the opportunity to work this past summer in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. This was a new experience for me, of which I have never thought possible. It was, to say the least, an adventure like no other. Being in Alaska is the most beautiful and wonderful thing I have ever known. I loved it and even despised it. Yet, it was still something that I am proud to have done.
This was possible with the help of A Christian Ministry in the National Parks or ACMNP for short. They are an organization that works with the National Park Service to be able to hold worship services in the national parks here in the United States. I actually found out about them through a Christian missions conference called Urbana. There I was able to meet with multiple missions organizations, however, ACMNP stood out to me the most.I applied and was placed to work in Glacier Bay in Alaska and I could not have been more excited.
My time at Glacier Bay was something new. I have never been to Alaska until now, let alone work a seasonal job at a lodge. I was a Front Desk Agent, the face of the lodge essentially. I helped guests and others who would need help with the standard procedures. I loved helping the guests out but sometimes I struggled to enjoy it. Working customer service in a high to low to high environment was new to me and it took some time to get used to.
Now, one of the things I eventually became accustomed to was the weather and the sun setting or lack there of. I prepared for cold and precipitation to be a constant which it actually turned out most of the time. There were sunny days however rare they were, but I took advantage and so did my coworkers. There was one time when I jumped into our cove with one of my coworkers because we wanted to. It was a warm day and the water was tempting us to jump in. It worked really well. We both jumped in and screamed because of the frigid temperature of the water, which was fed by melting glaciers. It was exhilarating and invigorating at the same time. There was nothing so shocking to the systems that I have encountered before this or after.
Some adventurous things that took place was camping up bay and in another cove, seeing the northern lights, seeing the glaciers in person, shooting stars, staying up all night just to hang out and talk, and worshiping with my friends. The experiences that I was a part of and the friends I have made were priceless. The memories made will last forever, and I cannot wait to share them with friends and family to remind me of how much of my life was blessed and an adventure that was totally worth it.
