Dear Friends:

Sure as shootin’, the tell-tale signs of fall are upon us.  Here in Alaska, as soon as the fireweed plants bloom their beautiful pink blossoms all the way from the bottom of the plant to the top, fall is just around the corner.  Most of the plants in our neighborhood are all the way to the top so I guess it must be time to take a look at the studded tires to see if I can get one more winter out of them!  We have had a relatively cool summer here so our raspberry patch is just coming on so whenever the rains let up, it is berry picking time.  Of course, if I have a choice between picking berries or heading down to the Kenai River to try to catch some of the big fall run of silvers….well, you can guess which usually wins out.

Counseling CFM
Usually, during the summer months, my counseling load drops off as folks are too busy doing summer activities but this summer that has not happened.  I think folks are under a lot of stress due to the economic situation in the area (and in the country as a whole) and when stress mounts, that which can come unraveled, generally does.  Also a pattern is that most folks who need counseling help often are not in a position to pay much if anything.  So, thank you so much for your prayers for CFM finances and to those who are able to contribute to that need.  Several of the businesses in the building where my office is located have either closed up shop or have downsized to smaller offices but thankfully, I have been able to keep the rent paid and have not been late a single time in the nearly seven years I have been there.

Guests
It has been a busy but fun summer of having visitors to the Coggins Hotel.  (smile)  Within the past month or so we have been blessed to have Richard Kiser and his wife, Esther, with us.  Richard is a phenomenal Christian guitarist who spent several days with us before and after he did a concert at North Kenai Chapel.  He didn’t have very good success fishing but on the way back to Anchorage, an accident closed the Seward Highway and he was stranded right beside Bird Creek.  So, being an opportunistic kind of guy, he just pulled into the parking lot, grabbed his fishing pole and went fishin’.  By the time traffic started moving he had caught and released about 30 pink salmon and caught and kept one nice silver salmon!

A few days before the Kiser’s arrived, we were so excited because our daughter, Michele, her husband, Todd, and their three children, Lauren, Kyle and Jake came for a week.  What a treat to have them here!  They had high hopes of being able to catch some big king salmon as the last week of July is traditionally the best week of the season to get the big “hogs” (as they are affectionately called).  However, as sometimes happens the king run was very small and the Fish and Game guys issued an emergency order not allowing the use of bait for kings.  So much for that!  Fortunately, there was a guy who was visiting Alaska from Wisconsin who had become somewhat of an expert at catching those sneaky sockeye (red) salmon and he volunteered to take them to his secret spot on the river.  They came back with a big cooler full of fish and huge grins.  Dean, daughter Tracie’s son, stayed with us that week, too, and he had a great time helping the younger kids shoot, ride a four-wheeler and skip rocks in the ocean.  The challenging part was the two days it rained cats and dogs.  That is a lot of energy to keep indoors for two days.  But, everyone survived and now they are safely back in Ohio where the boys are playing football (dad, Todd, is the coach) and Lauren is excelling at soccer.  It was so incredible to see them all and now we miss them more than ever.

Then, my sister, Glenice, and her husband, Dave came for ten fun-filled days in the land of the midnight sun!  They spend most of the year in Arizona so our WARM days seemed like frigid days to them.  We were able to get out on the river silver fishing several times and my little (maybe a bit older but definitely littler) sister caught her first fish EVER.  Marveen was busy with her digital camera so I have no doubt that there will be photo evidence in her annual Christmas newsletter.  We hated to see them go but with the invitation to visit them in Arizona this winter being offered, I am sure we will see them before long when we go down there to also visit with our son, Dave, his wife, Liz and their two young daughters.

This past week we were able to take Nikiski’s longest serving pastor out on the river fishing for silvers.  At 77, Harold Lewis is one of the most dedicated pastors I have ever known and has been here in Nikiski for over 20 years.  Fishing was as lousy as I have ever seen it but it was a sunny, warm day so we just had a great time fellowshipping and swapping stories of our years of ministry here in Alaska.

Coming up we will be blessed with two sets of Marveen’s friends from Colorado.  They flew to Alaska and will be taking a cruise ship back to the lower ’48.  Hmm, winter’s coming so maybe we ought to leave them here and we’ll take the cruise south!!  Then, my brother, Mark, will arrive the end of next week for four days of fishing with his older brother!  I always enjoy it when Mark comes up.  What a terrific guy he is. 
Then, a few days after Mark leaves, Marveen will fly down to Colorado for her regular month of helping her step mom, Roberta.  She has done that every three months since we came to Nikiski which gives her brother, who lives there, a break.

44 Magnum Baptism
I just have to tell you about a unique experience we had last week.  One of the young men in our church approached me to see if I was open to doing a water baptism for him this week.  I had Monday evening open so we met him, his family and a group of friends at the parking area where the trail takes off to the mouth of Bishop Creek where it empties into Cook Inlet.  One of his little sisters also decided to get baptized at the same time in that icy cold water.

Interestingly, we had driven by that area just a day or so before and had seen a big ol’ black bear looking for salmon in the creek.  Since the salmon were running in “HIS CREEK,” I opted to go prepared for any eventuality and strapped on my 44 magnum handgun…just in case.  I noticed that one of the other guys had a handgun in his pocket so I felt we would be as safe as we could be all things considered.  I had to laugh as we were walking down through the shoulder high ferns and devil’s club bushes… “only in Alaska do does a pastor go to a baptism with a gun strapped to his hip!

Well, the baptism went off without a hitch and as we were standing around talking and admiring the sunset and rare view of Mt. McKinley (Denali), suddenly a big fat silver salmon went charging up a shallow riffle and flopped up on the side of the bank.  As it flip-flopped back into the river the young man who was just baptized, still in his swimming trunks, jumped into the river like a bear would and came up with a chrome bright salmon in his hands (paws) while the audience saluted his fishing skill with applause and laughter.  Since salmon fishing (by humans) isn’t allowed in that little creek, he dutifully and I think a bit reluctantly, returned it to the water.  Like I said earlier…”ONLY IN ALASKA!

Wayne and Marveen