Mariana's Trench and Emergency Response

In the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, just east of the Mariana Islands, lies a hole so vast that if Mount Everest were dropped into it, there would be more than a mile of water still covering its peak. According to Deep Sea Challenge only two people have ever ventured to its deepest point.  Yet in the heart of the Matsu Valley in mid-June, several middle schoolers encountered their own version of "Mariana's Trench" -- learning that evil often lurks in dark spaces, and that beautiful Mariana can often be hiding sinister secrets.

Enter Dr. Nevis, Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), Camp Director of the Matsu College.  Billy, Mariana's husband, is currently in a coma, following a savage screwdriver attack.  Unable to communicate with police, it is up to the highly skilled CSI-trainees to decipher the web of evidence, determine the identity of the attacker, and convince the district attorney to pursue justice.  CSI-trainee Ethan Martin recounts the details:

"After learning observational skills, we entered the crime scene to begin our inventories.  There was a massive blood spatter on the floor and footprints leading away from the scene.  There was a container of what appeared to be cocaine found beneath Billy's chair.  Lab testing for cocaine, meth, THC, spice, and heroin revealed that the container was, indeed, cocaine. Initial suspects included Mike, Billy's friend, and Mariana, Billy's wife.  Mike confirmed that Billy did occasionally use illegal drugs, and Mariana was the one who discovered Billy after she returned from grocery shopping for four hours! Mike and Mariana both agreed to allow us to take hair samples for DNA testing using microscopes.  The bloody footprint matched neither suspect, and additional interviews revealed that an unfamiliar car had been seen in the vicinity during the time of the incident.  The car and the footprint would be linked to Mariana's boyfriend, who ultimately would be arrested for murder -- since Billy never awoke from his coma.  Mariana allegedly knew nothing of the attack; but that may be another camp..."

DNA Capture
Human Saliva - Ethan's!

As if all that crime-stopping, gross evidence-collection, and analysis weren't enough, Ethan decided to take his role-playing skills to the next level.  Once again Matsu College provided a wonderful opportunity!  They needed live actors to participate in mass casualty exercises for paramedic training. The stage involved two separate mass casualty bus accidents.  Given the extreme winter weather conditions here and the increase in tour bus traffic during the summer, the scenarios were staged as close to real life as possible -- including the medical moulage.

Medical Moulage 2016

Given our experience from ions ago in Interior Alaska playing deployment games with children, we knew that the best "victims" are convincing victims.  During our first "rodeo" we only let the children watch the moulage take place -- until one brave soul said, "I'd like to be moulaged!"  From that time on, medical moulage for the kids at camp became as standard a procedure as face painting at the county fair!  So Ethan was ecstatic when one of the paramedic professors looked him right in the eye and said, "How about you?  Do you want visible injuries?"  From an exercise "director" and facilitator standpoint, I can certainly understand trying to create an authentic experience for the learners. Besides... that's the fun kid part!  We even held a WWE birthday party for Andrew one year -- complete with moulage black eyes!  Yikes!  And when Alex was moulaged one year for Operation Bug Out, we found him sick in the bathroom because he had "looked at his injuries in the mirror!" What kind of parents are we?!

Victim Ethan
Staging Area

However, watching our youngest son transform into a visible victim right before our eyes was a bit disconcerting. Add to that his propensity for exaggeration, genuine role-play, and perfected "dying" ability, and you've created a parenting nightmare!

So...guess who got to throw the paramedics the "freaked out mom and dad" arriving on scene?  I was alright until I noticed they were staging "victims" on three tarps -- green, yellow, and red -- like a traffic signal.  An additional part of the staging multiple victims includes tagging -- placing large placards around each neck and ripping the corresponding color strip from the tag that matches the tarp. So far, so good...we're tracking well.  Then scenario two occurred...

All of the victims were staged within the seats and aisles of a school bus and instructed NOT to understand or speak English -- i.e. simulating a tour bus or a busload of foreign exchange students.  A child-size mannequin lay lifeless on the ground in front of the bus, the first fatality of the simulation. Parent participants were told to wait until 5 minutes into the simulation, then "storm" the paramedics. Oh, and by the way, WE didn't speak English either!  Michael and another parent rushed the bus --screaming in Turkish and Spanish.  Ethan overheard one of the medics nervously say, "Prepare to intercept the boy's father!" Another parent and I stormed the tarps screaming for our children.  We were immediately stopped by a lone paramedic who was attempting to triage the "victims" and handle these crazy parents.  The woman I was with spoke nothing but Arabic, and I spoke Russian. She immediately found her daughter and attempted to take her from the scene to "get her to the hospital quicker."  I, however, couldn't find Ethan -- on any of the tarps.  So, then I stormed the bus with Michael.  We were gently escorted back to the tarps to wait for our son, by a nice man, who kindly threatened us with pretty silver bracelets.

Scenario 1 -- Superficial Cuts & Bruises
Potential Collapsed Lung

It was at that moment that the reality of the work that the paramedics do actually hit me.  Because you see, I know me...we were "subdued" for this exercise because we didn't want them to completely forget the first aid they were attempting to give -- but it was a quick, tough does of "reality" for all of us.  They thought they were prepared, until a busload of children couldn't understand or respond to simple instructions in English.  They thought they could handle the emergencies until crazy parents began showing up on-scene and creating additional chaos.  And I thought I "knew" what medics went through responding to accident scenes or crashes.

Ethan's "injuries" included two broken legs, a collapsed lung, and a severe gash to his head.  But it wasn't until we saw him "tagged" and lying lifeless on the red tarp that the thought of being a parent in that situation kicked in...red tarps were awaiting Life Flights.  Hearing the paramedics work, seeing their intensity (even though it was "only" practice), and wondering what they meant by "intercepting the boy's father" proved more educational than anything he could have ever read about paramedic training and preparation.

Practicing Our Chalk Outlines

"Pretending" opened all our eyes, and while it was tough to imagine ourselves in that kind of a situation, we are all so grateful for the opportunity to volunteer to help the them train.  The next time you see an ambulance, we hope you will think of our "fun" exercise, remember those first responders, the victims, and say a prayer for them all.

Join us next time as The Matthew Beaver Family takes on Alaska!

Matthew, Ruth, and Jack Jack
Beluga Point 2016

There's a First Time for Everything!

In the Heart of the Alaskan Wilderness...at the Heart of a Deadened Tree...
Rests an Image of My Heart Proclaiming You Belong with Me.

I'll bet you thought I was finished with this blogging thing!  Not hardly!  These past few weeks have just been B-U-S-Y!  I was hoping to bring you an exciting episode that included successful bear hunting photographs; but, alas...it was not to be. That isn't to say that adventure wasn't had by all, and we do have hearty tales to tell, but the only bears that live here seem to be hovering in the Anchorage city limits.  Beyond the prepping and participating in the bear hunt, we have attempted a little fishing (much more of that in weeks to come), canoeing, biking, gardening, mowing, 4-wheeling, and a week-long adventure in Vacation Bible School.  And, as with any of our days, we continue to look for and learn lessons all along the way.

May 2016

Since our last meeting, it seems summer has arrived, bowling over spring before it has even sprung. The temperatures in the past weeks have hovered in the 70s, and even approached 80 on a few days. Our poor Maddie got her first Alaskan sunburn, hiking the Butte in Palmer.  It seems uncanny that sunburn would occur in the "frozen North," but given we are also the Land of the Midnight Sun, sunscreen is a must for the next few months!  You can read all about their adventures here.

Basking in the Glow of the Midnight Sun

The past few weeks here have seen us basking in the glow of the "summer" sun, canoeing at neighboring Big Lake, spring cleaning, readying the garden boxes for planting, and dog dips at Nancy Lakes (finally!).  We are learning to be flexible (which is extremely difficult for over-achieving planners).  You'd think we would have learned that lesson the first time we lived in Alaska -- perhaps we did, but I feel like we forgot it after ten years in the lower 48.  It is a difficult concept to explain, particularly for people who are not accustomed to the "Alaskan" way of life.  Even though we seem to be in a frenzied state most of the time with work, schedules, activities, etc., it's almost as if we travel in a contented slow motion.  That's why, when the weather is warm and the sun is shining, almost everyone ceases "work" and takes time to enjoy the fleeting moment.  It reminds me of when I was a young mother and people (mostly my beloved family and friends) would remind me that "you'll always have dirt and dishes, but the time with your family is won't last forever."  As a result, we are trying to be purposeful about our family time.

Canoeing at Big Lake, Alaska
May 2016

Dog Days at Nancy Lakes

Funny...they look alike!

Ethan is working to finish up studies for the school year -- although we are teaching him to be a "lifelong" learner -- so I'm not certain we will ever "finish" studying!  And what a joy that is!  A few weeks ago, we weeded and planted the garden, mowed the lawn for the first time this season, and decided whether to do decking or landscaping next.  We found a frog in the garden -- yes, wood frogs exist in Alaska -- and that led to all sorts of learning for us both!  Our frogs freeze and their hearts stop beating in the fall/winter and then they thaw and come back to life in the spring!  We didn't know that was even possible, but research at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks shows it is a thing! UAF Frog Thaw  Who would have ever guessed that we had to come to Alaska for Ethan to catch his first frog -- particularly since we lived on the East Coast and have visited the Midwest numerous times?!

Speaking of firsts...Michael and Ethan went on their first-ever Father-Son Bear Hunt in mid-May out of Whittier, AK. A SUPER shout-out goes to Brian and Christina Bonker for sharing their hunting and fishing vessel, and for helping to make a memory that will last a lifetime for Michael and Ethan!

Only problem...?  They were out for four days and didn't even see a bear!  3-4 hours, by boat, outside of Whittier, camping in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness -- and they didn't even see a bear!  But they sure did have fun!  They saw sea lions, otters, eagles, and a glacier -- up close and personal -- and Brian even let Ethan "drive" the boat a few times.  They tried fishing when locating bear was proving unsuccessful, but the fish weren't biting that day.  Their grandest adventure occurred the last day of the hunt, but there needs to be a bit of back story to understand and appreciate it. Mariners often jockey for position into and out of Whittier with tour buses, motorists, and the train. You may remember from a blog last year that access to Whittier is limited to arrival by sea or a one-way tunnel through a mountain  Trail to Whittier. Originally, they were scheduled to be out five days, but no sightings and significant rainfall prompted an early retreat.  As such, their goal was to break camp and make it 3 hours back to Whittier to get out by that last tunnel opening.  So the frenzy began!

Camping in the Alaskan wilderness off-shore from the ocean requires careful navigation and negotiation.  Larger boats go inland more when the tide rises.  Goal: to walk all supplies into/out of camp from/to the boat while the tide is in.  This is accomplished best in nicer weather, wearing hip or chest waders.  If this part of the negotiation begins to fall apart, the boat has to move further and further away from shore, and the loads become heavier to maneuver over long distances. Danger: moving slower than the tide requires the captain to stay on the boat, moving it to an appropriate off-shore destination to anchor it in deep water, then raft back and forth to unload supplies to shore. When loading gear back onto the boat, moving slower than the outgoing tide can cause the boat to beach, leaving would-be escapees to wait until the tide comes in again before moving the boat!
Please don't ask how we know this...

After a brief sojourn on the Sands of Time, the crew was underway for their trip back to Whittier. Jockeying for position out of the water and back onto the mainland, they "docked" in the staging lanes to leave Whittier at 8:45 p.m.  Oh, snake eyes!  Whittier Tunnel closed early that evening, at 6:00 p.m., for minor repairs.  Stuck in Whittier overnight -- no way out until 6:00 a.m. the following day!  They could've stayed out fishing!  Oh well...after spending a night bedded down in the boat and the truck in a parking lot, at least they were smiling, and I'm still hearing "tales" from the trip!  

He's a Lefty!

Our adventures continued after church on Memorial Day weekend.  Most of the church families gathered at a local Palmer Park for a picnic, park festivities, and a good old-fashioned (and super competitive) adult softball game.  Ethan has tossed a ball and batted a few times, but has never played competitive t-ball, baseball, or softball.  But, man...what a trooper!  He and a couple of his buddies from Sunday School decided to join the "adults" -- and I use that term loosely -- for an action-packed softball game!

3 of My 4 Men Enjoying a "Friendly" Game of  Church Softball

Now any of you that know anything about church softball can attest that Christian testimonies seem to flee the scene after the first pitch is tossed.  Ironically, the adults were all so gracious with their junior players, offering them key positions in the in-field, giving a couple of extra "strikes" if necessary so a tip of the ball to the bat could occur, and helping them learn the rules of softball versus baseball play -- i.e.  no matter what the preacher says, you CANNOT steal bases in slow-pitch softball! But boy can we talk some smack adult-to-adult -- all in good fun, of course.  During Game 1, I had the opportunity to sit with the wee ones in the stands and yell for my guys!  That's right...Michael, Alex, and Ethan were all on the same team (the Winning Team, as Pastor would say), and they all had great hits, base runs, and the first GRAND SLAM of the game -- go Alex!  I'm not sure if his smile was bigger or Ethan's -- since later in the game Ethan had a base hit that knocked Alex home from 2nd base!

Alexander -- Grand Slam Style

We were only missing Andrew (and miss him, we do!)  

We interrupt our game for this brief announcement: Andrew is adventuring in Australia for a few weeks, visiting family, and we pray he is having a fabulous time!  The pictures seem to say, "Yes, he is!"

Sydney, Australia

"Good day, Mate!"

     Now...back to our coverage of the softball games...

The Grand Slam Finale -- Justin, Michael, Christian, and Alex

Picking teams for Game 2, Alex got picked as the 2nd player on Pastor's team, to which Michael yelled in protest, "HE doesn't even go to our church!!!"  See?  Super-competitive -- once you see someone hit a grand slam, you pick him for your team -- regardless of church affiliation! Ha ha ha! Michael was picked next for Pastor's team, probably to appease him, to which he replied, "I've NEVER been picked this early for any team!"  Mandy, team captain and mother extraordinaire of a five year old and infant twins, immediately picked me for her team, stating, "I love pitting husbands and wives against each other!"  We had several sets of husband-wife pitting, which made the day all the more hysterical!  Great food, great fun...and, yes, I did get on base at my only at-bat.  Game called early on account of little ones needing to play kickball!

Game Czars for Ocean Commotion 2016!

And our most recent adventure...Michael and I played Game Czars at Vacation Bible School all last week, enjoying some of those same little ones and meeting new ones! Because of the frenzied summer pace here, our church has historically hosted Vacation Bible School the week after the kiddies get out of school.  Many of the school bus drivers here also drive tour buses, so school ends early and starts later here.  It seems once school is out the race is on to see how much of Alaska can be hiked, biked, boated, fished, and hunted before school starts again in the fall!  We had about 66 youth ages 4-12 attend, and we had the privilege of "coordinating play!"  The theme was Noah's Ark, so the main sanctuary was turned into an underwater world, with the bottom of the ark running the length of the ceiling.  All of the classrooms were transformed into theme-appropriate learning labs, complete with "fake arks," life-size cardboard cut-out animals, and black-light underwater paradises.  It was truly amazing!  We had each group for about 30 minutes for games each day, and the games were all related to the specific lesson of the day.  I have several favorite memories from the week, but will share one that's an awesome rib-tickler -- at least for me.

To protect the anonymity of the "offender," I have changed the names of the
character(s) in our tall tale (real story):

There once was a tot named Dee

Who couldn't sit as still as can be

She stole Michael's hat

 Yelled, "No one's balder than that!" 

And promptly giggled with glee!

Game Czar Adina stepped in
And said through covered-up grin,
"The Bible speaks on these things
In Second Kings,"
And the children raised such a din!

Looking at the children, and 'specially lil Dee
"Do you know what happened with Elisha?" asked she;
"42 Kiddos like you,
made fun of his do,
And bears ate them, don't you see?"

And now children...what have we learned?  Agghh!  Mrs. Martin is one, scary lady, and we shouldn't make fun of her husband's bald head!  Not quite sure we'll be asked to head up games next year, but you never can tell!  

Look, Mom! I found the esophagus!

CSI Camp prep --
oh, the things we can do with a fryer chicken!

Please pray for our Andrew while he is gallivanting through Australia, for Alex and Maddie as they adjust to both working and the Midnight Sun, Michael as he returns to vacation from his work -- wait...reverse that (I think), and for Ethan and I as he prepares for CSI Summer Camp next week! 

Very soon Ratmu, Ruthie, and Jack Jack will be taking on Alaska for the first time as a family -- and we will have more lovely adventures to report to you all!  Until next time...

"The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad."
Psalm 126:3