The first sighting of this beautiful small white church with green trim, with a cross at the peak, on the top of a hill, was breathtaking.

Upon closer inspection, we realized why our team was needed there.  The walkway was overgrown and barely useable, in addition to being very steep, as the church is on the top of a hill.  The side window was broken and the front door needed to be replaced.  People had been breaking into the church to sleep there.  Inside there was significant water damage impacting the ceiling and walls.  We noticed that one of the windows in the steeple was broken (I was so scared when Fr. Spiro, later in the week, was on a ladder replacing it.)

I asked the team members to describe two moments in the day.  First, the moment they stepped into the church.  Second, the moment they stepped out at the end of the day.  Here are their responses:

  First                                         Second

Overwhelmed                           Hopeful

Echoes                                     Voices

Sorrowful                                 Progress

Sad                                         Happy

 Dead                                        Alive

We were to spend the afternoon assessing the condition and needs of the church and then return to our lodge to form a plan for the week.  Here is our to-do/supply list. 

 Well, this team does not work that way.  We jumped right in.  We could not wait to work.  We quickly learned that with the combination of talents on our team, we worked together like a well-oiled machine.

We met Glen, church elder and caretaker.  Glen not only tends to the church, but also conducts the “reader services”.  (Since Fr. Simeon is the parish priest for both Juneau and Hoonah and a third parish, he is not able to be in Hoonah every Sunday; thus, the parish has “reader services” in the absence of clergy.)  Glen’s wife joined us for daily vespers.  They have been married for 35 years.  Their eyes were full of love and appreciation that warmed the heart.  More about them later. 

The next day, we were ready to start our first full day of work. The walkway up the hill was problematic with water-logged boards covering small ditches in the path (remember, we are in a rainforest). Team member Dean had a vision for the walkway up to the church. By the end of the day, two pipes had been laid and the walkway filled with gravel. We painted doors. We fixed windows. We cleaned candle holders. We cataloged music.

In addition to Glen and his wife, we had another parish member and two visitors at our first evening vesper service.

Glen and his wife have been married 35 years. Collectively, they have 16 children, 26 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. They like classic movies. He served four tours in Vietnam and worked as a welder on the Alaskan pipeline. They are devoted servants of God who remain committed to this tiny parish, where five people at a church service are a full house.

Another parish member, Genevieve, is the mother of three daughters and six grandchildren, the sixth being the first male, which makes grandma laugh. She is also the parish treasurer.

These three people comprise a majority of the parish.

We were blessed that they joined us for dinner on our second night in Hoonah.

As our work continued, word spread throughout Hoonah that missionaries were at the Orthodox Church. One result was that 10 tourists from the cruise ships came to the church to visit.

It took two and one-half days, but by Thursday, the new front door was up. We painted the walls. We cleaned the icons. We fixed the narthex window. We finished the second gravel walkway. We sealed the roof (at least partially). The collective efforts of a few can make a huge difference.

The caretaker and his wife have lunch each weekday at the Hoonah Senior Center. On Friday, our mission team was invited to lunch at the Senior Center. What a great time. In addition to the delicious lunch, we met many interesting Hoonah residents. Some were veterans. Most were born in Alaska. All were filled with hospitality and smiles. The walls were covered with pictures of Hoonah, including St. Nicolas Church and Glen's family. In 1944, Hoonah burned down, except for a few buildings, including the church.

On Saturday, we completed our work at the church. We all felt satisfied and exhausted. There was also a sense of relief, in that we were able to accomplish something during our short time in Hoonah.

The caretaker, his wife and other church members made dinner for the team that night. There was venison, smoked and sockeye salmon, halibut, heron eggs and fry bread. They wanted to share their native food with us, but also, their culture and their love with fellow Orthodox Christians.

As we walked into St. Nicholas for Sunday's Divine Liturgy, its renewed beauty was breathtaking. The church looked magnificent. It is wonderful to be joined by so many parish members to worship together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We pray that we repaired more than the walls of the church, a bit of the heart of it as well. Maybe that was the real mission.