Beth and Kathy in Santa's sleigh in North Pole!

 One of Santa's reindeer

 The two Eskimo's  found in North Pole

The actual North Pole! Kind of.

The award of “Best Surprise Show-Up EVER” goes to Dan and Ingrid Pautz, of Phoenix, AZ!  To everyone’s surprise here, Dan and Ingrid showed up around 10:30 a.m. this morning.  Still in pajamas due to the unpacking, I heard the doorbell ring.  I thought that it was a congregation member, and asked Jason to get it.  All of a sudden I heard a lot of talking and Jason sounding very surprised.  I went over to the stairs, and there they were.  I think I was just completely shocked to see them standing there, I started crying.  What a great way to surprise us! 

Later that afternoon we went to North Pole, Alaska.  Yes, we say Santa!  It’s one of the touristy spots to visit up here.  The pictures below show what we saw!

This evening, we decided to cook out brats and hamburgers for dinner.  Dan and Ingrid came over as well, and we enjoyed some great food and good conversation. 

The weather today was on the cooler side with the temperature around 58.  Tomorrow it is supposed to be back up in the 70’s.  Can’t wait!  We are praying for those in the lower 48, especially WI and MN who are struggling with the heat.  I hope it ends soon for you all!

Tonight we are playing games, and then heading to the airport at 1:00 a.m. to pick up Jason’s brother, Aaron.  I am not quite sold on these late late flights in Fairbanks.  Good thing it is still light out!

Little Talk with the Lord:

                Due to the great surprise tonight, I thought I would base my talk on surprises. 

Have you ever had a surprise in life that you really had absolutely NO idea it was going to happen?  Anything like what happened to us today?  It is a cool feeling!  On the other hand, some surprises aren’t true surprises.  For example, surprise birthday parties that you have to fake your surprise face, and other situations like that.  I don’t know about you, but I LOVE surprises.  There is one thing, though, that I am 100% sure I don’t want to be a surprise, my home for eternity.  Where do you want to be, in the eternal fires of hell (think of the temps in the Midwest right now!) or in the heavenly realms, singing with all the angels?  I know my answer!  How to get there? It’s because of what has been done in Jesus.  He gives us this as a “gift”, free of charge.  He’s also given us the gift of faith in him to believe that eternal life is ours.  That’s it!  There are many things we can do to nurture this faith.  Have family devotions, attend church, and spend some personal time with your Savior.  Most importantly, don’t forget to share this special truth with others.  Let them enjoy the same blessings you get to enjoy.  Shouldn’t we want everyone to be in heaven with us?  Absolutely!  So what heaven will be like, that is our surprise.  The fact that we are going there, that is no surprise for us.  THAT is a good thing!