Chapel of the Sea

We went to church today. It was more than church, it was a Chapel of the Sea.

The worship service sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Valdez was held on the
Lu-Lu Belle. As the diesel motors turned over, there was a slight vibration of the boat as it pulled out of its slip. There were twenty-five people on board.

As we entered the bay of Valdez we were lead in song “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.” Followed by, “This is the day that the Lord has made.” Our pastor was a young man, a “Cajun boy” from Louisiana.

The bay is surrounded by snow capped mountains. As we opened the Bible to Isaiah, we could see out the window to a group of otters playing.

The evening before church we met our neighbors from West Palm Beach, Florida. There were a mother, daughter, cousin and their 91-year old grandfather. Linda and the girls walked to church and Doug had the opportunity to exchange war stories as Doug drove the grandfather to church in the truck. The grandfather was in the Navy and was on the ship that escorted Roosevelt to meet Stalin and Churchill in the Middle East during WWII. Both the young girls were doing missionary work abroad.

What a joy it is to be in God’s family.