Jasper Jackson and Micah McKinnis, Senior Duet Representatives, Alaska MTNA and Regional 2nd place winners ~"The Coachman's Quarter" and "Tarantella" - Gavrilin

20th Anniversary Winner's Recital - Saturday, May 15, 2010, University of Alaska Anchorage

"The Lord is Peace." ~Judges 6:24

One morning before we sat down to read our Bible I decided to open the box from my Aunt Margaret and family - imagine our delight when inside we found a personally inscribed Bible for each of us. God's perfect timing once again! Below is one of the cards which my aunt and my cousins included in the Bibles they sent.

Hours after the fire Capstone Eye Clinic and Walmart Vision Center came to Psalm and Wynn's rescue by providing them with free frames and lenses as neither child had time to grab their glasses when they exited the house. Thank you Dr. Erickson and Dr. Tasso and staff for meeting our immediate needs so swiftly.

Dr. Erickson is pictured above on the right with one of her wonderful staff members and Dr. Tasso below with Psalm.

Brothers Kenton and Seth at the Walmart Vision Center having a lighthearted moment exploring a new look.

Thanks to Marlyn and Jean for driving from Wasilla all these years to support and encourage the kids' piano playing. Jeanne, Gretchen, and Susan and Charles and Lois came also, but snuck away before we could snap a photo.
Jean and Marlyn with Micah. Behind Jean is a picture of the adjudicator who judged the competition in which Micah placed first.

We were also blessed by Esther, Hope, and Vladimir coming to listen to the recital.
Micah and Jasper had fun playing "The Coachman's Quarter" and "Tarantella" by Gavrilin to a packed house at UAA Saturday night at the Anchorage Concert Chorus' annual winner's recital.


Micah also performed "Fantasie in F Minor" by Chopin.

Earlier that day, after digging metal out of the piles of debris, Seth and Doug resembled chimney sweeps.

Psalm playing dress up the McKinnis way.

Margaret in her Cancer Survivor shirt which she recently received at the Relay for Life. It was Margaret's house to which we fled when we escaped from the fire (even though she was not there at the time), her home in which we met with the insurance agents, and her place that workers used as a "break room" And it is Margaret who gave a temporary home to our two messy parakeets and continues to provide a refuge to our three rambunctious black labs while we are in transition. Thanks to Margaret for being a true neighbor. Margaret joined us for the dump runs and filled up her truck bed numerous times for us.My childhood friend, Jeanne, her mother(Gretchen), and sister (Susan).Thanks to Susan's extra help we were successful at pulling out the extremely heavy metal piano part from each of the two pianos.

Ready, get set, pull!

All that was left of the grand piano.

Seth, Wynn, Susan, Wendy, Psalm, Jeanne, Gretchen, and Kenton after the project.

Thanks to Uncle Dave for letting us use his flatbed trailer. With it we were able to haul much metal to the dump on Friday and Saturday.

Dump run today !

Yesterday we found out that the dump is taking all metal discards for free today. We are heading to the property to load as much metal as we can to take to the dump. If anyone wants to join us we should be there around 11:00 a.m. We can only work till about 4:00 as Micah's recital is at 7 p.m. tonight in Anchorage.

"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it."~Psalm 127:1

"When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul."~ Psalm 94:19

Recently an acquaintance from Colorado sent us an article which was printed in her church bulletin on May 2. Since much of the message rang true to our experience we have reprinted it below:

"After we'd lived in it for about seven years, our house was destroyed. Lightning hit it. We were eating dinner when the storm started. The kids were small, and we were playing that game where you count between the flash and the boom to see how close the lightning strike is. We had one flash where the sound came right with it.

Once safely outside, we watched the firefighters. The flames looked like they do in the movies, leaping out of the second-story windows. So this is what a real fire looks like-what your own house on fire looks like. Some emotions are predictable-shock, fear, sadness over lost belongings.

Some emotions were surprising-a sense of peace, even while wondering if any of our stuff made it. We felt peace and gratitude we were all safe.

We had really good insurance. We had wonderful neighbors, friends, and fellow parishioners. We had a contractor who rebuilt the place as if he were going to live there himself. We remain friends a decade and a half later.

The whole experience was a jolt into a different way of looking at things. One of the oddest, lingering lessons for me: I still struggle to remember that possessions aren't that important. The shock can wear off.

But here's the deepest thing. The most overwhelming lesson of that night and the days that followed was how much people cared for us, especially when we were faced with something we couldn't predict and couldn't control.

Not being in control was a blessing. But then when are we ever really in control?

Some events let us see what's real more clearly. They help us recognize the disciples of Jesus, the ones who love one another-regular people, ordinary and amazing, where Christ lives."

~Written by Dan Finucane~

Thank you, all of you regular people, ordinary and amazing, you have been used by God to bring light into our darkness, healing to our broken hearts, and joy in our sorrow.

With love,

The McKinnis Family

(One additional lesson that the McKinnis family learned through their fire was this:

"The most important things survived.")

This week Mr. and Mrs. Doug Phillips and Vision Forum Ministries sent two boxes of merchandise to our family to express their concern and support during this time of challenge following the loss of so many possessions from the fire. What a blessing and encouragement! Three of the items they sent to us were scriptures in beautiful calligraphy from Fruitful Vine Creations which are made to adhere to the walls of a home. Just three days prior to the fire Doug had finished putting the identical verses up on the walls of our house. The verses were:

"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it."~ Psalm 127:1

"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." ~Joshua 24:15

"O Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together."~Psalm 34:3

Many times I had walked by the first verse which hung over our dining room and I had breathed the prayer, "Lord, build our house." I trust God has a plan for our family and Psalm 127:1 still remains my prayer.
Yesterday Seth completed his first year as a student of Patrick Henry College using their Campus at Home program. Those final exams are now behind him! (Note: The SAT book was used as a prop to elevate his computer to a more comfortable level.)

Our two birds which Psalm rescued from the fire have finally rejoined our family at our temporary home. We are greeted once again to cheerful chirping and they are able to listen to their favorite music, piano practice.

On Wednesday our nephew, Brian graduated from Eagle River High School. Congrats Brian!

Bill, Brian, G'ma Mac, and Sandy invited us to the graduation celebration on Saturday.

The Valley Quilter's Guild in Palmer made an incredible quilt for each of us as an expression of care and concern. Below are some of the gorgeous quilts which are serving to keep us warm at night and helping to brighten our days.

My sister Tracy had made a personal quilt for many of us through the years. Unfortunately we lost all of them in the fire. Below is the one she made for Kenton. And yes, that is Kenton standing in front of it. Years ago when he opened the box in which it was wrapped he exclaimed, "Oh, a bed!!"

Kenton a few years later with his new Valley Quilter's Guild quilt.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

~Psalm 121~

Currently we are trying to find two ACS cell phones to replace several that were destroyed in the fire. We still are under contract. If anyone has one that they do not need any more, please let us know.

This Saturday you are invited to attend the Anchorage Concert Chorus' Winners' Recital which will be held at the University of Alaska Anchorage Recital Hall at 7 p.m. Along with other winners from several state competitions, Micah will be performing two duet pieces and one solo.

Thank you Marty, Kelly, Hannah, Emily, Micah, and Riley for all your time-consuming efforts on our behalf to ensure that we are well supplied with food from afar. And thanks to all of you who signed up to bring us marvelous meals and thus encouraged our hearts and strengthened our bodies.
When we met Kelly and her children in Eagle River this week to pick up some dinners provided by the Eagle River Alliance Church we were surprised with this cute sight. Some of their family members are joining a mission trip to teach English in the Czech Republic and are seeking support. If anyone wants an opportunity to give to a worthy cause, here it is!

Thank you to Marc, Suzanne, Jessica, Andrew, and Abbi for your journey of love to the Valley today in order to meet our needs.

After Wynn proved himself to be an avid and successful fisherman, Miss Sue decided that he needed a fancier fishing pole than his homemade stick and line which he had improvised. On Monday she generously presented him with his very own, brand new pole and tackle. Thanks, Miss Sue for replacing some of the burned fishing gear and for blessing Wynn incredibly.

These rainbow beauties were caught by Wynn in the evening at a local Lake.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord:

Be of good courage,

And he shall strengthen thine heart:

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14 ~

(the verse Doug gave to me several days ago when we were both quite overwhelmed and discouraged.)

Atop of the Butte in the Matanuska Susitna Valley, TeenPact staff enjoy the Alaska view of Palmer, Wasilla, and the surrounding areas.

Wynn in Lt. Governor Campbell's office.
Having G'ma Mac come to the TeenPact graduation made us all smile.

Brothers clowning around after class.

Seth with Meredith, one of the one-day students.Psalm poses beside the king crab in Governor Sean Parnell's office.
Seth leading some of the one-day students to visit the Governor's office.
Speakers included Representative Wes Keller from Wasilla, Senator Coghill from Fairbanks, Senator Fred Dyson from Eagle River, Senator Donny Olson from Nome, and Jim Minnery from Alaska Family Council among others. Pictured below is Representative Keller.
TeenPact Alaska was held on May 3rd -7th in Anchorage. While Doug pressed on with the daily demands of insurance, the property, and relocating, the rest of us made the daily trek to attend the leadership class. Staff members came from as far away as Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and Montana and were joined by seven Alaska staff members to form the week's leadership team.