Food is a love language

by Greg Lincoln

Hello fellow friends. I have a couple of good words for this week. Have you ever done some cleaning and you ended up finding treasures of all kinds that you had forgotten you ever had? That is one incentive to start clearing out some stuff. Every person is different and you’ve probably heard of the old adage – one man’s trash may be another man’s treasures.

The same can be true with our computer files. I found some gems worthy of the family vault recently. Slowly but surely they are now safe in files labeled by year.

Sometimes drives fail, so we need to have backups. Memories, cherished keepsakes of times past, photos and videos of the years gone by. Backing them all up is good advice.

This past week we were fortunate to be able to visit our river neighbors in Kwethluk. There were some 1A highschool basketball games going on, hosted by the Carayiit and we drove up to check it out. It was a grand adventure.

The new school was beautiful and brand new. And the hospitality made everyone feel welcome. In the Yup’ik Room there was all kinds of aromas and delicious foods – moose stew, salmon soup, dry fish, a salmon bake, akutaq, fried bread, cakes and juice, jello, and cinnamon rolls.

The tundra berries of all different kinds were picked by the students during their culture days this past fall and the akutaq was so good, Kelly said. Akutaq, the most beloved and yearned for food of all time. The moose and fish were also taken care of and carefully put away by the students for events such as this.

Quyana for sharing the bounty of your land with us visitors. Food is a tremendous love language. It is a way to show your welcoming and care for others. Even now you can imagine hearing someone say to you that amazing word, “Neri!” and what can you do but obey? It is what is said when someone wants you to eat, even if you’re not hungry.

Food prepared by others is an unforgettable experience. Quyana to the Kwethluk school staff and students for thinking of us and preparing a feast for your guests.

Please continue in prayer for others. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle that we are clueless about. And in a couple of weeks March Madness will be in full swing. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and to cheer along with you and your teams.