Never cry Wolf...

Hale 'Aha B&B was advertised in a few major magazines, and several Christian publications. But I was still surprised when we got a phone call from Kotzebue, Alaska. Good grief! That's way up there above the Arctic Circle.

I was through with the work "upstairs" so was at the desk in the office when Hildegard called. She and Wolf had reservations here for their 25th anniversary. She wanted to know what to wear in Hawaii. "Well, I'm sitting here in shorts and a tank top, and I'm bare footed," I told her.

She couldn't even imagine it. It was 70 degrees below in Kotzebue.

They arrived in Kauai's winter... which just means more rain, and maybe as cold as 65 degrees. (That's when the "locals" put on sweaters.)

I'll never forget my first glimpse of Wolf the next morning, as he came back from a long run in the dark in the rain in jogging shorts. That warm rain must have felt like a warm shower to him, as he laughed aloud when he came in, sopping wet. Silly thing to remember, but when you know where they'd just come from, you can understand his delight.

They were Wycliffe Bible Translators, and were working among Eskimos in a tiny village, teaching them to read, writing songs for them, and giving them the Scriptures in their language.

At the breakfast table were other intellectuals, and the conversation was brisk and refreshing, as Wolf answered questions about why he and Hildegard felt called to leave their home in Germany, and take their two children to such a far away place to work their hearts out for such a small tribe. Several guests were familiar with the mission.

Only a couple of years later, Hildegard and Wolf stopped by to visit Bob and me, in our home in California, as they were passing through after a conference of translators in the States.

Now, who would have dreamed that?