There’s nothing better than a warm handshake, a friendly smile and words of welcome to the newcomer to the island. That kind of reassuring greeting is what my wife, Kathy Rostad, fondly remembers of David Eluska, Sr., when she first stepped foot in the village of Akhiok. She had just been hi…
When the first Orthodox missionaries from Russia came to evangelize the people of Alaska, they traveled in precarious ships during long, trying voyages that tested the durability of the vessels and the men they carried. The Russian dignitaries coming to Kodiak this week to celebrate the 225t…
I can’t tell you how many times I have watched people get teary-eyed and emotional when they talk about leaving Kodiak for good.
KODIAK — “We all should be like Margaret Hall,” Pat Branson told the crowd attending Margaret’s 100th birthday party Saturday at the Afognak building. Branson, director of the Kodiak Senior Center, worked with Margaret, who was on the board of directors.
Jami Gibson has been on both sides of the mentoring aisle. While an inmate at Hiland Mountain Correctional facility in Eagle River, she was part of the Transformational Living Community where she was mentored by Kristine Gugel, Mentor Net coordinator.
Editorial note: The Kodiak Daily Mirror staff’s thoughts and prayers are with Mike Rostad following his medivac off-island earlier this week. The following column was submitted to KDM in February.
Fellowship celebrated its 7th anniversary with joy and jubilation at the waterfront church on Sunday, Jan. 24.
“Sole survivor” has a formidable sound to it. The last man standing; the only one remaining from a sinking boat or a bloody battle.
Fisherman Curt Waters seeks to be about his Father God’s business by showing the love of Christ in any way he can. He’ll hand a latte to an unsuspecting person, telling him that God told him to do so. If someone is having a bad day or suffering from a particular ailment, Waters unabashedly p…
KODIAK — Early next month, students and chaperones from Kodiak Island villages will come to town for the very first Regional Learning Academy sponsored by the Kodiak Island Borough School District and Rural Schools and various partners.
In some ways, Fr. Wallace “Chip” Mills emulates Dr. Albert Schweitzer, one of his role models. Schweitzer gained notoriety as a doctor and musician, and he was also a student of theology, an explorer and adventurer.
On September 8, late in the salmon season, boats gathered near Harvester Island for a solemn occasion. Friends and family of Steve Polson spread his ashes in a place he loved. The ceremony took place after a memorial service at the American Legion.
The flashing Christmas lights on our neighbors’ window frames, roof dormers and fascia seem in place, now that snow is frosting the spruce branches and roof tops on the evening before winter officially begins. The sound of shovels scraping against cement and wood and children gleefully greet…
The late geography and history teacher Doug Dawson would have saluted Abbey St. Clair.
Churches don’t have a monopoly on gift-giving. There are numerous secular service organizations and individuals with no church affiliation that dig deep into their wallets, pantries, freezers and closets in order to make Christmas brighter for the less fortunate. It’s a generosity that is pe…
KODIAK — The only way Mike York’s two friends could get him to the hospital was to lure him outside of his house, ambush him in a bear-hug lock and force him into his pickup.
KODIAK — Woody Island, a seasonal haven for campers, retreat-goers and land owners, is now a residence for year-long islanders. These new occupants will be happy with a field of grass, a sack of feed, shelter from the storm, and a gentle touch of human kindness from time to time.
KODIAK — With a keen realization that you can’t take life for granted, Donna Bell gratefully counts her blessings this Thanksgiving. She treasures each heartbeat, savors every sunset and seasonal change on the mountains and appreciates all of the organs and limbs of her body, even though the…
KODIAK — Kathrynn Hollis-Buchanan pops up everywhere. She’s at the Kodiak College teaching accounting and helping out at Kodiak Furniture and the Spa, as well as volunteering at KMXT and the Kodiak Christian School.
KODIAK — For Matthew Van Daele and his wife, Mary Ruskovich, bears have been a significant part of their nine-year marriage. The couple met as students at the University of Idaho (Moscow) on the day that Matt was training bear cubs for a research project.
Serving inner-kids in Florida, victims of a war in the Congo and the persecuted Christians in Nepal has steeled the faith and softened the heart of Kodiak Assembly of God youth minister Borghy Holm.
KODIAK — Back in the day, Al Burch, Jim Major and Bix Bonney were household names in Kodiak. Al and his brother, Oral, ran the big boats, Dusk and Dawn, and later operated a draggers association. Jim and Bix were cannery operators. Giants of a bygone era.
KODIAK — Hannah Fish has a passion for helping people, and El Salvador was the ideal place to put that empathy into action.
KODIAK — Jeannine Marsh’s life changed drastically with the death of her adoptive father, Joe Jensen in February. Five days after Joe’s death, Jeannine’s life changed even more. She got a call from Diane Nichols of Nashville, Tennessee, who claimed that the two were half-sisters sharing the …
KODIAK - It didn’t take long for St. Paul Lutheran Church’s new pastor, Rev. Mark Behenna, and his wife, Jessica, to acclimate to Kodiak Island life. In a relatively short time, Mark conducted a funeral service in one of the Island villages, made friends with clergy in the Kodiak Ministerial…
KODIAK — A song plays in the music chambers of my head. I can’t come up with a name or specific lyrics, but it has something to do with the sea. The haunting melody makes one think of that vast, endless body of water that is all too beautiful as the sun sinks into the void, but very lonely a…
KODIAK — In Moscow, a city with a population of some 14 million, Jacob Dunlop found individuals who stood apart from the teeming masses, taking the time to answer his questions, share their mutual thoughts on art and culture and show the American high school student that Russia is not a cold…
KODIAK — They’re both Christian authors who’ve written award-winning books. Both are mothers of many children. They’re rural ladies – one fishes with her husband and kids on Kodiak Island and the other raises pigs and wheat on a family farm in Ontario, Canada.
KODIAK — Bill and Roslyn Cogburn were young, madly in love and eager for adventure. And what better place to begin their adventure of marriage than Kodiak, Alaska?
KODIAK — A jubilant Pastor Jun Belen and his congregation at Kodiak Filipino Bible Church were overflowing with gratitude to God and His instruments of love and goodwill as they celebrated the 18th anniversary of their church which has found a permanent home on Selief Street.
KODIAK — Absence makes the heart grow fonder and so does time. Ella (Inga) Torgramsen remembers of her childhood in the village of Old Harbor joyfully, in spite of hard work and going without.
KODIAK — Even when enshrouded in fog, Kodiak inspired visiting Church of Christ pastor and teacher, Jerry Tallman, to take his easel, paints and sandpaper to capture local sights on canvas.
KODIAK — Noah Koller came back from Africa with tons of pictures, lots of stories and a tattoo bearing the image of a lion. Not just any lion. It’s Malachi, one of three cubs he became friends with at an animal refuge in South Africa.
KODIAK — While caring for her ailing husband, Red, Sandra West thought that she would be able to handle his death with faith and stability. But when the inevitable came, things were different. “I had fooled myself, thinking I would be just fine,” said West. “I was very wrong. I did not deal …
Anna Cross Vinberg had a palpable foreboding that something bad was going to happen.
KODIAK - President Trump’s slogans have made their way to the Middle East. During the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, visitors Tracy and Pam Hodges saw signs exclaiming “Trump is making Israel great!”
KODIAK - By his own admission, archaeologist Dr. Donald Clark was not a good dancer. He said he had two left feet.
Shrouded in fog and rain, Kodiak was blessed with California “Sonshine” this spring when students of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry of Redding showed up to encourage, evangelize and entertain. In fact, the team of 30 was credited for bringing good weather, too. The skies cleared …
Since the new city library opened five years ago, patrons have seen that a library is much more than a depository for books, CDs, DVDs and periodicals. It is also a combination of a museum, a performing arts center, an art gallery, an internet cafe, an international coffee house, and, for th…
Dr. Greg and Rosemary Culver have left the Garden of Eden for the Peace Garden State.
As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Crab Festival, folks will undoubtedly remember highlights of festival years: Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Guy Powell, dressed in a neoprene wet suit, pulling up king crab (stored in a submerged pot) to the delight of wide-eyed touri…
St. Herman’s Seminary graduations are a big deal. Some of the finest in Orthodoxy’s Who’s Who are invited as guest speakers: theologians, professors, seminary deans, authors. If the Orthodox Church published its own People Magazine, these speakers would be on the cover.
Four years ago, Mark Kozak got a new lease on life when his best friend gave him a kidney.
Beaming with a smile, John Butler looks like the runner who just handed the torch to a younger, more energetic athlete. But John is still in the “race,” with every intention of enjoying the laps even more than he did before.
Robert and Eleanor Roehl worship God using cultural art forms and expressions, such as Alaska Native apparel and dance.
One of 90-year-old Sophie Katelnikoff’s favorite Alutiiq sayings is canaituq, which means, “It’s okay.”
On Sunday, a week after Protestants and Catholics celebrated Easter, the Orthodox faithful will observe the day of resurrection, declaring “Christ is risen from the tomb, trampling down death by death.”
Members of the military who have worked closely with each other in wartime conflict have been called a “band of brothers.”
Kodiak is renowned for its generosity. Whether there’s call to help victims of a fire that destroys a local home or an earthquake in South America, the people of this town lend their support. Much of the hospitality is channeled through the churches.
Audiences who saw the Kodiak Arts Council production of Mary Poppins felt somewhat like the Banks family as they waved goodbye to the flying nanny. They were sad to see her go but grateful that she had spent a season in their household.
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