At the end of Christmas

A lesson about Christmas:
This was a special time for my family, not only because my parents from Oregon visited, but also because it was the first Christmas for our daughter Ruthann. We shared many meals, games, carols, stories and many many sweets.  We laughed a lot and oogled over Ruthann as more of her personality shows.  She loves to put everything in her mouth, she loves to sing and to say Ooohhhh.  She also loves to stare for hours at the lights on the Christmas tree and she also calms down from any fussing just as soon she gets outside.  She is hilarious.  This Christmas it was a gift to be able to spend time together. Aside from all the time with family, I saw something especially meaningful about the Christmas story- I saw the story from a parent's perspective.

After much anticipation Ruthann was born right on time.  She was a beautiful girl from day one and everyone was smitten with her.  I love to hold her and to look at her.  I love to comfort her and to carry her around.  I love to show her new things and I love to show her off.  She is so sweet and my heart now melts as she is now smiling at me when I come into the room.  I didn't know it was possible to love a little person so much. As I think about her future, I want only the best for her and I want her to be safe and I want her to be protected.

The birth of Christ contrasts with my daughters birth.  Mary's pregnancy was scandalous, the journey to where Jesus was to be born was long and hard, and he was born in the crudest of facilities. There were no celebrating friends, no clean sheets, and no comfortable accommodations.

The king of kings enters the world as the lowliest of peasants.  I am sure the birth is not what Mary or Joseph imagined when they heard that the baby born would be the messiah. (the shepherds and wise men must have been a great encouragement.)  I'm sure Mary and Joseph imagined something different for Jesus's life other than controversy.  I am sure they didn't think that their son would be condemned to death as a criminal. Christ's journey was very difficult one (an understatement), but also- it must have been extremely hard on his parents.  Mary and Joseph heard others say that he was the messiah, others said he was a prophet, others said he was a blasphemer, and the rulers said he was a criminal. Jesus's life was marked by suffering and those around him also suffered.

Christmas is a great time of year, but it also reminds us how Christ suffered.  This year I look at the story through a parent's perspective and ask, "Why would God let his own son suffer so much?"  "Why would a loving father allow such horrible things to happen to his own son?"  It doesn't make since unless we consider his motivation and it is found in the most familiar verse in the whole Bible:

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever believes in him shall not perish but have ever lasting life." - John 3:16

He allowed his son to suffer because he so loved the world.  It is God's love that allows him to use suffering to reach the world.  It is hard to imagine a love so deep as to allow such suffering.  The truth of the matter is that God's love is deeper than I can imagine and he does not avoid temporary discomfort to demonstrate his love.  This year I have caught a little better glimpse of how much the father really does love us.  (For more reading of difficult times in store for believers- read Hebrews 12:1-13)

Financial need:
This time of year I hear at least four advertisements a day asking for donations. Like the so many others, Young Life is able to operate because people give.  My funding goal is to raise $3,000 monthly.  If  30 people donate $100 per month, the goal would be met. I would like to ask you to pray about being a financial donor and consider giving $100, $50, or $25 per month. We also welcome one-time gifts as well. Please pray for one week about being a donor.  If you feel led to be a financial partner you can make donations by opening the "partnering" tab at the top of this page.

Prayer need:

1. Please pray for safety for our students as they are back home now during Christmas break.  Many are going to places that are not safe, where many hardships are brought on by drug and alcohol abuse.  Pray that the kids would be safe and that they would continue to seek God on their own.
2. Chevak is a village on the western coast of Alaska and a group of adults would like to start Young Life.  Pray for volunteer leaders and for a clear direction for the ministry as this would be our first fully native led group in the state.

It has been a great privilege to be able to be involved in the ministry and I can't thank you enough for taking part in it too.  Blessings to you and your families during this holiday season.

Aaron Routon

My parents (Gary and Debbie) and Puffin and Ruthann

Gabe's Story

             This season I am thankful for all of you.  I am thankful for my family and my daughter and I am thankful for the opportunity to work with people from rural Alaska.  The following is the story of a friend of mine who attended Mt. Edgecumbe High School from 2004-2009.  This past year he has been in Sitka for work and I was able to meet with him a couple times.  Gabe has a huge heart for his people and wants to be a tool for God to use to bring hope to people in rural Alaska.  His testimony reveals the hope he has and it also gives us a chance to look into the Gabe's World.  I would like to ask that when you are finished reading Gabe's story, that you would pray for Gabe and pray for Pitka's Point.
Blessings to you all,
Aaron

Pitka's Point

Gabe's Testimony 

Everyone goes through doubts: about others, about themselves, and about God.  We feel doubt when our trust for others is broken or ignored.  We doubt ourselves when our guilt, shame, and fear of failures lays heavy on our minds.  These doubts can take away all the good in us, sometimes even to the point of madness.  When we are at the stage of madness we doubt God- thinking that he has left us alone and abandoned.  Sometimes we expect him to take away all our burdens and to comfort us fully, we expect him to always show us he is there.  In times when we feel pain and burdens and in times when we don't see God- it is easy for us to lose faith in people, lose faith in ourselves, and lose faith in God.  Losing faith only leads us to deeper into darkness and until we are gone from this world or saved from the clutches of evil. 

I grew up in a big religious family.  I went to church regularly and did my best to stay out of trouble.  Although I went to church, I did not know very much about God and had very little understanding of him. I went to the Russian Orthodox  church and the priests didn't read much from the Bible. and other people there didn’t teach me the whole story of him.  I didn't know much about God until I went to Sitka for high school at Mt. Edgecumbe high School.  I was introduced to Young Life and the amazing people there taught me a lot about Jesus.  I loved the environment and continued to learn more and more.  I went home with this knowledge and did my best to really  keep the faith, even though I fell off the wagon a lot.  I eventually started losing interest in being involved with God and became more interested in other distractions.  This led me to my next stage of life what shattered me. 

It was January 16,2009 when I got news from home that I lost my sister Matalena and friend Ronald.  State troopers concluded that they drove their snowmobile straight for open water while they were intoxicated.  Matalena was only 14 and Ronald was 17- just a few months younger than me. They both slipped under the ice and drowned  at the same time.  

I was devastated and very heart broken, losing a big piece of my life.  My sister and I were very close, our bond was unbreakable.  Her death left me with only memories and I missed her presence.  Ronald was one of my closest friends and I'll keep him in my heart as my best friend, and my brother.  His unique personality was impressive and he was always a gentleman. 

I left Mt. Edgecumbe in the middle of my senior year to fly home to the tragedy. I didn't know  to be calm about the bad news and decided to stay home and finish school so I could be close to my family during our grief.  My families grief only grew worse when  my grandfather passed only two months later.  He was very close to me, and he taught me everything and every value of being a man.  His departure took another big chunk of my  life.  The loss in our family was felt by every close relative.  There was a lot of drinking: sadness turned into madness and, and there were more and more problems.  Differences colliding and bursting into arguments and fights snuffed the light of life.   Overwhelmed by loss and grief, I too sunk into alcoholism and smoking marijuana because I thought it would ease the pain. But instead of easing my hurt, the alcohol and pot only made my attitude worse- and so my consumption also grew worse too.  Anger built inside of me as I continued to spiral down and I felt helpless to stop. I doubted that anyone, including God, could help.  Then the calamity and darkness escalated. 

My anger grew so big that I shut out the world and anyone who thought they could help.  I  thought that God had hurt me so bad that I lost faith in him: angered from disappointments and accusing him for my losses. I started doing a lot  of bad things.  I started getting into fights by provoking others into violence toward me.  People started telling me that I had changed so much and they lost interest in me.  Out of selfishness and ignorance I rejected them, not acknowledging the wrong I was doing to others or to myself.  I ignored all their words and continued my streak of pain, anger, and vengeance.  I was in pain from the loss.  I was angry because of the burden I had and because of the doubts others had of me.  I was vengeful for the pain inflicted on me my whole life. 

The first year of my grief was bad, but the second year was even worse.  My wrong doings caused my world to be turned upside down.  The people I loved were consumed by sorrow and my nightmares grew constantly,, and unimaginable events became reality. 

My family grew more distant from each other.  My parent's pain spread to my younger siblings, to our close relatives, and to our friends.  Things went from bad to worse.  I started having nightmares about losing other loved ones.  My loved ones were being replaced by darkness and death.  These bad dreams added to my list of sorrows and my attitude and depression only worsened.   

In my first dream about the supernatural, I remember a I went home to find a worm-like creature sitting in the living room on a dark night in the dark house.  I ran out of the house only to see that the land and all its life was burnt to ashes and suit. I saw a perfectly clean house by the dried out river with two children playing outside.  I was worried for them and ran to them.  I was curious why the land didn't bother them.  As I came near, the young boy turned to look at me and his face was frightening and angry.  I was afraid and stepped away.  Demons covered the area swarming me in numbers uncountable.  I awoke drenched in sweat and scared of what I saw.  I cried wile I sat in bed for a few minutes thinking about what happened.   

Every dream got worse like mead decaying in heat until one day I drempt of Satan himself, which is no lie.  Every story you've heard of him is true.  I was in a place, a dark place, and I was guided by two catholic priests.  Then they stopped and groaned like they were in pain at their their stomachs'.  The priest started to tear and scratch their faces, peeling skin off of them.  Demons appeared and crawled out of their flesh and came after me.  I ran and ended up in a room with the thought that I lost them.  I turned to see a door with a window unable to see through but visible enough to see a silhouette.  A figure walked in front of a light shadowing the window.  When that someone turned I saw the upper torso of a muscular man and horns the shape of a ram- big horns.  I froze and heard a rattle to my left. I could not move a muscle, but my eyes looked down to see a pale dark green tail moving.  Then someone grabbed me from behind creaming in my left ear.  I woke up that instant grasping for air, with my heart pounding. 

Nightmares grew more frequent along with the troubles that were tearing my family apart.  I was so angry at the world and at the one who created it.  I was getting out of control.  My anger planted a seed of hate, and feeding it with anger, it grew rapidly.  To the point where I hated God and everything about him.  But, deep inside, a small voice would tell me that I am wrong and that I needed help.  Being blinded and mislead I ignored that voice, making the distance between lost and found more distant.  From here things got even worse.   

  A crucifix I had always worn, all of a sudden became heavy and irritated my skin.  I took it off and didn't put it back for a long time.  Once I did, I became very vulnerable without knowing it.  My hat grew worse as if all the good I have ever known or shown people never existed.  Until one day I had an epiphany, it struck so hard I felt sick to my stomach.  I was sitting and thinking long and hard about the hurt and my hate and thinking about the bad things I had done, when I saw it.  I looked up towards where we keep our icons of saints and crucifixes.  I saw the biggest crucifix and all of a sudden I felt a very strong hateful urge to flip it up-side-down and to toss all the icons.  I instantly got scared as my life flashed before my eyes.  All the beautiful things I was told, all the things of a good life, and the importance of Jesus Christ.  I then realized what was really wrong and I took the initiative to fix everything, to better myself again.  But that is when things in my life got even worse.  

I was not the only one who was very angry with God.  Some of the strongest members in my family, including me, were consumed by darkness. Violence and ignorance had grown between my dad and his closest brother.  Their anger escalated and they hated each other.  My dad talked daily about killing his brother and also my brother became suicidal and needed to be watched.  My nightmares became more vivid and realistic and I became an insomniac.  I couldn't sleet without having dreams of demons and harm coming to my family.  These images became worse to the point that I could see these images during my conscious state.  I started to see unusual dark things that bothered me a lot.  I began hearing voices people who weren't there.  I prayed to God more often and when I did I would get confused - like my mind was a brick wall.  But I didn't stop praying and  the problems I was facing didn't stop.  With all the bad things happening and my attempts to fix them I felt a strong feeling of hopelessness , but still I didn't give up.  My life slowly made progress even thought I felt evil tormenting me until one night it all stopped. 

I had a dream of Satan for the second time but it was very different, I was stronger and not so vulnerable.  I was waling down the hallway of my grandpa's house during the night.  The, I heard the same rattle sound as my first dream of Satan.  Before I could freeze I turned around as fast as I could.  When I turned, I saw his whole figure and he grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground as if I was as light as a feather.  He screamed in my face and his breath felt like a hot furnace. and it was louder than a lion's roar.  Pale green skin covered his man-like body.  He had very big ram-like horns and he had long bat-like wings stretched out.  His eyes and mouth were like fire with flames flickering and his teeth were as sharp as a great white shark.  I felt no fear knowing that God protected me from his evil.  The only thing that I could do was pray and so I recited the "Our Father" prayer that Jesus prayed.  When I finished a flash of darkness fell and I was let go.  The light came back but dimly at first.  When I looked down at my hand I saw a bottle of holy water.  right then I knew what I had to do- I had to bless the house.  I looked down the hallway where I needed to start and I saw flashes of dark shadows zipping back and forth from room to room and I heard something laughing, as if it was a joke.  I had no fear, feeling only faith leading me, as I walked through the darkness and I praying and blessing every inch of the house with Holy Water.  When I got close to finishing what I needed to do, the laughter became louder, screams started and the whole house began to shake.  I continued without stalling and I raised my voice louder than the screams.  When I blessed every corner of the house the shaking and screams stopped instantly.  All of a sudden the house grew quiet and bright: as if the sun was shining through the windows.  I was surprised.  The door opened bringing in a priest who was dressed in beautiful church clothes and who carried a candle in one hand and smoking incense in the other.  He walked through the house spreading the beautiful scent.  I woke up feeling that a heavy burden had been taken away.  A smile spread across my tear streaked face.  That night, when I thought my life was going to end, I know that I overpowered evil with the help of God.  I had faced all my fears and now I have no fears of anything in this world because it is all under God's power.  He is the one who gives and takes away in everyone's life, regardless of how they were raised.  Sometimes faithlessness can lead you to become stronger, But, above all else, never give up life and all the good things, even when you get blinded from bad situations and evil. 

Gabe R Tinker 

October Update

           God is love, but he is so much more than that too.  Recently I have been learning how resting in God is important how my level of faith is proportional to my ability to rest. But before I share about that, I need to catch you up with what has been happening in Young Life. 

The start of the school year has gone well. This is what has been going on in Young Life. 

• Leaders: This fall we have put a renewed emphasis on leader and had series of 5 leader training meetings .  The leadership team has bonded well and we have a stronger group of leaders than in the past.  We  have 4  new leaders who are excited to be investing in the lives of kids. 
• Alumni around the state: At the end of September we had an all- state Young Life weekend.  There were 7 MEHS kids from around the state that came to the conference.  Byron Bruckner, the director of Covenant Youth of Alaska came and lead a workshop with me for people interested in ministry in Rural Alaska.  We were also able to take the young people to a native Alaskan retreat to connect with the covenant church during their discipleship weekend 

 

Here is the group at the all-state retreat.

 

 

• Campaigners:  There has been record numbers of girls (15) at breakfast/ Bible study.  The guys breakfast has a record number of men who want to be involved cooking and being with the kids.  The kids who went to camp have been to most meetings and many are now taking leadership roles at Young Life. 

Our Campaigners/ breakfast guys
 

 

• Club: We are hosting club in a new donated location and we have already had 5 wacky clubs including: Instagram club, fast-food club, bubble club, and raffle club.  Kids love coming and kids help plan and facilitate club each week.   
• Fundraising: Emily and I just returned from a fundraising trip to Oregon where we were able to meet with 4 groups of make connections during 13 other meetings.  It was a great time to reconnect and share what is happening in Young Life.  It was also a chance to share vision and gain partners in the mission. 
• Personal Life: Ruthann is getting bigger and cuter.  We are now at the house most evenings and cooing over our little one.  Emily loves motherhood and I must say- she is an awesome mom. We have gone on small hikes, built a deck, and I have enjoyed coaching cross country and wrestling.  I also ran my first road marathon in Portland. 

This fall has brought a new season of life... the biggest change in our lives of course is the addition of Ruthann to our family.  It is the second year I have worked for Young Life at Mt. Edgecumbe High School and this year I know many of the students and staff and have support from many people around the community.  My position continues to stretch my faith as God continues to show he is sufficient. 

Last Monday was our fundraising banquet for Sitka Young Life and I was asked to share for five minutes about my position and vision rural Alaska. During my preparation, I began to get nervous about what I would say. I didn't know how I would fit all into five minutes.  The day of the event God reminded me of the Jesus's words to his disciples in Luke 12 when he reminds them not to worry about what to say in front of people.  During the event I wasn't nervous, the words came with ease, were coherent and concise, and were better than what I had originally prepared.   

God knows our needs and he wants to provide for us.  Recently I have found that my level of joy is dependent upon my level of faith.  My faith grows as I recognize how God provides. When I remember what God has done- I am reminded that he can be trusted.  When I trust God, I find more joy in my circumstances, and songs of praise come naturally.  I pray that we may continue to tell what God has done and encourage others.  Thank you for your encouragement in partnering with us in this ministry. 

 

PRAYER REQUESTS: 

1.) Child Care:  Emily returns to work in January from child leave and we currently are in need of child care for Ruthann for the first two months of the year.  

2.) Guidance in whom to connect to:  This in regards to connecting with other organizations and churches around town and around the state as we partner together to support these kids and their faith. 

3.) Direction on how to encourage the young people around the state:  There are a few MEHS Young Life Alumni who have recently faced some horrible things.  We want to be able to encourage all the young people who we are connected to in life and in their faith 

4.) Fundraising: We recently looking for people who want to partner with us financially so that we can be fully funded.  We have met with many people and are waiting for God to provide. 

Thank you so much for your prayers.  They have been so encouraging and we have seen many answers since I have began to ask you all for prayers.   

 

 

Letter From a Young Life Leader About Camp

Washington Family Ranch in Oregon

This summer I had the opportunity to go to Washington Family Ranch Young Life camp with our Sitka group.  Normally, Emily and I are a dynamic duo as Edgecumbe High School leaders, but due to some pressing business of HAVING A BABY!!! she stayed behind.  Honestly, I was a little nervous to be going alone.  This was my fifth Young Life camp to lead at, but the first time I would be the only leader in a cabin.  We had a wonderful group of leaders going, but I knew that when it came to cabin times and talks with the girls I wouldn't have someone to help me. 

Six girls came from Edgecumbe and alongside them I experienced one of the most amazing weeks I could have ever imagined.  As native Alaskans, the girls came from all over the state and have life stories very different from my suburban Seattle experience growing up.  Yet we were able to connect, laugh, cry, and talk about important things in a way that I have never experienced since I started volunteering with Sitka Young Life about 4 years ago.  Something very special and sweet happened in the very moments I was apprehensive about...our time alone in our cabin became a place where I sat back and listened to them as they trusted me with their stories, thoughts, and questions.  As it turns out, when God has something special he wants to do all you have to do is faithfully be where He wants you.  It was quite freeing to realize that all I needed to do was be there and love those precious girls.  When I sat back and watched God move in their lives it wasn't about me leading a good discussion or asking the right questions or having mind blowing answers...I actually sat back and was quiet and listened.  I listened to girls tell stories of molestation, of alcoholism, of abuse, and of desperation.  And for some of them it was the first time to tell anybody.  Once they started opening up and being vulnerable and honest we talked about how God fit into their stories.  And about how God fit into their futures.

So yes, we had FUN!!  Young Life camp is incredibly fun.  But the connection I made with six amazing Native Alaskan girls was life changing.  And when we had our first Young Life club last week...the first 6 girls to run up and give me a hug were my girls from camp.  What a perfect start to another school year of Sitka Young Life.

Elise Shepard

Answered Prayers

Philippians 4:19 " And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."

It is easy to get into the habit of just praying for things and not really expecting an answer.  We can recite our desires and hopes and not readily expect things to change. Sometimes it is easy to pray and expect answers to come very slowly or expect the answer to come by a change in our heart. . Lately, however, God has answered prayers very directly and sometimes his answers come before I have even thought to ask.

In a previous email I asked you to pray for our kids and leaders going to Young Life camp.  God did use this time in amazing ways in the lives of our kids and our leaders.   I was unable to go to camp this year because Ruthann was born during the same time camp took place, but all the leaders spoke about how God had moved.  The group had such a wonderful time and the kids and leaders really bonded. The leaders were amazed at how receptive the kids were how well cabin reflection times flowed.  Kids were able to have open honest conversations about what is really happening in their lives.  One of our girl leaders Elise said that this was the best camp experience she has ever had as kids were willing to go deeper than any other group she has been with. The girls in her group were able to share their life stories and visible healing flowed into their lives.   All the kids reported that camp had an impacted their relationship with God and many of those kids either made new decisions for Christ or rededicated there lives. Students returning from camp now want to move into student leadership rolls and now there are 20 high school students who want to become student leaders..  I have seen the kids who went to camp around campus and these students look visibly different.

A group shot of the our group at camp!

Also in a previous email I mentioned that a senior at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Doug, was starting a campus ministry.  His goal was to provide a church service for kids who didn't wake up to go to church in the morning.  He was been talking to several mentors about what to include in the service and the first meeting the group held was last Sunday night.  Forty students attended, and at the end of the service, 16 students responded to Doug's message by raising their hands. It really seems that God is moving at MEHS.

Another answer to prayer came last week when I met with my neighbor, Kerry Chadwick, the pastor of the First Baptist Church.  As my job has shifted to include rural Alaska, I have been wondering how to encourage people living in remote villages.  Often, kids will return home from camp (or from a semester at school) where they have made significant gains in their walk with Christ, and find that home can be very discouraging.  Many of us know how difficult it is to return home after a "camp high" and be met with reality.  What makes this even more difficult is when people can't relate to what you experienced or when home is not a safe place.  Many of our kids returning to their home villages do not experience the encouragement in faith needed to continue growing.  Since I first started thinking about rural Alaska I have been trying to think of a way to connect and encourage these young people.  Last week I met with Kerry; who spent these last few years in a doctoral program in which he has explored using technology to encourage and mentor people.  I was able to sit with Kerry and hear about research, technology tools, and other strategies he implemented with people he could not meet with face to face.  He shared the results of his research and which tools he found that were most effective.   He gave me some real concrete tools that I could use to help connect and encourage young people.  I walked out of our meeting more aware of how God has been working on solutions to problems way before I was even thinking about Young Life in rural Alaska.

God has continued to be faithful in other areas of prayer too.  Our new leader training went great and we have more adults wanting to volunteer their time. I have been working with the administration of MEHS and they are very receptive to the positive things Young Life brings.  Chris Voron (the Sitka area director) and I have been meeting with pastors in hopes to collaborate on reaching kids and plugging them into discipleship programs.  The churches are very receptive to working together for the common goal. 

We pray daily for directions and it has been neat to see God put many answers right in front of me.  He just seems to plop down experts and resources before me.  Somehow I have been meeting many brilliant people who have a heart for Alaskan Natives who have decades of experience I can learn from.  He brings other people who want to dedicate some of their time, talents, or money in what Young Life is doing to reach rural Alaska.  It is all pretty humbling and reassuring that I can rely on God to accomplish miracles.  Anything that happens of significance is because he has orchestrated it and he doesn't need to rely on my brilliance to accomplish great things.  I love these lessons because they bring with them a freedom from having to perform and they bring with them a praise as we see God work in the details.

I hope you have a blessed day.

The world welcomes Ruthann Sloan Routon

Good Morning All-
We Have A Beautiful Baby Girl!!!   Ruthann Sloan Routon was born at
3:03 am on Friday the 26th of July. Both she and Emily are in good
health and we are seeing the world through new eyes these days.  God
is so good to us and we had a great experience.  Ruthann is a good
eater and sleeper, she doesn't fuss a lot, and she loves to be held.
The hospital staff was amazing and we have a lot to learn.  Emily
LOVES being a mom and finds herself just wanting to stare and hold
Ruthann.  Suddenly, all the beautiful mountains seem less appealing,
and all fishing trips have lost their allure, we just want to be by
this little one.  Emily's mother Cynthia was here a few days before
the birth and is so wonderful to have now.  She will be here until the
8th and then my mom will come on the 12th.  People have been so
helpful and great as we make this great life transition.  Thank you
for all your prayers and support.  For the full story of the birth...
keep reading

Love you guys,

Ruthann Sloan Routon: 7lbs, 11oz.  19 3/4 inches long.

Aaron, Emily, and Ruthann

On Thursday morning (the 25th- our due date) Emily turned to me in bed
and said... "I think this baby will be born in 24 hours."  She had
been having some Braxton Hicks contractions for about a week and they
were growing with intensity.  She woke up to some spotting and mucus
in the morning. I went to work and sent out my previous email and she
called me about 12:10 and told me that she and her friend Annie (a
nurse) were going swimming, but that Annie had rerouted their swim
date to a hospital date when she head about the morning discharge.
Annie thought that Emily's water might have broken and that the pool
would be unsanitary.  Upon a call to the hospital, the nurses agreed
and requested that Emily come to the hospital.  I met Emily in the
parking lot of SEARHC and we walked in together.  Our doctor, Valarie
Edwards, was in a meeting and came up to meet us and examine Emily.
She found that Emily's water had not broke and that Emily was 80%
effaced and was dilated 1 cm. Dr. Edwards said, "I'll see you
tonight."

We left the hospital to find things which could distract us. Emily
went for a walk and got things together for a cooking group.  I went
to work.  At 4pm Emily went to the cooking group and I laid down for a
nap (expecting a long night). At 5:45pm I went to go pick her up
because her contractions were getting more intense.  We came home and
Emily hopped in the bath to help relax.  Her contractions came faster
and lasted longer.  I kept asking her if she wanted to go to the
hospital but she wanted to stay home as long as possible.  When we
were unsure whether to go or not, we called our friend, Shelly Adams,
and she came over.  (Shelley is a great nurse and wants to go to
school to become a nurse practitioner- and then a midwife.  She agreed
to accompany us during our labor and delivery, and we thank God for
her... she was so great through the whole thing.) When Shelley arrived
at the house at 7pm, she asked if Emily wanted to labor longer at the
house or go into the hospital and Emily chose to stay at the house and
so we watched one T.V.episode of "The Dog Whisperer" and one episode
of "The Big Bang Theory."
After the shows ended, we agreed that it was time to head to the hospital.

At 8:30pm on our due date, we walked into the hospital and up to the
OB ward.  Dr. Edwards inspected Emily and found that she was 100%
effaced and dilated to 5cm.  We turned on some soft music and turned
down the lights and she labored until 10:30pm when Valerie again
examined her and said that she was now dilated to 8.  Three
centimeters in 2 hours... pretty great!  Emily then labored another
hour and Valerie examined her to find that she was almost 100%
complete, all but one lip on one side.  Emily labored for another half
hour and Valerie checked again. The lip was still there and no
progress had been made.  Valerie explained that the cervix was needing
to be stretched but because Emily's water hadn't broken yet, it was
like trying to stretch the cervix out with a water balloon.  She said
that having the water broken would speed up the process because the
pressure from the head would put more pressure on the cervix.  We
decided earlier that we wanted minimal intervention and so at 12:05 we
decided to labor for another 20 minutes before Dr. Edwards broke the
water.  Emily tried several different positions and at 12:43pm,
Valerie broke Emily's water.

Emily felt right away the intensity of the contractions increase and
within 20 minutes, she was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.
Another 20 minutes of pushing and we could see the head of the baby.
Emily found that this pain was different from the previous
contractions and she was amazing.  I have never witness anyone
tougher.  I have coached guys for years and been around some tough
men, but nothing compares to a woman in labor.  I looked at her with
complete amazement and admiration when I saw how hard she was working
and what was happening.  She said I freaked her out by looking at her
like that and said..."stop looking at me like that."  I was
dumbstruck.  Shelley and the nurses were great as they helped her to
relax between contractions and helped her learn how to push.  The baby
was turned anterior and because of this, the progress was very slow.
After about 1 and 1/2 hours of pushing (with no pain meds) Emily was
getting tired and the baby was not making a lot of progress.  Valerie
told the nurses to get the vacuum extractor ready and to notify Dr.
Kraft.  She told us that sometimes just mentioning the words "vacuum
extractor" somehow coerces the baby to come out.  About 3 contractions
later Dr. Kraft came in with the gismo. Dr. Kraft is a gentle man who
had been delivering babies for decades (who also delivered my pseudo
sister Alaire Hughey).  His gentle demeanor and reassurance added to
my excitement that the baby would soon be out.  On the next set of
contractions, the extractor was put on the baby's head but slipped
off.  Dr. Edwards then asked if Dr. Kraft would apply and guide the
contraption. As Emily pushed and Dr. Kraft made slight turns, left and
then right, the baby's head made like an inch of progress in 2
seconds.  (Emily has been working for about 1 hour to make 1 inch of
progress and so I knew the baby would be coming soon). I turned for 2
seconds to grab the surgical gloves and started to put them on... when
I turned back to Emily (only 2 seconds later) the baby was out all the
way to the hips!  I was amazed! This strange thing that I had been
watching for the last 1.5 hours (the top of the skull with wrinkly
purple skin) has just turned into a FULL ON BABY!  I was amazed and
made Emily laugh as I enthusiasticly said "Its a Baby! Its a Baby."

I then took the baby from the doctors and lifted it the remainder out
of the birth canal and the doctors prompted me to announce the gender.
So moving the baby to look behind the umbilical cord, to my minor
surprise... I didn't see a penis...No- that was definitely a girl
part... I then got to announce-  "We have a beautiful daughter, she is
a baby girl!"  Emily said "what?"  She had fully been expecting to
have a boy as everyone had informed Emily that she was carrying a boy.
 All the old women of the Yupik village Chefornak, all the women of
Sitka, all of Emily's friends, everyone but me and Kristen Scotchmer
said that the baby would be a boy. (For the record- at some parts of
the pregnancy I also thought it would be a boy too.)  Emily was
shocked that we had a girl and not a boy.  I was then reminded by the
doctors that I needed to set the baby on Emily's stomach/ chest.  I
placed the baby there and Emily was ecstatic.  The nurses towel dried
the baby off and Emily kept the baby warm with her body.  Emily was in
great spirits and so excited.  She looked great.  She was so excited,
you couldn't even tell she had any pain.  The placenta came out with
out much notice and Valerie put in a few stitches as we just oogled
over the baby.  A nurse was there to help Emily start breast feeding
and the baby took to the breast pretty well.

Cynthia asked what the baby's name was and Emily and I agreed that we
don't need to keep the name a secret any longer and I got to announce
that her name is Ruthann Sloan Routon.  (Ruth is the name of my
mother's mom who passed away when I was 7 and Ann is my father's
mother's middle name. Sloan is a Emily's Dad's middle name and is also
a family name.  The name "Ruth" means a companion or friend, and the
name "Ann" means full of grace.  Ruthann is a friend full of grace.

This was one of those life experiences that words can't describe.  It
was an experience that was sacred... amazing... empowering...awesome.
Emily is an amazing mother and Ruthann is so precious.  We are
learning a lot about parenthood and realize we need help and
expertise. We are hourly reminded of God's grace and joy as we look at
our daughter.  We pray more than ever for wisdom and guidance. Our
hearts are more full of hope, love, and compassion than we knew was
possible. We are protective, proud, and joyful of our daughter. Our
previous desires for adventure or self- satisfaction seem a lot less
important compared with making sure this little one is cared for.  We
depend on God's strength more and we require the help of others.  We
are not independent, supermen, with superior insight. We are more
aware of our faults, and more aware of our needs.  In short.....we are
learning what it means to be parents.

Thank you for your love and support.
Aaron, Emily, and Ruthann

PS- if you would like to see more pictures of Ruthann you can visit Emily's blog at http://embradford.blogspot.com/



The Routons in the hospital