The Garden of Eden

"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.  But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.  And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."  Genesis 2:5-7

So it was with Exchange Cove Lodge during the summer of 2014.  With us living in Russia there was not "a man (or woman) to till the ground", or in other words to operate Exchange Cove Lodge.  We return from Russia in April and plan to "breathe life" into Exchange Cove Lodge.  We are currently accepting reservations for guests beginning June 28, 2015.  Please go to www.exchangecovelodge.com to find information about Exchange Cove Lodge and to request reservations.

On the Seventh Day . . .

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."  Genesis 2:2-3

When we completed the work of creating Exchange Cove Lodge, we decided to follow God's example and rest from the physical work of building Exchange Cove Lodge.  In addition, we decided to sanctify this period of rest.  To sanctify is to make holy or sacred.  We are completing 18 months as volunteer representatives of our church in Russia.  We have enjoyed following Christ's example by becoming "fishers of men".  God has greatly blessed us in this period of our lives.

On the Sixth Day . . .

"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."  Genesis 1:25-27

God has filled the land around Whale Pass with many beautiful and interesting creatures.  Finally God created man in his own image.

"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."  Genesis 1:28

So God gave man responsibility for stewardship over "every living thing that moveth upon the earth."  To us stewardship means wise use.  To us stewardship implies sustainability.  This is a great blessing and responsibility from God.

On the Fifth Day . . .

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."  Genesis 1:20-22

The year 2014 was one in which "the waters brought forth abundantly" at Whale Pass.  The summer Coho salmon run was the largest ever and the weight of the salmon was much larger than usual.  The chart below compares 2014 to previous years.

Source:  SSRAA.org