February 25, 2006
Saturday

Much to do in Ketchikan. I grew up in western Montana with my two brothers of one and two years older. I lived in Rollins, a village of about 100 people spread out over 2-3 miles of shoreline on Flathead Lake. Rollins had a two room schoolhouse with enough kids for just one room. Grades 1-8 amounted to about 6 to 12 kids. For junior high I went to Bigfork, about 30 miles north and east and for high school I rode the bus to Polson, 50 miles a day round trip. During Jr. College, I moved to Kalipell to live with my grandma or an aunt and uncle. During my youth, I never complained to my mom or dad about "nothing to do". I guess that was for two reasons. #1, I always seemed to have plenty to do and #2, I didn't like the prospect of getting extra chores of stacking wood, pulling weeds, shoveling snow....etc. My first real job in Rollins(I was 14) was cleaning chicken poop from 100's of chicken pens at the local egg ranch. "Oh what fun!"

If you transplanted a hundred Ketchikan youth into an evironment similar to Rollins, Montana, I'm betting most of them would REALY complain, "There is nothing to do in Rollins"....and beg to go back to Ketchikan. Rollins does not have youth soccer, dribblers league, baseball, volleyball, First City Players, church youth group, ballet, judo (or any martial arts), Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Sunday school, Schoenbar Knights, Native art, Native dancing, halibut fishing, swimming pools, spelling bees, Killer Whales, gyms, gymnastics,the Rec Center, bowling alley, McPherson's Music, band, choir, Deer Mountain, skate boards, roller skating, paved roads, movie theater, mall, scuba diving, library, any place to buy clothes, or the University of Alska South East. I'll stop my list here, but I'm sure many more items and activities can be added to the list of "Things to do in Ketchikan."

My point is, "There is nothing to do in Ketchikan." is a stupid excuse, given by kids who make stupid choices. I, for one don't buy this excuse, after all, kids in Miami, New York and Seattle use the same excuse for making stupid choices. When you hear this excuse, please print off this letter and hand it to them. What kids in this town lack is not another activity to do, they lack the inspiration to prespire, motivation to move, innitiative to invent, attitude to accomplish, the spirit to succeed.

The Bible teaches the importance of Spirit, Mind & Body. Youth who turn away from healthy choices and embrace stupidity by smoking cigarets, getting drunk and doing drugs are being deceived by the "great deceiver". The temptations of these addictive behaviors are age old inventions of the Devil. Many temptations today have gone high-tech with new chemicals and new ways to do stupid things, yet the problems and solution are predictable and dependable as the laws of nature. The problem is "sin", disguised as temptation to lure and seduce our youth. The solution is spiritual revival for Ketchikan. The Bible teaches us to "flee temptation". I can guarantee you that if the youth of Ketchikan truly FEARED GOD and followed the teachings of Jesus, we would marvel at all they would accomplish. Why am I assured of this? A vast majority of our country's founding fathers feared God and followed Christ and created the greatest nation on earth today. That's why. How can you be a part of the solution? Go to church. Take your kids to church. Pray for deliverance from the evils of addictive behaivior and pray for revival for the youth of Ketchikan.

I am not opposed to offering our youth additional opportunities for activities but to pin our hopes of saving our youth from the sin of cigarets, booze and drugs on offering such additional activities is in itself a foolishness. If our youth are to have the power to flee evil temptations, they must have spiritual revival. Only then will they have the inspiration to prespire, motivation to move, innitiative to invent, attitude to accomplish and the spirit to succeed.

Rob Holston
E-mail: holston[at]kpunet.net
Ketchikan, AK - USA

About: Rob Holston is a 25 year resident of Ketchikan, retired teacher and business owner.

 

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