Singles' Night

On Friday night, after getting back from Girls' Camp, our team headed to FBC Palmer for an Associational Singles' Night. There were about 20 people from all over the Hatcher Pass Baptist Association. It was a great night for everyone there. In addition to having lots of fun with crazy games like Empire and Mafia, we were blessed by an incredible testimony and worship time.

The testimony that we heard is what I would really like to share with you. An 18 year-old girl named Kathy shared the struggle she has dealt with since she was 15. When she was a freshman, she was extremely active. Her favorite activity was twirling, and she was great at it. She had even been to other countries to perform! Kathy thought that maybe God had plans for her to using twirling in other countries as part of her own personal ministry. However, God has other plans in store for her. At the beginning of her sophomore year, she felt the need to pray for patience and to be able to completely rely on God. Obediently, she prayed. Within just a few weeks, her health crashed. She was constantly in pain and became crippled. At her lowest point, she couldn't even get out of bed. She had one question: Why God?

As bad as the situation seemed, she did become a better person for it. She became closer to God. Since she wasn't in school, she didn't have much time with her friends. Therefore, God became the person she got to "hang out" with on a regular basis. It was during this time that she became closer and closer to God. She began to realize that He was using this storm to shape her into a beautiful diamond. It was and still is very difficult situation, but she can see God working. In fact, she has been getting better over the past few months. She can now get up and move around without a cane.

Her latest struggle with her illness actually came up in the past week. There was a 15 year old girl that has been dealing with some terrible health issues. At a leadership conference, a group of her friends prayed for her and God healed her! This is an amazing miracle, but it was a difficult miracle for Kathy to be grateful for. Why hasn't God chosen to heal her? Her friends have prayed for her for three years. God is healing her, but it is happening at a slower pace than what Kathy, her friends, and her family would like. However, as Kathy pointed out, it is important for us to remember that God works in His time. His timing and plans are much better than our own. Sometimes we just don't understand what He's doing or why.

Even though Kathy is really struggling with God's plan for her life and His purpose for her illness, she has shown an incredible amount of faith and strength. Just the fact that she was willing to get up and share her story during this hard time in her life was an encouragement to me. It really put my problems into perspective. If someone like Kathy can work through a storm like that and still hold strongly to her faith, surely I can walk through a small shower. The Lord still has a lot to teach me, and my faith has a lot of growing to do. It all just has to happen "step by step."

Girls' Camp

This past week was spent at Girls' Camp. We had about 33 girls from all over the state turn up for the camp. The theme for the week was Daughters on a Quest for God's Kingdom. The entire week was devoted to studying the Armor of God and the story of Esther. The girls really learned a lot!

I had three girls in my cabin-Kyrstyn, Kaytlyn, and Caitlyn. It would be confusing enough to just have Kaytlyn and Caitlyn, but to add to it, Kaytlyn and Kyrstyn were identical twins! After spending a little time with the twins, it was easy to tell them apart. It still made for an interesting week though!

The girls in my cabin were between the ages of 10 and 12. They were just old enough to really start getting into the meat of some really good conversations, but they still threw in some crazy comments along the way. I never really knew what to expect during devotion time each morning and night. We did have some really great devotions though. We talked about how God created us, being a part of the Body of Christ, Spiritual Gifts, and Christ-like Love. The girls also shared their favorite Bible verses during one of the morning devotion times. We also had some great prayer times. The girls asked for prayer for some simple things like finding homes for some new kittens to more serious requests like finding a new, safe home for the twins and their mom.

There were also some pretty funny instances during the week. The girls went swimming everyday in a lake full of leeches. Needless to say, we had a lake full of squealing girls whenever somebody yelled "LEECH!" We also had a moose walk right into camp. We were sitting in the dinning hall for breakfast and all the sudden Rachel yells "MOOSE!!!!" Half of the girls and the entire ministry team from Georgia yelled "MOOSE" and ran to the window. We thought the moose was going to steal a towel from the one of the cabins, but he just kept walking. It was a fun morning. Haha.

Spending the week at camp was a wonderful experience, but it was also very humbling. Several of the girls came from families that are going through hard times. Many also came from broken homes. Most of these girls had very little, but they were as happy as they could be. It really taught me a lesson about being thankful in all circumstances.

Please keep praying for the people in Alaska and for our team! We're have a blast so far and we have seen several kids come to know the Lord. We have six weeks left and lots of work left to do. Prayers are needed!

Laughs

We've had some pretty funny moments while serving up here. Here are a couple of the funny moments from the past couple of weeks. I hope you'll find them as funny as we do!

While at FBC Wasilla, I got to be a cactus in a skit! I was one of two cactuses/cacti that made really lame jokes. Here are a few of them:

What do you get when you cross a pig and a cactus? a porky pine (nice play on words no?)
What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho cheese
What do snakes take for an upset stomach? Repto-bismal
Have you heard the forecast? Chili today, Hot Tamale

And so on and so forth...very corny I know. The kids loved it though. Ericka and I were supposed to each be a cactus, but Ericka got a stomach bug the day of the skit. We had 3 or 4 earthquakes the night before so I texted Ericka and asked her if she was just motion sick. She appreciated my humor. :)

Second funny story-Flyleaf's Mosh Pit. I've never been to a concert where a mosh pit was formed. This was a new experience. No, it wasn't a really intense pit, but we had a couple of funny instances. Rachel was getting bumped by tons of people and was not very happy about it. The next thing we know, random strangers have locked arms with her and are pulling her away. The look on her face was priceless! The bad thing is, all we could do was laugh at her. She did make it out ok though, no worries!

These are just a few of the things that have brought all of us joy this summer. You may not find humor in any of this, but just enjoy knowing that we're laughing our way through the summer. Alaska will never be the same!

Guest Post by Mom & Dad

Heather, Emily, Ericka, and Rachel are serving at a girls' camp this week. Internet access is limited. This weekend they rested from a week of 6 hour VBS days, went to a Flyleaf concert, wound up in a 'mosh pit,' attended church at FBC Wasilla, and headed to the camp. A fairly long phone conversation Sunday afternoon revealed that Heather is really taking this summer "Step by Step" and just longing for whatever the next step is. The vibrance in her voice makes the 4,240 or so miles that separate us bearable. Sprinkled in with the witness and ministry opportunites she tells us about are text messages like this one: (to Dad) "10 at night. Sunshining.Glassy water. Perfect for flyfishing."

Heather will update as soon as possible. We thank all of you for your interest in Heather shown by your kind words and - most of all - your prayers. And a very special "Thank You!" to those host homes in Alaska! Above are airport pictures from June 1, the day Heather left.

Elicia & James

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7

And The Blessings Continue

Things have been crazy over the past week! This blog post will be an attempt to play "catch up" with you guys.

God continued to shower blessings at VBS on Thursday and Friday. As far as I know, there were 28 salvations during the entire week. Yay God! Once again, there are a couple of incredible stories I would like to share with you.

On Thursday morning, the director asked if any of the kids who had prayed to receive Christ would like to stand up and let everyone know. Without any hesitation, a boy named Wyatt shot up. He wanted everybody to know that he was a Christian and that he is not ashamed. It was so cool to see! To make it even better, there was a girl in his class that wanted to receive Christ on Friday during Missions. Instead of going on to the next rotation, he stayed back with her. He is totally on fire for God! I really think that he has something special.

Another blessing sprang up on Friday. There were three kids, two girls and a boy, in the third and fourth grade class who wanted to get saved. They were brother, sister, and step-sister. These kids really had an incredible story. Unfortunately, they came from terribly broken families. They understood the pain of a family being ripped apart. One of them told me that they still cried about their parents' divorce. They also talked about how they had been afraid to go up and and talk to someone during an altar call. Their friends had told them not to do it. At one time, they did talk with somebody at a VBS, but they didn't understand what the Gospel was all about. "I was just repeating words. I didn't understand what they meant." It was empty for them. However, they finally understood! It was incredible to sit in on the counseling session with them and hear what they had to say. The oldest girl, Nadia, just blew me away. "When you asked Jesus into your heart, did you feel foolish for all the sins you had committed?" It was incredible to listen to her share her heart! I think she is another child that God has a very special plan for. She is wise beyond her years.

I also promised that I would share Gary's story with you. He is 70 years old, legally deaf, and has an incredible heart for missions. He grew up in home where Christianity was bashed and church was a taboo subject. He also has 3 learning disabilities so school was very hard for him. He was constantly being told that he was stupid. He finally figured out how to study in high school, but most people still thought he was dumb. It wasn't until he fell off of a building at 18 that things changed. He got pretty banged up. I'm not really sure what happened, but the government was somehow involved and offered to pay for any training he needed in order to support himself. He was given an aptitude test and found out he was a mechanical genius! He got training and went on with his life. He got married and had two kids. Things seemed to be going well, but there was a problem. Due to his work schedule, activities, and the company he kept, he became an alcoholic. He eventually realized he had a problem and changed jobs in order to make an effort to stop drinking.

During this time, his young daughter had been invited to church. The first time, he and his wife let her go without thinking much about it. When his daughter wanted to keep going, his wife decided that she needed to check it out. As a result, Gary's family began to get involved in the church. Unfortunately, he didn't buy into it. He had to move his family due to his job and church got pushed to the side. It was at this point that his alcoholism had become a major problem. However, a move wasn't the only thing involved in fighting his alcoholism. He began to read the Bible.

At this point in time, a family friend also invited them to a Catholic Confirmation Class. He and his wife attended, but Gary immediately noticed that not everything taught in the class lined up with Scripture. He would ask questions about every difference he noticed, but the priests always put him off. Eventually, he did get to sit down with them and ask his questions. There were answers for why things didn't line up. They had other writing besides the Bible. They had writings from their leaders, and if the two writings disagreed, the writings of their leaders were viewed as correct. Gary just couldn't accept that. He and his wife didn't join the Catholic Church and decided to look elsewhere for answers. Just a short time later, they were invited to a Church New Year's Eve Party. It was at this party that he began to understand his need for a Savior. He met with a guy that had invited them to the party and he received Christ. From that point forward, he lived a life for the Lord. He introduced his entire family to the Lord and has began to make an annual mission trip to Africa. He wants everyone he meets to have a chance to know the Lord. It was an incredible blessing to work with him in Missions. (He even invited me to go this year. I don't think that's what God has planned right now for me though.)

I hope these stories have blessed you as much as they blessed me! I should have another post up soon.

As always, keep praying!

Blessings

This week I'm working in the Missions rotation of VBS for FBC Wasilla. Only three days of VBS have gone by and God is already working. It has been a shower of blessing to watch His hand at work this week. We had 21 kids pray to receive Christ today!!! This is an amazing number, but we have to remember that it is NOT ABOUT NUMBERS. I just want to take a few minutes to share some of the amazing things about the past few days.


The kids this week have really been asking a lot of questions about missions, especially the third and fourth graders. They are really starting to get an idea of what a missionary is and that you don't have to be "career missionary." We're trying to drive home the point that you are a missionary everywhere you go. One little boy let us know that he really understood when he told us about his dad."My dad is in the army. He's a missionary when he tells people about Jesus when he goes to serve." He really understand that being a missionary isn't just a full time job! Every Christian is a missionary. The kids are starting to understand that there are different kinds of missionaries. How exciting!

Next up, I'm going to tell you about some of the kids that decided to stay back after the Gospel presentation this morning. Since the Missions rotation doesn't start until an hour after the Worship Rally, I got to go up and be a counselor for the kids that wanted to hang back and talk or pray with someone. We had five kids that accepted Christ right after the morning rally and one reassurance. This is very exciting, but there's more. A few kids that were already Christians stayed because they needed to pray with somebody. I got to pray with a little girl who's dog had just died. Was I let down that I wasn't leading a child to Christ? Not at all! It's amazing that children realize that God cares about all the little things in life, including when our pets die. That little girl was upset and she turned to God for comfort. She understood that God cares about every little detail in her life. It was a wonderful example of beautiful childlike faith. We don't see enough of that. For the teens and adults reading this, when was the last time you went to God with one of your "little" problems or hurts? If it's been awhile, why? If God is big enough to handle any crisis we face, how much more able is He to handle a little bump in the road?

I also have a story of Salvation to share with you. During the day, we made sure to give the kids another "altar call" in the Missions rotation. We had five third and fourth graders that wanted to talk. I got the opportunity to share the plan of Salvation with these kids and then take them to talk to the pastor. While I was busy with the third and fourth graders, two fifth and sixth graders stepped out and accepted Christ during their Missions time. Praise God for these decisions! However, the story I want to share with you comes from a first grader named Xandr. Two boys wanted the chance to talk to someone about becoming a Christian, and Xandr was one of them. I had the great opportunity to sit in on some of the counseling sessions with the pastor, but this one touched my heart the most. While we were talking with Xander, he said something very profound for first grader. "I came to Bible Camp this week because I didn't know ANYTHING about God, and I want to know how to become a Christian." We took him and one other boy through the plan of Salvation. Both boys understood, but I could tell that Xander REALLY got it. He prayed and told God that he was sorry for sinning and that he needed to be forgiven. It brought tears to my eyes listening (I'm tearing up now just typing this)!! It was such an INCREDIBLE BLESSING!! Who am I that I was allowed to witness that and be a part of such an incredible event??? Experiences like that are what this summer is all about.

There's one more blessing that I'd like to share with you, but I think that it would be better to post it in a couple of days. Over the past couple of days, I've been working with a man named Gary. He's been sharing parts of his testimony with me and I'd like to pass some of it on to you. I've been finding out a little more each day so I'll wait until the end of the week to post what I've learned. A complete story might be better than just a small piece of it.

Thank you so much for all of you prayers! They have been felt and are much appreciated!! Please CONTINUE to PRAY! GOD IS AT WORK!

A Fabulous Weekend

The VBS at Schrock Road has come to an end. There were a total of 25 kids on the last day. That's double the number that we had on Monday! It was a wonderful week!

On Saturday, we had a free day. Our host family took Ericka and me out for a day of true Alaska fun. First, we went to down to Colony Days. Seventy-five years ago, the government paid people to move to Alaska and farm. The city of Palmer was settled as a result and the people were celebrating the 75th Anniversary. There were lots of neat little booths set up and a parade with fun floats and classic cars. It was fun to walk around the downtown area of Palmer and see so many people out and about.

Next, we went to Palmer's Reindeer Farm. I actually got to pet and feed a moose! I got to pet and feed elk and reindeer too. There were even some baby reindeer to pet! They were so cute and their fur was very soft. I never realized how big elk are or that all reindeer, male and female, grow antlers! We got to actually walk in the pen with the reindeer and feed them pellets out of our hands! No, we didn't have to worry about getting bitten. Reindeer can't bite. They only have six teeth on the bottom and few molars in the back. They also can't kick backwards like a horse can due to a tendon in their back legs. However, this tendon lets them run up to 30 mph for up to 50 miles! (I think this is a fair trade, don't you?) So we had no worries in the pen. Actually, most of the reindeer were more interested in eating grass than anything else. Ericka went up to a few reindeer so she could feed them, but they just walked off. Instead of trying some different reindeer, she chased after them! It was hilarious!!! Watching Ericka chase reindeer was one of the best parts of the trip on Saturday. :)

After the Reindeer Farm (and a good hand washing) we headed up to Hatcher Pass. The actual pass isn't open yet, but the drive up the mountain is incredible. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. There are mountains on every side and a rushing stream flowing down. There's an old gold mine, Independence Mine, near the pass. We drove up to it and saw the old mining site. Some of the buildings are still standing and you can still see parts of the railroad that was used for transporting the gold. (An earthquake closed the mine.) It's an interesting bit of Alaskan history that you can actually walk through! It's really cool! As if this wasn't enough, it snowed while we there! Can you believe it? It actually snowed in June! For somebody (like me) that's used to sweltering heat in June, it was pretty mind boggling. Then to end the day, we ate fresh King Salmon with a family that attends Schrock Road. Yum!

Today has been a little more relaxed. We attended church this morning at Schrock Road. The kids got up and did the motions to four of the VBS songs they learned this week. I stood in the back and did the motions for them in case they needed a reminder. It was so much fun and they did such a great job! Even the preschoolers were doing the motions. Sure, one of the younger ones decided just to dance and kick her feet, but it was the cutest thing! She really stole the show.

This coming week I'll working at FBC Wasilla's VBS. I get to help with the Missions rotation this time! This VBS runs from 9-3. It'll be a lot different from the VBS's I've worked before, but the church seems to have a lot of success with running a longer program. We've heard that the kids really enjoy it! That's what is really important. This will probably be the biggest VBS I'll be involved with this summer. Please pray for the kids and the workers this coming week!

Thanks for reading and praying!

Schrock Road

The first full week of work is almost over. This week, my main assignment has been at Schrock Road's VBS as the Music teacher and Worship Rally leader. I've been having a blast!!! It has been so much fun to teach the kids the motions to the VBS music and watch them dance around. Not only are they enjoying, some of them are really thinking about what the words of the songs mean! How exciting!

Some of the kids have been on the rowdy side of things, but they've started to come around in the last couple of days. I think some of the things we're teaching them is actually starting to sink in! So far, the first and second graders have responded the best. A few of them are starting to ask questions and are really trying to understand what we've been teaching this week. For instance, Tuesday's theme was God Cares and the story was about Joseph. When I asked the kids if God cared about Joseph even when he was in the pit or in jail, one of their answers blew me away. "God sees you even when you can't see Him." A first grader said that! The little girl that said that understands that God is ALWAYS there. I know adults that can't even grasp that! God is really working in the hearts of these kids!

The other age groups have been fun to work with too. The preschoolers are precious! It's so funny when I work with them because they all think I'm really a cowgirl because I wore a cowboy hat and talk with a southern accent. They think I'm just so cool. Haha. Maybe it's only because they think I'm a real cowgirl, but they have been great all week. Just one or two minor behavior problems and lots of hugs! This is probably the best preschool group I've ever worked with. The third and fourth graders have been a little harder. Just a couple of the kids start acting up and the entire group goes crazy! But they were great yesterday and will probably be pretty good today. They just needed to get into a routine. The fifth and sixth graders have been a different story. We only have two and they didn't show up until Wednesday. I'm so glad they came! We've had to stick them in with the third and fourth graders during the rotations, so they keep pretty quiet. They do get to separate from the younger kids for Bible Study so I think they talk a bit more there. Overall, they seem to enjoy VBS and I think they're having fun.

I've also done a couple of other things this week besides the Schrock Road VBS. On Monday, I helped out with registration for First Baptist Palmer's VBS. They had over 100 people at their VBS on Monday! On Tuesday, I went out to FBC Willow to see the Club VBS** material for this year. (Members of my home church, FBC Sylacauga, came up a few years ago and helped build part of that church!) Ericka and I did a Gospel presentation with Evangacubes during the Worship Rally. The kids were very attentive and I saw a few really interested faces in the crowd! I also got to observe the first and second grade class during Bible Study time and show them the Evangacube presentation again. On Wednesday, it was time to restock the snow cone supplies on the Block Party Trailer and take inventory. We made a lot of snow cones on Sunday for a VBS kickoff at Fairview Loop Baptist!

This has been a fantastic week! I hope the summer just gets better and better from here! Keep praying!

**For those of you who aren't familiar with Club VBS, it is a downsized version of an old VBS theme. This year's Club VBS material is Route 254 which is the downsize of the 2005 Ramblin' Road Trip. In about five years, Saddle Ridge Ranch will be downsized into a Club VBS. Club VBS is a great option for smaller churches that want to do a VBS, but can't manage a large scale operation. Club VBS kits give you everything you need for about 50 kids. It is also great material to use for Backyard Bible Clubs. My team will probably be using the material in Valdez for a Backyard Bible Club.

Glacier Pictures!

Here are a few pictures from our glacier hike!

Pictures!

Here are a few pictures from our hike. Enjoy!

Ice and Mud

Today was a day for seeing some of the beautiful sights Alaska has to offer. Our main destination was Matanuska Glacier. We actually got to walk out to and hike ON the glacier! It was amazing!!! It wasn't the easier hike I've ever been on, but it was so much fun!!!! The view was BEAUTIFUL! Every angle was amazing. The mountains were breathtaking and the streams and pools on the glacier was spectacular! I think the combination of rocks, ice, and water was probably the most unique thing I've ever seen.

On the way back to the car, we ran into a little trouble. Walking on the patches of rock was much easier to walk on than the ice. We found a nice little rock path and things were gong great. However, we ran into a patch mud. This wasn't your average mud; it was glacier silt and water. Set a foot in it and you start to sink! All of our shoes were covered with the stuff, and in my case, the back of my jeans! I slipped and landed in a puddle of the stuff. The entire situation was hilarious!! I wish somebody could have stopped slipping in the mud long enough to get pictures of the rest of us battling the gray goop! That little adventure in one word: priceless!

It was really incredible to see God's work today. We saw it in the mountains, the glacier, the rushing water, and even in the mud. He really got to show off His creative side when He created Alaska. How can anybody who live in this state not know that God is real? Why is 95% of Alaska's population lost? His creation is proclaiming His name! Pray for the people of Alaska. Pray that their eyes will opened to the Truth.

It's All About Love

We had a wonderful day in Anchorage today! It was a day full of orientation and fun.

We started off the morning with a VBX orientation. VBX is the special Vacation Bible School for 5th and 6th graders. It highlighted the differences between VBS for 1-4 grades and 5&6 grades. We then had an introduction to a ministry called Grace Works. This is a ministry that is unique to the Anchorage community. Teams go to 5 different sites and perform a service project in the mornings. Then, during the afternoon, the teams goes to a central location and has block party, sports camp, or some other activity in a public area. The goal is to develop community relationships, teach kids and their parents about Christ through Bible Studies, and maybe eventually plant a church! We got to see all five of these locations today and spend time with some kids at four of them. One of the places we stopped at was the Boys and Girls Club of Mt. View. These kids were really friendly! We sat down to talk to a couple of the kids and before I knew it, another youngster had run up and wrapped their arms around my neck! We spent the next 15 minutes carrying the kids on our shoulders and loving on them! After all, this really is all about love. God's love. Grace Works has been sharing God's love with these kids for a couple of years now, so the kids were very open to us. This is the exception to the rule. Most of the time, it would take a little work to get the kids begging for piggy-back-rides and hugs.

Our team's main goal was to observe the afternoon activities. We're hoping to be able to start something similar to Grace Works in The Valley (Palmer and Wasilla). However, there are more obstacles in The Valley. The culture is VERY different and a permit would be required for any type of block party or day camp on city property. It's a possibility that permits may not be given due to the that "Sharing Jesus" would be the main focus of the event. The Valley is also much more spread out than Anchorage. We would mainly be working in parks on nice days instead of at apartments on sunny and rainy days. Kids would come the events less frequently than kids attending events in Anchorage. Please add this to your prayer list! We have a lot of planning to do and lots of obstacles to work through.

We also took a hike today. God's creation is so amazing! He must have had so much fun creating the mountains of Alaska! When I have more time, I'll try to post of few of the pictures from our hike.

Keep Alaska in your prayers!

Greetings from Alaska

I have finally made it to Alaska! Thank you for all of your prayers! All of my flights went smoothly yesterday. I am very thankful for that!

This week will be full of orientation and getting to know the girls that I will be working with. Today we went out to Laverne Griffin Camp, a camp we will be spending a few weeks at this summer, and spent some time with the youth from First Baptist Wasilla. It was fun to hang out with some of the local kids. However, what really made this time special was the worship service. This week, the kids are busting common myths and misconceptions about the Bible and tonight focused on the reality of Heaven and Hell. At the end of the service, the group was given the opportunity to write the names of their lost friends and family on whiteboard. I think almost every student there wrote a name on the board.

After everyone had a chance to write some names down, we all formed a circle and prayed. It was amazing to hear those students pour out their hearts to God. Prayers for friends, brothers, nephews, and daughters were lifted up. I've barely been in Alaska for a day and God is already moving! This is going to be a great summer!

As always, keep praying!

Isaiah 40:31