Alaska - Day 8

We awoke early today to coffee and devotions with Dennis and Celesta. Then we ventured out for the long day of ministry ahead. We arrived to Mountain View Baptist Church around 8:30 to prepare for the food shelf that runs the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. We saw how organized and structured the program is. It takes many volunteers and food donations to run each week as it serves 40-50 local families. Don and I were able to serve by helping people carry their food to their cars or to their homes. There also were a few opportunities to pray with people. It was a reminder to us both about how blessed we are to have food in our cupboards. Many of the people that came through were very thankful for the food. Once the food shelf was finished and cleaned up we drove to the Alaska Food Bank to stock up. Their food supply had run really low and when we showed up at the Food Bank it was like Christmas. The Alaska Food Bank is a place where retailers, wholesalers, etc. donate food and then non-profit organizations can come pick up food for $0.18 per pound. Dennis said they were lucky to get a couple hundred pounds of food lately but today we got 1700lbs of food. We packed a Ford Explorer and Dennis's car full of food. Then we spent most of the afternoon unloading and storing all the food we got.

Dennis squeezed in a quick tour of the church and shared many needs for the church that we can help with next summer. There is much need there and I am excited for how countryside Chapel can serve next summer.

After a quick rest and coffee break we had to get ready for Kids for Christ club which starts at 5:30. We had a meal then went upstairs to sing some songs. There was about 30-40 kids there from Kindergarten through 6th grade. Don taught them a song and then I was able to share with them about Jesus for about 15 minutes.

It felt good to finally get back to the house and relax. Some friends of Dennis and Celesta came over and we just spent some time hanging out and eating ice cream. Hopefully we can get a few hours of sleep tonight because we have to get up at 5:00am tomorrow.

Alaska - Day 7

Today was one of those rainy nasty days where you want to just sit around and drink coffee. After Marlin was done with his morning bus route that he sometimes drives we spent time fellowshipping together. It was a great morning to talk about life, God, ministry, and sports. Around noon Aaron (youth pastor at Glacier View) came down to the house. He took Don and I down the road to Victory Bible Camp. This camp is absolutely beautiful and I wish we could have seen it on a sunny day. The camp serves around 700-800 youth each summer.

After our tour of Victory Bible Camp we packed our stuff up and loaded it into the car. We decided to head back to Anchorage today because the weather wasn't looking too good and there could possibly be snow overnight. Before we left Marlin & Sharon took us out to eat at the Long Rifle Lodge. I enjoyed a Glacier Burger (it was good!) while actually looking at a Glacier out the window. The view was pretty amazing along with all the stuffed bears and other animals inside the lodge. After dinner we said our goodbyes and prayed with Marlin & Sharon.

We made the hour and a half drive through rain and clouds back to Anchorage. We we arrived we found Dennis and his moose hunting buddies butchering the moose in the garage. It took some convincing but Don eventually came out to take a look. After the initial shock of seeing the inner parts of a moose Don finally became curious and inquisitive of the butchering process and began to take pictures. I believe he has taken over 350 pictures so far this trip. I will try to post some pictures in Day 8. Don is still not convinced to try moose meat but hopefully before we fly back he will try it. We have a really busy day tomorrow so some rest is needed. Check back for Day 8 to hear about the food bank and kids club.

Alaska - Day 6

Thought for the day: "Do you see people where they are or where they could be?"

Don and I were privileged to get to share at GlacierView Bible Church this morning. The church has a congregation around 150 people and tends to fluctuate from summer to winter. Since many in the area travel much to work and make a living in Alaska consistency is one of the biggest struggles for the congregation. Marlin has been the pastor for 23 years. They have moved into in the building above in the picture in 2001. Don preached and we were able to share about Off The Wall and stress the importance of discipleship. We also spent time after the service talking with a lot of the young people at the church. Many of them serve at Victory Bible Camp. We also spent some time with the director of Victory Bible Camp and the possibility of speaking and serving there next summer with the Mission's Trip.

We met a man named Dwayne at church who trains missionary pilots to go into the interior of Alaska and into Russia. He offered to take us on a scenic flight in the afternoon but due to bad weather we were unable to go so we spent the afternoon talking about ministry in Alaska.

GlacierView recently planted a church in a nearby town called Chickaloon which holds its services on Sunday evenings at 6pm. We made the 30 minute drive that evening and I was able to share. We packed about 40 people in a small little community center building. It was great to meet and talk with the people and hear their stories. Marlin also mentioned that they have discussed planting another church in a town called Sutton. It might be something we may be able to help with next summer. It was a busy day but God is good and I met some awesome people and saw the huge ministry need here in GlacierView Alaska.

Alaska - Day 5

"Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God." - RC Sproul

I thought I have seen God's majesty on this trip but today blew me away. We grabbed Dennis & Celesta's son Seth and headed up to Glacierview where Marlin Beachy lives. As we drove deeper into the mountains Don kept leaning out the passenger window to take pictures. It was about a 3 hour drive with all the stops we made.

Once we arrived at the Beachy's house they gave us a tour of the area. Then they decided to show us the Glacier and some other scenery. Marlin and Sharon (his wife) took us up to some of their land to see the view. We had to climb a small mountain to get there. This is when Don stated, "Black people are not meant to climb mountains, they are made to play basketball." The view was incredible.

After a excursion we made it back to the house and enjoyed some Alaskan Salmon. We spent the evening discussing the Glacierview area and the ministry there. We also were able to brainstorm some ideas for ministry next summer. Tommorow we will be sharing Off The Wall Ministry at Glacierview Bible Church and Don will be preaching. Tommorow evening we will head to a church plant of Glacierview and I will be preaching.

Alaska - Day 4

After spending a few days in Alaska I have determined they have the best coffee ever. I have been drinking at least 3-4 cups a day. That is party due to the lack of sleep and partly because the coffee is just so good. Since we had a 3 hour drive in the morning Don and I decided to fill up with some Kaladi Brothers Coffee. I am going to endorse Kaladi Brothers as one of the best coffee shops not only because there coffee is good but also because we told them we were from Ohio and they gave us free coffee! Check out www.kaladi.com. With coffee in hand we made the journey from Soldotna to Anchorage. We made many stops along the way to take pictures and marvel at God's creation.

On our journey Don and I prayed, read and discussed scripture, and at some points didn't say a word and just enjoyed the splendor of our King. About half way through our drive we saw a guy and girl (prolly late 20s early 30s) hitchhiking. I didn't think twice and just kept driving. Don was like "why didn't you pick them up?" I went on to tell him how dangerous picking up hitchhikers can be. Then his compassionate side came out and felt for those two people trying to get a ride. He explained how we could have shared Jesus with them and enjoyed the journey with them. As we continued driving I started to think about this and really started to wrestle with the thought of missing out of an opportunity to share Christ with someone. Once they get in your car they can't go anywhere so they have to listen. I came to the conclusion that I acted out of selfishness. I was thinking of my own comfort and enjoying MY journey that I was on. I was being selfish and not wanting to share it with others. I had all the thoughts in my head like, "what if they steal something?" "what if smell?", "what if they want money?" Instead I should have been asking questions like "I wonder where they are going?" "I wonder what they believe about God?" "I wonder if they need help?" "I wonder if God has brought me across their path for a reason?" About an hour later we pulled into a awesome little restaurant called the Bake Shop. As we were pulling in I saw the two hitchhikers walking down the road. They got a ride and reached their destination. After seeing that they made it OK I thought I would feel better about not picking them up but something inside me felt like I missed an opportunity for God to use Don and I. During times like this God continues to work on my character.

We arrived at Dennis & Celesta Richardson's home in Anchorage in the afternoon. Dennis is out Moose Hunting and just when we got there Celesta got the call that he shot a moose. She was going to cook some moose burgers for dinner but Don was not about to eat anything from a moose. It was great to spend some time with Celesta and their kids Seth & Sarah. We were able to talk about many different ideas of ways to serve during our mission's trip next summer. There is a huge need at their Church and lots of opportunities to minister to some very hurting people.

We also were able to connect with Mary from Cook Inlet Academy. CIA is a christian school that serves the Soldotna & Kenai area and is where most of Pastor Larry's grand kids go to school. She invited Don and I to come speak at chapel and to talk to the staff and some parents about discipleship. We will be going there on Wednesday morning.

I have completed my third cup of coffee for the day so it must be time to get to bed. I wanted to leave you with a Psalm that Don and I read today.

"Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from beginning to end, you are God."

- Psalm 90:2

Alaska - Day 3

Don and I felt the effects of Jet-Lag this morning. We were both up at 5:30am ready to go. Since we had wireless Internet we spent the morning working and preparing for our fall/winter ministry. As soon as we return home Re-Connect starts on Monday nights at New Grounds Cafe.

RE-Connect is a discussion based outreach ministry. The goal is to provide a safe & inviting atmosphere for believers, non-believers, and those searching to all come together to talk about the questions many of us wrestle with. RE-Connect is cross-generational and allows young and old to share their life experiences and knowledge with each other. Don and I took some time this morning to put together some topics and videos ideas to initiate discussion. You will have to come check it out to see what we came up with!

McDonalds was calling so we found a break to have some breakfast with Pastor Larry. It is always good to share our ideas with Pastor Larry and get his feedback. He is an awesome resource for Don and I. We also talked about getting some time at Countryside some Sunday morning to share more about Off The Wall and all that God is allowing us to do as well as the Alaska trip for 2010. We will try to do that probably in November.

We also spent a lot of time working on AWAKE which is our College Retreat October 16,17, & 18 at Camp Patmos. We are trying to create an atmosphere for God to move in the lives of the College Students. I spent a lot of time making phone calls, emails, & facebook messages to kids and making sure they are getting signed up. Our goal is to have an intimate retreat with 30-50 college kids.

Around noon I was able to connect with Celesta Richardson via Phone. It looks like tomorrow we will drive back up to Anchorage to spend the afternoon and evening with their family before we head to Marlin Beachys Saturday morning.

After working hard all day we decided to spend our afternoon and evening with Pastor Larry and his son Rob's family. When we arrived Rob and the boys were outside chopping wood and playing with fire. We then got the brilliant idea to have a fire jumping contest (see picture). Don did well but did come away with a few singed hairs. We also saw some Caribou and Moose in their woods which was pretty cool. After dinner we were able to sit in the living room and sing worship music, share testimonies with one another, and just enjoy the goodness of our God. We finally ventured back to the hotel around 11. As we were leaving I found out that Don is pretty scared of Grizzly Bears and that I really should stop "crying wolf".

Alaska - Day 2

It never felt so good to sleep! Even if it was only like 5 hours it was much needed. After a quick walk down the street to McDonalds for a Sausage McGriddle it was time to go grab our rental car and head to Anchorage Grace Christian School. The school has around 700 kids K-12. Don and I were able to speak during chapel time to the 200+ High School Students. They had some awesome kids and staff members at the school. We just wanted to talk to the kids about Jesus all day but they eventually had to go back to class. While we were there we ran into Celesta Richardson (who we will be staying with next week) and got to hang out and talk with her for awhile. We also connected with Nate Davis who is the Superintendent of the school and we talked about possible ways to help the school next summer through our mission's trip. There are some possible work projects along with potential speaking and teaching opportunities.

After a great morning at the school we ventured on the 3 hour journey from Anchorage to Soldotna. I hope you enjoy a few of the pics we took along the way. Alaska is truly majestic. We spent most of the drive really praying for Pastor Larry and his two sons and their families. At this point of the day Pastor Larry still had not been able to contact his son Eric and grandson "Little" Larry. When we arrived in Soldotna we checked into our hotel then went over to Rob Smithwick's (Pastor Larry's son) for dinner. We had an awesome time with his family. We played basketball with the kids, went on a moose sighting excursion, and scared Don by pretending a Grizzly Bear was chasing us through the woods. We then ventured to the nearby town of Kenai to see if we could connect with Pastor Larry's grandson "Little" Larry. He opened the door and was shocked to see Don and I there. It took him a little bit to figure out who we were. We ended up hanging out at his house for an hour or so just talking and catching up. Don and I were saying how awesome it must be to live here and see all the amazing scenery all the time. He said it is just normal and he thought all the scenery in Sugarcreek, OH was amazing when he spent the summer there. "Little" Larry talked about the summer he spent in Ohio and tried to remember all the people he met. It was really good to see him but he definitely needs our prayers. We are planning on having dinner with him tomorrow to hang out and talk more. It is about 11pm here which means it is 3am for those of you Eastern Standard Time people. It is time to get some rest, Good Night and God Bless!

Alaska - Day 1

Don and I are excited for the opportunity God has put before us to travel to Alaska. During our time there we will be ministering in various ways as well as preparing and planning for a Mission's Trip for summer 2010. We thought it would be awesome to keep everyone informed and updated on whats going on. We will try to update this blog every day or so while we are here. Please pray for us and for the residents of Alaska.

DAY 1

I awoke this morning in a cabin at Camp Calvary outside of Philadelphia, PA. The cabin was full of about 12 high school boys that didn't smell the greatest. Today was the last day of our 3 day retreat with the Faith Christian Academy Seniors. Don wrapped up this morning with a message from Luke 18. In verses 35-43 there is a story about a blind beggar. When he heard Jesus was passing he called out to him. "Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more (v.39)" "Those who led the way" could very well have been the disciples or others really close to Jesus. Here was a blind man who wanted to see and he had faith that Jesus could heal him both physically and spiritually but the "leaders" told him to be quiet. Many times we tend to follow the crowd and we want to live boldly for Jesus but the crowd tends to shut us up. I love the blind man's response, "but he shouted all the more." This was a challenge for me to live more boldly for Jesus Christ and not to hinder or "tell others to be quiet."

After the morning session and some activities in the woods we said our goodbyes and headed to the Philadelphia airport. We arrived in time to grab a bite to eat before our connecting flight to Phoenix. We faced a tough choice of many fine dining selections in the food court but finally decided on on Chick-Fil-A. It was a 4.5 hour flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix. I enjoy flying because I find myself spending most of the flight reading my Bible, a good book, praying, or just listening to worship music. I also love the window seat and it is awesome to look out at the sky and God's creation.

We had about a 2 hour layover in Phoenix before we boarding our plane to Anchorage. After a 4.5 hour flight we were about to embark on another 4.5 hour flight. Even though I was wiped out I was able to get into a conversation with a guy named Marvin. He sat beside me and I found he worked for US Airways and was traveling to Anchorage for work. We were able to talk about God most of the trip which was pretty cool. He grew up in a Baptist Church and his two brothers are pastors in Ohio. Marvin however seemed to have been turned off to Christ by some of his past experiences. He considers himself spiritual but not a Christian. After we landed Marvin said he really enjoyed talking and he seemed very encourage by our conversation. I just tried to share my love of Christ and what he has done in my life and pray that God may use that to work in Marvin's heart.

We arrived in Anchorage at midnight which is 4am eastern time. We finally made it to our hotel by 12:45am. It was a long day but God is good. We will get a few hours of sleep then Pastor Larry will pick us up in the morning and take us to Anchorage Grace Christian School to speak to the students there.

Thanks For The Bread

I am reading "In The Eye of The Storm" by Max Lucado and this is an excerpt from the book. I pray that it may encourage your heart today.

Dear Friend,

I'm writing to say thanks. I wish I could thank you personally, but I don't know your name. If I knew your appearance, I'd look for you, but your face is fuzzy in my memory. But I'll never forget what you did.

There you were, leaning against your pickup in the West Texas oil field. An engineer of some sort. A supervisor on the job. Your khakis and clean shirt set you apart from us roustabouts. In the oil field pecking order, we were at the bottom. You were the boss. We were the workers. You read the blueprints. We dug the ditches. You inspected the pipe. We laid it. You ate with the bosses in the shed. We ate with each other in the shade.

Except that day.
I remember wondering why you did it.

We weren't much to look at. What wasn't sweaty was oily. Faces burnt from the sun; skin black from the grease. Didn't bother me, though. I was there only for the summer. A high-school boy earning good money laying pipe. For me, it was a summer job. For the others, it was a way of life. Most were illegal immigrants from Mexico. Others were drifters, bouncing across the prairie as rootless as tumbleweeds.

We weren't much to listen to, either. Our language was sandpaper coarse. After lunch, we'd light the cigarettes and begin the jokes. Someone always had a deck of cards with lacy-clad girls on the back. For thirty minutes in the heat of the day, the oil patch became Las Vegas - replete with foul language, dirty stories, blackjack, and bar stools that doubled as lunch pails.

In the middle of such a game, you approached us. I thought you had a job for us that couldn't wait another few minutes. Like the others, I groaned when I saw you coming.
You were nervous. You shifted your weight from one leg to the other as you began to speak.
"Uh, fellows," you started
We turned and looked up at you.
"I, uh, I just wanted, uh, to invite..."
You were way out of your comfort zone. I had no idea what you might be about to say, but I knew that it had nothing to do with work.
"I just wanted to tell you that, uh, our church is having a service tonight and, uh..."
"What?" I couldn't believe it. "He's talking church? Our here? With us?"
"I wanted to invite any of you to come along."

Silence. Screaming silence. The same silence you'd hear if a nun asked a madam if she could use the brothel for a mass. The same silence you'd hear if an IRS representative invited the Mafia to a seminar on tax integrity.

Several guys stared at the dirt. A few shot glances at the others. Snickers rose just inches from the surface.
"Well, that's it. Uh, if any of you want to go . . . uh, let me know."

After you turned and left, we turned and laughed. We called you "reverend," "preacher," and "the pope." We poked fun at each other, daring one another to go. You became the butt of the day's jokes. I'm sure you knew that. I'm sure you went back to your truck knowing the only good you'd done was to make a good fool out of yourself. If that's what you thought, then you were wrong.

That's the reason for this letter.
Some five years later, a college sophomore was struggling with a decision. He had drifted from the faith given to him by his parents. He wanted to come back. He wanted to come home. But the price was high. His friends might laugh. His habits would have to change. His reputation would have to be overcome.

Could he do it? Did he have the courage?
That's when I thought of you. As I sat in my dorm room late one night, looking for the guts to do what I knew was right, I thought of you.
I thought of how your love for God had been greater than your love for your reputation.
I thought of how your obedience had been greater than your common sense.
I remembered how you had cared more about making disciples than about making a good first impression. And I when I thought of you, your memory became my motivation.

So I came home.
I've told your story dozens of times to thousands of people. Each time the reaction is the same: The audience becomes a sea of smiles, and heads bob in understanding. Some smile because they think of the "clean-shirted engineers" in their lives. They remember the neighbor who brought the cake, the aunt who wrote the letter, the teacher who listened...

Others smile because they have done what you did. And they too, wonder if their "lunchtime royalty" was worth the effort.
You wondered that. What you did that day wasn't much. And I'm sure you walked away that day thinking that your efforts had been wasted.

They weren't.
So I'm writing to say thanks. Thanks for the example. Thanks for the courage. Thanks for giving your lunch to God. He did something with it; it became the Bread of Life for me.

Gratefully,

Max Lucado

How He Loves Me

God loves me. I tend to say that a lot or hear people say that phrase, "God loves me." I think to myself, what does God's love really mean in my life? Am I encountering God's Love on a daily basis? And, what does it mean to encounter God's Love? For me I encounter God's Love the most when I am seeking after him, spending time with him, and receiving his love and in turn giving him my love. Many times we may feel like we messed up really bad and God doesn't love us anymore so we choose to stay away from him. When we need his love the must we choose not to run to it. We as believers need to encounter God's love in our lives. You see, when we encounter God's love it changes us, it transforms us, and it gives us hope. Encounter God's love today and remember....

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39