An Exercise in Trust

As spring is now here in earnest, we've hit 60 degree temperatures (wow!) and the drifts of snow in our yard are now finally reduced to small mounds and puddles, we'll share with you the news that we're staying here in Kenai for the summer. We did not reach our goal of raising support and since we need to be at 100% before moving, it means that we'll stay where we are for a while longer. While we knew that God could do anything, we also knew we were on a very aggressive schedule timewise (we attempted to do in 5 months what takes many families a year or more) and weren't surprised that we need more time. So, while we are disappointed to be missing out on what's shaping up to be an amazing summer at Victory, and our hearts go out to Aaron Meeuwsen and others who'll be shouldering the load of program staff this summer, we are gearing up for a move to a more affordable place, a new job for Justin, and a summer spent here in Kenai continuing to raise support. We are fully trusting God and we're looking forward to see how he provides for us. While it feels frustrating at times and also sort of feels like starting back at square one (we have to find yet another place to live; this makes 4 moves in 2 years; and Justin needs a job since school ends next month), we know that God won't build your faith if things are always running smoothly! So we are trusting Him and remembering that He wants us to walk by faith, not by sight. We're glad to be able to spend more time with our precious church family and all our friends in the area, too.
Ways you can pray for us right now:
-Encouragement to remember that God always follows through on his plans for us
-A job for Justin
-A place to live

Thanks to everyone for all their prayers and support! We plan to press on!

A preview of the way our life will change

As our goal date draws closer - we are now just over a month (42 days!) from our proposed move date - we are trying to work harder than ever at raising support, getting the word out there about this awesome ministry at Victory and hoping that God will spur His people to invest in this work. While we've hopefully informed people about what goes on at Victory and what Justin's job will be, I'd like to share with you some ways that our life as a family will be changing.
If you want to hear more about this, we will be having a pizza lunch at Calvary Baptist Church this Sunday, April 15th, immediately following the second service (about 12:45). I'll be making some homemade pizzas to share with everyone. Come eat, hang out with friends, and listen to the details of what will go on in our ministry.
For now, these are a few of the changes that we'll expect about life at Victory and in Glacier View, the community in that area:
-WE ARE GOING FOR GOOD, PERMANENTLY! Many people tend to think this is a temporary thing, since it's a "summer camp". It's a permanent move...a year-round job and career change for Justin. This in itself is huge!
-We'll have camp housing. Lots of people have asked me whether we'll be buying a house up there. The camp provides housing for each of its staff families, and our awesome camp director has been putting a focus on lots of upgrades and remodeling for much of the staff housing. We'll pay rent each month, along with heating for our housing unit.
-We'll live an hour from town - ANY town. This means planning to grocery shop every two weeks, and attempting to combine any other appointments and errands on those days to save time and gas. It's a little frightening for me as a mom to be so far from a hospital (the nearest one is about an hour and 15 minutes' drive away) but I do feel much safer knowing that two of the camp's staff members are EMTs and the community's Emergency Services are located very close to us. While this is quite a rural place to live, we feel that we've been very well prepared by living in Quinhagak, a village on the Western edge of Alaska, for several years (this is a whole other story itself! :) ). The setting, which is in the midst of the amazing Chugach mountain range with views of the Matanuska glacier, is absolutely worth it! God's hand is all over the view every time you look out the window!
-Small community size...this means not much opportunity for jobs outside of camp ("tent making" if you're familiar with that Biblical concept) and dependance on God for providing for our family.

Some ways you can pray for us right now:
-Trust! Our numbers are not looking the best at the moment. We are battening the hatches (I'm not even sure what that means!) and asking God for an extra measure of faith as He works out his perfect plan in all this.
 I was encouraged the other day by a verse from 2 Thessalonians 2 (which is now on my kitchen chalkboard so I can read it regularly): "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word." He has given us comfort and hope! We want our hearts to be established in every good work and word, in order for others to also know the comfort and hope that's in Him. This is the reason and purpose we desire to be in this ministry.

                                                   Our Evie is really growing up!

                                                    We enjoyed a trip to the Anchorage museum a couple weekends ago

                                               Hockey season is ending...I'm really going to miss it!

                                         Evie looks out the front door

                                           The view from our living room windows

                                                  Trail to the dog kennel out the back door

It's nearing the end of March and while temperatures are still well below zero at night, we've got mid-thirties in the daytime temps and the snow has begun to get a little wet. This has caused several roof cave-ins in our area and most people are shoveling their roofs off. So Justin and my brother Isaac took to our roof yesterday to clear it off. This is great, since I will now sleep much more peacefully instead of worrying about the roof falling on us...however, all the snow that was on our roof is now at the base of our house. It feels like winter has started all over again since the snow outside our house has effectively doubled!!
We are still taking advantage of the snow here though, as the high school and young adult group at out church is planning a nerf night in the snow maze at Calvary. It should  be interesting!
We're heading to Anchorage next weekend for a hockey tournament and to spend some time having fun as a family. We hope the roads aren't too scary. We are realizing lately, especially in view of this winter, how unique Alaska is with all its challenges. This winter's weather has been extra crazy, even for here. I am just going to keep reminding myself how much I love this state that is our home, and trust that perhaps by July the snow will be mostly melted. ;) Then we'll only have to worry about flooding.

The maze I built behind my church.  Some 15 hours of shoveling.  12 1/2 by me and 2 1/2 by my brother in law.  You can get a better overall picture of it by the video at the bottom.

Spring?

In many other places right now, the trees are beginning to bud and you can see early springtime flowers starting to bloom...here in Alaska, we've got below zero temperatures (in the middle of the day while the sun is shining!) and we were awakened this morning with a loud cracking sound from our roof--it is groaning under the weight of the several feet of snow piled on top! So this is our springtime!
We went up to Victory Bible Camp last weekend for the junior high Winter Blitz. Our whole family got to enjoy tubing, broom hockey on the lake, and the amazing snowy mountain views! Justin helped here and there with the retreat and we got to touch base with many of the staff up at camp. After our visit at Victory, we headed back down the mountain to the valley. We went to Willow to watch the official start of the Iditarod. It was a beautiful sunny day but not an altogether pleasant time since Norah was very cold and cried the whole time! Poor baby! We also got to stay a day with our good friends the Engles. They have kids around the same ages as ours and they always have fun playing together (not to mention, mommy and daddy have fun too. :). While in Palmer, we met with the missions board of Lazy Mountain Bible Church- our first church meeting to talk about missionary support. We are continuing in the process and a lot of the support raising work right now is just talking to people. We are enjoying the knowledge that God is building our faith as we push through the feelings of uncertainty and not always knowing where to go or what to do next. We are also enjoying forming new relationships and building ones that we already have with people.
Justin went to Alyeska Ski Resort for the day with a group from our church on Saturday. He had a great time and definitely got a good workout! He is enjoying spring break right now and so are the rest of us. It's great to get rested and refreshed and refocus our perspective as the year moves on and we realize we only have 11 weeks left before our intended moving date!
We are at 30% of our support raising goal. We know that's a long way to go in 11 weeks but we are not afraid!

                                                   At the start of the Iditarod

                                              
The new improved support ticker!



Ways you can pray for us at the moment:
-That our support base will continue to build as God leads people to invest in Victory Ministries and our family
-That we will have servants' hearts in everything we do and keep our focus- to make Christ known
-That sickness will stay away from our house. It seems every week either Evie or Norah is sick with something new! :(
Thanks for reading!!

It appears that Kenai is having a false spring breakup. We've had temperatures in the 40s and lots of sunshine lately, but I can't help but feel it's all a trick! However, the nice weather is great for outdoor activities!
Justin attended the Father & Son Fishin' Mission that our church puts on every spring. It's an overnight ice fishing derby on Nest Lake in Sterling. Of course, Justin had to adopt a few "sons" to take with him (consisting of two of the high school wrestlers and one of my brothers) since we have only been blessed with little girls so far! ;)
We have been focusing lately on making mailing lists for an e-mail newsletter which we'll send out with mini-updates every so often. If you are interested in having updates on our ministry sent to your email, go to http://eepurl.com/jcBPX. Enter your name & email and you'll be on the list!
We are planning another visit up to camp at the beginning of March during Victory's junior high winter retreat.
Some ways you can pray for us right now:

-Boldness in reaching out to potential supporters. Sometimes it can feel awkward when approaching people and churches about supporting our ministry, but we know it's what we are supposed to be doing right now! Pray for wisdom and confidence from God.
-Health for our family-We had another bout with the stomach flu this week. We simply can't seem to stay well in this house! Pray against the crud!

Snow and Germs, Oh my!

It's finally February! I have to confess I couldn't wait for January to be over because it seems like it was just full of sickness. I know it's that time of year, but colds, coughs, ear infections, stomach flu, and pinkeye! All in one month, for everyone in the family! I think that's an awful new record for us. We spent the last week and a half of January in quarantine. We did NOT want to share anything with anyone else! So as we stayed home and looked out the windows, we saw our view gain about a foot and a half of snow in the last 10 days! I believe this may be the snowiest winter I have seen in a long time...and it just keeps coming!
Through it all, we celebrated Norah's 1st birthday on January 30th. She wasn't feeling too great, but she was feeling well enough to destroy a cupcake...which we all know is the best part of birthday #1!
Wrestling season ended with slightly less than a bang for the Kenai wrestling team...unexpected sickness and some unexpected losses in matches at State made the final tournament less than exhilarating for the Kenai wrestlers. But they held their heads high and they did receive an Academic Award for the tournament!
We are heading to the church tonight to take part in the Junior High installment of Calvary Baptist's Nerf Night...which is exactly what it sounds like! I will most likely be making a bunker in one of the classrooms and hiding out with the girls to escape the foam dart warfare. :)
On Saturday, the youth of Calvary will be hosting a Valentine Banquet for couples and serving as wait staff and dishwashers. It may sound like drudgery, but last year we had a blast and we think it's a great opportunity for the youth to practice joyful servanthood! (And enjoy some good food ourselves!)
We are continuing on in our support raising...the clock is really ticking now and we are getting ready!
Something to encourage you: I posted this as a facebook status the other day but for those of you who didn't see it or don't have facebook, it is a great quote and an encouragement to keep hungering for and reading God's word, and the powerful way He will use it to work in us:

...Never grow weary of the slow, steady, growth that comes from the daily, disciplined, increasing, love affair with reading the Bible. Do not think you are getting no good from the Bible, merely because you do not see that good day by day. The greatest effects are by no means those which make the most noise, and are most easily observed. The greatest effects are often silent, quiet, and hard to detect at the time they are being produced.
-John Piper & J.C Ryle