"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...." Well, that is the song going
through my mind since it snows everyday!! We are having an absolutely
gorgeous Christmas, sledding, building snowmen, taking walks in the Winter
Wonderland-my very favorite time of the year!
Now that you know it is snowing here, I'll fill you in on the other events.
Most recently, we received an e-mail from Ty this morning expressing his
desire to come home for Christmas. You can well imagine the gamut of
emotions Gary and I have been dealing with today. Of course, we long to be
with our Son and to see him again. However, there are many things about Ty's
life right now that are heartbreaking to put it mildly. After talking it
over with each other and with the girls we have decided to fly him home from
Anchorage Tuesday. He will be with us through Thursday when we drop him off
in Anchorage. PLEASE keep our family in your prayers that Gary, Chelsie,
Cassie and I will be Jesus to Ty and that Ty's heart will be tender towards
us and towards God. Thank you with all our hearts!
Life has been flying by since the beginning of October. I can hardly believe
Christmas is just 4 more days away! Then New Years and we are off and
running in 2004! We are planning a Ladies trip in January to visit two of
our newest missionary wives. Our plan is to fly to Pt. Alsworth, pick up my
dear friend, Sharon, fly to Pedro Bay and spend a day and a half with
Mari-mother of 9, pastor's wife, part-time Post Office helper, part-time
Teacher's Aide, etc..... Lord willing, have a Ladies Tea while in Pedro Bay.
Then fly over to Iliamna to spend time with Wendy. Wendy and her family
have just returned to Iliamna after a year in the lower 48 raising support
and finishing up their training. They were planning to work side by side
with the older couple serving there but due to some health issues they left
for the lower 48 the day after Wendy and her family arrived. Whew! We are
anxious to see how they are doing.
Since Gary usually does these e-mail updates I'm going to take advantage of
having this opportunity and bring you up to speed with the Ladies Ministry.
We've been doing a Ladies Newsletter exclusively for the ladies we sever
since June 2003 and have been receiving
many positive comments. On the back of each month's newsletter we feature
one of the missionary wives serving in the Bush. This has enabled the ladies
to "get to know" each other better.
Now we are working on having each missionary wife fill out a questionnaire
and write out her testimony so we can get to know her better. My plan and
desire is to use the questionnaire for ideas so we can send the ladies a
little gift for their birthdays that is truly chosen just for them. We also
desire to know how to pray specifically for each lady and the ministry she
is involved in.
A few weeks ago Gary and I attended a Barnabas International Conference in
Waxhaw, N.C. I'll let Gary fill you in on the details of that week-it was
wonderful! While there, I received some literature about a magazine called
"Women of Harvest" that is written specifically for missionary wives. The
subscription is $24.00 a year. Over the next couple of months I will be
contacting as many people and churches as possible to raise money to buy a
subscription for each of the missionary wives we care for. If you would like
to know more about the magazine you can visit their website at
www.womenoftheharvest.com. I'd encourage you to check it out as it is truly
a wonderful resource. Also if you would be interested in buying a
subscription for one of the ladies please just send your money to Arctic
Barnabas Ministries with a note designating it for WHO subscription. Thank
you!!
With the new year Gary and I will be stepping back and spending some
concentrated time praying about our work with Arctic Barnabas Ministries, about
fine-tuning our responsibilities s the ministry expands.
The Lord has been using the book "A Purpose Driven Life" to cause both of us
to really think about who God desires us to be, what gifts He has given us
and just how does He desire to use us specifically. Please pray with us for
some clear direction for our ministry. Being effective is our goal. God has
brought both of us to this point with a purpose. There is much we feel
competent to do, and even enjoy doing. But is it what God would have us
spending our time and energy doing? There is no question about Arctic
Barnabas Ministries, just about what the details of our jobs should entail.
You are a very precious and valuable part of our ministry. Thank you for
your prayers, your love and even your financial support. We love you! We
pray your eyes will be open to see all the marvelous gifts our Father has
given to you today.
Joyfully Serving the KING,
Kris
Gary's addition:
It goes without saying how import a time of year this is to all of us. Without His birth, there would be no death. Without His death, there would be no atonement for the sins that separate us from God. It is our prayer that your Christmas will be filled with joy, and that you always be ready to give an answer for That Hope that is in you. Thankyou for your involvement in our ministry.
