Tyler is back in Alaska - Home for the Holidays! 12/16/04

Many of you are aware of our ongoing ministry to our Son, Tyler. Well, he is currently back in Alaska and staying in our home thru the holidays! Kris' family arranged to fly him back to Alaska as a surprise to us! Man, was it awesome to see him.

Here's some great information:

First, Tyler successfully completed is GED (General Equivalancy Diploma) while living in Indiana. So, his "drop out" from school here in Alaska has now been replaced by this excellent achievement. We are proud of him.

Second, he is planning on staying in our guest room here at home through the holidays. We really need your prayers! We are excited about having him around. Pray! He may stay in the area or he may move on, we do not know.

By the way, my next update will certainly have some family pics (um, pictures). None for now.

Frequent updates . . . hope you don't mind. But they are becoming more a regular expression of life - - and not simply our Ministry Updates. Why?

"Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3:17, NIV)

So, it's really ALL ministry, isn't it, if it is done to honor Jesus?

Cassie Followup & Dear Church Partners 12/14/04

First, and update on Cassie's Appt in Anchorage:

The EEG indicated no real change. The DOWN side to this is that we have no real explanation about frequent petit mal activity. The UP side is that, more and more, it is being confirmed that all seizure activity is coming from the same location in the brain. This is necessary if we ever need to rely on surgery to fix this problem (not her Cerebral Palsy, of course - but her seizure activity).

But brain surgery is only a last resort. So her medications have been changed and a grid work for future options has been set up. She will actually be doing away with one medication and changing the other. This gets her back to a baseline, rather than an "add this med to that approach" which we all really wantede. The medication she is switching to does not require the same slow transition the last one did, which is also a plus.

SO MANY of you have had Cassie in your prayers regularly, and we do so much appreciate it.

(Again, for some local folks who get these updates, please refrain from discussing this so openly with Cassie. We want to keep you all in the prayer loop, but we also want to give HER the option about dicussing it.)

In addition, Lighthouse Community Church allowed us to use one of their vehicles or the trip. Our van has headlight problems, door staying shut problems, oil leak problems, and various and asundry other problems! It was a good thing. We were doing 35-40 MPH on stretches of road with 65 MPH speed limits due to near white out and slippery roads. And our trip there and back again were in darkness (Sun up at 10:o8 am and sundown at 3:40 - with a full cloud cover!)

The First Baptist Church of Port Nikiski is a very dear church of supporters and encouragers for our family. I shared with you in our last update about the need for a dryer for our home. Well. the church got word of it at the same time one of their members had a set for sale and the Church paid for it! - - and they also threw in the washer after Kris mentioned that our was just about out, also (Leave it to a man - - I thought it worked fine . . . but the agitator had stopped agitating or something like that, and it did make an awful racket)

Here's a picture of Pastor Harold Lewis, pastor of FBC of Port Nikiski. He's out standing in the snowfall thinking "OK, get this picture out of the way so I can get inside!" Not really.

And this picture is of George, a member of the church who, along with his wife, Barb, was on hand to help us load up the appliances in our van. Oh yeah, The guy on the dumb end of the dolly helping George - That's me!

There or in the air!

Gary

An Update on Cassie & A Piece of Glass 12/10/04

First, A prayer reminder to you:

Kris and I will be taking our daughter, Cassie, to Anchorage on Monday to meet with her neurologist. Here is an update on her situation and, for those of you who are local, we would prefer that you NOT discuss this with Cassie, but with us if you have any questions.

1. Cassie has been in a "modified schedule" for school. All her teachers OK'd her doing her schoolwork/homework from home until after Christmas break - hoping that the seizures she has been having will be brought under control by then.

2. A good friend of ours, who is her band director, asked if she could pick her up and bring her home on the three days last week she would be in Jazz Band rehearsal. We agreed that it would be nice for her to be in school a few hours and it worked fine for two of the three days.

3. All medications she is now taking are in the proper level according to the blood work analysis recently done. So, what is at issue here is what must be done to control this new "stage" she seems to be going through. There are other, newer medications available. Cassie will have an EEG done also to determine to location of where this activity is occurring.

4. Any change in her medication will bring on an entire new set of challenges as she would most likely have to gradually discontinue one medication and gradually increase the other. For this to happen over Christmas break is providential, but it also may mean a few rough times over break.

Cassie and Kris and I are involved in a musical cantata at our church this evening, Saturday evening and again Sunday evening. Please pray with us that she will not have any problems this weekend, and pray also that we will be able to determine the right course of action. Also, pray that our van will get us there and back OK. It's got almost 165,000 miles on it - - and the drive to Anchorage is three hours through what is looking to be some nasty weather.

In one way everything has been put on hold during all of this. But God has orchestrated a few things to make it very evident to us that we are still in His Care. Our dryer went out about three weeks ago ( it was used when we got it) and we have been going to the Laundromat. A supporting church here on the Kenai Peninsula got word of it and. Later that same day, they were contacted by a church member who happened to have a washer and dryer that she needed to get rid of! She needed the money, the church member needed the cash, and the church family needed the blessing! WOW!

A couple of days ago, I shared the gospel with a lady who has a small crystal ball with her. I asked her what the ball was for, and she told me that she needed a room mate and that she was a member of a pagan religion that believed spirits inhabited objects like this - and they talked back and forth regularly. In short, it kept her company.

I guess I should have reacted a bit more wearily, but almost without thinking I said "You know, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and because he paid the penalty for my Sin by dying on the cross, I could now walk into God's presence any time I wanted and share my concerns with him. Now, what would you rather be doing, talking to the creator of the universe - - - - or talking to a piece of glass!?" I had no doubt that what she could have been experiencing was evil spirits. But at the same time, the comparison was just so ludicrous to me that I ended up saying "A piece of glass."

This set her back and, after a short pause, she responded, "Well, I'm a Catholic!"

Remember, YOU are the Salt of the Earth.

See ya!

Gary

Now We're BLOGGING! 12/8/04

Greetings!
We have taken our Harris Hotline Updates into the 21st century with BLOGGING! When we send out an e-mail update, it will also be posted to our BLOG here at www.harrishotline.blogspot.com. Currently, I have the past 2 years of posts online (Can you believe we have been sending these out for almost four years now?!)

The only difference will be that we will try to include pictures in the online posts as often as possible, while we will keep the e-mail versions text-only. I will try to always remember to post a link to the BLOG page in updates we send out. But maybe you should add the link above to your Favorites in case I forget.

See ya!
Gary

Kris' Trip to Elim & White Mountain 12/2/04

Kris recently returned from a ministry trip, and here is her report to you! (PLEASE read the following the post following this one regarding a prayer request for our daughter, Cassie.)

Dear Partners,
Whew! The week before Thanksgiving I was in White Mountain and Elim with my new friend, Karlene, Joel and Rob. Thank you so much for your prayers. I've been looking forward to writing this update just to let you know HOW God answered your prayers-above and beyond imagination!! Last week was, of course, Thanksgiving. And I have to confess to you that I always go WAY overboard on everything. Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday. I love having anyone and everyone who needs a place to go at my house, I love cooking the turkey and all the trimmings, making homemade bread, pies, cookies, fudge. . . You get the picture! I even made homemade eggnog this year! That was my favorite food item.

Anyhow, on to my report on my trip. . .
We flew into White Mountain on Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by an absolutely gorgeous sunset-that’s right the sun sets very early these days! We only had a few hours until our Ladies Tea so we made short work of unloading the plane and transporting our stuff to the Fryer's home. That had to be the coldest four wheeler ride I've ever been on! Karlene and I literally buried our heads in our coats and just held on for dear life as we "flew" down the winding road from the landing strip to the Fryer's home.

We were welcomed into their warm home and spent our first few minutes just sitting and visiting-very sweet fellowship. The Fryers haven't been in White Mountain much over a year and are still building relationships with the folks who live there. God has blessed their efforts and we could easily see how the folks in White Mountain have come to love and appreciate James and Damaris in the short time they have been there.

We had 15 ladies, young and old, attend the Ladies Tea. Many tiny babies joined us too. Including James and Damaris' baby Jacob. It never ceases to bless and amaze me how God uses the environment of a Ladies Tea to inspire sweet fellowship. Karlene and I were welcomed in their midst, they even sang a beautiful song for us in their native tongue-that was extra special!

God even allowed me the opportunity to have lunch with a lady from White Mountain I had met and became friends with two years ago while attending the SALTS Seminar in Cooper Landing. Shortly after lunch Karlene and I pulled Damaris aside to spend some time just praying with her. That is one of my favorite parts of these trips.

The weather started getting a little rough so we decided to head on over to Elim before too late in the afternoon. It only took us about half a hour to get to Elim and just in time before the snow started really flying! Once again we landed just a few hours before the time set for a Ladies Tea. A family from Elim, who happened to be out of town at the time allowed us to stay in their home while we were there. This turned out to be a real blessing though we would have preferred to stay with the Jarrett's-that enables more time to just sit and visit. Mary wasn't feeling too good when we arrived on Wednesday so we fixed our own dinner and got ready to head over to the church.

We had 18 ladies join us at the Elim Tea. We were even blessed to have 2 Elders in our midst. One, I was told, is the oldest person in the village. And she was a character! What a blessing to be with these dear ladies from Elim and to watch Mary interact with them. Karlene and I were once again blessed with a song in their native tongue as well as the Welcome song. I think everyone of us left that evening feeling blessed beyond words.

The sweetest time came on Thursday shortly before leaving when we were able to join Mary in her home for a few minutes. Mary really opened up and shared her heart with us and we were able to pray with her for a few minutes. As we hugged on our way out of her home she looked at me and said, 'You folks really do live up to your name, Barnabas".

Thank you for your prayers!

As always, our hearts are overflowing as we think of you and your partnership with us. May God's blessings just overwhelm you like He has overwhelmed us!

Joyfully Serving,
Kris

Gary Harris

IMMEDIATE Prayer Request 12/2/04

Let me bear my heart with you on something very precious to me. Please pray with Gary and I for our daughter Cassie. She has been having several petty mal seizures during the day and is fearful of having a grand mal seizure while at school or a way from Gary and me. My heart just aches to be able to find an answer for her or a way to stop the seizures from happening. We would appreciate your fervent prayers with us for wisdom and direction, even healing should the Lord see fit.

I would also like to ask those of you who live near us, please don't bring this up to Cassie. Though we love and appreciate you and your deep love and concern for us, it often times makes Cassie feel uncomfortable when folks ask her about her seizures or health-I, on the other hand, would be happy to share with you whatever information we have and welcome your insights and comments.

Kris

Upcoming Womans Ministry trip 11/15/04

Please Pray For Kris as she leads a womans ministry trip to two villages in the Norton Sound area of the State, White Mountain and Elim. This will be the first time Kris has been to either of these villages, although she knows the families serving there from time on the phone and meeting them at our last Ministry Family Retreat in October.

As always, times just prior to these trips are filled with many "distractions" and I don’t know how theologically correct this might be, but it always seems like we are "targeted" for some sort of potential family conflict or problem making it difficult to go.

In my support role, it is hard to see Kris go out and think of how difficult it is for me to get out as much as we continue in this transition stage. But on the other hand, I am gratified as she travels because it's a very visible indication of our efforts.

Please pray also for my time with my two daughters, Chelsie and Cassie, while Kris is out. I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks for your continued support of us in our ministry.

There or in the air!

Gary

TRANSITION Con't 10/6/04

Please pray for Kris, and our daughter, Cassie, who have left today to travel to the village of Port Alsworth to help with ABM's forth annual Ministry Family Retreat.

This event is the "flagship event" so to speak of ABM's ministry, bringing people in from all over remote areas of the state and parts of Canada (fly in , non "road system" villages). Last year there was almost 190 people there. Kris and Cassie will send out a full report after they get back.

Unfortunately, I was UNABLE TO ATTEND this year due my own family's financial situation. As I have shared previously, I have needed to find some work on the side to help supplement our support received. It's really frustrating to me not to be able to attend this event. But at the same time, I am happy that my tent making role is allowing our ministry to go forth and Kris and Cassie get to attend. Kris will be involved with the ladies and Cassie will be working with the kids and Child Evangelism Fellowship. Please pray. It's a very unique thing that happens at this retreat - - folks who don’t often get to see a BIG PICTURE of what is happening in the state find themselves fellowshipping, praying - - laughing and crying with others in similar situations. "IRON SHARPENING IRON" and of sharing spiritual gifts to make each other strong . . . It's simply amazing.

I will be traveling out onto an Oil Platform in the Cook Inlet today, doing some work for a Christian friend who has a service contract with one of the Oil companies here in Alaska. It will be technical in nature, working with remote close circuit video systems and computer equipment. This friend has a real heart for our ministry and is trying to see if I can do some work for him on and off in a way that would supplement our ministry income and still give me great latitude and flexibility in terms of when I can and can’t work. It wouldn't be full time. But a few days a week at a real good wage would allow me to continue to focus more on ministry with ABM. All of this is in the "let's see how it might work out" stage right now.

I have also been doing some driving for the public transportation service here on the Kenai Peninsula (CARTS). On days when I say I am available for work, I receive a manifest to pick up passengers and take them back and forth. It's sort of a cross between a cab service and a chauffer service. I drive a Subaru outback and meet all sorts of folks, including many natives. It's interesting - - here on the Kenai Peninsula there is a rather large native population, but you just do not see them around that much. What I love about this job is that I drive all over the area to some pretty out of the way places, and I have incredible opportunities to share my faith and make a difference in someone's life. This is no exaggeration, I probably have shared the Gospel message a dozen times in the past 5 weeks of driving. People know that we are under a confidentiality agreement with the service, or it least it seems like they know this. Because they treat me (a make shift "Cabbie" I guess) as a cross between a psychiatrist and a pastor!

So, as you can see, we are pressing on in our ministry the best we can given the circumstances. I even got to travel a few weeks ago, down to Kodiak, to spend time with a brother who needed some company, and there are some exciting possibilities on the horizon. We need your prayers now more than ever. After being an intragal part of the ABM team for such a long time ( Kris and I have been called co-founders by Joel, who started the ministry six months before we came along) it's hard for me to be somewhat on the sidelines looking in. But, as Rick Warren points out so well in his book "Purpose Given Life" we so often , God uses circumstances in our life to build that Christ likeness in us.

Specifically:
1. Ministry Family Retreat will go well. People will get in and out safely (a lot of flying) and God will use the week to refresh and encourage.

2. My income opportunities that can supplement out ABM income. (Computer work, CARTS driving, Platform work)
3. Decisions regarding future ministry opportunities and our financial support
4. Cassie has a Shriners Appointment in Anchorage on Saturday. The retreat ends on Friday. Pray for good weather to get them home and up to Anchorage on the weekend.

5. Opportunities I have to share Christ
6. Our oldest daughter Chelsie - School and work and priorities. I'm proud of her. She needs a reliable vehicle of her own. Pray

7. Our son, Tyler, still in Indiana, working and trying to save up money for a vehicle he can use to continue his wonderings

8. Kris and I both - still burning the Candle at both ends. We need to take time out for each other.

THERE or in the air!

Gary Harris

Transition Update 9/9/04

We hope you had a great Labor Day weekend. We sure did. To be honest, we didn’t really do much of anything other than hang around the house (Oh yeah, we re-arranged the basement!)

ABM has moved into a new office, located in the same building where we hangar our plane, and only a stone's throw from where we are planning to build our own facility. It also has much more than the 300 SQ FT of our old office!

Although the old address will still work for a year (and we may use up some old return envelopes with that in mind) please take note of our new address.

Arctic Barnabas Ministries
135 Granite Point Court
Kenai, Alaska 99611

Thanks to a couple of partners with ABM, who have designating gifts to cover the increase in rent, we are able to make this move without any significant impact on the budget! Praise the Lord for his faithfulness.

We are gearing up for our annual Ministry Family Retreat, held annually at Tanalian Bible Camp in Port Alsworth. This will be the fourth year we have done this event, and it really has become one of the main efforts of our ministry. MFR is held for bush ministry families, and it takes place in the bush. We do whatever we can to get families in from all over the state. You can imagine the logistics and costs involved. But the payoff is enormous. Nothing like a bush missionary, struggling with ministry in his village, rubbing shoulders with someone serving in similar circumstances. Or better yet, someone who has been through a rough time and has now come out the other side!

The ladies will be spending time together and we also have a program for the kids.

It's fully how people from the road system sometimes here about this retreat and ask us if they can attend. But our focus is on bush families, and we want to KEEP the focus there, even as awareness of this event spreads among the evangelical community.

Please pray for us in the final weeks leading up to this event, October 5 - 8. We had 180+ in attendance last year!

I am now doing some driving for a local public transportation service some on the side, as well as trying to keep a computer project or two going every week. The more computer work I can do in my home, the more flexibility I have regarding ministry (But isn’t it ALL Ministry, really??).

Our youngest daughter, Cassie, recently had another grand mal seizure. She has had other episodes, but it has been over a year since her last full blown seizure.

Please keep us in your prayers. To be honest, we are really getting a bit worn out! But we believe that God is still very much a part of all this, and we are confident that He wants the best for us. The trick is for us to stay receptive and be ready for whatever comes our way.

Thank you

Scoopin' Up The Manna - - One Day at a Time!

(NOTE: I had one dear friend ask me the above line was a good thing or a bad thing. His concern was that some could read it and think I was referring to it as a arduous task. In light of that, let me offer this clarification: SCOOPIN' = short for scooping. We don’t just pick it up. We scoop it up because there is so much that God gives us daily to keep us going. ONE DAY AT A TIME = when the Israelites tried to store up manna for the next day, it rotted. They were quite literally being sustained from day to day. Well, that's where we want to be.).

See ya!

Gary Harris

Keeping in Close Contact 8/19/04

I hope you don’t mind the frequency of our e-mail updates as of late. I really want to keep in touch as we make it through these transitional times.

Arctic Barnabas Ministries is moving! We have been given the opportunity to move into the same building where our plane is hangered. Our old office served us well for three years, but we have outgrown it in a big way. And the new location is within eyesight of the location where we plan to build our Ministry center building next year. (Correspondence and monies can continue to the 805 Address - We have a year forwarding on the old address and I'm sure there is old envelopes and stuff to use up, so the change may not show up immediately)

Kris and I both have been involved some in the move, but Kris far more than me. I am still focused right now on securing work. So I really have to say "No." when my heart says "Yes." That's no fun at all! But to get frustrated and flustered would be to deny that God has been involved in this process.

I really beat the bushes last week, but the good paying jobs just don't come around that often here. Added to the challenge at hand has been family sickness. Cassie got it first, then Kris and I. And now, Chelsie, Kris and I all have it! Some sort of a throat bug. Kris has lost her voice and I'm waiting to see if mine is going to go out. We were both out of the loop a few days this week.

I have been able to do a few more computer jobs since my last e-mail. Once again, we are simply living out each day as it comes, marveling in God's provision.

There are a few things "in the pipe" and they all are exciting, but we are really on our knees more as we seek to stay true to our call to bush ministry. If you would like more details on what is happening, please give me a call on my cell, or at home in the evening. Just keep in mind that its four hours EARLIER here than on the East coast - and as excited as we are about seeing what God has in store, I might not sound to excited if you call me at 5 am!

Keep praying. Keep giving. Keep living for Jesus!

Gary Harris

One Day at a Time & Cassie's Report 8/13/04

First, we appreciate those of you who took the time to e-mail me after my last update, where I detailed to you some changes we were needing to make in our ministry. Your continued support and encouragement is a real blessing. Although firmly committed to our call to ministry in rural Alaska, this "closed door" so to speak, has given us some time to reflect.

Kris has taken on the role as Director of Women's ministries with a new vigor. But she is also working part time at Alaska Christian college. This will only be until I find steady work.

Cassie came back from 5 weeks in the village of Port Alsworth, where she worked at Tanalian Bible Camp in the kitchen, and also on various work crews. TBC partners with ABM every fall for our Ministry Family Retreat which is held at their camp. Kris and I love the folks there and do whatever we can to support their ministry bringing Christ to villages in the Bristol Bay area of the state. More on Tanalian bible camp can be found at www.tanalianbiblecamp.org.

Anyway, Cassie wrote up a little summary of her time in Port Alsworth. I have included it below. Thanks for upholding her in prayer.

Scoopin' up the manna - - - - one day at a time!

Gary & Kris

Going to Port Alsworth this summer to work at the Bible camp there turned out to be more than I expected. I knew that I was going to work hard, have fun, and in my mind that was it…. WRONG!

For those of you that haven’t been to Port Alsworth, the only way that I could describe it is a little bit of heaven, the only thing that didn’t make it heaven was the mosquitoes and the white socks! Anyway, you wake up to Tanalian Mountain every morning, and you just realize God’s faithfulness and love. I experienced his forgiveness at times where it was just I, and the scenery.

I worked on clean up crew for 2 weeks, and that was a lesson on patience and perseverance. At times I felt like going up to James Walsh, and telling him that it was no use cleaning those bathrooms ‘cause 5 hours later it didn’t even look like I touched a broom to it! Those of you that have been on some kind of crew like that know what I mean. It was a great experience when God softened my heart to realize I was there serving him, so to make the best out of it. When you have friends along side you cleaning the kitchen etc, its not really that bad either. Especially when you have water fights. (All at the expense of 1 crazy 15-year-old guy and his uncle of course! In other words my roommate, Sarah, and I WON!)

The last 3 weeks I was there I worked as a cook. If any of you wish you could have been on Candid Camera, should have been a mouse in my pocket while I was there. I learned how to bake, cook, and to laugh at myself, I never would of thought that that last lesson would go hand in hand with cooking, but now I know better. When you spill 5 gallons of lemonade, have a war with powder sugar when its in a mixer, give yourself 3 2^nd degree burns, and cut yourself numerous of times, yes, you learn to laugh at yourself! The first time those things happened to me, I felt like bawling, but along with great “co-workers” in the kitchen, I learned to laugh, and laugh hard!!

On a more spiritual note, God worked on me, big time! The very first day I was there, God was teaching me things that he wanted me to learn, and it wasn’t all that easy at times. I was there while the camp had high schoolers and people just entering college, so I sat in on some of the chapels when I wasn’t cooking. That was a great experience. I learned a lot by just sitting in, and taking in the word of God. The people in the community helped a lot too. The directors there James and Sharon Walsh were kind of like my 2^nd pair of parents. The helped me through a lot, and helped me make a lot of decisions that I couldn’t make on my own. That’s not to say I didn’t have MY parents, I did, but it was good to have a family right where I was.

If I sat here and told you about everyone that impacted my life, I’d be sitting here forever. I wish I could, but I can’t. I had so much fun just being around these people that it was hard coming home. Although most of them, when asked would just say “we talked, hung out and had fun,” we did that, but this summer was just a great experience.

Transitional Times! 8/9/04

Kris and I are writing to tell you that we really need you to focus on us in your prayers over these next few weeks.

As many of you know, we were hoping to get our support levels up to an amount specified by the board of ABM by August 1st, or need to consider going to "part time status" with ABM. If that happened, I would then seek other work, and we would concentrate on Kris' role as Director of Women's ministry. I would fall back into more of a support role for her.

So we spent the past three months focusing on support raising, culminating with a trip outside in july. That trip went very well and we received several invitations to travel and share our ministry.

But we didn’t make it to the 60% level by the date specified and are still about $380 per month short of that goal.

So, for the next few weeks, the key word is TRANSITION.

I have fallen back on my computer background some in the past and possibly can continue to do so for the next several weeks. Although this would seem to be an ideal way to go, we are still looking at it as transitional, and the economics of our situation may require me to take whatever I can get in the way of employment.

We see the fact that we did not make it to the level required as an indication that we need to seek God in a number of ways. Rest assured, however, that we are still fully committed to our ministy to those in the Alaskan bush and view this simply as something along the way in that process.

Specific prayers:

1. We lack wisdom. We find answers in the Word, in counsel, and sometimes in that "still, quiet voice." Pray for discenment as wee re=evaluate and adapt.

2. Pray that I can generate some billable time doing computer work (networking, hardware, software, tech support, business applications, etc . . .)

3. Pray that, If I do need to pursue other employment, we will be patient to wait on the Lord, but not sitting around on our hands either. I may need to hit the streets!

4. Pray for the staff at ABM as we all deal with this change.

5. Pray for Kris as she looks at the possibility of ministry where I am not involved, at least temporarily. We celebrated 23 years together yesterday, and our greatest strength in ministry is our marriage. Not being together in ministry will be difficult.

Regarding my billing out computer work, this would not be run thru ABM at all but I would do this under a separate business license that I have. If you and may be able to use my services in this way, please let me know. (local to us, yes . . . But even with remote assistance)

I would be happy to discuss our situation with any of you. This is not an appeal for additional money. We believe we are still remaining true to the call God has placed on us in ministry - - and we just want you to continue in your partnership.

Thanks!

Gary Harris

Our Travel Itinerary 7/13/04

A few of you have asked us about our Itinerary during our brief trip to the lower 48.. Happy to oblige. Thanks for praying!

July 16 - Depart Anchorage AK 1:30 AM
Arrive Atlanta 4:06 PM
Travel south to Ocilla Ga to spend time with my mom.
July 17 - travel with Mom to Orlando Florida
July 18 - Share at a church in Central Florida
July 19 - back to South Georgia. Sharing at a breakfast meeting
July 20 -23 - time with family and partners in Ocilla Georgia
July 23 - Travel to Kingsport TN for Grace Brethren Conference (Meetings all week)
July 30 - Travel back to Atlanta
July 30 - Depart Atlanta 5 30 pm
July 31 - Arrive Atlanta 12:11 AM

Not long enough, huh? Well, we take it one bite at a time!

By the way, July 31 marks the end of a three month focus on fund raising, albeit most of it here in Alaska this time around. We have been with ABM for 3 1/2 years now, discovering our financial and prayer partners along the way. We are still only at 55% of what we are expected to raise in support. We will need to make some important decisions come August. The Lord has called us into this ministry in bush Alaska, so we are not worried about that! But we will need to make some change in the "how" I guess.

Once again, I ask you to consider the part you pray/play in our ministry. I know I am preaching to the choir, so to speak. But we need additional funds if we are going to keep going. The board would like us to get to 60% by August 1st, so we can at least be at full salary, without any benefits. That 60% will also include $6000 a year for additional fund raising! It costs a lot to travel!

There Or In The Air!

Gary Harris

Cassie in Port Alsworth 7/7/04

Kris and I would appreciate your prayers for our daughter Cassie, as she ministers on staff at Tanalian Bible Camp in Port Alsworth, Alaska, Alaska for the next 4 weeks. As you know, Cassie is our "missionary boomerang" that we send out in the summer and she comes back before school starts in the fall. We need to uphold her in prayer as she works very closely with kids from the Bristol Bay area.

We have once again had to do some revamping of our e-mail list. Maybe you were getting our updates and stopped and are now getting them again? Sorry about that.

Kris and I will be traveling to Georgia, Florida and Tennessee the last two weeks of July. On that last week, we will be attending a conference of our our church fellowship, the Fellowship of Grace brethren churches (www.fgbc.org). A letter went out a few weeks back from two GBC Churches here in Alaska, introducing us and ABM to the rest of the churches. We will be at the conference to begin a more concerted effort on our part to raise up partnership for us and our ministry form Outside Alaska. We really like the local support, but the costs for our ministry are great and we need to branch out more. Pray for this effort.

I went on an overnight hike with my pastor and his brother-in-law a couple of weeks back. We hiked 26 miles from Girdwood to Eagle River on a trail called Crow Pass, part of the Historic Iditarod Trail. Glaciers, a snow slide we needed to cross, a river crossing in fast, cold water, and beautiful surrounding.

At one point I got ahead of the other two. I decided to wait for them to catch up, and they never came. So, I dropped my pack and doubled back, wondering what was going on. I traveled all the way back to the last place I could actually recall them being behind me, and nothing. So I went back to my pack.

On the way, I noticed (for the first time) that the trail had been diverted, and I had gone off on the OLD trail. They had come to that same point and went on the NEW trail. By now we had been separated about an hour or so. I pictured them hurrying to catch up to me, while I was actually behind them doing the same. I eventually caught up to them (ever "trot" with a 35 lb pack on your back, for 30 minutes?). I was pretty wiped out.

We laughed about it and them moved on.

Later, ALL THREE of us did the same thing. We missed a marker on the trail - dead tree branches placed over a trail to signify, "No. Don’t go this way." We ended up in some flooded area and decided to double back, and noticed our mistake.

So remember, don’t do it alone. And also remember, sometimes even your friends may fail you. But Christ will never fail you, and his Love for you is unchanging.

God bless you

Gary Harris

Run Into God's Arms 6/16/04

Most of you are aware of the ongoing situation with our Son Tyler. You may
know that he left home last year and was living on the streets of Anchorage
all winter and recently moved to New Mexico.

A little over a week ago we got a call from him. He had left New Mexico and
was hitch hiking back and forth across the US. At the time, he was somewhere
near Springfield, Illinois.

Kris articulated it so well in one of our may prayers together for our
family "God we know he is running from you. But I pray he will run straight
into Your Arms!" Well, that's exactly what has happened - sort of.

The other day he called and told us that he was in Decatur, Illinois and
asked me "Which of Mom's family lives in Decatur?"

As it turns out, Kris' grand parents live in Decatur. They picked him up and
he spent the night with them and then also visited other family in the
Illinois area. We could think of no better place to run TO while he was
running FROM - - than straight into the arms of God in the form of two
loving Christian great-grand parents!

Please pray for a very important mailing that was sent out on our behalf
just today. Kris and I are members of Peninsula Grace Brethren Church, in
Soldotna, Alaska. There are several Grace Brethren Churches in Alaska and
about 260 nationwide. Well, several of the GBC Churches here in Alaska put
together a letter and sent it out to all 260 Churches, introducing Kris and
I and another GBC Family raising support to join us in the ministry. We will
be attending the Annual Conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren
Churches in July, and we hope to make initial contact with more Grace
Brethren churches Outside of Alaska. This will be our second real "push"
towards raising partners with us in Ministry from outside Alaska. We
believe that God has placed us here, as Alaskan residents before ABM ever
was in existence, in order to raise the awareness among road system churches
of what is needed in the remote areas in which we serve.

But we must also turn to churches and individuals outside Alaska. Please
pray that this mailing finds its intended audience. Also pray for a first
step in contacting some of these churches via this conference. Also, we
have purchased our Airline Tickets and have a hotel reserved, but we still
lack the funds we need to pay for the hotel room and car rental (The
Conferences is in Tennessee in mid July). Pray that God will provide the
funds, over and above our support funds, to help us make this trip. I have
been able to do some computer work on the side for some of it, and we are
confident that God will supply the balance needed.

We have had several missionaries in our home over the past several weeks and
have enjoyed this other side to our ministry with ABM - acting as hosts for
those who are traveling in from the bush, or back out. When you stop in
think about it, their time on the "road system" is a very busy time. So,
staying in our home or even just stopping by for dinner or a meal in town -
- as a very precious gift to us that we value highly.

Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf. I will be preaching at
a local church on the Kenai Peninsula this next Sunday, and Kris and I will
be sharing about our ministry several times in the coming weeks. That is
always fun - - it's neat to see others share in our burden - - and challenge
them (and us) towards ministry.

There or in the air!
Gary & Kris Harris

Cassie is on Her Way 6/14/04

On Monday, our 13 yr old daughter, Cassie, will be traveling to the village of Naknek to begin a 5 week missions trip where she will be assisting the staff of KAKN radio. KAKN is the Christian radio voice for the Bristol Bay region of Alaska. Cassie will be living with the staff of KAKN and will be involved in the day to day operation.

What's really exciting about this for Kris and I is that this was a self-generated plan by our daughter. It's cool to go on a Missions Trip . . . it's even cooler when it was your own idea!
Cassie has a real gift of ministry and has fallen in love with the people we serve in our ministry, and is known by many of them as a partner with us in the ministry. She has just completed her second season of ministry with Child Evangelism Fellowship and has gone thru their Christian Youth IN Action training camps for two years now. Pray that she will have plenty of opportunity to sharpen her skills. Please pray also for her safety. ABM will be flying her to Naknek on Monday.

Oh yes . . . . in my last update I referred to Mrs Kalabash and Vivaldi, and got a few questioning responses. Well, Mrs Kalabash is the person Jimmy Durante said good night to at the end of his shows and Vivaldi was a classical music composer. When I get to heaven, I want to learn to play the Violin so I can play some of his music!

Short and sweet.

Thanks for praying!
Gary

Time to Shift Gears 5/29/04

Kris and I ask you to pray for us this next two weeks. Our daughter, Cassie
will be attending Christian Youth In Action camp (CYIA) put on by Alaska
Child Evangelism Fellowship. This is Cassie's third year. Kris and I have
agreed to help out on staff this year for the camp. It begins this next
Tuesday and runs for two weeks.

Many of you have heard us talk about CEF. Many of Cassie's travels into the
bush regions of western Alaska have been with CEF. In the past, "road system
kids" would travel into the bush with CEF, putting on 5 day clubs. But,
over the last few years, there have been more and more kids from the bush
that have gone through the training, which means more of kids from a group
of villages traveling to another village to minister. This is way cool!
This CYIA camp will have over 100 in attendance, with 2/3 of the people from
rural Alaska villages.

In many villages, family structure is somewhat lacking, and any missionary
or pastor in a small village is first hit with the huge responsibility of
caring for the kids who seem to have nowhere to go. Child Evangelism
Fellowship comes along side and assists wherever possible.

We will be hosting a missionary friend in our home later in June, along with
a couple that he is bringing up from the lower 48 to look at joining another
couple in village ministry. We will also be housing some kids for a few days
before and during the middle weekend of CYIA

Chelsie will be traveling to Indiana to visit friends and family a few weeks
in june, and Cassie will be back in the village of Naknek during the month
of July, working at the Christian radio station that serves the Bristol Bay
area. Then Kris and I will be off to visit family and supporters in Georgia
and attending a Grace Brethren conference in July. During this time, ABM
will be involved in several camps in different areas of the State, as well
as helping in a building project in Bethel. In one sense, ministry slows
down for us because we are not doing as much of the emotion-laden trips like
we do in the winter months, and are enjoying the summer like everyone else.
We would be just as active in the summer if we could, but it costs a lot to
do what we do, and we tend to "shoot our wad" in the winter months, when
people really get hit bad with depression and spiritual battles.

Thanks for your prayers on our behalf as we seek to raise additional funds
to support our ministry. God is so faithful. We covet your prayers. For
those of you who give to ABM financially as financial partners with us in
ministry, we sure do appreciate that as well.

THERE or in the air!

Gary & Kris Harris

Village, Fund Raising and Tech 5/5/04

Our current focus in ministry is slowly changing a bit from Village/Admin
to Village/Fund Raising/Tech.

----------VILLAGE----------

Kris and I will always remain dedicated to our calling of encouraging and
equipping our brothers and sisters in villages of western Alaska. I know I
have said this before, but my heart aches with some of the things we know
and must keep in confidence. Not to violate this trust but to give you a
glimpse:

- SUICIDES - This winter was not without these in several villages. A
friend once told me "I was asking a young boy what he wanted to be when he
grew up. He listed off several job possibilities and then added 'committing
suicide'". My heart sinks to think of a level of hopelessness where suicide
is mentioned as some sort of "career choice."

- DIS-HARMONY - There is one place in particular where believers of
different organizational backgrounds don't seem to want to communicate with
each other. I'm not talking about some sort of ecumenism here, but about
those who hold similar beliefs but refuse to work in harmony because of
century-old differences.

- PERSECUTION - In a few villages a "Stick Dance" is practiced. To some it's
a way of honoring the dead. To others it involves a spiritual connection to
dead ancestors. And to still others (outsiders looking in) it is often made
into something even the locals might say "Where did they ever get that
from?" So, a person comes to Christ and gives up a common practice because
they believe it to be un-Scriptural. The result? One dear friend told me
of being shunned when he and his wife took a stand for Christ and said "No"
to a particular practice. Friends and family would have nothing to do with
him or his wife for many months. In a small village, that can be almost
everybody!

- ISOLATION - I don't mean isolation in terms of being in a remote place per
se, but being isolated from similar leaders in Christ. Kris had it put to
her this way once by a missionary wife. "There's no one of like mind
spiritually for me to turn to." They are always giving, giving, giving, and
have so few chances to recharge.

----------FUND RAISING----------

Kris and I need to focus on the numbers and raise additional financial
partnership. You know what I always thing of when this topic pops up? I
think of one of our first financial partners . . . the only person who has
ever stopped giving to ABM on our behalf. He sent a check to our home
mailbox, once a week, for $5.00. We knew this man's situation, and this was
the closest thing that I have ever experienced to being on the receiving end
of "a widow's mite." The Lord took this dear saint home a year ago. But not
before he used him to show me the real meaning of giving. His example comes
back to me over and over again.

We have had several speaking engagements here in Alaska recently, and have
several more over in the coming weeks. We will be traveling to the Lower 48
in late July, to a Grace Brethren Conference in Tennessee. Our sending
chruch in Soldotna, Alaska, is a Grace Brethren church, and I was saved in a
small Grace Brethren church in Orlando, Florida almost 30 years ago. Kris
and I spent the first 17 years of our marriage (minus a one year internship
back in Florida) involved in Community Grace Brethren Church of Warsaw,
Indiana. We want to connect with churches who might take interest in
partnering with us and ministry here in Alaska

(Mom - I got your e-mail. We wouldn't think of coming to Tennessee without
visiting you, family and your dear church. I'll call you in the next few
days).

We would like to get out more often or sooner, but we aren't sure how we
will swing this one as it is. Ooops! Sorry, didn't sound very
Missionary-ish did I . If you would like to help us with these
expenses, over and above any regular funds you already give on our behalf,
we would really appreciate it. Just mark any such gift as HARRIS PARTHERSIP
DISCOVERY. Also, Kris and/or I would gladly hop on a plane to just bout
anywhere where our way was paid. Summer slows down for us here in the sense
that EVERYBODY is very busy. We at ABM get involved, but not like in the
witer months, when there seems to be a much grater sense of urgency and when
no one else wants to go. We would love to share at a Missions Conference or
something like that. But, at 54% of our required fund raising level, we are
somewhat "tight" right now.

----------TECH ----------

You have heard me talk about how my computer savvy is used to get me on the
fast track of building relationships, right? I mean, who would you call if
you wanted to connect? A pastor, or a pastor who also knows how to fix your
printer? Seriously, I'm somewhat chagrinned now how I once thought I was
putting aside my skills to "go into the ministry." When we take our skills
and apply them to the Body of Christ and building His church, that IS
ministry.

I have been bouncing back and forth between ABM and several other ministry
organizations with whom we work closely, helping with organization and
alleviating computer woes. What is great about this is that it keeps me
"sharp." NOTE: Tese next few lines may be a bit too GEEK-ish for some of
you. If so, hust skip to the next paragraph. But to the other one or two of
you, I really need a licensed copy of Windows 2003 server and a 5 user
client license for my network at home. It's my 'test lab" for what I come
across in the bush. (Wait until my kids really find out what headaches
computers can be. Once they leave home, there won't be a tech support guy in
the family!) I have Windows 2000 Server and peer to peer networks now,, but
I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to the latest and greatest. I need
to stay current as much as possible. So, if this really strikes a chord
with you, let me know.

----------LAWN CARE-----------

What? That wasn't on the list! Well, last winter the snow started falling
in earnest while I was out in the bush, and by the time I got home, all the
leaves of fall (many, many leaves) were then being compressed and fossilized
under the snow. The last of it melted away last week: The snow that is, not
the leaves. I took a few days raking leaves and "piddling" in the yard. I
even fell asleep once on a military-style hammock that I strung up in the
back yard, listening to SONICFLOOd on my MP3 player.

Our home was a true gift from the Lord (a whole 'nother story) and I really
enjoyed being a steward of that gift in this way a few days over the last
two weeks.

When I get to Heaven, I want to find Bill (the $5 a week guy) and thank him
for his partnership. What about you? Are you using your resources and
talents, whatever they may be, for the building up of the Church? It's
amazing what will happen if you don't bury them like those leaves were
buried, but dig them up and toss them "to the wind of the Spirit's enabling
power. God will then do great things.

Scoopin' Up the Manna,

Gary & Kris

The Harris Hotline 4/22/04

Just a short note to let you know that Kris and I will be sharing with the
Missions Commission from a local Church here in Alaska this evening. You
already know of our re-focusing on fund raising, so I thought it appropriate
to pass these sort of items on as prayer requests to each of you.

Kris' mom is visiting from Indiana for the next week. What a blessing!
Right now, I'm listening them laugh and carry on in the background while I
try to keep busy .

By the way, this is the first e-mail being sent out on our NEW mailing list.
Thanks to those of you who helped us test things out.

We hope you are all doing well and we look forward to seeing you . . . .

THERE or in the air!

Gary & Kris

The Body of Christ 4/2/04

Dear Praying Friends,

Kris, Cassie and I had the opportunity to stay with the Pastor of Pedro Bay's family this last weekend, so ABM could take him and his dear wife to Anchorage to attend the Family Life Marriage Conference. Family Life Ministries has made the Registration Fee FREE for those who serve in Bush Alaska, thanks to some networking done by Vince and Marylil, two of our Associate Family Staff. The transportation, alone, IN to Anchorage costs $500 - $600! It was cool to provide a "full package" deal for this family.

ABM staff (the Harris clan) flew out to stay with their kids while they got away for some much needed time together. And ABM took care of the transportation side of things as well! What a blessing.

This family has 7 kids! So Kris and I being there while they were gone allowed them to "go to a whole different level" while away.

Kris carried the lion share of the work. But the kids themselves did an incredible job of caring for themselves, and helping Kris tackle the challenge of cooking for a family of 9, in a kitchen she was unfamiliar with, in a village with no store to run down to when she needed something.

I don’t know if they thought they would be eating just a bit slim while Mom was gone, or what, but they were impressed with how smoothly everything went. I'm so fortunate to have Kris!

Me? What did I do? Well, I had a 10 year old boy named Tim who just loved all my corny jokes. I just had fun! I also was able to preach the message in the small church there in Pedro Bay. This was a real blessing for me. I had been to Pedro Bay a few times before, but had never really been exposed to the full Body of Christ before. Now I believe I have a much better feel for what I call "the spiritual heartbeat" of the village.

I preached on Hebrews 10:10 and following. Emphasizing the awesome privilege we as believers have in that we can step into the presence of God any time because of Christ's work on the Cross. Then I tied in verse 24, "Think of ways to encourage one another, with outbursts of love and good deeds." (NLT) Back to ABM's theme verse in Romans 1:11-12. There, Paul wanted to come to Rome to give them a spiritual gift . . . . . But then says "that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. "

I have come to my own little realization about gifts and encouragement in the body of Christ. God has been hammering this in to me as Christian friends have helped us in some really incredible way. Let me give you a for-instance.

We put out a quarterly written newsletter (sometimes I tease that it’s a quarterly newsletter that goes out three times a year!"). Well, we had some friends in Wisconsin who have a printing business help us set it up so that we e-mail our newsletter down to him as an Adobe PDF, along with the labels in Word format, and he prints, labels and mails the newsletters, along with the help of other dear friends from WI. WOW! We have been struggling with printing our own newsletters on our inkjet that always seem to have problems (Not to mention how long it took).

Not to minimize his offer to help at all . . . But he's a printer. He owns his own printing business. Our job is one of many jobs he does every day, probably one of the smallest. To him, it's just a matter of adding our print job to his stack. No big deal. But to us? This is the biggest thing since sliced bread! We just can't believe it! How cool! What an incredible offer!

My point is this: Part of encouraging, part of the Body of Christ - - is me and you taking things that we are good at, so good at that they are part of our "routine", and using that to impact someone else's life. When I take something I am good at and focus it on others, it becomes an incredible blessing to them! When Mike said he would start printing our newsletters, it became an incredible blessing to us!

You know, Kris and I have been plugging along at ABM for over three years now. I am amazed at how "everything seems to fit" as far as ministry and our abilities. Everything Kris and I have been through before has been preparation for this. But we have been struggling with finances. We sold our store at a loss three years ago and are still paying off some debt there. Kris works part time at Alaska Christian College. I pick up jobs here and there. But the bottom line is this. We need to be fully funded in our ministry to be fully effective. Kris needs to focus on family and women's ministry of ABM, and just can’t go on working, even part time, otherwise.

Here's an interesting fact. If everyone who gets our e-mail updates would commit to partnering with us financially just $20 a month, we would be FULLY FUNDED. Yes, salary, health, retirement, ministry expenses, everything. I'm not trying to "count beans" and see who does and who doesn’t help us financially. I know that some who get our e-mail updates already do partner with us financially. But my point is simply that each of you have a unique opportunity to provide something very simple for us, that would make a world of difference for us in our ministry. For those of you who have been with us since we first started in February of 2001, we know that you know our hearts and our desire to be more effective in our ministry. And I trust that those of you who have come along side us in prayer more recently also are committed to us in prayer and assistance.

In a few years, our kids will all have "flown the coop" and we will be able to travel out more extensively, for longer durations of time, and do it TOGETHER! Right now, we have two wonderful daughters still at home. That's OK. It adds a whole different dynamic to what we do, especially when they can travel into the bush themselves. But I am seeing the need to focus more on Kris' role as a mother and as a mentor and friend. And it's just getting harder and harder to see her have to split herself.

Thanks for your love, prayers and partnering with us. We love and appreciate YOU!

Urgent Prayer 3/14/04

Harvey Fiskeaux pastors the Evangelical Covenant Church in Nome Alaska. Recently, he fell on the ice while on a church business trip to Anchorage and broke the rotor cuff bone in his right shoulder. He was operated on to repair this with screws on Feb 18th. But the pain was getting worse. He found out later that he had contracted a staph infection during the procedure.

The only know drug that can fight this particular infection is an antibiotic called Vancomycin, which also can cause permanent hearing loss and kidney failure.

Harvey's wife administers a shot to him twice a day. He will be taking the medication for 4 to 6 weeks.

To make things even more difficult, Harvey and Nancy have been told by some that people have been known to die from this particular infection.

To quote Harvey in an e-mail to me:

"Sunday I called for the elders of my church to anoint me with oil in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who was wounded for me and to pray the prayer of faith over me according to James 5:14-16. It was a moving experience. I trust the Word of the LORD first and foremost and have for the past 34 years totally dedicated my life to HIM for the promotion and proclamation of the Gospel.

For those of you who know the presence and power of intercession, I would request that you enter His presence for my complete healing. We are doing everything we can to comply with the doctors orders, but we deeply value the promised potential of earnest prevailing intercessory prayer. It is my deep desire that the Lord will be glorified in my spirit and my body."

I have used this quote and I am passing on the particulars of his situation with his permission. Please pass it on to your church prayer chains or anywhere else you know people will pray.

I don't know Harvey real well. On a recent trip to Golovin, I was also planning to visit him and his family in Nome and start to work closer with him . . . But that's the same week he fell and hurt himself in the first place.

I ask that you all join me in prayer for this saint, his wife, and their eight kids.
I'll keep you informed.

Gary

Cassie in Mountain Village 1/30/04

A conversation with my mother this morning on the phone made me realize that I should have sent this e-mail out two days ago. It just came together a few days ago.

Cassie had gone with Kris on her last trip two weeks ago. But she's turning around today and traveling out to Mountain Village with a Child Evangelism Fellowship team doing Back Yard Bible Clubs.

Pray for the flight and safety. Pray also that the Lord will use the ministry of CEF helping the Evan Cov. Church pastor who serves in Mt Village.

And pray for Mom and Dad!

THERE or in the air

Gary Harris

Ladies Trip 1/20/04

Kris and Cassie will be flying out on a Ladies trip to three villages this Thursday. Actually, they are spending most of their time in Pedro Bay and Iliamna, but taking a dear friend from Port Alsworth with them to assist. This is a neat way to do this because it gives one lady from the bush an opportunity to assist in ministry to two other ladies.

I struggle at times about going into detail about the situation in some of the villages we visit. But please pray for safety as they travel and a clear path to ministry.

I am also working on final plans to be visiting two pastors in the Norton Sound Area next month. Also, Joel and I will be attending a strategy summit led by a partner church in Anchorage as we consider "community" across the vast expanses where we serve. More and more, my tech background is coming into play in real ways.

There's one native gal from the village of Golovin who, along with her husband, serve in a village of a hundred or so people. She calls me "dot.com" I will finish a conversation with her husband on the phone, or she will be talking to Kris and say "How's that dot.com doing?" Needless to say, I think only of them now whenever I hear that phrase in any other context.

I just got of the phone with a friend who lives here locally, but traveled back to the village he is from to bury his grandfather, who recently died. As it turns out, he also has had an uncle die, and just tonight told me of a cousin also died this week. I don't know any of the details, or even too much of his family background. But please say a prayer for this young man and his family, won't you?

Finally, Kris and I are working on some itinerary items for some deputation trips to the west coast, Michigan and Texas. If you are interested in having us come and share in your church at some time in 2004, please let me know so we can at least consider all things when we make plans. Some of you support us financially, and we are thankful for that partnership. But we also covet your prayers as we are involved in dispensing God's blessings from vessels that are patched up at best! <grin>

There or in the air!

Gary Harris

New Year! 1/13/04

It's been a while, hasn't it?

First, let me tell you that our time over Christmas couldn't have gone any better, given the circumstances. Tyler came down from Anchorage for a few days and went with us to both Christmas eve services at our church. He is still doing his own thing, but we love him and pray for him all the time. God will bring him back.

Chelsie and Cassie are both doing well. Chelsie is struggling with some heavy academic loads right now. But from my perspective, she always stays on task and gets it done. She's a junior in high school. Cassie will be finishing up 8th grade this year. She has a real heart for ministry. We are so blessed!

ABM has been going through some growing pains in the past few months. We currently have three other families in the process of raising support to come and join us full time in the ministry. The Caldwell's started ABM in the year 2000, and we were the first family to join them full time in ministry in February of 2001. There are other folks who help us out on a volunteer basis, and their contribution is very valuable. But the bulk of responsibilities have been ours and the Caldwell's. It's exciting to think of other families joining us. Pray for ABM.

Part of the change involves the way salary is paid out to missionary families. It looks real good for those raising their support and not on the field yet. But modifications are being made for both our family and the Caldwell's, since we are already on the field serving. Currently, we are at 44% of the $6400 a month that we need to raise. Base salary is 40,000. The $6400 includes benefits, insurance, pension and ministry expenses. I ask that you pray for us, as we consider our future, and the need we have to bring our support level up. I know we have been at it for three years now, but we have not followed the traditional path of raise support and then go. We have essentially gone and then we raise support. Pray also for ABM's board of directors as they tackle these issues.

How often do I actually mention money in these updates. Sometimes I wonder if it is right to leave these sort of things out. In sort of the same way I struggle with how much of my day is simply spent in the responsibilities of day to day and how little, overall, we are active in "ministry". But it's the same for all missionaries. That's why it's important to make life itself count.

I was talking to a pastor's wife on the phone yesterday. This couple serve in a small native village up in the Norton Sound area of the state. She was explaining to me how the family snowmachine was down and it was a bad time because moose season is open (in the area of this village and the surrounding vicinity, the limit on moose is ten for the season. Not ten a piece, but ten collectively). Her husband had spent alot of time in the town garage, working on his snowmachine.

Here's where the LIFE ITSELF part of it comes in. We both remarked together that he probably spends more time around people and sharing the Lord with them in that garage then since he get's to from behind the pulpit, because not too many men from the village attend church. Isn't that a great lesson for all of us?

Kris is doing an incredible job with the Ladies ministry. In many ways, this aspect of ministry has become a major focus of what ABM does. Kris is up to the task at hand, I know, But it's a challenge. It sort of involved needing to jump back and forth between DOING it and SEEING IT GETS DONE. Kris would naturally like to DO IT all the time. But she is preparing for her role as a mentor to younger ladies that are coming on staff as well.

Plus, (and this goes for all aspects of our ministry, not just the Ladies ministry) it's such a challenge to do what we do, building relationships with those who serve in remote areas. Without thinking of all the other ramifications of such travel, it would sure be nice to be able to "beam over" to a village and help. But just about the time I start thinking, "are we really making a difference?" God brings confirmation over and over again.

Just ask the folks out in Hooper Bay, who benefited from a work team that came out and built a small hanger to house the plane that is used in ministry. Or the church at Mekoryuk, on Nunivak Island, where ABM sent a team to re-roof the main church building. Or all the families we visit. Or the pastor I cried with over a prodigal son. Or the missionary wife Kris talked to for nearly 2 hours on the phone. By God's grace, we are making a difference.

Your partnership with us, and that of the churches who send us out, is the key to everything we do. As we start into a new year, it is our prayer that God will allow you to be that light on a hill, the salt that gives flavor, the shoulder to cry on, and, above all else, I hope you are Always ready to give an account of the hope that is in you.

Scoopin' Up the Manna - - - -

Gary Harris