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
