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 2nd 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 2nd 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.
