We Need Your Prayers

Dear Friends,

As you see by this e-mail, I have a new e-mail address, gharris@gkharris.com Both Kris and I still have our akcc.org e-mail addresses as well. gary@akcc.org and kris@akcc.org Kris does a better job at keeping her Alaska Christian College for "work" and her other one for home. One computer there, another computer here. Never the twain shall meet. But me? I just can't split myself up that way. In some ways that's good. In other ways I have a harder time turning off at the end of the day.

Kris' GCI address will also go away. Her new e-mail address will be maudy@gkharris.com . I am tired of being locked into one provider via the e-mail address. With our own domain, gkharris.com, we are free of that.The domain is also home for the computer business I do on the side.

It's strange. This change is causing me alot of stress. I have had my old e-mail address for 8 years! I'm so glad that God's address never changes, or that HE has no need for any sort of "Out of the Office" reply. He's always there!! AMEN?

Continue in prayer for Cassie. Her recovery is doing well. She still has bad days and needs alot of sleep. Kris has taken on more of a load helping Cassie with her school work. Cassie is getting pretty tired of being pretty tired. Here are some specific requests:

1. Pray Cassie will be able to get to sleep earlier. Sleep has always been hard for her. As it is now, no matter how hard she tries, she can't get to sleep until 1 am or later. We have stopped trying to take her off any of her medications for now. That had a real adverse effect on her. Patience! We need that in bucketfuls!

2. Pray for Cassie especially on Sundays. We do whatever we can to make it work so she can sleep late most days. But we all want to be at church on Sunday and the earlier morning always seems harder on her.

3. Pray for Kris' summer schedule. Things slow down quite a bit at the Counseling Center. Right now, that's very good for Cassie's sake. But Kris has replaced some of her time at the school with helping Cassie with school work. Cassie is still having a hard time in this area.

Praise the Lord that all of our kids are around this summer. Chelsie's back home preparing for school in Juneau in the fall. She's working at a cannery and enjoying her friends. Tyler moved out of his apartment and is back with us for a while while he finsihes out the summer with is 2 week on 2 week off roustabout job. From there, he's not sure what he will be doing. It's good to have him around.

Praise for great support we have had and are continuing to have through all of this from folks like you. We have been through alot together,

Praise the Lord for my computer business. With Cassie, we have really had to put continued fund raising on hold. Kris has also gone to part time status so she can spend the time needed with Cassie - - Being able to do computer work and not feeling like I'm forsaking ministry . . . . .God has been very patient with me!

God bless all of you.

Gary and Kris

Wow- Has It Really Been That Long? 6/10/06

Praying friends,

Has it really been three weeks since our last post? And, can it be? This entry does not contain "Cassie" in the title? What's going on? Well, we guess that means that we are starting to re-focus a bit on regular life, so-to-speak.

We are throwing this picture of us taken by some friends on a recent hike. See? Life does seem to be getting back to normal! This was are first real time out since Seattle. Boy, was it fun! Don't we look like a couple of tourists, or what?

Cassie is doing well. It's been over just over a month since here surgery, and she is doing better every day. It seems a bit see-sawish at times, however. The combination of sometimes "forgetting" that she is still recovering, and medication madness - - is a pretty good one-two punch.

There are days when all is well and Cassie has a pretty normal routine. And then there are days when she seems to pay for the over-exertion from the day before. PRAY that we will take however big or small steps we need to take in this. PRAISE the Lord that she has had no seizure episodes.

And we never really thought too much about what it would be like taking her OFF medications - - meds she has been on in one form or another for 4 years. It's more than just a gradual reduction that is the problem. We were used to that un the OFF/ON routine of weaning off of one med and onto another. One of her afternoon meds was cut down quite a bit. No problem. But cutting down the morning med a similar amount sent her in a nausea tailspin all day!

And she has also had a few other problems, also related to medication reduction. On top of all that, taking her off Anti-seizure meds also can cause seizures . . . . And you know how confusing that would be. It feels like an old combat movie where we are walking in a mine field . . . . Moving along cautiously a few steps at a time. PRAISE the lord that there seem to be more good days than bad days nowadays.

Things at Alaska Christian College slow quite a bit in the summer. Kris is just in a few hours at New Hope Counseling Center a couple a days a week. ACC Students are most all home for the summer. Work teams will be coming and going all summer. PRAISE the Lord for the end of a great year of a great group of students. Future leaders in native communities across the state.

Gary is still teaching an Adult Sunday School Class. Finishing up Gatatians and moving into Ephesians in two weeks (He's always wanted to do Gods Electric Power Company - Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians - straight through). He has also been voted back on the Elder Board at church. He server for a three year term once before and has been off for a few years. He was recently honored at a LOVE INC (Love In The Name of Christ of the Kenai Peninsula) banquet recently, for all the computer work he donates to that organization.

PRAY that Gary will be able to continue making some money doing computer work. Our support is down a bit, but Gary does best when out in the world, anyway. He really enjoys it. Keeps him sharp, spiritually - - always being ready to give a reason for the hope that is in him!

Finances are always a challenge. But only in that we lack faith to believe that God will care for us. We are "scooping up the manna - - one day at a time." His provision is always there.


PRAISE - Chelsie, our oldest daughter, is back from a year in Indiana, already working at the Cannery she worked at last Summer. She surprised Kris on her Birthday! She had told everyone that she was staying in Indiana for the summer - - just so she could surprise Kris. Gary would say how that just wasn't right, but she sucked him up in her little scheme the week before. This picture was taken shortly after the surprise!

We love each of you. Thank you for sticking with us. We are not out of the woods yet in regards to Cassie. But . . . . Out of the woods, in the woods, Hollywood, or the backwoods . . . . God is good, all the time!