Dillingham Developments

Here are excepts from an e-mail sent to us from Judy Thompson. For space I have to leave out a lot. So, if you see Judy, ask her about the pizza miracle, it's good!

Blessings,
Verity

"In February, we were thrilled to witness the baptism of the parents of one of my students at school. Eric was born and raised an Adventist, but has not been a part of the church for many years. But recently, the Lord has been working on their hearts, and when Misty and Missy and the others started the children's church here a few months ago, they decided that maybe this was the time to recommit their lives to the Lord. We certainly praise the Lord for the dedication of our young people here!

In March, S from Togiak, committed his life to Jesus in baptism. This was our first baptism in the Togiak church, and one that we've waited a LONG time for!!It is so thrilling to see people stepping out of the crowd and committing their lives to the Lord.

Dillingham SDA School is the last Adventist school in “Bush” Alaska. It is located about 300 miles southwest of Anchorage in Bristol Bay. We are maybe the only true mission school left in the United States. Only two of our students come from Adventist homes, and almost half of our students have to be sponsored by local church members, on top of the regular subsidy that the church pays to the school every month.

In spite of the financial challenges that present us at the school, church and conference levels, we want to see the work here grow forward and NOT backwards. The [school] board committed to hiring two teachers again for next year, and also starting a Pre-K program as well!!! We have been looking into the idea for a while, and a couple of months ago, placed an ad on the GC website looking for someone to volunteer to get everything up and running next year. We don't have a single penny to put into it. In fact, as a school, we've been on a "no purchases" program now since Christmas! Somehow the Lord supplies all our needs, and the fuel bills are getting paid, one at a time. But we have been impressed that there is a need here for a good Christian Pre-school program, and that this will contribute to our enrollment as well. So we figured if we could get another volunteer up here for next year, we'd have them work on getting that running. This will give us one room with Pre-K and Kindergarten, one with Grades 1-4, and one with Grades 5-8. We've had two wonderful volunteers the last two years, Misty who was here last year, and is STILL here, working as a court secretary now, and Missy (we call them M&M :) , who is here at the moment teaching Grades K-2 for us. Missy has one more year of college to finish her teaching degree, and is planning to do that next year. We've been teasing her all year that she might change her mind like Misty did, but she has been determined to graduate next year....

Anyway..... a few weeks ago, Misty and Missy got together, and discovered that they had both been impressed over the previous few days that THEY should be the ones to volunteer next year in the Pre-K program!! They were very surprised to discover that the Lord had been prompting each of them separately along the same lines, and started talking about what it would take to do that. Missy began inquiries with Southwestern Adventist University to see how much of her studies for next year could be done by distance, and found out that she can do ALL of it that way!!! So they came up with a plan that they presented to the board: Misty will move into Missy's one bedroom apartment (that Jim has agreed to donate again, rent free), and they will share expenses; she will quit her good paying job at the Court House, and they will work together to get the Pre-K program running. Missy will do her studies by distance part of the time, and help as well. They figure with two of them working part time, that should equal one person working full time. So once again, we are thrilled at the way the Lord works when we step out in faith and follow His leading!!! Oh, that there were more young people as dedicated to the Lord as the two we have here!!!!!!!!

Another big event that happened about three weeks ago, was that we finally made it down to Chignik Lake to install a radio station there!

Friday evening (last night), we had another wonderful celebration! A couple from Togiak that we have been working with for a while.....who have been having a real struggle with alcohol and drugs, were married in our church :) . About three months ago, M was convicted that he shouldn't be living with his girlfriend, who is also the mother of at least one of his children, unless they were married. But he didn't want to marry her, unless she made a commitment to follow Christ like he had. So he moved out. She got mad, and moved to Dillingham with the kids and refused to have anything to do with him. Finally about six weeks ago, he came over here for something, and the booze got the better of him, and he got drunk. He was at the grocery store here making a scene, and finally threatened to kill someone, so they had him arrested. He spent a month in jail, and when he was finally released, he ended up at K's place here in Dillingham. They were having a real hard time of it, and finally the court took their children away from them for the last time. This totally devastated both of them, and finally drove them both to seek the Lord again. I got a call from M at school one day, saying that they would like to come to Pastor Brian's meetings at the church, but didn't have a car. So I let the pastor know and they and others have been working hard to get them to all the meetings since then. Pastor Brian has also been spending time with them nearly every day, going over the other meetings that they missed, and giving them studies in preparation for baptism. Last week, they decided to get married, and we have all been rushing around trying to help them put together a wedding at very short notice, and no money :) . And it turned out very beautiful! They asked me to take the photos, so that kept me busy, and then we had a pot luck meal for the reception. On Thursday, K gave Pastor Brian her last pack of cigarettes, and said she wanted to be baptised. So today, we celebrated their life commitment to the Lord!! What a wonderful weekend!

Love you all!!!!!!!!!!

Judi and Gavin :) "

Full Circle Mission

Last month two teenagers returned from their Marantha mission trip to Chile with Jim Kincaid. We were so excited, this is what we have been longing for since before we arrived. Jim showed the church some slides yesterday and we were much encouraged at how much the girls enjoyed the trip. We didn't want to press them too much and they have not shared anything about their experience with us. But we are hopeful that this will be a positive beginning for them. We hope that they and others will also begin to go on mission trips regularly and positive change will come to Selawik.
I know the God can use mission trips to be a guiding force in our lives. I have seen it in my life. Everytime I think of the picture of my Borneo mission trip I discovered in the church, I feel confirmation of I our mission here. After I returned from that trip a teacher showed our class a video of some guys backpacking in Alaska. The movie left me with disdain of the thought of Alaska and cold. I was sure that I was headed for warmer, more exotic locales. Then I met Warren and began to know I was headed for Alaska. Still when it came time to choose our place to minister, I avoided the thought of living the Arctic until I visited here on a VBS trip. After we moved here I discovered pictures which I slowly began to recognize as from my Borneo trip. Now I know God lead me here. God is doing great things here in Selawik even if we can't see what they are now.
Blessings,
Verity

It's Time to Give!

This morning I happened to pick up our World Vision magazine. The letter from the president Rick Stearns was very timely. He recalled his anxiety in October 1987 when the stock market crashed. His family lost a third of their portfolio. He was so tense every night that his children began to be afraid. Finally his wife came to him and reminded him of all the blessings they still had. After praying together, she shocked him with the suggestion that they should give large donations to various charities as a way to remind Rich that the money was God's, not theirs. After they wrote out their donations, he was amazed at the freedom that he felt.

We can identify. God has provided all that we need (we are thankful for everyone who has been part of his providence). We feel so rich in this tiny place; how could we feel otherwise with wants few and blessings many? We came here with enough for one year and we feel no closer to the bottom of the barrel than we when we arrived. Indeed, we don't even think about the bottom anymore. We simply avoid buying things we don't need. Yet we have become quite reckless in sharing our food stocks and such as well as giving to our favorite charities. We believe that soon we may no longer be able to share and we want to make the most of each opportunity. With people in want more than ever before, isn't it time to give?

Blessings,
Verity

Meeting the team

As I was wondering what to write, I realized I have not shared about the meetings we attended in January. We were so thankful for the invitation and help to make it to Anchorage. I enjoyed the Shepherdess' Retreat so much. It was such blessing to get to know the other pastor's wives in Alaska. It was truly a taste of heaven. The focus of the pastor's meetings was on prayer and Warren and I discovered how powerful the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) model of prayer can really be. This rich spiritual feast finished with special meetings for lay workers like us. We were able to get to know the new Arctic Mission Adventurers Bill and Eloise Hawkes (Savoonga) and Dan Rothoff (Togiak). We are so grateful that the work in rural Alaska is beginning to grow because the people here are so dear to us. I hope to introduce you to many of them when we all gather in heaven, so I beg again that you will pray for us and our strength as well as for God to send more workers into the harvest field. The fields are truly white and the harvest is coming so soon.
In prayer,
Verity

Thoughts on Emmonak

Emmonak has recently come into the spotlight because of Nicolas Tucker's letter pleading for help for his starving village. This has generated a wide variety of comments, many of them negative.

One person even suggested that natives should leave the bush. If people left all the disaster prone regions of the world, where would they go? It is just not feasible, even if they were inclined to leave the places they call home.

Another response is to criticize their lack of preparedness. Yet, there were famines even in the old days-- before the modern conveniences to which the natives are now accustomed to. And much of what they are now facing is truly beyond their control. Yes, they could have things somewhat easier if they prepared differently. But I am aware as well that preparedness is not just a native problem. There are people everywhere who do not have even a two-weeks' supply of food at home. Who can blame them for being any different?

I do want to encourage being prepared with plenty of simple, healthy food, because I do believe that healthy food is cheaper than junk food. However, I believe that we as a church should also be prepared to help in genuine emergency like this. I would like to see visible aid centers in every village, places they know they can go to in times of need. I don't know how to move in that direction, but God will show us how if it is His will and timing. I just need to be prepared to follow.

Preparing,
Verity

New Year's Hopes

I was filled with hope as I read Monte Church's newsletter about advances in Native ministries. It reminded me of advances I have seen with the Arctic Mission Adventure. We have seen two positions filled with people who are interested in others. The funding for Arctic Mission Adventure and Conference Radio Outreach have a good start toward their goals. A Native elder was baptized in Fairbanks. We have become closer to the people of Selawik. Warren has made great progress on the auto-streaming 3ABN radio software and should have it finished very soon.

So instead of New Year's resolutions this year, I have a list of hopes and prayers for the new year.

1. Seeing low power Adventist radio stations begin to cover bush Alaska
2. See a plan for Adventist television in the bush.
3. Complete the funding for the Arctic Mission Adventure and Conference Radio Outreach
4. See Adventist parsonages filled across bush Alaska
5. See more mission trips providing VBS, evangelistic meeting, and various opening wedge contacts.

I want to see Alaska natives filled with the hope for their lives and families that only Jesus can bring.

A very hopeful New Year to all of you,
Verity

Looking back at joy

We are just two weeks from our three year anniversary of moving here. How does it feel? Well, Selawik has become familiar and comfortable, at least most of the time. We have become part of the community. We truly enjoy the people and the place.

Yet, we still have no major triumphs. We have been asked for more mission stories on our blog. I want to satisfy that desire, but honestly I'm not sure what counts as a "mission story". If it is conversion stories, we don't have any. We are still trying to learn the key that will change people's hearts here. Often it feels like one step forward, one step back. We also feel a need to maintain privacy: people here are reading our blog. As I have been considering my lastest posts, they seem rather morbid. Such is life out here. People have much more opportunity to gather for a funeral than for the rare wedding. In fact, people have been flying to Buckland because there has been a death (or two) there this week.

Still there are bright notes of joy among the negative noise of death and pain. We cannot hope to see victory in the lives of many here unless they learn to hear them. Here are a few of ours, if they count as "mission stories" I am glad.

Warren hopes to have the software to automatically stream 3ABN radio ready before we leave in January for pastor's meetings. Also we were excited to learn from Warren's Dad that the FCC allows unregistered TV stations where there are no broadcast stations i.e. bush Alaska (we only have cable not broadcast TV.) Now we want to explore that option.

Some kids came over this weekend and we decorated the Christmas tree in the church (we don't have room in the house). I was happy to see C again, it has been a long time. Then I got to tell the story of the shepherds and the story of baby Moses and Miriam because the children said they didn't know them. R even listened attentively to both of them. Then I got to play "basketball" with girls, this gave me a renewed desire to go to open gym time for exercise and getting closer to the kids here.

As I spent hours with P's family last week, grieving with them, rubbing their backs as they cried, sharing food with them, and learning more about all that takes place before the funeral, I become even closer to them. I even got to say "I love you" in Inupiaq. But I also learned more about myself and my weaknesses. I need to daily lay all of my plans at Jesus' feet and in the words of Christmas spiritual "Rise up shepherd and follow"

Joy to the world,
Verity