Tired Campers

This was the second day of Camp in Togiak.  I wanted you to see these precious kids.  They were so tired that night.  Ask the Lord to give you a real heart for these little ones.  God has a true plan for their lives and it will take divine intervention for it to be realized.

Back in the Lower 48

We got home last Friday afternoon.  Truly a spectacular trip to Togiak, Alaska.  I can't do it justice in a few words here, but let me wholeheartedly say thank you for praying and for all your support.  It is really encouraging to know that you are reading the blog.  That means that you are interested and also praying.  To see that maybe 100 people were reading this everyday really meant a lot to us out there.

Togiak is quite the place.  When you talk about remote places in the world, this is one of those places.  800 people live in this little village.  There is no way in or out except via small aircraft.  For a local to go to the next town it costs them $200 in airfare.  They obviously, don't get out much.  Almost all the people who live there are Yupik and they have lived there for generations.  We spent much time with the kids.  And God has opened up nearly unlimited future opportunities to minister.  If you are looking for a chance to minister to the "forgotten" people, see me and we can hook you up.

Next year we plan to run a full fledged camp up river.  This is a vision that Joe and Lucy (two natives) have had for years and they watched it birthed right before their eyes.  What a privilege to be part of their dreams.  We loved the kids.  I will just include a few pics so you can see their precious faces.  

I will write more thoughts throughout this week, but for now I wanted to just get this updated.

River Camping Trip

Just a quick update. We had an incredible time out at Camp which is 12 miles up river. The kids were awesome. We had 25 kids and boy did we have a blast. It was an impromptu camp. What I mean by that is that we were just planning on just going up there and getting the land prepared for their future camp. But when we went up to the land on Saturday, they instead decided that we could get the camp ready and run a camp for kids. So, we threw together a camp. Tim and I provided the programing and Jim ran the chain saw and kept away the grizzlies with the rifle. (No, we didn't see any bears, but Jim did have a rifle.)

We went up Monday afternoon. We built an outhouse and got the place ready. Jim even carved out some benches. That guy is pretty handy with a chain-saw. The kids came in on the boats at about 8 pm. Man, were they excited. We had an awesome. I will put a couple pics up now and they tell a pretty good story. I will update this when I get back to Anchorage and have a little time to reflect. We are very tired. I think in the two nights out there, we got a total of 7 hours sleep. Last night we went to bed about 12:30 and I have to say it was the only time I have ever gone to sleep where I could have used sunglasses :-)

Some of the pictures are of the kids swimming. It was no more than 50 degrees out and the water was extremely cold. The kids begged to let us swim. We just had to monitor how long they were in. There's that thing called hypothermia, you know.

We are leaving tomorrow morning at 11:30 and we get home sometime Friday afternoon. This has been truly a great trip. There is much to share when we get back. We feel that we must maintain a strong link with Marian and her people up here. Be praying about what that will look like in the future.

Heading Up River

We will be unavailable for a couple days.  We are heading up the river until Wednesday afternoon.  What an adventure this could be.  This morning the three of us along with two guys from here will be going north and getting the spot ready.  Then in the early evening three boat loads will come up with the kids.  There will be some adults coming with them.  We hope  :-)

The kids are soooo excited about this.  It's all they can talk about.  And, I can imagine what a treat this is for them.  It would be much like a kid back home going to summer camp, but even greater here because there is nothing for these kids back in Togiak.  I'm not sure what we will be doing the entire time up there, but I'm sure God will show up in wonderful way.  Be praying that these kids would get flooded with the Amazing Love of God.

The Spirit is moving in the lives of these people.  Yesterday one of the guys came to the three of us and wanted to repent of some sins he had been involved.  We spent some time with him and I am convinced God is delivering him.  He was a different guy from the morning to the evening.  Then last night after our time with the church people we gave them the gifts we brought.  They loved them - maple syrup, honey, cups, and other stuff.  Well, one of the ladies who sometimes comes wasn't there and she heard about the honey and syrup.  She came over late last night to get them.  She has been staying pretty distant because she is a little back slidden.  At 4 am she called Marian and was overwhelmed by the conviction of the Spirit.  She repented and is ready to get her life back on track with Jesus.  Wow!!!

The camp is named Ngoo wha dah lik  which means "Where There is Life."  It comes from a song that also says there will be streams of living water flowing from them.  We have to go now and get ready.  Please pray for the kids, for our safety, for God to move, for good weather.  It would be nice to have a little sunshine.  The last 3 days, the weather has been raining and in the 40's.  We love you and will hopefully be back in touch on Wednesday.  We should be back in Togiak in the afternoon sometime.

Baptism

I have been involved in a lot of baptisms over the years and they are all special.  In my opinion, it's one of the greatest things a pastor gets to do.  Well, today was maybe the greatest baptism I have ever seen.  There were 8 adults that we dunked.  You can see by the pictures that we used a box that was in the shed.  Fortunately, it still held water.

Each of the candidates gave a testimony and wow was it amazing.  You should have heard what they said.  In fact, you will.  We recorded each of them.  I will post them sometime when I get to higher speed internet.  

One of the very significant things was how much they were impacted by the ISOM school that they are involved in.  Each of the ones who are in the school got baptized because they came to an understanding of the truths of scripture that they never have had and they now understood the significance of baptism.  It was really great to hear them talk about how much Jesus has used ISOM to change their lives.  Be encouraged Dr. Rich and Berin.  Afterward we played some fun games with them.  They are a blast.

Tomorrow we head up river again.  This time we stay for two nights.  We first need to build a latrene and construct our tent.  It is just a canvas.  It's a very nice, high quality tent, but doesn't have any of the structure.  It would be very easy to do at home, but up here our resources are pretty limited.  We are feeling like such boy scouts.

I will write more later.  God bless you all.  We really are blessed by the fact that you are reading this and are praying for us.

Morning service

What a great time we had this morning with Togiak Assembly of God.  This is such a great body of believers.  I think there were 15 of them in attendance this morning an it was such a wonderful fellowship together.  Tim led some worship songs and they also led some.  I love hearing their songs in Yupik.  Very rythmic and happy sounding. 

It was very great to present the students from the Bible School here with their certificates.  The 6 of them felt very special as we brought them up front and made a big deal about what they accomplished.  They have now finished their 4th semester, so there is one more until they graduate.  This is very exciting.  Good job Rich & Berin.  You both would have been very proud of all that going on in the ISOM curriculum up here.

I taught on adoption and how we are defined by our Father.  They responded very well.  We prayed for them and had a great time together around the Lord's Table.  There is something very right about taking communion with people of other tribes.  

We have a quick break now and then we will baptize.  After the baptism we will have a pot luck supper.  This is when we are having some of the real native food.  We will do a few more building projects this evening and then get ready to head to camp tomorrow.

River Camp

This is the view up river where we will be camping with the kids. It is absolutely beautiful! The place where we will put the camp is like a beach area, but it is gravel. We are going back up Monday morning to clear some land and build a latrine, and then they are bringing the kids up later in the day. The plan is to stay up here until Wednesday.

Saturday

Last night with the kids was a great experience.  They have about 30 - 40 kids who come every Friday night.  They are really special children.  We went up river today to scout out the camp.  Wow, is this exciting.  (Unfortunately, the internet here is too slow to upload pictures, so they will have to wait until Anchorage.)  The land is 12 miles up river and the ride and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking.  Much of the land is muddy and full of brush, but there is a lot of "beach" area.  That is where we will have the sleeping quarters (tents) and the campfire.  It is also where we will play.  We walked the land and prayed over it.  

We thought we were going up there on Monday and helping to clear the land.  Well, it turns out that we are going to be building an outhouse and then in the afternoon they are bringing up a bunch of kids and we are holding a camp for two nights.  I think it's so funny how God has surprises lined up for us in this great life.  

On our way up we saw up close and personal a beautiful bald eagle.  Wow, what an impressive bird.  

Tomorrow we have church service in the morning.  Well, here's another great surprise.  There are about 7 people in the church who want to get baptized.  So, in the afternoon we are having a baptism.  We have a little baptismal that they have never used and we put it in the sanctuary.  We will have communion the the morning, presentation of ISOM school certificates in the afternoon.  Baptism at 3:00 and then a Pot Luck supper to follow with a bunch of Native food.

I will try to update this tomorrow evening but then we will be up river Monday - Wednesday so I won't be around the web.

On a side note, after 3 days up here I think we finally got caught up on sleep.  Last night was the first night that I really got any sleep.  I think about 6 or so hours.  It's not the jet lag, it's the fact that it never gets dark.  This is really messes with the mind.

We are having an unbelievable time and we thank you all so much for praying.

The Kids

What a great day we had today.  First of all it has been fantastic to just be with Marian.  She is truly a remarkable woman of God.  Right after we got here we began rebuilding one of her stairways to get into her house.  We just about finished it this afternoon.  We had a great dinner and then we met with the kids this evening.  There were about 40 of them that gathered in the church and we had a great time.  We played some games and oh, did the kids have a ball.  We sang some songs.  They sang some of them in the Yupik language - that was great.  It was just a great evening to connect with the people.

Then afterward we really had a great blessing.  Joe, one of the leaders in the church is a fisherman.  We got to talking with him and we got to go out with him tonight and check the nets.  So at midnight we are on an 18 ft. aluminum boat with a 30 hp Yamaha outboard motor.  We went about 15 minutes out and came upon his net.  We got 3 big King Salmon in it.  It was raining and cold but it was awesome.  We are believing that God is going to really bless Joe and Lucy and their fishing business.

Sorry if my writing is poor.  I am totally exhausted as I write this, so this may sound goofy.  We Tomorrow we are heading back out to check the nets at high tide and then we are going up river to scout out the camp.

At Marian's house, pic of Togiak from air

We are in Togiak

Well, we made it!!!!  What a tremendous sight to see Pastor Marian.  We are sitting at her kitchen table sharing and having a wonderful time catching up and catching a vision for the week.  The trip up here was beautiful.  We traveled over some spectacular mountains.  

We traveled in on a Cessna 208 for those of you with plane interests - 2 pilots, 5 seats and a bunch of cargo.  We were met at the gravel landing strip by a guy in a truck.  He took us to the church and we got settled in.  It's overcast and in the 40's. 

Some pressure treated lumber from Dilingham arrived today.  We are going to tear down some broken down stairs out back of the church and rebuild them.  We are heading off to the camp tomorrow to scout out the land and pray.  Then we will go back up on Monday and take tools and begin clearing it out and getting a site plan.  The future is very exciting when it comes to the vision for this camp.  I can tell that this camp has potential for a long term relationship between PF and Togiak.

I would love to write more, but Marian is putting us to work. :-) Off we go.  We will also meet with the kids tonight.  God Bless.

Sent off by the Blicks

We had a great time with the Blicks tonight.  Dinner and then a send off.  I have to say it was a true blessing to see them, spend time having fun and encouraging each other and then praying for us and sending us on.  There was a true sense that we stayed this extra day in Anchorage not just to be a tourist, but to see them.  

We leave tomorrow morning on the plane at 8:15 and arrive in Togiak at 11:30 am.  We are really eager to get there and meet our dear brothers and sisters in Jesus.  We continue to covet your prayers.  On a side note, I must say that Jim Gillete and Tim Smart are two of the finest men I could ever minister with.  I feel very privileged and blessed.

A day in Anchorage

What a blessing today was.  The three of us went south toward Portage Glacier and Wittier.  It is absolutely gorgeous up here.  God is sooo good in displaying His glory in His creation.  Truly "His righteousness is like the mighty mountains." 

The Word says in Isaiah 55:12  "You will go out with joy and be led forth with peace the mountains and hills will burst into song before you and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands... this will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed. "

We prayed as we left this morning that the Lord would give us something special - even unexpected today.  Well, as we were having a cup of coffee at Starbuck's, Jim was talking about their mission trip to New York City and how Julie Blick taught him how to order at Starbuck's. Anyway, I told him to give her a call.  I thought they would be in airports today on their way home from Alaska.  As God would have it, they were on the other side of Anchorage and are flying out tonight.  We are having dinner with them in a few minutes.  How cool is that?  As PF continues our unintentional tag-team mission to Alaska this summer, we will have the opportunity to get tagged by the Blicks. 

God bless you all and thanks for praying.  We leave tomorrow morning for Togiak at 8:30 in the morning.

In Anchorage

Well, we made it!!!   Jim, Tim and I had good flights and made it no problem.  We got in at 9:30 pm Wednesday night.  We are 4 hours behind you.  We will be in Anchorage as a tourist today, so we are hoping to see some pretty cool stuff.  Our first stop will be at the Visitors Center and see what they suggest.  

One cool thing that happened today.  Jim brought his shofar along.  He took it as a carry on and as he was going through security in Buffalo they questioned him about it.  He told him it was a horn and they asked him how it worked.  So, right there in the airport Jim let 'er rip.  The guard smiled and off we went.  So, we feel the Lord sent us out with a blast of trumpet and the shout of victory.

Tomorrow (Friday) morning we jump aboard the little plains and head out to Togiak.  We are really excited about getting out there.  It seems that they are most excited about getting the camp started.  So, we get to join them in the pioneer process.  God bless you, thanks so much for praying and I will update this this evening.

Off to Alaska

We leave Wednesday morning for Togiak, Alaska. Many of you know Marian Hartley from Russell. She has been pastoring among the First Nations people up there for about 10 years now. She is truly a remarkable lady and we look forward to the privilege of walking alongside her and the great men and women in the church.

The focus of the trip will be very relational in nature as we look to continue to build a true bond with the people of the village and Praise Fellowship. They have become a sister church of ours. I believe there are some small building projects to work on. Jim and Tim are both contractors by trade. We will be spending much time with the people in the village. Friday night we meet with many young people and then of course, Sunday church and Wednesday fellowship.

One of the things we are really looking forward to is the "up river camp". Some of the people in their church have a vision to begin a camp for the kids in the village. They have been given land to use up river. Togiak is on Togiak Bay. We will cross the bay and head 10 miles up river to some virgin land. We will go there with the people with the vision. In the two days we spend there we will assist them in the beginning stages. Such as how they could use the land, where the camp could be, praying over the land, etc. I'm sure we will do a lot of clearing and probably building an outhouse.

FYI, Togiak is a village of about 800 residents and is located in the southwest part of AK. It's at approx. 59 degrees Latitute and 161 degrees Longitude.

Thanks so much for praying. I will keep you posted as often as I can.

Master the Basics

Sunday, Christopher Vengala spoke at PF.  What a great message he gave.  I hope you were able to hear it.  If not check it out on www.worshipplace.org    Anyways, he spoke on authentic christianity.  Wow!!  What a challenge for us all.  There were so many things that he said that were good, I'm not sure where to begin the recap.  So, I will just sum it up with one simple line.  He said, "Mastering the Basics is Christian Maturity."  I love that statement.  We often think that maturity means the deeper things or the flashy things.  Of course, those are fine, but they mean nothing if we do not pay attention to basic, authentic Christianity.

On another note, I will be leaving Wednesday morning along with Tim Smart and Jim Gillette.  We will be going to Togiak, Alaska to minister in that small village of Native Americans.  I will write another post about the itinerary, but I wanted to give you a heads up so you could be praying.  Also, I think I will be able to regularly update the blog while I am up there.

Never Give Up - Ever

As many of you know I am a huge New York Yankee fan. In fact I have been one since 1977 - So, this would be my 33rd season - wow that seems like a long time. Well I saw something last Friday night in the Yankee - Mets game that I have never seen before. The Yankees had just blown a lead and were down by one in the bottom of the ninth. Derek Jeter was on second and Mark Texiera was on first with Alex Rodriquez at bat with two outs. He popped up to the second baseman. A routine play that would end the game. But, amazingly he flat out dropped the ball. It just came right out of his glove. Both Jeter and Texiera scored and the Yankees won the game in most improbable fashion.

Here's what I want us to see. Mark Texiera who was on first base is a relatively slow runner. But he scored on this pop up. How did he do it? Even though the game was almost certainly over and lost, he took off running when A-Rod hit the ball. And, he didn't stop until he crossed the plate for the game-winning run. If you watch much professional baseball you know that on simple plays like that most players "dog it" and give up. But because Texiera didn't quit his team won.

Where are you in life right now? Does it seem like the "game is over"? Has your last hope just popped up? My friends, never give up!!! You never know when the improbable, even impossible will happen.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Weekend Guest

Relax….it’s OK

By Brian Lindquist

Recently I watched my 2 youngest sons, Jon, 10 and Sam, 12, play basketball at a public court.  This was just a quick pickup game with 4 other kids from the neighborhood.  At the top of the hour chimes sounded out from the steeple of the church across the street followed by several patriotic songs played on the chimes. 

As I watched my guys play in the soft, beautiful light that comes as the sun starts or closes each day; with the Star Spangled Banner playing in the background it struck me how much this was just the essence of small town America.  Kids being kids, and a parent sitting watching them wondering what their future holds.  In our country we know that a kid can go from poor to rich, unknown to the leader of the free world.  This was a photo essay right out of National Geographic.

Now with an Administration and Congress in place that many of us worry will restrict our freedoms I am reminded of a book I’m reading that chronicles the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Most of us grew up assuming the Iron Curtain would always exist.  But depending on your scale of measuring time, it took from 3 years to just weeks for that Wall to fall.  The Communist leaders in the Soviet Union and their client states were completely astonished by the force of will in their enslaved peoples to be free. Again the time scale for these changes was amazing and in some cases the freedoms were won because the people acted so quickly their leaders couldn’t react swiftly enough to destroy the Freedom Fighters.

In our land we have known freedom way too long for people to step aside and surrender that precious commodity.  The Bible tells us that God appoints the Kings, that God has it all under control, that as long as we don’t lose the vision we won’t perish. (my paraphrase)

I’m sure all 3 of my boys will grow up in a land where freedom will still reign because if millions who were enslaved to the Communist system for 70 odd years can throw it off in a matter of months, we who have known freedom, have died for freedom, and have upheld it for hundreds of years will, if needed, make sure the Vision does not perish in our Nation.  If in no other way than being sure to pray for our leaders.

Oh, and my guys won by 2 points!!

Humility

In his book, A Replica of Greatness, Douglas Pratt discusses humility, which he calls the elusive virtue. He calls it elusive because just when you think you have achieved it, that's when you lose it. It really is an interesting virtue that Jesus calls us to display. He gave us the example and as Phil 2 says, our attitude should be the same as that of our Lord Jesus.

So, here is Pratt's succinct definition. I really like it.

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's just not thinking about yourself at all."

Think about that and may the Lord make us true, humble servants just as Jesus was and is.

Gotcha Day

Sunday was Jason's 3rd birthday.  What an amazing little guy he is.  I have to be honest that when we knew we were getting our second son, I wondered if I could possibly love the second one as much as I loved Zachary, our oldest.  Well, I guess we have a greater capacity to love than I ever imagined.  

June 7th is a double special day for the Rohlins.  In 2004, that was the day we got Zachary in that hotel lobby in Guatemala.  Most adoptive parents celebrate that as "Gotcha Day"  And then in 2006, Jason was born.

Sunday night as we were putting both boys to bed, we were telling them the story of the day we got each of them.  Zachary loves to hear all about it.  How we were in the lobby when he was handed to us.  Actually, he dove into Sandie's arms.  We finished retelling him the story and then Jason chimes in.  "Tell me about when you got me."  So, we had to tell him about the time in Guatemala and then the snow storm he met when he landed in America.  Finally, we got both of them to settle down and go to bed.

Every kid wants to hear stories about themselves.  And I think it must be extra special for adoptive little guys to hear about their gotcha day.  The day when their forever parents came and got them.  We will rehearse this story with our boys for the rest of our lives.

This has many parallels to the day/time that Jesus came and rescued us and took us to be with Him forever.  When He became our forever parent.  I wonder, though.  We almost always tell our story from our perspective.  What about if we could hear the perspective of God on that day.  Zachary and Jason don't want to tell from their point of view.  They instead want to listen as we tell about all the details that we were involved in. 

Think about what God would tell you as he remembers the day that He got you.  Remember your "Gotcha Day."

ISOM Graduates

We took much of the service yesterday and honored the 17 students who graduated from ISOM.  This is the 5 trimester course that is offered at PF on Tuesdays.  It takes at least two years to complete the program.  A big congratulations to all you graduates.  Great job!!!!!

One of the graduates, Bob Clark was the speaker.  It was a great message and he encouraged us in 3 areas.  These are three truths that if we put them into practice we will be forever changed.

One:  Have a strong prayer/devotional life.  Do whatever it takes to discipline yourself so that you don't neglect this critical area of your life.  He said, "Be hard on yourself, you can take it."

Two:  Be Thankful!  Bob recommend that each of us get a little notebook and every day we should write down five things that we are thankful for that day.  If we do this, we will realize how much we really are blessed.  If you get a little discouraged or find yourself complaining, go back and read some of the entries you have written and how thankful we truly should be.

Three:  I John 3:11 says that the message is to LOVE one another.  Bob encouraged us to operate in love.  If you are going to error, error on the side of love.  We show that we love God by loving each other.  We as a church are family and if we love each other, we can get through anything.

These are fairly simple truths to write, but we can only put them into practice when we are empowered by the Spirit of God.  May we all have the devotional life we should have, may we all be very thankful people, and may we love each other as Christ loves us.

Thank you, Bob, for the great message and congratulations to all you graduates.  

Camp Halo

Swatting at Gnats

Here is an article written by Leslie Ordiway, PF's secretary.

Several weeks ago I received some insight with the help of a dear friend who asked “How are you?”  I answered “Well, I’m a little off kilter today because I read something that was disturbing to me.”  Insightfully, he asked me “Did you have to go out of your way to read this thing, or is it something you had to read for work or family?”  I said “Well, I had to click a few mouse clicks to read it and no, it has nothing to do with my job or home”  “Leslie” my wise friend said “Don’t go there.”  At this point my Holy Spirit sensor got all stirred up and I discerned God saying to me “Remember when you felt that check in your spirit?”   “Yes” I reluctantly answered God, “I didn’t go there at first because I felt that check, but then I went there later:” Then, in my minds eye, I saw a man in a canoe going through some white water.  He was focused in front of him as he maneuvered through a canyon.  Then I saw a swarm of pesky little gnats swarming around his head.  God said,  “Don’t swat at the gnats”  “There is Grace for what you are called to do, there is danger in swatting at gnats.”  “Keep your eyes on me.” 

“OK” I said.  Joy returned to my heart.

What have I learned that I’d like to share?

1.     Listen to God when you have a check in your spirit. 

2.     If God says “Don’t go there” then don’t go there.

3.     Good friends are God sent and God speaks through them. 

4.     Don’t swat at gnats

5.     Keep your eyes on Jesus

What is Ministry?

Pastor Mike Cavanaugh (Vice-President of Elim Fellowship) gives ministry a very practical definition.  Ministry is Loving God by caring for others.  Ministry is Loving God by caring for my family.  And Ministry is Loving God by caring for myself.

Many (especially those in full-time ministry) get caught up in caring for others at all expense.  They may feel that if they do something for their family or for themselves they are not being spiritual.  But, as Pastor Mike teaches all three areas of caring are intertwined.  They are all spiritual and they are all part of our life lived for Jesus.  When we as Disciples of Jesus begin to act as true ministers and take care of all three areas, then our lives, our families, our churches, and ultimately the world will never be the same.

So, the questions remain for each one of us.  Are we Caring for Others?  Are we Caring for our Families? and Are we Caring for Ourselves?

Psalm 42

Sunday, Fount Shults taught from Psalm 42.  He challenged us with three questions that I remind you of today.  

1.  What are you panting for?  The Psalm begins with "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for you."  Are you panting/thirsting for God?  Or are you greatly desiring just the things that you want from God?

2. What causes you to weep?  Verse three says, "My tears have been my food day and night."  Are you weeping because of hurts done to you?  Or, are you crying with the things that break the heart of the Father?  Jesus wept over the corruption of humanity.  He didn't weep because of the cross or the pain that he had to face, or that all his friends had deserted him.  May we weep for the lost, hurting and broken world.

3.  What do you remember?  Verse 4 - "These things I remember."  What are you remembering?  The Hebrew concept of memory is not just with the mind, but also with the mouth.  To remember is to retell what you recall.  Brother Fount reminded us about the power of our testimony.  So, be careful what you are speaking.  Speak truth - speak in faith - speak hope.  Even if you can't recall anything good that God is or has done, at least remember creation, the cross and your salvation.  

Be encouraged today that Jesus wants to move in awesome ways as we join Him in the Father's heart.  And remember as you seek Him "never settle for less than more."