New Friends In Our Home

Connor and Samantha have made some great friends at school. They invited Owen (7) and Fiona (9) along with Titus (9) to our house yesterday. The kids had a great time together and played outside in the nice, warm sunshine most of the afternoon. Connor's class had made clay creations out of flour, salt, and water, in school, so we decided to try that on the front porch. A little messy, but fun!

Over the last month, we have also had the pleasure of being able to open our home and have some new friends over for dinner. We are enjoying getting to know folks from the Cantwell area.

New Things Happening at CBC

This past week we've been busy getting ready for some new things at Cantwell Bible Church!

The first has been fun for me. I'm using some of the computer skills I gained at the Chamber office in Sandy to create PowerPoint presentations. The new church computers (one for the office and a laptop) are fully functional now, and so I've been working on a PP slideshow with pictures of folks at the church for before the service. I also was able to put the lyrics of our worship songs on PP so that we don't have to be focused on words in the hymnal or handouts when we sing! Rob is also planning on using it to highlight main points in his sermon.

Dana Williams came over one afternoon this week and helped me move a bookshelf from the office to the back of the sanctuary. It is now full of Christian books that people can borrow and in a place that is easily accessible.

Next Wednesday, we are excited to be starting an adult book study on Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven. The materials arrived yesterday from Eternal Perspective Ministries, so today Rob and I are planning on delivering books and study guides to folks who are interested in coming. We will be hosting it in our home.

A group of six folks, including Rob and I, from the congregation have decided to plan a monthly community youth event at the church. There is no "youth group" currently and we feel a need for a way to reach out to this population in town. There is a lack of fun and safe things for them to do. So, we are organizing a pizza and movie night on Saturday, October 2nd, (and parents are welcome). Please pray for a good response from the community, and that He will be glorified.

Lastly, some ladies and I will be carpooling up to Morningstar Baptist Church in Healy (45 minutes) tomorrow morning to attend a Beth Moore simulcast called "Living Proof". I am praying that we will benefit from our time there and that anyone attending who is not a believer will be convinced of God's love for them and their need for His forgiveness.

Saturday Fun

Last Saturday, while Rob was finishing his sermon, the kids and I drove up just past the Denali Park entrance to "Glitter Gulch". We parked and walked over the Nenana River on a bridge. It was beautiful, and we stopped to read and learn about wildlife on the river and the path of the Nenana. It begins from a glacier and then grows as it flows near Cantwell and then north along the Parks Highway. (Connor was especially happy with the fact that he caught a Princess Cruises bus in the picture!)

We also stopped to chat with the Williams. They have a booth at the Farmers Market (This Saturday was the last market of the season.) and sell jams/jellies, fresh produce from their greenhouse, handmade jewelry, knitted hats, homemade paper, and crafts from the kids.

The main reason for our trip was to get a chance to try the food at the Fish & Chip Co. and Denali Doghouse (hotdogs and hamburgers). The owners, Tracey and Holly, attend Cantwell Bible Church in the summer and had given our family gift certificates. Their open season ended this week (It isn't cost effective to stay open beyond the tourist season.) and I'm so glad we took advantage their generosity. The kids loved the halibut fish and chips, and I enjoyed trying halibut tacos for the first time. Yum! We brought dinner home with us for Dad.

Beautiful Fall Hike

Last Monday, Labor Day, we had amazing, sunny weather. Rob, the kids, Cinder and I all jumped into our truck and drove out of Cantwell just a few miles to the east and stopped at Wolf Point. The 4-wheeler trail there is an easement through Ahtna land (the local native corportation) out to the state-owned mountains. We ended up hiking out down the trail about 2.5 miles through some beautiful tundra-covered land. The leaves of trees, bushes and groundcover have turned to reds, oranges, and yellows. The sky was blue and Mt. McKinley was standing clear and tall. I couldn't get over it. Unfortunately, my camera didn't catch the mountain in the distance (right in the center of this picture).
Cinder had a great time running circles around us, and Samantha's favorite part was splashing in mud puddles. Connor discovered a hidden brook; when he stood quietly over an area that looked like a field of rocks he heard the subtle sound of gurgling water below.

Then we had the pleasant surprise of meeting up with Lance and Dana Williams, their children, and Lance's father. The men were driving out to pick up a 4-wheeler Lance and Dana had left several miles down the trail when they were hunting that morning. The rest of the family was berry picking while they waited for them to return. Dana called my cell phone after they parked having seen our truck at the same turnout and asked, "Where are you?" We ended up hanging out with them for while before we all loaded back up in our trucks. It was a great way to end the afternoon!

I Believe

Connor wrote the lyrics to this song about three weeks ago, and I just realized that it would be fun to share. He surprised me one day when he was working on it alone in his room. (He has a few others that are works in progress...) It is such a blessing to have a seven-year-old son who has a real faith in our Savior!

I Believe

I believe that God rose again.
He made the earth and sun.
He walked on water.
I believe. Yes, I believe.
I believe. Yes, I believe.

Satan is gonna' keep on tryin' to tempt me.
But I believe that God is the One!
He disappeared in the sky,
and He is waiting for me!
waiting for me!