Christie and I flew back into Anchorage last week for a few days before she flew back to Alabama and I flew back to McGrath until September 20. We had a great week and had a chance to take a deep breathe after a very exciting summer.
As most of you know by now, the McGrath Community Church has invited Christie and I to stay in McGrath and lead the church. This is very humbling for them to ask us to do this. After a lot of prayer and discussion with the church, we have agreed to do a six month “interim” period. The target date to be back in the community is November 1, 2015. However, if the parsonage is not completed and ready to move in, this date may be pushed out. With winter in McGrath fast approaching, this is a critical deadline; first for construction work, and second for us getting back to McGrath. The plan was to drive to Anchorage the third week of October to be in McGrath by November 1. But as we have talked to people who have made the trip, and know the weather very well, it is an “ify” trip if we wait to drive late in October. So we will see how much of the parsonage is complete when I leave September 21.
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| Famous Donut Burger |
During our few days in Anchorage we got to go to the Alaska State Fair held in Palmer, Alaska, about an hour from Anchorage. It was a very interesting fair, similar to our fairs in many ways, but had a unique Alaskan twist! The food was awesome! The one thing we were told we had to try was a Donut Burger! Yep, you heard that right…a glazed donut cut in half as the bun, then the burger and all the fixins! The only thing that would have made it better would be what…a HOT GLAZED KRISPY KREME donut!
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| Luau |
We walked the fairgrounds and visited all the exhibit areas. A trip to the fair would not be complete without a trip to the agricultural barn…come on, where all the people show off their prizes animals. We talked to a lady who was moving her pig to the weigh-in station. Christie asked her how much she thought her pig weighed and she said probably 300 pounds…AT SIX MONTHS OLD! Guess what the pig’s name was…..Luau! Yep, you can pretty much guess where his next stop will be!
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| Veggie Tales |
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| Alaskan Roulette |
Funniest thing happened. If you all do not know, Christie cannot stand birds of any kind. Except maybe the deep fried kind! Anyway, we were walking around where the turkeys were and coming straight for Christie were two turkeys that had escaped from their cages. Should have seen her run. Mike, the turkeys are coming right for us!
On Wednesday we left early for Soldotna, Alaska. On the way we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It was an amazing place.
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| Brown Bear Napping |
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| Black Bear Napping |
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| What You Lookin At Willis |
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| Big Elk |
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| Christie & Moose |
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| Bison Guards His Woman |
And what did we find in the great state of Alaska…..the only real mascot…Nova!
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| Warr Eagle |
In Soldotna we met with the Child Evangelism directors for Alaska to discuss the “K4G” Bible Club we are starting after the first of the year. It was a very good meeting and we learned a lot about other club ministries in communities like the one we will be ministering. While in Soldotna, we got to spend some time with Pastor Wayne and his wife Rosie. They are there for the month of September, then headed back to Maine. It was an awesome day.
Thursday we went winter clothes shopping. We were very fortunate to have another missionary, who was also staying at the same missionary house we were, to go with us. She and her family are in a village called Eagle, which is about 12 hours northeast from Anchorage on the Alaska / Canadian border. They have been there for 18 years and have to come to Anchorage to do their 6 month shopping. After a certain point in the winter you cannot get out of Eagle due to snow covered roads. These guys were a great help and the store they suggested we go to was having a big sale! So we got our heavy coats, gloves and hats at almost half price.We had a lot of time with these guys and got a lot more information about living in the bush, especially in the winter.
The week was incredible and we got very valuable information about ministry and winters in the bush. I put Christie on her plane back to Alabama later Thursday night. Breakfast is not going to be the same without “Puddin” around!
I have set up a “List” on the Walmart website for stuff needed for the parsonage. At the top of the Walmart webpage select Lists and then search for McGrath Community Church Parsonage. For Target, copy and paste this link into your Browser http://www.target.com/targetlists#public/fc9384bad0d949e8bdb5fee45d0df2ba and it will take you to the page for the parsonage. The Target list is a lot better than the Walmart list because we could just list general items without having to select specific product item and add to the list. You can print the list off the Target list page and buy from Walmart if you prefer.
Ministry Update
This past Sunday I started a short three week series called “I Challenge You”. Part 1 this past Sunday was “I Challenge You – To Read and Study The Scripture”. The next two parts will be “I Challenge You – To Make Prayer A Priority” and “I Challenge You – To Obey What God Has Said”. The goal is to get the body in the Word and prayer, listing TO God, so we can move outside the walls of the church and BE THE CHURCH and a light in this community!
K4G (Kids 4 God) Update
Due to Christie and I not being back in McGrath until November 1, and the holidays starting, we have decided to start the weekly Bible clubs after the first of the year. This will give us more time to prepare and hopefully get some parents to help out. Please be much in prayer about this.
If anyone would like to help fund the “K4G” Club we would appreciate it very much. The things we need most are snack items, powder drink mixes, maybe hard candy for prizes, and maybe kick balls, soccer balls (all deflated of course). I am looking for an earth ball. It is a very BIG ball that the kids can play with outside. If you feel led to help us please send them via postal service, Priority Mail to Mike Mason, P.O. Box 133, McGrath, AK 99627.
Lucy and her calf update
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| Lucy Opens Baby Shower Gift |
My friend Lucy and her baby have been making themselves right at home around the community, especially in town. We have decided that Lucy is a city girl and she had her baby calf in town. Seeing how all the town’s people have planted such nice, green gardens in honor of her baby she has ma
de herself right at home. Our next door neighbor has worked so hard all season to have a good garden. They put up a good fence and secured it real well, which caused Lucy a slight problem. But this past weekend, while our neighbors were down river, Lucy could not wait to open their baby shower gift to her and her baby!
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| What’s for dinner Mike? |
All day this past Saturday Lucy and her calf hung around in our yard. I was able to feed them carrots, apples and some plums. They helped themselves to the rest of Christie’s raspberries. They said to tell Christie to plant the sweeter ones next year!
During the day Saturday, Lucy decided to lay down and watch her baby. The calf had a ball just running around in the weeds. We have gotten to be good friends, so good that I can get withing about ten feet, and Lucy does not even lay her ears back, which usually means, “You’re getting too close, Jack!”
Moose Hunting Update
The season seems to off to a very good start. Many of the town’s people have gotten their moose already. And they say the moose have been very fat, which means they have been eating very good and not used up a lot of energy in rut! Ray Collins, the founder of the church, got his moose this past week and I was able to see how it was dressed in the field and how some of the processing is done. Ray does most all the processing of his moose, but some people will send the meat into Anchorage to have it processed.
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| Hanging Moose Meat |
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| Moose Processing |
Thoughts
Many exciting things have happened over the last few weeks to add to an amazing summer of ministry. Two of my goals as part of the three year commitment Momentum Ministries made to the McGrath Community Church were, first, to be in the community more in the summer to follow-up after VBS, and second, to find some way to be in the community during the winter months to reach out and help during this “dark” and cold time. God has faithfully provided for both of these goals.
I had a devotion a few weeks ago that in part lead to the “I Challenge You” series we are doing over the last three weeks I am here. The title was, “Are You Discourage In Devotion?” At first I thought, “No, my devotions have been pretty good!” But as I read the devotion I was challenged by this question; “Is there any ONE thing that hinders me from following Jesus as He deserves?” It was based in the passage where the rich, young ruler comes to Jesus and asked Him what he must “do” to be saved. The man thought he was good when he responded to Jesus, “All these things (the commandments) I have kept from my youth!” I am picturing this scene…Jesus just smiled at the man’s answer, knowing what He was going to say next and how the man was going to respond.
Then Jesus say, “ONE THING you still lack! Sell ALL that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and [THEN] come follow Me.” Luke 18:22 (ESV) You know how the story ends…not very well for the man. You see he had ONE THING that stood between him and following Jesus. Just ONE THING, but oh, how huge was that ONE THING! It was the difference between heaven and hell!
Following Christ is not about obeying a bunch of rules and commandments, church attendance, small group association, being morally good, or saying a prayer or signing a commitment card. The young man had all that, but those five little words are the difference between life and death…”ONE THING you still lack!”
For some it may mean sell all you have and follow Christ; for some it may mean that out of the blessings that God had so generously blessed you with you are to bless someone else; for some it may mean a complete surrender of one’s life to Christ. We all, not matter where we are in life, or what our social status is, or how good life may be to us, must ask that one question that Jesus asked this man, “What ONE THING stands between me and Christ and keeps me from following Him?” Not just bowing our heads and saying the prayer, but really committing our lives to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, and picking up our cross and carrying out the one command Jesus left us before returning to the Father; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
Continue to pray for us as we share the love and message of Jesus Christ! If you are not on our newsletter mailing list please send me your information, including email address if you prefer it emailed, to me at [email protected].