The Army Goes Rolling Along

The main Post Chapel at Ft. Richardson

Good afternoon friends! We have been enjoying Alaska’s “indian summer” through this weekend and even continuing into this week. Please don’t confuse that with warmth, it is not warm. But it sure has been sunny and beautiful. The clear skies have allowed us to see mountains hundreds of miles away for days now!

Our ministry has also enjoyed a steady stream of newcomers as the summer comes to an end. We have been blessed with several regular opportunities on the AF base to make our ministry known and our selves available.
The chaplains at Ft. Richardson have officially extended the “right hand of friendship” to Wes and I, this week we officialized (not really a word) our relationship with the Army community, yay!!! We attended the Sunday morning chapel service on base and met several of the chaplains there. All of the ones we met were supportive and excited about our work with the soldiers.
The road ahead of us will not be simple, going to church—especially the base chapel is not exactly the cool thing to do. There was only one young man there Sunday (but lots of families). So we’ll be seeking out guys and girls that are looking for more than the empty world around them. Pray for those kinds of opportunities, we may start by offering a group Bible study one night in the barracks, we’ll see.

Wes will be teaching at the Hospitality House this Friday. He is beginning a three-week series on the book “More Than a Carpenter” by Josh McDowell (a basic book on Christian Apologetics). Keep that in your prayers as well as our growing relationships with the military folks here!

God Bless,
Elaine (& Wes)

Getting Plugged In and Bundled Up

(The winning team of the photo scavenger hunt, and the one with the best stories from the evening. Yes, that's a police officer)

This past weekend was a great one for getting waist-deep into group activities. The Friday night focus has been in the psalms (particularly Ps 19) and we’ve been discussing our experiences with God in nature. It is a great time of year in Alaska to see it too (of course it’s always a good time of year to see it) and it has been great to see the insights of others.
Saturday night Wes had a guys night. Around 5 p.m. I was kicked out and seven single guys descended upon our two-bedroom apartment, and the “guy things” commenced. This was a great chance for Wes to serve and get to know the single Airmen involved in the ministry (and some new faces as well). The guys watched The Office, ate junk food, played cards and talked about marriage and single life.
Meanwhile the girls also had a night of fun planned. I planned my first-ever “photo scavenger hunt”. It was a blast; the girls split up into three teams and drove around our small town in search of photo treasures, including local firemen and our beloved governor. Those will be posted as they’re made available to me (keep an eye on the links to the right). Afterward we gathered at a coffee shop in town to share stories of the evening and plan seeing everyone’s pictures.

Thanks for your prayers,

Elaine (& Wes)

Blueberries!

I (Elaine) have decided that Alaska is my reward for living in the flatland for 4 years. Last weekend we took 14 people, 4 babies, and 2 dogs blueberry picking. It’s a popular activity around here from mid August to mid September. Ours was not a leisurely stroll through the woods but a 1.5 mile trek straight up! Berries grow on mountains. It was a great time to get to know each other better. And it was a great opportunity for families. Often Wes and I find ourselves working with moms and dads and the question of who is going to sit out and watch the kids. So I was really glad that this trip included babies and all! These guys get “cool parents” points for backpacking their kids up the mountain.

This week begins the AF chapel Sunday School program for the fall. All of the different services will be holding their classes on Wednesday evening (something they are calling Sunday On Wednesday). It will include a joint dinner, and several class options. Our ladies’ study on Revelation will continue on this night. And I am considering a second ladies’ study option, more geared toward single girls and those married without kids. Wes will also be leading a men’s class on purity.

I hope you all have received our recent newsletter. If you did not get one, and would like to please let us know so that we can adjust our mailing list accordingly. (Also if you know of someone without internet or e-mail who would like to get our updates and is not, please let us know that too.)

(Looking down the mountain to the Eagle River)