Let us give thanks

The 1st National Thanksgiving Proclamation , November 1, 1777
By the Continental Congress

FORASMUCH as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to Him for benefits received, and to implore such farther blessings as they stand in need of; and it having pleased Him in His abundant mercy not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of His common Providence...

IT IS THEREFORE recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise;

THAT with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favour, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance;

THAT it may please Him graciously to afford His blessing on the government of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the Providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United Sates, the greatest of all human blessings, independence and peace.

THAT it may please Him, to prosper the trade and manufactures of the people, and the labour of the husbandman, that our land may yet yield its increase; to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety, under His nurturing land, and to prosper the mEans of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth "in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost."

AND IT IS further recommended, that servile labour, and such recreation as, though at other times innocent, may be unbecoming the purpose of this appointment, be omitted on so solemn an occasion.

By order of Congress

Henry Laurens, President

And what's behind door # 2 Bob?

It is an unbelievable feeling to be in ministry and to experience God blessing you through those around you. Here is a quick story of how God is blessing us.

When we first got to Alaska we had a car waiting for us. A soldier had donated an older Toyota to the ministry and Dan had designated it for us to use. So immediately we had transportation. About two weeks later the engine went in the car. I had not thought to check all the fluids and subsequently the engine stopped running. Needless to say I learned a valuable lesson. Elaine has repeated her Pappy a few times reminding me, "You can run a car as far as you want without gas but don't take it anywhere without oil." We went ahead and bought a 1995 Honda and since August we have had one nice reliable vehicle. That is until a few weeks ago. Now we have two. A soldier in the ministry came to Dan again and asked if he could donate a Jeep Cherokee to the ministry. Again Dan has designated it to us to use. We are so thankful for this car. It is four-wheel drive (which will be very useful in the deep snow) and is big enough I can pile a few guys in it. This has also freed up Elaine's and my schedule. Now we don't have to be so precise when planning our days. We can have the freedom to go and meet with Soldiers and Airmen whenever we want. This has been a huge blessing tour ministry and we really wanted to share it with all of you.

In Christ,

Wes

P.S. Thank you so much Jason & Mary

We’ve got the Con

(Last year's Thanksgiving was quite smaller than we expect this year's to be)

I know some of you will get the quote in my title, and I know some of you won’t. I don’t actually know it as a Star Trek reference, but I had a supervisor who used to tell me every time he left the office, (deep voice) “Kephart, you’ve got the con!”

Early this morning Dan and Barb with family left for a much needed two week vacation to Florida to visit family. Which means Wes and I are in charge for the next two weeks, including Thanksgiving. Right now I’m juggling names and places on paper for Thanksgiving dinner. Those who will be around are dividing up into smaller groups for dinner, so as not to overwhelm anyone, or any oven. Then we will all get together after our respective football games and naps for an evening as a larger group ☺

I’m glad we are able to be here and provide places for people to go over the holidays. Many of our folks are new here, and don’t have the option of taking leave, and we are so far away from home for most of them. I look forward to learning the Thanksgiving traditions of others, as long as it still includes stuffing and mashed potatoes!

I hope all of our “readers” are doing well. Please let us know if there is any specific way we can be praying for you!

Elaine (& Wes)

P.S. If you haven't noticed I did post two new albums of pictures last week. Check out the links to the right ------>

Chaos

Maybe this photo doesn’t look as crazy to those who weren’t there…but it certainly captures the memory. Thirteen of us spent Sunday through Tuesday in a great little cabin way out in the woods on a prayer retreat. Since Tuesday was Veteran’s day most everyone had those two days off. We were near Lake Eklutna at a public use cabin, there’s a nightly charge. It has no running water, no electricity, only a wood stove and a Coleman stove. Wednesday through Saturday the only way to travel the 13 miles between the parking lot and the cabin is on foot or other non-motorized transportation. Snowmobiles and four-wheelers are allowed the other days. So we packed up 5 four-wheelers and lots of food and equipment (chainsaws for fire wood, sleds, snow shoes, extra fuel) and ventured out to our retreat.

I’ll spare you every little detail, but it was full of fun, lots of snow, and several good chunks of time alone to just connect with God. Most of the people who went along were single Airmen, though there were some married people represented too. It has been great to see the growth among our single people here but it is mostly in number. So I ask you to pray for the spiritual maturity, depth, and growth among them as well.

As I look at the picture above I realize that God from the beginning of our existence has been making order out of chaos. He has a plan and a purpose and brings all things together for his glory. I do believe that the only reason one of out diesel ATVs made it back to the parking lot was on prayers and fumes. And yes, that trailer did get back on track, right side up and attached to a vehicle ☺.

(R-L: Elaine, Wes, Justin, James, Amanda, Russell, Brent, Sheila, Steven; Front: Dan, Jason)

God bless your certainly warm weather,
Elaine (& Wes)

p.s. If you are a member of “Facebook” Steven Adams was our faithful photographer throughout the weekend, catching all sorts of embarrassing moments on “film” and he has posted several photos, and even a few videos (one in particular is of me and a lop-sided 4-wheeling adventure)

...they've never seen the northern lights

The land of the midnight sun has other wonders to enjoy when there is not-so-much sun at midnight. Last week one of my life-long goals was accomplished. I always figured I had a better chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Finland or Sweden, but now I live in Alaska and look hopefully to the sky often! The photo above is not mine, and our showing of the lights was not that spectacular, but it was green, and it was good! (not to mention is was also cold)

We could see it from our porch, but drove up to a mountain for a better look anyway. I'm hoping for more clear nights, and more colors next time. They have been known to show red even this far south.

On another note, in my last post I mentioned the DVD Series Travel the Road. This is a series Wes was introduced to a while back. Two guys go as evangelists and missionaries all over the world and have taken their camera with them. And while I have several points of discussion on their work and methods we have one main focus on thursdays: to expose our friends to the world outside of Texas, Iowa, Virginia, America. Heaven will be filled to the brim with people who are not Americans, and we forget that too often!

The 30 minute episodes are filled with adventure, foreign cultures, and reliance on the provision of the Lord.

To the ends of the earth,

Elaine (& Wes)

Car Care Day

This is Matt.  We have had a ton of fun getting to know Matt over the past few weeks.  He is new to AK, and new to the AF.  He is a Crew Chief on one of the fighter jets and a real blessing to Wes and I (not to mention he's also a Texan).  He is a regular on Friday nights at the Hospitality House, and at our apartment on Thursday nights.  (Thursdays, several of the guys get together for a favorite TV show, and to watch part of a DVD series called Travel the Road-- more about that later).

Matt is just one example of the Airmen and Soldiers we work with up here. It is really rewarding to see him, and others like him, grow in their faith, their commitment to the Gospel, and their service to others.

This particular picture is from "Car Care Day" two weeks ago.  We spent a Saturday at the Hospitality House inviting people to bring their cars and parts out to winterize together. We changed oil, installed pan heaters, changed tires to the studded ones, and plenty of other ransom "fix-it" things.  It was a ton of fun to have a bunch of greasy friends together for a day of work and fun.   

This past weekend we had a "progressive dinner" which is where each course of the meal is eaten at different houses throughout the evening.  There were about 25 folks who participated and we broke up into groups of 6 or 8 and rotated around to the homes of our AF chaplains.  It was great to get acquainted with them in their homes, and introduce the Airmen and spouses to chaplains other than the one who leads our service :)

All this to say, things are going well.  Thanks for checking up on us, thanks for your support.

Please remember our Soldiers and Airmen in your prayers, their spouses, their children, and the peace of Iraq and Afghanistan.

God is Great,

Elaine (& Wes)