Merry Christmas

Second annual Christmas morning Broom Ball game.

Joy to the World!

Two consecutive years are enough to call it a tradition, right? Our Christmas celebration came and went this year before we even knew it! Throughout the 24th-25th we had around 50 people in some combination of Christmas eve sleepover, sticky bun breakfast, broom ball, dinner, and a gift exchange, complete with a nap through Charlie Brown's Christmas at the end of the day.

We are truly blessed to have a God who loves us, who sent a savior in a human body to save humanity and draw us into a reconciled relationship with him. We haven enjoyed two Christmases in Alaska, and have loved sharing them with our Soldiers and Airmen. Damien (an Aircraft maintainer from Pittsburgh) is our dedicated dishwasher (you'd think it was an opportunity of a lifetime every time there are dishes to be done). He said to me over the sink after dinner, "If you can't be at home for Christmas, this is the next best place to be". And I could tell he was serous, not just using flattery. We celebrated Christmas with our family. While we all missed mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, and cousin Billy Bob, we were not without family this year.

Freezin' for a ReasonEarlier this month the house participated in a fundraiser for the Alaska Special Olympics. We raised $1,000 for the organization, sponsoring 10 of our folks' crazy desire to jump into a frozen lake. It happened to be about 2 degrees that day.

Elaine's Hiatus

(Here is a picture that shows the current weather here)

Hey everyone,

Wes here, with a long needed update. Elaine, my sweet wife, has been very diligent over the last few years keeping this blog updated. I guess after writing week after week she just ran out of things to write. So, for the next few months I will be your tour guide through the world of Wes and Elaine.

A hard couple of months

Many of you know about the two miscarriages Elaine and I have gone through as well as my dad and stepmom's divorce which have cause me and my bride deep sorrow and stress. It has been a blessing to watch my dad turn his whole life to Christ and call out to his savior in his time of need. The transformation has been miraculous. Through this we are really focusing on practicing what we preach. If we tell others that they can trust God with everything then we must trust God with everything. I am praying daily for the reconciliation of their marriage. We witnessed the ultimate act of forgiveness and reconciliation on the cross as Jesus died for us and I pray that we all live lives that reflect that wonderful act. I know he can gently restore them, as well as heal their wounds and broken hearts.

Christmas Season

Christmas is here and we are super excited to spend it with our loved ones here in Alaska. These guys are family. We invite all of the Airmen and Soldiers (as well as anyone they invite) to come spend the night Christmas Eve and celebrate Christmas day with us. We eat together, open presents, sing songs and celebrate the Birth of of great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please pray we can love the folks coming over with the love of Christ and that we can set a great example for them all on this wonderful occasion.

Winter Hits Us

As you can see from the picture winter slammed us yesterday and today. We have gotten a least a foot of snow and it isn't slowing down. I plowed and snow blowed this morning and it needs it again already. Being from Texas this is a really awesome experience for me. Anyway, more updates to come, and hopefully more videos!

Wes (& Elaine)

Joint community

"JBER" is the new program around here, it stands for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Soldiers and Airmen both benefit from being in a joint location, where they have a lot of interaction with members of another branch of service, and an opportunities to learn. We enjoy the variety of people in our community too. Wes had a recent conversation with Soldier Mark:

Wes: Mark, if you had it to do over again would you join the Air Force?
Mark: No, I like my job.
Wes: You could be an electrician in the Air Force too. Then you wouldn't have to go on those year-long deployments to Iraq.
Mark: Yeah, but I grew up a lot in Iraq.

Mark also shared with us a bit this past weekend about how he struggled through Iraq, and how God made very real changes in his life while he was there. It was really eye-opening into some aspects of the life of soldiers.
Please pray for our guys who are deployed now, that their minds and hearts would be protected to glorify God.

Thanks!
Elaine (and Wes)

The Most Amazing Day

Me and Boaz Caleb Goble!!

I've decided. This is probably one of the greatest moments of my job. Today I got to stand in for a dad who is on his way home from Afghanistan. A few months ago I wrote to you in a newsletter about this little family. Well, baby came early, and dad is coming early, but not early enough!
I got a phone message from Kristiana yesterday morning telling me she was having light but consistent contractions. Around 1:30 a friend called and told me it was time for me to meet Kristiana at her house. By 2:30 we'd talked her into going to the hospital (I think in her mind she wanted to wait at home for Caleb- but I wasn't about to deliver a baby on a couch!) So # 1 yesterday, I drove a laboring woman to the hospital. #2 by 6:00, we had a baby!!!
It was the most amazing thing I've ever been a part of. She was such a trooper and little baby is so perfect and beautiful! He weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 19.5 in long.
Now we're waiting to hear from Caleb, and to tell him the news! As of yesterday morning he was leaving the middle-east and should be calling when he gets to Dallas. Pray for a safe quick arrival for dad!
There are incredible moments like this that Soldiers and Airmen sometimes miss. It is a hard place to stand, but I'm so grateful and blessed to be there for my dear friend and sister in Christ. Kristiana was obviously sad not to have Caleb there, but several times she just looked around the room in awe and said, "How crazy is it, I get to have a baby and all my friends are here!" She has quite the fellowship of army wives, and they are all amazing.

God Bless Caleb, Kristiana, Gage, and 'Bo'


Love,
Elaine

p.s. to make matters more exciting, Wes's sister Nicole gave birth yesterday to a healthy little boy! Welcome also, William (Liam) Jackson Clifton!

A Brotherhood

Brent & Wes preparing our wall of windows for imminent winter.

In February we bid farewell to about 10 guys and girls who were deploying for 7-12 months. We planned on being gone even before their mid-tour leaves. God knew we would be here when they come back...and so we are.

We had the great joy of welcoming Brent home two weeks ago. He had volunteered for an assignment with the Army, that didn't involve his pilot training in anyway, his was the only trip that was 7 months. Listening to his story is encouraging, challenging, and heartbreaking. God used his time there to reveal deep truths about Brent's life, his goals, and his gifts. He has shared with us the bond he built with soldiers "down range" and the scope of his responsibility while there. His conversation comes with such a weight of responsibility. He was able to help those who needed it, and saw the consequences of what happened without that help. I think that Brent is a great Soldier/Airman not because of his love of country, but because of his love for Jesus. He has a desire to see lives saved, hearts uncalloused, and people acting out of selfless motives.

Having Brent home now gives Wes and I a great picture of what to expect. Obviously no two experiences are the same, but it's a good alert to how to interact and deal with guys who have spent a year in Afghanistan. What to ask, what not to ask, and when to do it. I think it is safe to say we will now begin to prayerfully consider the homecoming of our friends. Brent isn't experiencing any Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) but some of our guys might, and if not this time around, possibly in the future. That is some thing we'll do some reading on before February.
Pray along with us for the spiritual implications of war in the lives of our soldiers.

We asked him what he missed most about home (aka, Anchorage) other than generalities like bread and milk, he missed "Moose's Tooth" a local restaurant with specialty pizza and a micro brewery. But he also told us that he'd promised the guys in Afghanistan to wait until they could join him to go there.

This is Home

It's Friday evening, there are about 20 soldiers and airmen upstairs reading through Galatians 2 with Wes. I was in the discussion last night at the married group, so I've sneaked downstairs to get dinner cleaned up, and dessert ready.

I figured this was a fun little sight, it made me feel like "home". Growing up there was always an uncontrollable mass of shoes on our back porch. Families pile their shoes together. I'm glad this is a family. :)

The first two weeks meeting in our home have gone well. More updates later, time for bed in Alaska!

God bless,
Elaine

Count your many blessings...

(Our new home at, 25822 Berryhill Rd)

Two green folding chairs, a stack of wood, a crackling fire, and a mountain of golden leaves. No, I'm not camping I'm sitting in our new home. It's 34 degrees outside and I'm trying to soak in all the warmth of our little green wood stove possible.
I could begin to list the things in the past month that seem like tragedies from where I sit. Friends it has not been an easy month for Wes and Elaine, as well as many others. But I am still here, God has not allowed me to be overtaken with troubles or sorrows. And I truly could list the blessings that have come from each of our struggles. I wish I could tell you each personally about it. Please don't hear lightheartedness in my voice. This hope has not come easy, I am learning to wake up every morning and choose to see the hope and the blessing in our situations. We can sing and read that God is the potter, and we are the clay; but clay does not have an easy go of things before it's a beautiful piece of pottery.

I would love to share with you the brighter side of things. Our new home is a blessing and a ministry in many ways. We are renting from a dear friend. He was the youth pastor on base (Working with MCYM/Young Life) and for family health reasons has had to leave "the field". They are moving back home to Minnesota (eh!) and had hoped for good renters in their lovely Alaskan house.
We hope to move the Singles dinner & Bible Study to this house this week. And soon to move the married group here as well. It is laid our very well for hosting groups of people, and making everyone feel at home.
We pretty much wake up every morning and think, "wow, how did we get here?". And we are truly thankful.

Please continue to pray for the growing ministry here. We still have lots of details to work out concerning how to move forward and in what ways Dan and Barb can and should be involved with the work we've all been doing over the past year(s).
Barb is doing well, but the chemo and radiation are beginning to get harder on her, pray for her children.

In all things I pray that Jesus is glorified. In our lives, and in the lives of those around us.
Have a great week,
Elaine (& Wes)

Visiting Home, Staying in Alaska

We got to Ft. Worth on a beautiful, sunny, 85 degree day. I basked in the sun, hoping to do the same for the next six days. Texas had other plans. It's been raining, sometimes torrential downpours, ever since. Nonetheless we are really enjoying our time visiting with Wes' family. We had a great time at church yesterday at Cleburne Bible Church, their new building is huge, but the people were still great and friendly, and David's sermon was a good one. Tonight we will attend the missions board meeting and fill them in on the past year.

We spent last week in Pennsylvania, also having a great visit with my family. It was great to be in PA at such a beautiful time of year. Grandma and most of my Aunts and their families were able to come up for Labor Day weekend, and that was a really fun family time. Then we spent Monday out on the mountain... making Reuben mountain pies mmmm :). It was great to visit Blanchard Church of Christ too. We were glad to check-in and see smiling faces! (Even if the fire alarm was pulled in the middle of our talk with the second service.)

Thursday of this week we will head back to Alaska (luckily on a direct flight). We have officially decided to stay in Alaska, for at least another year, really as long as we are needed for our community, and our friends. We will be moving into a new house this weekend. God has provided for that amazingly! We'll also need to re-accumulate some furniture and other things we sold in preparation to move to England.

Barb is doing well. She is at home working on gaining strength to begin chemo this week. I can't wait to get home and see her, with all the progress she has made! Please continue to pray for her and her family.

God bless,
Elaine (and Wes)

Continued Prayer

Dear Friends,

Life's surprises never cease to surprise me, go figure. Yesterday our friend and co-worker Barb went in for surgery to remove the tumor in her brain. The doctor discovered that our hopes for a benign tumor would not prevail, she has a very aggressive form of cancer, called a "Glioblastoma multiforme".
We spent 10 or 11 hours at the hospital yesterday, and were able to be there as Dan talked to the doctor about some immediate treatment. This will also require Chemo and Radiation therapy.

Please pray for this family. For her husband Dan, their children Caleb (10) and Audrey (5) and Barb's sister Carolyn who flew up for the surgery. Pray for their comfort and hope in Jesus, individually in their own ways, and as a family.
Also pray for the community here. This hits everyone in different ways, and is an opportunity for us to help others turn to God in difficult times.

I know almost no details on most of the future. I do know that we love this community, and have loved serving them here. We will be staying in Alaska as long as needed. which means our anticipated move to England has been delayed. And likely our planned trips home to PA and TX will change some too.

Pray for us to roll with sudden change, to be strong and supportive, but also to be resting in God's will for all of this.

Again if you would like to follow updates from Dan to know how to specifically pray you can view their public Twitter page at anytime: http://twitter.com/danbarbevans

Love,
Elaine

Please Pray for Barb

Hello blog-reading friends! We have really loved getting to know Dan and Barb Evans this past year. They have been great to intern with.
Last Friday doctors found a plum-sized tumor in Barb's brain. It was the last thing any of us expected to hear. She had gone to the doctor for severe headaches, dizzy spells, and completely zapped energy.
It has been a long weekend since then. But they have talked to more doctors this week, and scheduled surgery for next Monday. We are still uncertain if it is cancerous or not.
This has hit their family and the ministry very hard. I'm writing to ask for your prayers for healing, comfort, rest, & patience. We serve an amazing God who is completely capable of making this tumor just disappear, should He choose to use surgery, pray for wisdom in decision making and excellence from her great doctors.
Dan and Barb have two children Caleb (10) and Audrey (5) who love their mommy very much, please remember them as well as her caring husband Dan.

I don't know any of the specific risks or concerns, but I'm pretty sure that brain surgery is always risky. If any of you would like to know specific updates and how to pray, we have set up a Twitter account for them to keep friends and family informed:
http://twitter.com/danbarbevans

Dan and Barb weekly invite 65+ people into their home and into their family. There are a ton of us up here praying, concerned, and even heartbroken for this family. Please pray for our community as a whole to be the Body of Christ now to the Evans' family.

That's all. Just wanted to share this with you,
Elaine

More Cale Haugen Videos

Cale was part of a team that came to Alaska to do a work project at the Hospitality House. He filmed the whole week. At the end of his time he put together the Rock, Paper, Scissors video and this one. Just a little taste of the ministry and people we will miss here in Alaska when we leave.

God Save the Queen!

Ladies and Gentelmen,

It is only proper that we take a moment to reflect on the graciousness of God.

HE'S SENDING US BACK TO ENGLAND!!!

Over the past year we have been fulfilling a request of Cadence to do an internship here in Alaska with the Evans' Family. This was a time for newly married Wes and Elaine to develop healthy marriage habits while balancing a schedule of full time ministry. Our time here has been invaluable. We have really found our niche and made tremendous friends here. But now it is the end of our year and time for us to move on to a more permanent assignment.

July 31 will be our last day of full time ministry here. We will use the month of August to transition, relax, sell our belongings and plan our trips to a town near you in September and October. We will be hitting the fund raising trail to raise what we need to meet Cadence's requirements. After that we plan on being in England by this fall. Everything is moving pretty fast for us right now and we certainly need your prayers.

When we get more details on the specifics of our assignment we will pass it on to everyone. Thanks again to everyone who actively supports us through financial giving and prayer. We love you!

Wes (& Elaine)

[rockpaperscissors]

A little entertainment treat for our blog readers. A work crew from a church in Oregon was here last month to help out with some projects at the hospitality house (amazing job!). One of the young guys, Cale, always had his video camera. This is one of our finer moments - a tournament before bible study.

Enjoy!

What comes next?

We keep getting asked the same questions. Questions like, "When are you guys leaving Alaska? Where are you going? Have you heard any news from Cadence?" Well, here is your chance to hear first hand what is in store for us over the next few months.

When are you leaving Alaska?

After discussion with Headquarters, our current U.S. Field Director, the European Field Director, and Dan and Barb (our current supervisors here) we have decided to move away from our ministry in Alaska July 31. This will end our year long internship here and start our transition to Partnership Development (aka. support raising). We will use the month of August to plan our time in Pennsylvania and Texas, to sell most of our belongings, clean our apartment, and have a little bit of down time before we start the biggest transition of our married life. We move out of our apartment on Aug. 31 and will leave Alaska after the beginning of Sept.

Where are you going?

The first step is fund raising. We have been assigned to the European Field (read more about that here) and will need more money than we have currently have coming in each month. So we will spend four to six months living in PA or TX asking friends and family to come along side us and financially support our future ministry. The reason we don't know which state we will be in is because God has not told us yet. We are praying that someone can offer us a place to live with little to no rent per month. This would be temporary until we have raised enough funds to leave for our assignment. (I'm handy with a hammer so I certainly wouldn't mind working a little for our landlord.)

The reason I haven't told you the exact location yet is because we don't know. Cadence headquarters is working on figuring out the best place for us. For most new missionaries the ministry sends them to an established place that has an existing ministry. The problem is all the ministry houses are full. Although, we are not 100 percent sure we will be opening a new house, we most likely will. This is exciting news because that mean we can help expand Cadence's ministry. We should hear something within the next month and as soon as we do we will let everyone know.

What has Cadence told you?

Short and sweet we have been told a lot of speculative information. First, we will more than likely open a new house and the European field director told us the number he gives when a couple is planning on opening a new house in Europe is $75,000. (I know, wow, that is a lot of money.) Second, most of Cadence's missionaries are in Germany so we believe we will end up there as well. And finally, we received our monthly support calculation and it will increase from around $5,000 to around $6,000 a month. Currently we have $4,500 a month coming in so we will need to raise about $1,500 more a month.

So as you can see we have a lot to think and pray about. We long to have you pray with us. Whether it is for our financial needs, a place to live, a firm location or guidance about where we should spend the next few months we would be honored to have your prayers.

Wes (& Elaine)

Better than Fireworks!

Gabe, Derek, Tanner, & Wes enjoying Byron Glacier.

First let me make a disclaimer: I love fireworks. However in a land that doesn't really get dark in the summer its hard to enjoy flaming bursts of fascinating light, its just not the same. This July 4th weekend we went on a combined Chapel/Hospitality House camping trip. The trip started with a death-defying white water rafting trip, which will have a post of it's own so that's all I'll say.

The weekend included loads of fun and quality time with great people. I know that the single guys had their own campsite, and had their own discussion times at 11pm every night (on top of our group devotions at 9). It was really encouraging to me, to see them take steps of their own in this and encourage each other as brothers in Christ!

The spiritual highlight in my opinions is that our dear friend Mattie believes in Jesus! She is an Airman from Elmendorf. She's been around for about a year, a consistent member of our ministry. She is a (self proclaimed) "cashew" her mom is Jewish and dad is Catholic. And it was great to see her finally break through her own barriers to believing that Jesus truly is her savior! :)

Mattie, hiking.

The recreational highlight of the weekend was probably the hike up to Byron Glacier. (from Wikipedia: glacier is a large mass of ice moving slowly over some land surface or down a valley, formed over long periods from the accumulation of snow in areas where the amount of snow that falls exceeds the amount that melts.) We were actually able to hike up through the snow field below the glacier and get right up next to it. So much ice, so much summer day, it was a bit of a paradox!

Byron Glacier

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend as well! We'd love to hear what you blog-readers are up to!

To see more photos from the glacier hike click here.

God Bless,

Elaine (& Wes)

And Be Baptized

This evening we moved our Air Force chapel service to a lake rec area on base (not that you would even know you're on a base, or near anywhere for that matter). We had a great picnic, church outside, and we baptized six people!!
Dan did most of the baptizing, but our dear friend Grace asked if Wes would baptize her. He was honored to do it for her. She is a single Airmen who works in the hospital (and calls Wellsboro, PA home).
You can pray for Grace, as well as Angie, Meredith, and Caleb, to continue to grow in their faith and to be open to being challenged in real growth.

Grace and Peace,
Elaine

We've been assigned to Europe!

Hello patient readers and friends. We received official word today of our assignment to the European field of ministry within Cadence! That means the next step is for the European field director to pray and assess where exactly in Europe we'll go. It will likely be Germany, but Italy, England, and Spain also have U.S. military bases.
This is not an immediate or imminent transition, we still have ministry time left here. Once a location is decided we will receive a new support calculation estimating the cost for us to live and fund a ministry overseas. In a few months we will transition into more of a Partnership Development phase, much like last summer when we met with so many of you.
The history of U.S. forces permanently stationed in Europe goes back to at least WWII, possibly WWI but I'm not sure. There are American military members living their lives and raising their families all over Europe. They are vital parts of their respective communities in unique ways.
Among all of the obstacles facing anyone living overseas, finding a strong supportive Christian community to belong with is hard. Europe is overall very spiritually dim. Spiritual life, let alone a relationship with Jesus, is simply not a priority. If one did find a welcoming church, the chance that they speak the language is slim.
We are excited to serve Americans living overseas through a Hospitality House. Thanks for being along with us!! We'll keep you posted on further updates!

In Christ,
Elaine (& Wes)

p.s. Yes, things in Alaska are going very well. Spring has been amazing. Long beautiful days sure do make up for the winter!

The People We Love

My good buddy Steven Adams is awesome at making videos and presentations. He made this to show all of the newcomers to Elmendorf Air Force Base and I thought we would share it with you all. Here are some of the faces of our ministry.

Enjoy!

Love,

Wes (& Elaine)

A Little Normal

I know it looks like we're all just standing around the kitchen...but really we're planning covert actions to keep Alaska warm and sunny all summer long! It's working too-- Saturday had a record breaking high of 70!

Some days it is hard to know what to write on our blog. What do people want to know? What don't they want to know? And it's especially challenging when I'm also writing a quarterly (almost) newsletter to send to you in the mail...no need to be redundant!
Life around here has seemed quite normal for a while. Yes, there are some people in crisis, and yes, some folks are having big milestones. But the trees are budding, the sun has been shining, and temperature has been in the high 60s for days...who wants to sit around on the computer with weather like that?
This post is a matter of duty. We have not disappeared from cyberspace. Fear not. Keep an eye in your real mailbox for an update soon!

And for your fun and enjoyment, enjoy the taste of camping even on a rainy day:

Popcorn S'mores

4 quarts freshly popped corn
6 Tbsp butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup golden grahams
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Place popcorn in a large mixing bowl. (MAKE SURE TO REMOVE ANY UN-POPPED KERNELS) Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour melted mixture over the popcorn (work quickly before it cools) and work with a wooden spoon til corn is coated. Stir in the cereal and 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Place mixture into a buttered 9x13 baking dish, and press into pan as you would rice krispy treats (I used waxed paper to smush mine). Melt remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top. Allow 30 minutes to cool the cut into squares. Enjoy!

--

I pop my corn on the stove, and it's wonderful, easy and cheap cheap cheap. Make sure though that you remove kernels (I didn't tonight, and we all risked cracked teeth as we ate very carefully!)
Feel free to tweak and add more chocolate and cereal, we did :)

Informational Video

Thanks to LifeCairn for putting together this great video.

Where does my help come from?

Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

This psalm is from a section in the book of psalms believed to be a "hymn book" (120-134) used by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. The travelers were faced with a giant obstacle, a mountain to ascend. In the face of this challege they turned their hope to the Lord to provide and in fact be the strength they need.

Spring is upon us all (some more than others) and every time I turn around it seems like another marriage retreat, conference, or seminar is being offered to our military personnel. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited by all of these options and opportunities! Our young couples have the deck stacked against them and need all the help, insight, and communication they can get. I guess it is that time of year when single people fall in love, and married people reevaluate why they fell in love in the first place.

The above photo is from a trip Wes and I took to Seward a couple of weeks ago, for some of these same reasons. Our life has its ups and downs, and it seemed like we were stuck in a rut of downs more than we were enjoying any ups. So we decided to take a little weekend getaway without our phones or computer to just "hang out". Our ministry to the military will only be effective if it flows naturally out of our love for God and our relationship with him. As well as being supported by a healthy relationship with each other. So we took some much needed time away to talk, pray, beat each other at Gin and Scrabble and just have some fun.

As the pilgrims to Jerusalem lifted their eyes to their God in times of trouble. I pray that Wes and I will do the same. I hope that you too will pray for us, and with us as we spend time helping those in our community to do the same.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

In Christ,

Elaine (& Wes)

I don't know where I'm-a gonna go...

...when the volcano blows!

As many of you know Mt. Redoubt has been rumbling and threatening for a month now and earlier this week she blew her top and has erupted several times since then. Wes and I were out of town during the first few eruptions in a little southeastern coastal town called Seward. It was a nice little getaway, but more on that later.

Between our drive home from Seward, and staying put here in Eagle River we've had plenty of opportunity to encounter ash fall but luckily have not. As you can see Redoubt is about 100 miles SW of us, and so far the wind has not been blowing it this far. This mornings most recent eruption went to 65,000 feet (I think the biggest so far).

Of all the natural disasters I least expected to ever deal with this is probably near the top of the list! (I would kind of like a little lava if we're going to have a volcano) It's a little exciting, mostly because it's pretty far away and has not interrupted my life yet. But pray for safety, I don't want to get too excited while everyone is covering their windows and cars in plastic!

I'll keep you updated (probably through "comments" on this post).

Love,
Elaine

Mush!

Another uniquely Alaskan opportunity. This past weekend were the ceremonial and official starts of the 2009 Iditarod, with 68 mushers and over 1,088 dogs it was quite an event! Saturday morning we drove down to Anchorage to stake out a spot along the 11 mile route through town. We ended up around the first bend about 5 blocks from the start. It was a great vantage point, as we were right up along the berm and could have probably touched the dogs (which would not have been a good idea).
A few Airmen braved the cold to join us (they were of course from PA, MD, and IA so they know what winter is about- it was 11 degrees Saturday). It is always fun to help folks get out and enjoy local "culture". After all, it's not every day you get to see dog sled teams embark on a 1,000 mile journey!

Enjoy the video clip (I just learned how to use this feature).

Elaine

p.s. Track the Iditarod at the Official Site or at Alaska Daily News.

Crisis Week

In the past three days we have received four phone calls from families in crisis situations. The privilege we are afforded of being that support for people in times of great need is one of the things I love best.
In a society that stresses independence, we often lose sight of our own inadequacy to deal with life. We deny that we need the strength of Christ, the grace of God, the support of a community and the shoulder of a friend. We are supposed to be proud, strong, self sufficient, and well acquainted with our own boot straps. But I don't believe those things (at least I try not to).
I believe that nothing good comes from my own strength, but is provided for by the grace of our Creator. I believe God has worked for his purposes in history through communities and families. When God had made Adam, something was "not good", could it be that Adam needed someone else? Of course we know that to be the case.
Satan desires to isolate us in our loneliness and sin. He wants us to think we are alone. But God will not leave us, we are not alone, and we do not have to overcome our sin, our struggle, our pain, or the affects of others' on us, alone. Nothing has seized us except what is common to man. So let us help each other in our struggles together.

Just some thoughts. I love being part of the body of Christ on earth.

Elaine

Snow day!

(Elaine, Amy, Devon, Zoey, Riley, and Angie behind the camera)

So, my life isn't completely filled with dudes and dishes! Last Saturday we got a bit of snow and I wanted to play in it (not really go hiking or anything, but just play). So I gave my friends Amy and Angie a call, Amy has two kids, and Angie has one. I proposed that we bundle the kids up and go play in the snow (having visions of tossing piles of snow, giggling, and rolling the 2-year-old around.) Plus both of these girls are acting as single moms and I figured they could use the help and fresh air.

We got 'em all dressed up (by the way how are you supposed to get mittens and boots on those little things without snapping a wrist or ankle?) and outside we went. Our high hopes were limited to the plowed up snow pile across the street. That turned out to be plenty high enough.

The two girls are right around one, and have just learned to walk. I failed to realized that walking on hard ground is a fine accomplishment for a "toddler" and the balancing act that challenges even me on an icy driveway is unimaginable for those wobbly little legs! Okay, so they can't walk down the driveway, but surely once we get to the sidewalk the light powdery snow will be fine. Wrong. All kids do not love snow. Some kids hate snow. Hate it. It's not warm, it's not grass, it's not carpet, or a dog, and it's not food-- it is not fun.

But as you can see in the pictures above, despite all of my learning experiences we had a great time. We played with the sled, Devon tried walking and did much better than us bigger folks because he wasn't heavy enough to crush in the snow (the little elf).

Enjoying winter with increasing sunshine!
Elaine

Online & Credit/Debit Card Donations

Thank You to all those who currently support us financially, and to those who have done so in the past. For those of you looking for one more reason to donate, or an easier way: look no further!

Credit and Debit card donations are being accepted now!

This option was put in place in December and has been working well for the past few months. You do not need to change the way you currently give (all the "old" options are still available). But anyone wishing to donate to Cadence online can finally do so.
This may be especially helpful for the younger generation of online bill payers (myself included).

Easy steps:
#1 go to http://cadence.org/donate
#2 set up an account if you want to track your donations and give regularly
-or-
#2.1 skip immediately to the donation page without setting up an account
#3 be sure to select an alphabetical category, then select our name (or your chosen missionary).

Please feel free to call or e-mail us if you have questions about this process (or any giving option). You may also refer to the the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Thanks! Elaine (for Wes too)

Please use credit responsibly.

How often do you say goodbye?

(Our soon to be friends in far off places: 

Adam, Kyle, Caleb, Jake, Seth, Brent, Sheila, and Mike)

"Barb, why do we do this?"
"Because we love these people."

Goodbyes are hard for most people, and they should be to some extent. But they are even harder when you're sending good friends to dangerous places. They are harder when you're temporary, they're temporary, and who knows when the winds of change will cause your paths to cross again.

We are safe and sound back in Alaska! We jumped right back into the swing of things, last night we had a crowd over for dinner and to watch "The Office", and tonight we had a swelled crowd at the Hospitality House. It's amazing to see how many new faces have arrived on the scene in just 3 weeks!
We had an evening of send-off tonight for our guys who are deploying within the month. There are about eight of them from our little community. We gathered and honored them, we shared insight on the things we appreciate about each of these guys, and ways they have impacted us. Then we prayed for them individually along with their families. It is such a hard task to send these guys off, but encouraging to know that they are all our brothers in the Faith. God has a great plan for them and their service. As much as we prayed for our friends we prayed for those that they would come in contact with.

This is just the beginning for me of remembering what military life is like. Several of our men have been evacuated with their aircraft because of the simmering threat of Mt. Redoubt erupting. They left for 30 days with only hours notice, their families are still here. And many of our Airmen are already deployed to the middle east. If you think of celebrating Valentine's Day this weekend remember that four of our five military mothers will be spending it with their children alone, without their husbands; the fifth husband/father leaves next week. That's just one simple practical example I can think of to relate the impact of military life to you.

We said goodbye forever tonight to a good friend and a brave man. Why do we do this? Why will we have to do this repeatedly for years to come? Because we love these people.

Thanks for letting us be here,
Elaine

John Calvin & John Wesley

(J.C. and Wes, our first meeting.)

While I can't even begin to express the theological ironies of this picture, I can tell you that we were surprised amused to learn that J.C.'s given name is John Calvin (one of the reformers from the Catholic Church).
Wes met J.C. in 2004 via e-mail from his deployed location in Qatar. J.C. was one of the guys up the chain in the Air Force news office who would read and publish Wes' articles. Somehow through their communication Wes realized J.C. was a fellow Christian, and called him up to ask about it. This began an encouraging relationship mostly of e-mail and the knowledge that "I'm not the lone Christian in this job" for the two of them.
Fives years later J.C., his wife and two daughters live in the Denver area, still in the AF, and are great supporters of our minstry. This past Sunday we were invited to the Woodrings' home for dinner and we finally got to meet them face to face. We enjoyed our time learning how God brought each of us together through our journey with him. J.C. and his wife were actually stationed at RAF Lakenheath at the same time I was (so we surely know some of the same people-- I may even have taught his "Chem Warfare class". :)

Some of our best times over the past year of ministry and Partnership Development have included listening to the stories of others and how God is working out his plan in their lives. He truly does have good plans and purposes for us that bring him the most glory!

~Elaine

The End of Candidacy

(L to R: Rick and Paula Scott, MaryEtta Reynolds, Deedra Bingham, Dick Reynolds, me and Wes)

We really do love this ministry. We are thoroughly exhausted from two solid weeks of Candidacy, but have emerged on the other side not as candidates but as missionaries!

We have been challenged and enouraged by these couple of weeks. We have a renewed desire to see the live of soldiers, airmen, and their famlies touched by Jesus and his redeeming power!
For right now our "next steps" are not immediate. After a short visit here in Colorado we'll return to business as usual in Alaska next week. (As usual meaning piles of snow and threats of volcanoes.)
We are excited to see where God will send us, also to see where he will send the other 5 couples headed for hospitality house ministry in the next couple of years. We have had a great time of bonding with our 'class' and will have these guys as partenrs throughout our ministry!

I'm pretty tired, but I wanted to give you all a short update about our exciting weeks at the Cadence Headquarters.

Prayerfully yours,
Elaine


p.s. The picture above is from our last evening as a group-- our farewell dinner. These are not other candidates but HQ staff members. Dick and MaryEtta are a wonderful couple who have been with Cadence many many years. He is now the VP of Human Resources, and they are a great encouragement! Rick and Paula are also veterans of this ministry, they've run hospitality houses in the past, and hope to again in the future but for right now, he also works in HR and is our "ministry mentor" for this development stage. And Deedra is another great HR lady with the women's ministry of Cadence, her parents were also Cadence missionaries, she grew up at a hospitality house in the Phillipines.

We made it!

Just so everyone knows Cadence officially asked us to become full time staff missionaries today. Thank you for all your prayers.
Wes

From the Mile High City

Wes and I arrived today in Denver, Colorado. We will be living here at the Marriott for the next two weeks. The purpose of this is to attend Cadence Candidacy and new Missionary Training.

You as our family, friends, and partners, have made it possible for us to get to this place. And we would appreciate your prayers over this decisive week. The first of these two weeks will basically be a screening/ job interview as we are assessed to be "Alpha Status" missionaries.
Some of you may be asking, "Aren't you already full time Cadence Missionaries?" Well, no. We are interns and support staff, working full time. This process will hopefully bring us into a long term commitment to do ministry with Cadence. Please pray for wisdom and guidance both for us and for the Headquarters staff during these weeks.

The second week will serve as an official orientation to the mission organization,and we'll get some more training.

As we have shared with you all before (and some of you have shared with us) we feel called to this ministry, we have abilities and gifts that fit hospitality ministry well. We hope to grow through this process, and follow God's plan for our life.

I hope you're all surviving winter, wherever you are. For those of you wondering about my dental work, it all went very well, what a blessing!

In Christ,
Elaine

The Weather it is a-Changin'

Me and Matt Porter the night before he left for his TDY.

My good buddy Matt just left a week ago to head to Guam for a three month Tour of Duty. The night he left we were talking about the weather here and there. It hit us that he would be experiencing a 100 degree temperature change within the next 24 hours. It was -20 degrees here when he left and 80 degrees in Guam.

The reason I tell you this story is also because within the last week we have experienced a 70 degree change in temperature here. It was 50 degrees today. Dan told me it was called a Chinook Wind and it will lasts a few days. It blows in (literally we have had some seriously high winds) and melts most of the snow. It is pretty ugly outside right now.

Anyway, we miss you Matt and look forward to seeing you in a few months.

Wes and Elaine

Losing and Gaining Wisdom

Dear Friends,

Last week we had the great opportunity to take care of Gabe, he is one of our single-Airmen friends who lives in the dorms on base. Wisdom teeth seem to be a big deal, and military dentists either really need the practice or they have some sort of secret goal of attaining the "largest collection of teeth" world record. Because where there are wisdom teeth present, they remove them! (Good for the airmen too, because it comes at no cost, an they won't really miss them anyhow.) So Gabe lived on our couch eating pudding, 'instant breakfast' drinks, codeine, and pureed mashed potatoes for a few days.
Wes often recalls a story from his early days in the AF. He was found to have wisdom teeth and promptly scheduled to have them removed. During a conversation with his sister back home, she asked who would be taking care of him during and following this procedure. With sadness Wes recalls that he did not have anyone to take care of him. Someone from work would take him to and from the appointment, but then he was on his own--alone in a dorm room on pain meds with no one to check of his progress, drugs, or the lumps in his mashed potatoes. This is why we are here, why we live among the airmen and soldiers, why we do more than preach a Sunday sermon or counsel marriages. We are here to meet practical needs, to help people who are far from home, and to love them like Jesus. And we love to do it.

(stretch...take a breather...come back)

The gaining wisdom portion of the story is just as painful as the 'losing wisdom' section. As most of you know wisdom is not available in the $.25 machines at the grocery store. It takes some struggle and hard times. While things overall are going well for us here, the counseling aspect of our ministry is getting quite the work out lately. I'm not sure if this is just something that happens as normal growth after being settled in minstry at a place for 5 or 6 months. Or maybe the pressures of military life are coming to a head for our community. Either way, we are being stretched in our relationships and ministry and it's good. It's hard but it is good.
Please pray that we would leave a good mark on the lives and marriages we affect. Pray that we would gain and give godly wisdom.

Thanks for sharing with us!
God bless,

Elaine

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

(Happy Birthday Jesus! Eric and Dan goofing around at Dairy Queen)

The holidays are over, and everyone is ‘detoxing’ from the plentiful cookies, fudge, fruitcakes, candies and other assorted holiday junk food. You’ve all surely noticed our absence online and some of you may have tried to load our page at the beginning of January and found it absent as well (our domain name expired, but we’re back!). I’m sure that my lack of blogging was partially due to the de-motivating nature of 2+ weeks of temperatures between -10° and -25°, and it’s still going.
I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did. It was a very busy time; we had lots of people at the Hospitality House for Christmas Eve, Christmas breakfast, an outdoor game of broomball, and 40 or so for Christmas dinner. It wasn’t exactly “home” and when the day was said and done I missed my family and PA very much. But I think of the fact that there would have been 40 people spending Christmas by themselves in a dorm room or in small families thousands of miles from home it makes it worth it! I hope that our celebration of Jesus’ birth lasts through the year.

Expect another update later this week on what's up in our future! Thanks for hanging in there with us & Happy 2009!

In Christ,
Elaine