Heading East

We have had beautiful driving weather. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
The first day we stopped for our sandwich lunch just along the road where we could watch a bunch of people ice fishing.

We stopped at Little Big Horn Memorial in Montana. It was a great history lesson for all of us.



The scenery through Montana and Wyoming was just breathtaking.

Christmas Fun with Family

Our drive to Mark’s parents was beautiful and put us in the Christmas mood.

We used the driving time to get school work done . . .

but took every opportunity to enjoy the view and hike in God’s majestic creation.

The view from the suspension bridge was much enjoyed by the kids.

It was great to get to Mom’s and kick back and relax; the closest thing to a vacation we have had in years. We had the opportunity to speak at a supporting church where Neakita played her violin.

After the service, the church held a potluck for us so they could have time to fellowship and and get to know us better. It was a great time.

Tuesday the 20th began Hanukah. Mom told the story of the history of Hanukah, lit the menorah,

taught us to play the Dradle game,

and made homemade doughnuts.

What yummy fun!

Other fun things we did were puzzles and

ice skating,

Christmas eve, we were given a part in the Christmas celebration at The Little Brown Church. They had our family light the advent wreath, Neakita played her violin with Grandma,

Alaina played Away in the Manger with Grandma while the children sang (including Katelyn)

Christmas morning brought much fun and surprises.

The dollar store army men that Jeremiah got from us . . .

were enjoyed by Jeremiah and Uncle Zac for hours.

Over The River and Through the Woods. . .

. . . to grandmother’s house we go! We are on our way to Montana to spend Christmas with Mark’s mom, step-dad, and brother. On our way we stop in Sandpoint, ID to tour Quest, the company that builds the Kodiak airplane. Mark just completed some flight training for the Kodiak in Spokane. On our way out of town, we stopped at this café for lunch. It caught my eye because I love antiques. So, while we waited for our food to be prepared, we did a little “shopping”. 

We highly recommend the Café Bodega to anyone traveling near Sandpoint, ID! Their sandwiches are THE BEST! And their soup was superb. We all tasted each other’s sandwiched and it was unanimous; the Cuban was the best. The Café’s flyer describes is as “Sandpoint’s Bohemian eatery, features an assortment of international sandwiches, homemade soups, organic espresso bar, specialty teas and Italian artisan gelato.”

The Adventure Begins

Well, we have made it to the lower 48. God has orchestrated every little detail. Blessings abound at every turn. Praise His Name!
Upon arriving in Portland we only had an hour to wait until the van we are using for our travels arrived. This was an amazing orchestration of God. Friends in Oregon offered us their 15 passenger van to use. It was not clear on how we would meet up to aquire the van, but God had the perfect plan. The day before we left Alaska, our friends called to tell us that his brother and sister-in-law were flying out of Portland the day we were getting in and they would drive the van up to be there for us. So, an hour after our arrival, they arrived in the van. They unloaded their baggage, we loaded ours in, and off we went.
On our way to spend the night in eastern Washington, we made a stop at Multnomia Falls. It was spectacular!



The van might be a gas guzzler, but it sure does make for roomy travel. This will hopefully make schooling in the van easier.

There are of course many opportunities to learn just by observing and discussing what we see as we travel. As we went we observed and discussed hydro and wind generated electricity. These windmills seemed to line the ridges most of the way to eastern Washington.

We have been in Spokane for a week now while Mark is undergoing Kodiak training.



The accomdations for our family is wonderful. We are staying in student houseing which has been perfect for our family. We have accomplished a lot of school work, getting ahead to lighten our load during weeks of heavy travel. There is also space for the kids to run and have fun too.


Each Sunday, we are visiting different churches to update them on or introduce them to our ministry in Alaska. The kids have been using their CEF training to teach children's church.


Please pray for God's continued blessings and for travel safety. Also pray that we will be as much, if not more, of a blessing to all of those around us.

Summer has come to an end and I think we are almost ready for snow to come. Firewood is piled high, our freezer is stocked with fish, moose, and chicken, our garden is harvested, and in a few weeks we will have some rabbit meat in the freezer as well. The subsistence food raising and gathering we do brings us a great sense of fulfillment. God's provision is bountiful.

Jeremiah and his best buddy were a great help on butchering day.
At the end of the summer Mark spent some time with a village pastor getting him ready to take his plane back to the village to use in his ministry there.

With the beginning of the school year also comes the beginning of Child Evangelism Fellowship after school Good News Kid's Clubs. I (Michele) am coaching a team again this year and the exciting thing is that half my team consists of my own children. Jeremiah joins the ranks this year after getting his training last spring. It is a thrill to have our children directly involved in ministry with us.

Jeremiah gives the task of teaching the kids about Jesus all he's got and the kids love it. Neakita has become much more articulate in her ability to communicate the stories with the kids.

Pray that the Lord will continue to grow them in their ability to communicate the Gospel with others.

I recently had the opportunity to go with Mark to the village of Togiak for the weekend. Mark's job was to transport people to Togiak from surrounding villages to participate in a weekend Singspiration. You can read more about it in a newletter that we will be publishing very soon.

Not only did I get to spend some much needed time away with Mark, I was able to spend much sweet time with a special friend. As a pastor's wife in a rural isolated village, she does not have any person she can freely unburden her heart to. I was able to be that listening ear and sympathetic heart that she so needed at this time. Pray for the pastor wives in the villages, their part in the ministry brings heavy loads for them to shoulder; they need God's strong arms to carry them and His wisdom to deal with everyday situations.

The village of Togiak is beautiful; the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. Commercial fishing is their main source of income. This is a picture of the inside of Togiak Baptist Mission. Construction on the church began seven years ago and it is pretty much complete except for a few details. There are 36 chairs in the sanctuary . . .

. . . and almost all of them have a seat cushion . I remember the first time I saw the cushions on the chairs, I said, "Oh, you really love your congregation!" But not all of them are in tip-top condition, so, I have a request for anyone who would be so bent as to. . .

make a seat cushion with a quilted top for these church chairs. They can be sent to Togiak Baptist Mission, C/O MARC, PO Box 511, Soldotna, AK 99669

Neakita said goodbye to one of her bestest friends yesterday as she moves to Arizona. Please pray the Lord will comfort their broken hearts as the reality of it will begin hit in the weeks and months to come.

Jeremiah has done much of the fishing for the family this summer. He was right by Mark's side all through set net fishing in June, during which time we camped on the beach for two nights. It is always a fun get away for our family. Jeremiah has also gone dip netting twice, once with Mark and once without Mark. Praise God! It is good to have most of our winter supply of fish in the freezer.

Our three oldest children have all enjoyed their times at Bible camp this summer. Neakita and Jeremiah both attended Christian Youth In Action, Child Evangelism Fellowship's training camp. Jeremiah also went to Tanalian Bible Camp in Port Alsworth. Alaina attended Horse Camp at our local Bible camp for the first time (which she earned a scholarship to attend), and Neakita is at Teen Girl's Equestrian Camp this week, which she earned by working at the camp's horse barn for four weeks during the summer. She enjoyed the training and work immensely and looks forward to being a part of that work and ministry next year.

Mark has spent many days and weeks of his summer flying kids to camp from all over the state, mostly in the north west/central area, taking them into Kokrine Hills Bible camp. These flights and the ministry in this area became reality because of volunteer pilots and their Kodiak plane from Flying Under the Son Ministries out of California. Mark has worked very closely with Bill, Matt, and Mark getting them up to par for the flying conditions in Alaska. Most of the flights made and kids that they transported would not have happened without FUTSM.

There are so many testimonies about the impact that summer camp has on the kids from the various villages. The most common is the tears that flow at the end of the week. The kids begin crying a couple day before camp ends because the entire week they have been in a safe and loving enviornment and they become distraught at the reality that they will return home to their insecure and often frightening home life due to alcoholic family members and all the fears and horrors that come with that. Pray that the children and teens will cling to the love of Jesus that they discovered at camp and that they will hold steadfast in their faith. Pray that the Lord will provide solid Christian mentors for them to help them grow in their faith.

A group of teens excited to go to camp.

A view of Kokrine Hills Bible Camp and their new runway. It is located between Tanana and Galena on the Yukon River.

I had the opportunity to go on a day flight with Mark in June. It was a beautiful day and a sweet time visiting precious friends in the midst of doing the job. After dropping Jeremiah off at Tanalian Bible camp and getting some time to chat with friends there (I hadn't seen my friend, Andrea, in years), we headed for Togiak. The purpose of the flight was to pick up a CEF team that had spent several days ministering through Kid's Clubs, but the best part of our ministry is these flights give us the opportunity to develop and build relationships with those we serve. We had a fabulous time visiting with Pastor Paul and Laura. I am fortunate if I get to be face to face with Laura once a year. This is the second time this year we have had opportunity to fellowship, otherwise, our times together are via phone, and only having 100 minutes of long distance calling per month with our phone plan does not give me much opportunity to keep up with everyone I would like to each month (not even our moms and dads).

Paul and Laura treated us like royalty. They provided a delectable lunch for us of carabou rib soup (it reminded me of my grandma's beef bone rice soup, a childhood favorite) and hard boiled Murre eggs on the side. below is a picture of them (that is my hand in the picture, not a child's) and below that a picture of some murres. These eggs were especially a treat to be had because in order to gather them, one must climb cliffs. Keep Paul and Laura in your prayers, Satan greatly strives to keep the native people of Alaska spiritually blinded and it is not easy for native pastor families to make ends meet financially as their lives are devoted to ministry.

We are beginning to gather a harvest from our garden and it continues to grow well, except for the carrots. We are hoping they are just coming in late. We are pleased with the tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, peppers and zuchinni in our greenhouse, and our chickens are ready for butchering. We raised dark cornish chickens this year instead of the cornish cross and we have enjoyed them tremendously more in comparison. We will never do the cornish cross again if we have a choice.

50 chicks in a brooder.

Happy to be in the run.

In June, I hosted a 3-day CEF kid's club in our yard. It is always a highlight of the summer.

This summer has brought more dinner and overnight guests than ever before. We have had a fabulous time with the various ministry families that have come through our home this summer. My ministry dream has always been to have a guest house where I can provide a place to stay for and take care of ministry families that "come to/through town". Well, we are only able to offer them Jeremiah's room and/or the playroom/utility room to sleep in, but I absolutely LOVE every opportunity I have to provide a place they can relax, recoup, and be "loved on" in.

Neakita, Jeremiah, and Alaina all played soccer again this summer. It was a great season with great teammates and great coaches.

Jeremiah is in red. He played goalie for the first time this year and learned the postition well under the tutorage of an excellent coach.

In April, Neakita and Alaina participate in their year end music recital. It is always a treat for us parents and loved ones to watch and see what our children have accomplished over the year.

As always, thank you for your love, prayers, and support of our life in full-time ministry.