Howdy, Folks:

Well, the truck will be here (Quincy) to pick up our stuff on May 13. We have to get everything that we own into two 7 ½' x 7 ½' x 4' crates. Look around your homes, everyone, and contemplate that for a minute. For some reason, Matthew 19:24a keeps running through my head, "And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle . . . " My personal belongings are, of course, vital to the ministry, so I am having to work hard at paring down other nonessential items– i.e., Heidi’s and the kids’ stuff. (You wouldn't believe how unreasonable they're all being about this) Anyway, the truck will take the crates to Chicago, where they will be loaded onto a railroad car. They will then make their way by rail to Seattle, where they will be transferred to a ship. The ship will transport the crates to Nenana, Alaska, which, by the way, rhymes with banana (Nenana, not Alaska), where they will be transferred to a barge. The barge will make its way up the Yukon River to Fort Yukon where we will be waiting, on or about June 7. At least that’s the theory. Pastor Starr has informed me that the Yukon is still clogged with ice that time of year, and he’s never seen the barge arrive that early. Our first couple of weeks should be interesting.

In the last issue, I promised to tell you about three of our bear encounters. I know that you would all be severely traumatized if I failed to deliver, and since I cannot afford the inevitable avalanche of lawsuits that would follow, claiming that I had done irreversible damage to fragile psyches, requiring extensive counseling, therapy, etc., I will keep you in suspense no longer. Here they are.

Bear Story Number One: Our first encounter with a bear was, sadly, not in Alaska, but in British Columbia on our way to Alaska last fall. As we were heading northwest on the Alaska highway early one morning, a very large black bear crossed the road in front of us, and disappeared into the forest on our right. The bear was big enough that we thought at first that it might have been a grizzly. (A couple of days later, when we did see a grizzly, we immediately realized that this one was only a black bear) At any rate, I stopped the van, hoping to get another look at the bear, and maybe even some pictures when Heidi did the unthinkable: she began rolling down the window. Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek filled the van. "Dad!" shouted the kids in unison, "Stop that high-pitched shrieking!" Much like a shell-shocked veteran of some foreign war is disturbed by an unexpected loud noise, I had been catapulted back in time to an event too horrible to remember– a nightmarish event that I had kept buried deep within my subconscious mind for more than thirty years.

I was eight years old. Mom, Dad, my younger brother, Andy, and I were vacationing in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. We had enjoyed a typical breakfast for us– donuts and milk– as we took a drive in the family car, a 1973 Volkswagon Fastback station-wagon. We came upon a bear alongside the road, and Dad stopped so Mom could take some movies with our then state-of-the-art Super 8 movie camera. Mom had her window rolled down about four inches to eliminate the glare from the glass. I was sitting behind her, leaning as far forward as I could to get a good look at the bear. Apparently, this particular bear was accustomed to being fed by passing motorists, and smelling the remainders of our breakfast, figured that he'd waited long enough for a handout, and decided to help himself to the goodies.

Most of my memories are kind of a blur from that point on, but I do vividly recall seeing a large long-clawed paw reaching in through the open window. There was a lot of screaming, and I recall seeing that somehow Mom had made her way to Dad’s lap, though my eyes had been unable to follow the motion. Unfortunately, our VW had a manual transmission, and Mom had knocked it into neutral during her hasty migration to Dad’s side of the car. Part of the screaming was Dad, yelling at Mom, "Get off the gear shift!" Adrenaline flowed like the Yellowstone River that morning. I can't help wondering if that poor bear ever recovered from our verbal assault. It must have been terrifying.

Bear Story Number Two: Our second meeting involved a beautiful blond (grizzly), and would hardly be worth mentioning were it not for Heidi’s inexplicable reaction to the whole thing. A couple of days after the rolled-down-window affair, we came upon a nice looking grizzly just off of the road on the far side. I really wanted to get a picture of it because the photo that I have of a grizzly is of one crossing the road, and I wanted a picture of a bear in a more natural setting. I stopped and jumped out of the van to get my camera which was in the back of the van. The bear was concentrating on some berries or some kind of vegetation that it was eating, and didn't seem to be paying any attention to me. (Heidi claims that it was thinking, "A little closer . . . just a little closer . . .") Anyway, I crossed the road to the bear’s side to get the road out of the picture. At that point, I was about thirty or forty feet from the bear. As I was trying to get the picture co mposed, Andrew, Rachael and Stephen crept up beside me. That made me uneasy, but it occurred to me that since all three of them could outrun me, they were probably not in any real danger. (Memo to self: find that South Beach diet book). The bear didn't seem to like our attention, and retreated into the brush before I could get the shot.

Now for the strange part: when we returned to the van, for reasons known only to her, Heidi was gesturing wildly, and mumbling incoherently about my being into "short-term missions," or something like that. I guess some folks just don't fully appreciate the importance of a good grizzly photo.

Bear Story Number Three: Postponed until next month. This is getting kind of long, and I still have some serious information to give to you. Sorry!

I wanted to take some time to sincerely thank all of you who have had a part in getting us to this point (ready to head up to Fort Yukon). We have prayed all along that this ministry would be a testimony to the truth that God can do anything. Our desire is that He will be glorified through us. We firmly believe that God had answered those prayers in amazing ways, and He has used you folks to do it. Not only has the Lord repeatedly put us in the right place at the right time so that we could talk to the people who could help us along the way, but He has used you to equip us materially for this ministry.

The following is a partial list of things that the Lord has provided through you: Several axes, a pair of chainsaws, tools, electrical equipment, a generator, a GPS unit for the airplane (the airplane that the Lord will provide), a fully equipped camper, a DVD projector, slide projectors, $2000 for a keyboard (piano type, not computer), picture albums, books, firearms (my personal favorite) :~), sermon tapes, an extensive coin collection to be sold and used for the ministry, deeply discounted flying lessons (thanks, Dennis!), quilts, blankets, clothes, two pairs of snowshoes, a beaver pelt, muskrat pelts, a fox fur hat, a case of Pepsi in those old 16 oz. glass bottles in an original wooden Pepsi crate (Thank you, Tim), coffee, and tea (some folks in NJ found out that I am a serious addict, and I have personally kept the Twinnings Co. in business for the past several years). Our sending church, First Baptist of Newfield, NJ, raised more than $40 ,000 during the first two years of our pre-field ministry to help us prepare (flying lessons and equipment, wilderness survival training school, etc.). Heidi’s home church, Berean Baptist in Bunker Hill, IL, publishes this prayer letter for us, saving us not only a lot of funds, but also a lot of labor. Calvary Baptist Church in Quincy, IL, has provided us with a beautiful home this past year– they furnished it for us, and they have not allowed us to pay any rent or utilities. Some of the men at Quincy have also volunteered to build those 7 ½' x 7 ½' x 4' crates that I was talking about. Earl Malpass and Les Zerbe gave generously of their time and knowledge of the villages and needs in Alaska. They both also flew us literally all over the state– and that’s a lot of flying. Pastor Bob Harris of McGrath Road Baptist Church in Fairbanks has worked hard to introduce us to the folks who have been key in our discovery of the Lord’s will for this ministry. The good folks at EBM hav e been used by the Lord to give us direction. They have played a major role in helping us determine the shape of the ministry. Doreen Sundelin of Tabernacle, NJ, has been a huge help in making arrangements to get our crates shipped to AK. Not only did she know who to call, and what questions to ask, but she was able to save us more than $2000 in the process. Many, many people have provided meals and places to stay when we've been on the road presenting the ministry. I couldn't begin to tell you how many notes of encouragement and cards we've received, nor could I begin to list how many times one of you has dropped a check in the mail just when we needed it most. Like I said before, this is only a partial list of things that the Lord has provided us through you. I don't think I could ever cover it all. We can never thank you enough for all you've done.

I've not even mentioned our regular supporters: both churches and individuals. Thank you so much for your faithfulness towards us. This ministry would be impossible without you. I've also not mentioned that there are many of you who have expressed the desire and in many instances, the intent to make the trip up to AK to help us build, and to help with the camp and church planting work in the years to come. I would also like to thank the many pastors who have allowed us to share our burden with their people. I thank you not just for the generous love offerings, but even more for your hospitality, and your fellowship, and most of all, for your prayers.

1) Please pray for Heidi and the kids as they try to finish school before we leave.

2) Please pray for safety as we once again travel the Alaska highway. Related Praise Item: The Lord provided the extra funds ($2036.72) for us to do a bunch of work on the van. We shouldn't have to worry about any breakdowns on the road.

3) Please continue to pray that the Lord will provide the funds for our outfit and passage. It looks like we should have enough to get up there with our stuff at this point, but finances are still going to be tight as we prepare for the winter. Related Praise Item: Thanks to all of you who have sent extra gifts to help with this expense. A special thank you is due First Baptist Church of Medford, NJ, for a very generous gift.

4) Please pray that the Lord will use us for His glory in Fort Yukon. One of the things that Pastor Starr has said that he would like for me to do is to work with the children and young people, teaching music and maybe starting a youth choir. Those of you who know me know that is right up my alley– I love kids and I love music. Please pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of the folks to whom we will minister.

5) Please pray that the Lord will continue to work in the hearts of those that He would have join us, and that He will continue to assemble the team that he has selected for the work.

6) Please pray that the Lord will continue to lead us, and to give us wisdom concerning His will for this ministry.

Well, I guess I'll wrap it up for now. We love you all, and once more, we can never thank you enough for all that you've done for us to this point. This is truly your ministry– well, it’s the Lord’s ministry, but you know what I mean. :~) We are an extension of all of you, and all of your ministries.

Next month: The third bear story, and bon voyage.

Your Fellow Laborers in the Lord,