How Great the Father's Love for Us

Hey sorry I've been slacking on updating! Our team usually gets back by 12, and after the long day, I have been passing out when I get back -_-. That being said, this is what I'm going to do. For those of you who have been praying for me and the team, I will post this blog for you to have an updated prayer, and then hopefully later today/Friday, I will update day by day reflections/updates for you to read. Okay?

Today (Thursday) was pretty eventful, we got to see the Send North Office as well as a fish wheel, where we saw salmon get caught and filleted. For the program I think we've finally grasped the idea of being flexible yet still structured. We had planned out seperate and joint activities for both the younger kids and the teens, and in my opinion, we were able to run a little bit smoother than normal. After our program, we hung out with Rodney, and he showed us different spots where there was amazing scenery. The first spot we went to, was overlooking a river and there was a clear shot of a mountain. The sad part of it though, was that there were beer cans littered ALL over the place, and Rodney said many people come to this spot just to drink. I was so surprised that such a breathtaking view could be overlooked by a local drinking hangout spot. After that we went to another scenic look out on the way back to our cabin. On the way there Ernest took out his guitar and we started singing worship songs, even while walking from the car to the second area.

When we got there, there was basically this large cliff like area that overlooked the river, a never ending forest of trees and a huge mountain in the distance. If I could pick a word to describe it, it was majestic. And as we sang worship songs and meditated, I just felt so moved by the beautiful surroundings, I was heart broken. For me, it was just sad to think that in such a beautiful place, where God is clearly evident through his amazing creation, was so hard to see/reach because the Native people had such broken lives. Working with these kids that have so many layers of emotions built up at such a young age, and not knowing the hope that we have in God, just made me so sad. I thanked God for being so amazing, and at the same time I wept for the brokenness of the local Ahtna people.

Prayer Requests:
- That God will continue to work through our ministry and the relationships we are creating.
- That God will continue to reveal his plan and the people he wants us to minister to.
- That many of the Ahtna Natives that are still living broken lives, may find peace and hope in God.
- Most of the team members are still sick, please pray for our health, that we can muster up our strength for the last few days of our Glennallen ministry.

God Bless!

Flexibility

So yesterday was the first day of our camp, and I must say when they told us to be flexible, I didn't think it would be this flexible. We had planned a message, skit, craft, games, etc. and we barely did anything we planned. I guess this is God's way of showing us again that it's not about us, we just have to remain faithful and trust in him. I am really glad that we had some teens come out for our program, as well as some younger ones that wanted to tag along.

It really touched me how simple the Natives' lifestyle is, yet they are so grateful. At church when they shared prayer requests, they had more praises than requests. And when some of the kids were showing us where their houses were; to me, it looked so small and simple, but to them it was their home and they loved it. It made me see how different our culture is from theirs. We spend so much time focusing on our material things, that we take for granted our 4 bedroom houses and 2 cars and all the other things we have. It really opened my eyes to be more thankful for the blessings I have rather than grumbling all the time.

Another thing is something Mrs. Hui mentioned, is that some teams come in and they're just the sowers, some are the waterers (i know it's not a word), and some are the reapers. It was encouraging to hear, because I'm a person that likes to reap what I sow. Oh Christine of such little faith, I was too impatient to wait for God to work, but just wanted to see what would result from my efforts. It really checked my attitude for the rest of the trip to just work faithfully and let God work out his plan and just trust that what we are doing here during this time, is all working towards the bigger picture.

Prayer Requests:
- That our team will continue to work faithfully for God's glory, and that our conversations and actions are pleasing to him
- For those that are seeking something more from their life, and that the Bible Conference would be a blessing to them.
- For wisdom for learning how to deal with the situations that we're facing >> the teens are very aloof at what's going on and there are lot of barriers to break
- That God will help us prepare for the people that He's going to send for us to work with

Ciao-der!