Put up the tent, take down the tent, put up the tent, take down the tent, put up the tent, take down the tent…

Two weeks in June were filled with put the tent up and take the tent down – five times per night. Six ministry teams from Grace Church held twelve 5-day VBS-style camps in the neighborhoods surrounding the church.

Our teammate Sara, intern David and short-termer Karissa were a travelling animal balloon making team, spending each night at a different site. The puppet team also worked its way through the different camps. Both were big hits with the kids.

We began setting up the six tents at 4 p.m., one every half hour so that I could get from location to location with the equipment needed. The red van was the rolling storage bin for five of the teams. We would then repeat the process after a few hours in taking them all down. In all, over 500 children attended the camps.

The fact that the camps took place at all is a bit of a miracle. They were scheduled to begin on Monday, June 7 at 4 p.m. At 10 a.m. Monday morning we were still waiting for the final approval by the local authorities so that we could hold the camps. Without the paperwork in hand, the camps could not take place. Due to a variety of factors, the process had dragged on and on and on….. and it wasn’t clear which way it would go.

On Sunday, we gathered the teams together after the morning service for prayer and an update. So everyone prepared and then we waited, van loaded and with the “engine running.” By 1:30 p.m. the final approval was given, with the “warning” that the committee would be visiting all ministry sites to observe and ensure that the program was safe for the children. Individuals quickly made copies of all the documents so that team would have them on hand for any inquisitive authorities etc. which actually only happened once. Praise the Lord!

Wow, what a night!  We laughed, we celebrated, we renewed old friendships.  As support staff in the home office, I communicate regularly with the field missionaries by email and I read their newsletters.  But it is such a joy to see them face to face and to hear their stories of the amazing work God is doing around the world.  As our US Director, Phil Baur, says, "they are our heroes." 

We also took time to rejoice in the work God has done in the Philippines.  God used SEND missionaries, among others, over seven decades to engage the unreached and establish reproducing churches.  The missionaries were so successful that they have worked themselves out of a job.

It's such a blessing to be part of an organization that takes its job of reaching the lost seriously and yet finds joy and humor in life. I'm excited to see what happens during the rest of the week!

Recently after coming home exhausted from a second week of camp, I still had to prepare for a memorial service for a young man who was killed in an automobile crash in June. I was just about to get ready for bed when the Lord laid it on my heart to go up and visit with the family even though it was close to midnight. Sleep was sounding real good. Following the Lord's direction I went.

When I got there, the mom and the girlfriend of the man bombarded me with all sorts of questions about death and end times and how they were grieving over their loss. God gave me a great opportunity and words to say as I shared the gospel with them. The girlfriend says she accepted Christ at a young age, but is living as she said "a sinful life."

Please pray for these women that they will think on the scriptures that were shared that night and that the truth of God's word would change their hearts.

Leaving at around 1:30am, I rejoiced that the Lord had led me there that night and He was working in their hearts long before the visit.
-Tim

We are getting ready for the Adult English Camp that starts on July 24th. This is an evangelistic camp geared to people who are interested in learning English. The ages range from people in their 20s to some in their late 70s. Our theme for this year is "Choose Life" from the verse in Deuteronomy 30:19 "Now choose life so that you and your children may live."

In past years, we have helped as discussion leaders and English teachers, however, this year we are the directors so we have been preparing the schedules, coordinating with the helpers and other things. PLEASE PRAY: that many campers will come and that God will prepare their hearts to hear the gospel. Pray for the team that is coming from the US to help us, that they will have a safe trip here and will recover from jet lag and adjust to the muggy weather.  Please pray for stamina and strength for us as we finish moving and get ready for camp.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of refine is “...to free from impurities or unwanted material, to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing.” Recently, the Northern Light Network entered into this painful but productive process!

In May, SEND North leadership told the NLN they were spinning us off to be an independent ministry. In June, NLN leadership announced a radical new vision for the three radio stations, KCAM, KRSA, and KVRM.

The staff nervously listened during an “all hands on deck” meeting to hear the new vision for NLN. Turns out...it makes sense and got us all pretty excited!

Previously, the radio stations were working mostly independently from each other at three separate locations. The new plan is to have all three stations operating out of the KCAM building in Glennallen which has been renamed Northern Light Network Studios. All of the NLN people will now be under one roof, able to support all of the stations together. This will allow us to make better use of our resources and will give each station the best chance for success.

It is a big change in that staff from other areas will need to move to Glennallen, unity as a network reaching the unreached is now our focus, and job titles have been tweaked. Instead of Station Managers and Program Directors, we have divided the network into two parts lead by two leaders. Jeff is in charge of all the financial and physical decisions for the network. Our new teammate, Daryl Carlson, is in charge of all the radio and programming decisions.

Ann is the KVRM advocate and will continue to focus on that station and target Alaska Natives. She now has a team of people to work with along with the Advisory Board and three studios at her disposal! KVRM also has some money to work with now and a source of income with the profits the two commercial stations will bring in.

Ann’s main concern with the sudden changes was what the native folks on the Advisory Board would think since we had just moved out into our own space in the SEND Administration building. Thankfully, everyone seems on board and agrees that it makes sense to work together and have the station be in the former KCAM building. Praise God!