Urgent Prayer Request

As many of you have read in our most recent posts, we are now without a meeting place for services. Since the facts of that situation have already been mentioned in the post, New Challenges (June 2011), I will not repeat the details. We have been holding Sunday school in a soccer field across the street from our home. The adults have been meeting in the living room/bedroom of our small cottage. Now that VBS is behind us, we are left with a month or two before the weather will begin to change and the rains and colder temperatures will prevent us from holding Sunday school outside.  We are looking into several options including the purchase or renting of commercial property to use as a church building.  Our initial plan is to get the house we have been working on for the past two years to a point where we could live in it. You can see the construction progress as it happens step by step on our blog, Construction Zone. Once we have moved our family into the new house we can then remove the walls, brick stove, and anything else we can from the cottage we have been living in for the past five years. We will then remodel the cottage to turn it into one large Sunday School room for youth and children’s ministries. We designed the new house with the ability to turn a large part of the first floor into a meeting place if necessary so that is where the adult services will be held. We can do the work, but we need funds for this to happen in a timely manner. We have to finish this work by the end of August. September will bring the first freeze and we must have everything weather tight. Please remember us and this need in your prayers. If you would like to help with this remodeling project please contact us. 

Final Day - VBS 2011

The Lord gave us a beautiful day on Friday for our final day of VBS. The kids are always excited to see Friday come around since that is PRIZE DAY! For all the verses memorized, worksheets completed, good behavior and participation in games, daily attendance, and visitors invited, the kids receive points which they  can "spend" in the prize store on Friday. David and I have almost as much fun purchasing the prizes as the children do "buying" them! 

Below are a few photos and highlights from Friday. We are grateful for another great VBS this summer. Thank you for your prayers. We have already been asked when the next VBS will be! Even though we have held it in the summer time each year, we would love to hold one during the winter months. Inside of course!

Dee leading the children in singing, "How can I get to Heaven?"

Dee playing the "ice cream" review game with the children after the Bible lesson. 

The older kids really enjoy it when Nancy leads the review game with the boys competing against the girls.

Nancy and Katie face painting while the children wait to shop at the prize store.

The kids all gathering around to see what the prizes are for this year!

Everyone who didn't have a chance to shoot the water balloon sling shot
was able to today!

Another blessing to add - on Sunday morning following VBS, Dee had THREE first-time visitors in her Sunday school class. Praise the Lord!

Day 2 - VBS 2011

Day two of VBS was held on Thursday of the week due to heavy rain on Wednesday. The temperatures were not very warm but the kids returned to the soccer field for a great day of fun. The theme for the day was, "The heart determines our character." Memory verse was  Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."  We enjoyed songs, a Bible lesson about David, snacks, and games. Thursday also happened to be a holiday here called "Ivana Kupala". Children really enjoy this holiday since it gives them the opportunity to throw, shoot with a water gun, splash or pour water on anyone brave enough to be outside on this day. (That is the only way we have seen this holiday really being celebrated.) For the last few years our VBS week has fallen during this holiday, which means since the kids are already soaking everyone around them, we play water games! However, with this year's weather the blessing for all of us workers was that not one person was outside trying to throw water on anyone! We did take this into consideration and decided not to play any water games which would cause the kids to get wet. A few years ago, while David and I were on furlough, purchased a large water balloon sling shot. We pulled it out and put it to use this year and the kids loved it! The sling shot did draw some attention from passers by as people stopped to see from where the water balloons were being launched! Matt Nortchutt and his wife, Katie, also came out to help this year with VBS. Matt taught the kids a fun way to play basketball outside which they all enjoyed. One definite blessing of us being outside in the open air for all to watch is that the parents, grandparents, friends, and even those who still wonder about us are able to see and hear the children laughing, playing, and having fun. It is a great advertisement!

Singing songs

Dee teaching the younger children's Bible lesson.

David teaching older children's Bible lesson.

Snack time!

Game Time!

Outdoor basketball game.

David showing the kids how to shoot the water balloon sling shot.

Great Beginning to VBS

Tuesday's weather was perfect as we began our first day of VBS. An even greater blessing was seeing the children come from all sides of the soccer field where we are meeting to attend. We had 25 kids registered and at least 10 more who came by or sat a bit and watched during the game time! We were very pleased as the first day is usually the lowest since the children do their best each day to invite other children in order to receive more points for the week.
Here are a few photos to share with you. There will definitely be more to come!

Setting up the tents.

David playing soccer with the kids until the activities began.

Nancy (who helps us every year with VBS) registering the older children.

Opening prayer.

Dee Dee explaining the point system.

First Day of VBS

Just as we we were concerned about the weather affecting our VBS week, we had so much rainfall last night and today which made it impossible to meet outside for the first day. We were all saddened that we would have to delay the beginning of the program a day, but we pray that tomorrow we can enjoy the sunshine the weather reports are promising.
We went out to the soccer field on time this morning to see if any children were in sight. We received a call from one girl saying that her mother would not allow her to come due to the heavy rain. We spotted one boy in the distance and drove to him quickly to get him out of the rain and take him home. As we have a point system for the children to use to "buy" toys and other items at the end of the week, David and I decided to give this faithful little guy some extra points for being in his place for VBS! Please pray for a great week despite our rained out first day. We had some teen boys come to our house in the evening to check if they missed today and ask about tomorrow!
One more positive note as a result of the building situation - since we have been out in the soccer field for Sunday school these past three weeks, people have been asking us why we are meeting there instead of at the cultural building. When we explain the decision that was made they all offer to give their signature or support us in any way we may need it.  Praise the Lord!

Preparing for Vacation Bible School 2011

Within a few days after finding out that we would no longer be able to hold services in the cultural building, we found out who to talk to in order to find out the reason for this decision. We prayed about this decision to talk with the administration and along with finding out the reason for the decision we wanted to ask permission to use the building for VBS as it was then only a week away. The village leadership has changed in the last 6 or 8 months and now a lady holds the main position. We also recently found out that the previous leadership had written a letter which they kept on file in the office of the cultural building stating that he was aware of the fact that we held services in the building and was for it. In this meeting with the new lady in office, she expressed that this was a decision made from the regional administration above her. The members of the commission who made their rounds through the village happened to remember that five years ago when we met for our first VBS in the school, there was a complaint from one of the mothers. (Some of you may remember that situation from our prayer letters.) When we inquired as to why after five years we are being told to stop holding services and as to if there had been any complaints, we were told "Yes, there was a complaint. Remember when you met at the school five years ago?" So, even though that was the only reason she could give us, we explained that we understood about Sunday school not being held there anymore and that we would respect her decision. She told us we also could not use the building for our upcoming VBS, but that we could use the soccer field, where we have already been meeting for Sunday school. In years past, we had used the soccer field for games only. In order to hold the whole week of activities there we would need to figure out some way to provide shelter in case of rain.
Praise the Lord we found out about two "gazebo" type tents that another missionary had purchased to use for Sunday school at the church in the city. He agreed to let us use those which would provide some shade and rain protection. Once we were sure about where exactly VBS would be held, we got to work on printing out the announcements and invitations we would use to invite the children as well as the other materials necessary during the week which we had already been working on including; songbooks, daily worksheets, coloring sheets, etc.

Dee printing and Rebekah cutting the VBS  invitations

Cutting invitations and stuffing the larger posters into protective covers.

Preparing the songbooks

Our theme for this year is "Keep thy Heart" from the verse in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." We ask you to pray with us for the Lord to do great things this year. David and I will be teaching the lessons and three other missionaries will come out each day to help and assist with games and other activities. Please pray for safety and a good week for everyone involved!

Back Online

We are very happy to be able to post from our home computer that we are back online after our long absence. We are so thankful for the new company that came as they said they would to connect our internet yesterday evening. We are looking forward to updating you on this blog as well as the others just as soon as we can over the next few days. Thank you for continued prayers for our family and ministry.