We finally have rain.

Many of you are aware that Alaska has been on fire for about two weeks now. After a dry winter and spring, our forests were simply primed and ready to burn. As of right now, the Funny River fire has burned over 180,000 acres. The smoke has reached as far north as Tok. Grab a map. Be amazed. There were a few days last week where the kids needed to stay indoors due to smoke and haze. Andrew has pretty nasty allergies and Ruthie was sick with an upper respiratory bug.  Thankfully, the rain and cooler temperatures are aiding the fire fighters in their task of containing the fire. Please continue to pray for the Kenai, Soldotna and Kasilof communities. We will keep you updated on Facebook. 

In other news, we've experienced some "completions" this past month. Andrew completed his Upward Basketball season. He had an amazing time. Made some great friends and rediscovered his love for the game. Ruthie and Andrew both completed their fifth year of homeschooling. Woohoo! We are now the proud parents of a seventh grader and fourth grader. 

Yes, we now have a kid in youth group.

They promote sixth graders early at our church, so he's already experienced his first youth worship. Youth Group. Student Ministry. Unbelievable. It's a New Beginning for the Belmores. We are definitely excited about this stage in Andrew's life! He is growing up way too fast. 

Ruthie is becoming a lovely young lady. Dana and the kids have been babysitting a friend's two little boys when needed. Ruthie's ability to mother those little guys is a joy to watch. She's a brilliant babysitter in the making. 

Scott and I have been given the honor of attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore next week. We have been invited by the North American Mission Board for WMU's 125 year Celebration Missionary Commissioning Service. We are excited to represent our family, the state of Alaska, and Alaska Missions and Retreats. 

In closing, May has been a month of family and friend visits, hiking, mission teams, nasty colds, and flexibility. Pray for our family. Our hectic season is in full swing. Our first mission team has come and gone for Kodiak Crab Fest. Summer Missionaries have arrived and the first volunteer team for Mission Anchorage is here now. We have a full and exciting summer ahead. Pray for balance, rest, deepened relationships, great learning experiences, needs to be met, and the Gospel to go forth. Thank you for standing in the gap for us. 


A story from the field...Lemonade, Power Tools and the Gospel

Spirited. But hurting and missing his wife.

 

These are just a few of the words our volunteer team and summer missionaries would use to describe the 85 year old retired Navy veteran. Widowed just a few short years, he now has difficulty taking care of his Kodiak summer home. All repairs and housework are solely left to him. And his health has been declining since his wife's death. 

 

"Hard to find good help around here." He's been dealing with not only grief, but frustration. Growing old definitely isn't easy. Especially when your house is located on a steep hill. He's been struggling to keep up with the mounting workload.

 

And then our team arrived on his front doorstep. Armed with eagerness, encouragement and several killer weed-eaters, they were determined to tackle to job. And love on a hurting man. This group of "youngsters" cleaned up the muck and mire left behind by an Alaskan winter, listened to story after story of this vet's world travels since enlistment, and surrounded him as they lifted him up in prayer. 

 

Scott made a run by the house to check on the team. This tough, aging Navy veteran was parked on the road out front. He spotted Scott coming, opened his truck door, leaned out and hollered, "Hey! These guys are awesome!" 

 

There are many more hurting men and women in need like our Navy veteran in Kodiak. Gary Elmore, pastor of Frontier Baptist Church, knows this all too well. Whether they come by way of summer homes, Native villagers, Coast Guard or fishermen, many arrive on the island in pain and without Jesus. Alaska Missions seeks to get behind and undergird the ministry of Frontier Baptist in any way we can. Handing out hot cocoa and lemonade at the Crab Festival, picking up trash, cleaning up houses and yards, staining decks, stacking firewood, roto-tilling, replacing siding at Kodiak Christian Fellowship, pressure washing, moving gravel, praying with festival goers as they come by for a free drink...it's all about meeting needs, breaking down walls, in order to share the Gospel of Christ.

 

Pray for Gary Elmore and Frontier Baptist Church as they continue to minister to the people of Kodiak. Thank you to the teams who volunteered their time, energy and hearts to share Jesus with Kodiak. Thank YOU for partnering with us as we seek to walk this amazing journey in the Last Frontier. 

 

1. Michelle Prince from Nacogdoches, TX; Tarleton State University, Animal Science

2. Sadye Dudley from Lafayette, LA; Louisiana State University in Eunice, Radiation Tech.

3. Allison Dufour from Valley Center, CA; Stephen F. Austin State University, Child & Family Dev.

4. Brock Langley from Collins, MS; Jones County Jr. College, Spanish

5. Brittany Cox from Hawkins, TX; Texas A & M, Child & Family Studies

6. Alex Tisdale from Ellisville, MS; Jones County Jr. College, General Studies

7. Cody Younger from Jonesville, NC; Graduate from North Greenville University, Christian Studies (third year with AKMR)

8. Mary Katherine Good from Columbus, MS; Mississippi State University, Educational Psychology

9. Megan Anderson from St. Joseph, MO; Southwest Baptist University, Christian Ministry

10. Dawson Shannon from Ruston, LA; Louisiana Tech University, Political Science

11. RJ Osborne from Marquez, TX; Texas Tech University, Graphic Design (second year with AKMR)

12. Earl Wiser from Kingston, NY; Texas A & M, Electrical Engineering (second year with AKMR)

 

These twelve staffers will be working hard all summer! They will be leading volunteer teams in six different parks around Anchorage, providing free lunches for children ages birth-18 years old, leading Kids' Club, and hosting Block Parties once a week. They will also be working on service projects in our local churches and at Alaska Baptist Family Services. 

 

We are also thrilled to welcome back Jackie Alvarez, from Austin, Texas. She will be working in Soldotna with the Kids' Club at Farnsworth Park, as well as developing intentional relationships with college workers at the various Cooper Landing resorts. We are also excited to have Grant Landry from Lafayette, Louisiana joining us in a year long internship. He will also be working with our expanding ministry on the Kenai Peninsula. 

 

God has many amazing things in store for these missionaries. They each come with their own unique skill set, spiritual gifts and strengths. They have already become a strong team. Be praying for each of them as they are challenged, stretched and encouraged to share Christ in the Last Frontier. We are ready for Summer 2014!