Christmas is now behind us and we now move on to our next mission trip to Belize.
We will post new updates as we get closer to March

To give a financial gift go to
www.adventive.ca
Choose "DONATE NOW U.S."
and follow the steps to our name.

We need to raise $1800.00 for travel and expenses.

We wish you a Happy New Year with Gods Blessing

Hi Everyone!
It's good to be home for Christmas.  However, we leave behind some of the greatest memories we've had yet as missionaries.....it was our first and most blessed.  The students and staff hold a passionate place in our hearts.  If you are a student reading this, we encourage you to study and remember what you've learned, applying truth from God's Word to your lives.  To Staff, believe that God will supply all of your needs each day.  Be encouraged, knowing the work you do is so important to His Kingdom.

The last few days in Alaska were beautiful....tree hanging with snow, frosted branches and grasslands all covered in a deep blanket of virgin snow.

This week was again a busy and rewarding week. Beside our normal work schedule we were involved in the Wednesday chapel service. There was no one scheduled to speak so staff and students who were willing were asked to either have a musical part or speaking part in the service.
Von & I chose to give a short talk about how the cross and manger are connected and without the manger there would not have been the cross, which is really what Christmas is about.
I made a simple manger scene for the service.

On Thursday gifts for all the students arrived from Plymouth Cov. This is always an exciting time for the students. They are mostly simple gifts but so appreciated. The students cannot believe that someone would give them a gift without knowing them. It was fun to see many of them get things that they really needed or would enjoy.
The day was made special too by the return of one student who had been missing since Nov. 21.
Little had been said about him since his disappearance but the tension could be felt.
There was not much said at his return either but in discussing it with some students, their reply was,
"We thought he was dead."
It is sad to think that this happens too often in their lives and the outcome is not always that the missing person is returned alive and well.
We thank God that he is now back with us.
Thanks too for all the wonderful gifts from PCC.

Serving Him,

Willie & Von 

Sunrise on the Homer Spit.

The sun rises above the mountains at about 10:30 and is visibale for about 6 hours.

 

Speaking at the chapel service.

 

 

 

The manger scene made by Willie for the chapel service

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas coming early when gefts sent by Plymouth Covenant arrived.

You can see her reading and studying the card with the gift.

The cross has many meanings. This was our contribution to the Communion

--- a special candle light service for the students.

The wood came from the nearby forest.

That night chains were broken and souls set free.

There is excitement in the air at ACC. Thanksgiving is happening this week and many students will be taking a little time to visit friends and family. The college will be closed for a few days so all students will be off campus.
Another exciting thing has been the first significant snow amount for the winter. While we Minnesotans look at it with a ho hum attitude, the students love it and run out in it to play with it.
These young adults look like six year olds throwing and kicking snow at each other.
My fun (Willie) with the snow was a three hour time in a Bobcat moving snow off the parking area. My partner in crime Harvey ran the plow truck while I cleaned up the small areas not so easily accessable with the truck.
The snow here has brought on something the locals here call "black ice." I am familiar with the term in Mn. but here every accident is blamed on it and there seems to be a sort of fear of it. We have been very comfortable driving but with caution to not go too fast and not take the corners to fast.
Weather contitions can change very quickly here due to the closeness to the ocean water and mountains.
The third bit of excitement was that we lost all electrical power for about 5 hours. It is amazing how much we depend on our electrical power and how much it is missed when it is out.
Thankfully the power came on when it got dark and we were back in heat and light.
Also it was the night of the staff student Thanksgiving gathering. The kitchen here is on an emergency generator so the meal was ready on time and enjoyed by all.

At this Thanksgiving time we are so thankful for the opportunity to be here and tp serve ACC.
We are thankful too for our health, for the students and staff who we've come to know and love.
May God bless you.

Party at Judy's house.

Above is salmon dip

 

The reason why the kids came!

This is Darren hand mixing agoutak (Eskimo icecream) in a bowl

First he mixes Crisco and sugar well with some milk. 

When it becomes creamy, dried halibut is added and again mixed until creamy.

Finally berries native to Alaska are added.

It is then ready to refrigerate and eat.

YUM for some! 

 

 

Fun and games of "Scrabble" and "Things"

Lots of laughs

In an earlier posting we showed the generator cover partially done.
This photo shows the cover (roof, posts, gable and snow plow guard stakes) completed.
Most of this project (money) and installation involved in connecting the generator was done in memory of a volunteer who spent many summers at ACC.

This hat was hand made by one of the students from seal skin and beaver.
All the stitching is hand done. He was taught how to do this by his mother.

 

 

Our trip to Exit Glacier, near Seward

ACC students...

with Von and Lois(staff)

Campus Mother Moose and young adult baby. Time for mother and "baby" to part....it's mating seasons soon and time to "moose" on....

Campus grounds

Six staff members walked the campus, touched each building and prayed for each student this week.

Prayer Chapel

Beading in the library on Friday afternoon!  What a treat to  see what comes so naturally to some of the students.  I struggled to make a string of beads for a hair piece. The beading is so beautiful as you can see in these photos

We have finished our first week.
Willie has been busy with helping Harvey the maintenance person on campus.
We have been making repairs to machinery and preparing the vehicles for winter.
In Alaska this means putting on winter tires with studs.
I disassembled an engine for a snowblower but am waiting on parts to reassemble it.
There is no problem finding things that need repair, the problem is that there is always a problem of finding funds to actually do the repair.

Von worked in the development department.
-Preparing church packets of student profile Christmas ornaments.
These are photos of each student that tells a little of their lives and where they are from.
They are used to raise funds for student tuition.
-Preparing centerpeices for the annual fundraiser to be held in Anchorage Oct. 26 which we will attend. This ACC banquet raises major funds for the entire school year.

We hope to post videos of  

the dance and music drama that will be performed by the students next weekend.
We hope you will enjoy the native dance and emotional drama that gives testimony to these students past and current victory in their lives.

Willie & Philip

V on & Angel

 We are "home!"
Yesterday we made the journey from Anchorage to Soldotna.
We have made this trip a number of times before but never have seen the beauty that was all around us as we made the 3 hour drive through mountain passes and along rivers surrounded by birch and aspen trees in full color.
It has been raining here a lot and as we began our drive it was as if God was smiling down on us from the mountain tops as the sun broke through the clouds and shown down on the green of the spruce and yellow of the aspen with snow on the mountain peaks.
We arrived at ACC in time to see a number of the staff and greet them with hugs and cookies.
Our appartment is very comfortable and close to the campus.
We made a trip to the local Wal Mart to get some final supplies to make this home.
Meals have been at the dining room with students. They are reletively friendly, respectful and quickly tell wherevthey are from as well as their stories.
It is good to have the weekend to get aquainted with some of them and get settled.

I am pictured with Eugene, one of the students. He is in his second year here and became a Christian while attending last year.
Many of the students give up a lot when they become a Christian. It is a happy and sad time because they have to leave their old life behind.
More later

Oct ACC Newsletter

Alaska Christian College... A Family Tradition  Darren grew up in the small city of Dillingham (known as Curyung in Yup'ik) with a big family. His family was Russian Orthodox and as a young child they attended that church, although he says he remembers only going on holidays. As an elementary school student he went to Sunday school at the Moravian church.  That is where he was introduced to the Tanalian bible camp.  He has been going there from third grade all the way through high school. It was at Tanalian that he came to know God personally, beginning his relationship with Christ in 6th grade.  During that last year of camp he was introduced to Alaska Christian College. "I didn't think about it until a year later. My cousin came to ACC in 2009 and she came back after the first semester and tried to convince me to come. She kept asking me to come over and over, until finally I decided to give it a try. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I ended up loving it here." Darren is now starting his second year at ACC. He has dreams of pursuing a business degree after he graduates from ACC. When asked what he likes most about ACC, Darren pauses to find the right words. "ACC is a close community. It's more than just school- it's family." When a student decides to come to ACC, it can change not only that student, but their whole family, and even their entire village. Your giving enables our ACC to make a difference in villages all over Alaska. Quyana! Darren from Dillingham, Alaska The Fall 2013 Student Body of ACC- Our largest class in history! ACC Vision Dinner   Saturday, October 28  5pm Changepoint Church Anchorage, Alaska   RSVP here! Li With classes well underway, students studying is a common sight around campus Prayer Requests Please continue to pray for retention! Pray for the upcoming Vision Dinner Pray for our students who are beginning to feel the pressure of being away from the village and everything they have ever known Students work in the Northern Light Classroom Stay connected with us!          35109 Royal Place Soldotna, Alaska 99669 907.260.7422