Rogers Update - 4/18/2013
April 18, 2013
Dear Friends,
On April 23rd Beabea and I fly to Alaska and return on July 9th. Most of that time we will be spending in Fort Yukon, a Native American community on the Yukon river just north of the arctic circle. We will be carrying on the ministry of David and Heidi Craig among the Athabascan people. The village has a population of about 600 and is located 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks. It is accessible by plane, boat (during the warm months), and dog sled (during the winter). (Of course you could hike, but don’t feed the bears or annoy the moose.) The weather man says that when we arrive in Fort Yukon, they will be having a heat wave in the low 40’s with some chance of snow or rain. (Not bad!!!) We will have an opportunity to watch the ice breakup on the Yukon River. (That should be interesting...) When we leave in July, it could easily be 80 degrees.
Pray for our ministry as we seek to be an encouragement to the believers at Fort Yukon as well as reaching out to those who do not know Christ. Pray that we will be wise in our understanding on how to communicate and respond respectively to the precious people of this historic and rugged area of Alaska. We have already spent time in Fort Yukon and have a developing relationship with those there. We look forward to growing those relationships.
After we return from Alaska, I will head to Utah (later part of July) to spend some time with Daniel and Aja Long. They are doing a church plant in Orem, Utah. It will be great to see them again, and I look forward to having the opportunity to encourage them in their efforts to reach into the community. Pray for Beabea as well. She will be returning to her caregiver job which has become a very special ministry for her.
We send out updates by email between the hardcopy newsletters. The last two updates have been very personal about my parents. We have had a very positive response from them with many people suggesting that I put portions of those emails into this prayer letter. I have decided to do that suggestion. I hope it does not seem too redundant for those who have received the original updates.
December 2012 Update:
On Christmas morning, while families around the world opened presents, my mother, Martha Rogers, went home to be with the Lord. Without a doubt, she received the best present of all. Yesterday, Mom spent her first full day in Heaven, enjoying Christ, the Lord. I am sure she is visiting with my Uncle Tell (her brother) who as a pastor on earth encouraged me greatly in the ministry. She has probably given Grandpa and Grandma (her parents) a hug as well as spending some precious time in worship at the throne!
Mom lived an honest and pure Christian life – nothing about it was artificial or pretend. She had a Doctorate in the Bible, but she was able to share biblical truth in simple and usable terms. She led me to the Lord when I was five using John 3:16. Before marrying my dad, she served as a missionary in the hills of Kentucky. She became famous there during an emergency situation and was known as the only woman to drive a vehicle up Stinking Creek, Kentucky! I had such a privilege of growing up in a home with a mom and dad that loved the Lord. I was encouraged at a young age to study the Bible which ultimately led to me recognizing God’s call to missions in my life. I will never forget what Mom wrote me on my first short-term mission trip to Utah. Her words were, “Your dad and I are so happy that you are serving the Lord, but it doesn’t surprise us. You were given to the Lord before you were born.”
February 2013 Update:
After… (my mother’s) funeral, I was able to spend some time with my father, Iley Rogers. Dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and was having difficulty understanding what was happening. It was difficult having to tell him several times that mom had gone to heaven. Perhaps one of the most precious, but challenging, moments took place the day after the funeral. I was sitting, talking with Dad, when he asked me who I was. I told him I was his son, John. He looked surprised and said, “Do you know John Rogers? My son, John, is a missionary just like you…” He continued telling me what a great servant of God John Rogers was. He went on for several moments, thanking the Lord for what God was doing through his son, John. I had tears in my eyes as I listened and was finally able to say again, “Dad, I am your son, John.” Then I told him that my brother, Bill, was here as well as our sister, Judy. He paused and tears began to flow from his eyes, and he said, “I am so sorry that I did not know you. What kind of father am I that I do not recognize my own children?” I shared with him that he had been the best kind of father and that all his children loved the Lord and lived for God. That comforted him, and I gave him a hug. I thought, Dad, it doesn’t matter now what you remember. What counts is how you lived before us through the years we were in your home. 48 years I have served God, and you and mom prepared me to do that. Dad smiled and said, “Martha is in heaven now, isn’t she?” I told him, “Yes.” He looked at me, and for a moment, I could see in my dad’s eyes the comprehension, sharp and clear, that I remembered growing up with. Dad said, “I miss her, and I look forward to being with her.”
Alaska bound!
John (and Beabea) Rogers
7265 West 320 South
Russiaville, IN46979
(765) 319-3090
Commissioning Church:
Shepherd Road Baptist Church
P.O. Box 1054
Mulberry, FL 33860
Barnabas Enrichment MinistriesP.O. Box 229
Elkhart, IN46515-0229(765) 667-2532
Please send all financial gifts to Barnabas Enrichment Ministries with a note designating the gift for the ministry of John & Beabea Rogers.
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