Rogers Update - 6/25/13
June 25, 2013
Dear Friends,
Greetings from the frozen north that is now about 85 degrees and feeling very warm. It has been in the 90’s on some days! Question: What does Alaska in summer have in common with Heaven? No darkness!! It is now daylight with the sun in the sky 24 hours a day in FortYukon. It swings up in the sky during the day and moves above the horizon at night. We are truly in the land of the midnight sun. We just passed the longest day of the year last Friday (June 21st) and now the clock is ticking in the direction of winter darkness. It will be awhile though before that happens, and we will be long gone by then. One of the elderly ladies here in the village asked us what it was like where we lived in Indiana. We told her that it was dark at night there. Her response was, “I don’t believe I could live anywhere it was dark during the summer!”
Another interesting aspect of this time of year is the mosquitoes are now everywhere. There are two types. One type is bigger and slower and easy to kill. The other type is small and quick and almost impossible to terminate. Dale, the young Alaskan Native we have been mentoring on a weekly basis, calls the small mosquitoes little ninjas. They come out of nowhere, bite, and run! We have some hand held zappers that are like tennis rackets that we swing at them and electrocute them, but they are still not easy to get. (I have to share that I have killed some of these little critters in hand to hand combat, squishing them when I clap my hands together. Remember the ancient saying, “He that can squish mosquitoes with hand accomplish anything!” Maybe that was not an accurate quote….) Beabea and I have had several nights of fierce fighting before we go to bed. I have to admit that I have not seen mosquitoes of this quality since being in the delta jungle area of Venezuela!
The ministry here has been very special. Beabea and I have enjoyed getting to know the people of the village. It is such a privilege to be a part of their lives. The issues they face are very challenging. In the midst of the hardship we have observed the love of the people in the little church here. We have been involved in many activities including preaching and teaching four times a week. Beabea is either doing children’s church or nursery four times a week. In addition to that we have been leading a Kid’s Night most every week on Thursday evening and doing a Ladies Bible Study on Friday morning. During the Kid’s Night we are averaging about 18 children with a high of about 28. Beabea has been doing a wonderful ministry with the children. Not only is she teaching Children’s Church, she also helps pick up kids with the van. Including Kid’s Night, she is around them a lot. It is special to see them wave at her as we go about the village. Beabea is also building a good relationship with the ladies as well, and everyone loves it when she brings goodies on Sunday morning when it is her turn!
I have mentioned Dan and Cheryl Sastic before. Dan is the local clinic doctor. He and Cheryl moved here a few years back to help David and Heidi Craig in the ministry. (Remember, David and Heidi are the special missionary couple we are temporarily replacing here in FortYukon.) I cannot praise God enough for Dan and Cheryl Sastic. They are without a doubt God sent to this place for such a time as this. They are willing servants who give of themselves continually. It has been such a joy to partner with them in ministry during our time here. Please pray for them as they help continue the ministry with others after we leave on July 5th. (There are speakers scheduled to replace us after we depart. They will finish out part of the time until the Craigs get back in late August. There is also a ministry team coming for the week after we leave. The Sastics will be the coordinators for all of this.)
It is difficult to believe that our time is drawing to a close. We will truly depart with mixed emotions. We don’t deny that it will be good to get home. (We are expecting grandkids to show up shortly after we return to Indiana.) Yet, there will be sadness in departing. We have truly come to love the people of Fort Yukon, Alaska. We desire that you continue to pray for these precious ones above the Arctic Circle. As I said before, we fly out of FortYukon on Friday, July 5th. (We plan to enjoy the village events of July 4th, and we have a farewell family night planned at the church on July 3rd.) We will be speaking at Hamilton Acres Baptist Church in Fairbanks, Alaska on July 7th, and then depart by plane on July 8th for home. We will arrive in Indianapolis on the morning of July 9th.
We have been taking many pictures while in FortYukon. We have selected some of the best and put on the Barnabas Enrichment Website. They are only pictures, but they should help give you an idea of the beauty and wonder we have experienced here in the Last Frontier! The direct connect to website pictures is:
(Once at the website, click on box that says, Rogers Ministry Trip – Alaska. Leave curser on part of the first picture and subtitles will drop down describing each one in the automatic slideshow.)
I encourage you to check out the whole website often: www.barnabasenrichmentministries.org. There is a lot of information there about us and the ministry God has called us to do. We have all of our updates posted on the website since the start of our connection with BEM.
Learning and growing in Christ as we serve,
John
7265 West 320 South
Russiaville, IN46979
(765) 319-3090
Commissioning Church:
Shepherd Road Baptist Church
P.O. Box 1054
Mulberry, FL 33860
Barnabas Enrichment Ministries
P.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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