He is Risen!
~ Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Romans, Luke 24 ~Genesis 1-Revelations 22~
He is Risen and that changes everything. We have fellowship with Him freely now (1 John 1) and have been bought back, restored to the relationship we were intended to have with God and no longer controlled by sin. Amazing. Life-changing. And the only reason we serve in this ministry, and likely the only reason you are reading our update. Because He has forever changed our lives and we re adopted into the family of God.
I (Jill) was blessed to have grown up in church. Our parents were very involved in our church and we attended weekly. As I entered into my senior year of high school God gave me several very close friends. It was the era of Love Song and we had heard of the Jesus Revolution in California. We spent our weekends together as a small group of girls listening to Christian records and talking about God. It was through these dear friends that I knew I wanted a deeper relationship with God, and it needed to be personal. Easter Sunday afternoon (1973) I retreated to my bedroom, opened my Bible, and admitted my sins and failure to live up to God’s standards, and acknowledged Jesus as my Savior and the only one that could cover the payment for all my sins. God answered those prayers and He has been a part of my life since that day. Never did I expect God to do all the amazing things He has done in my life. He has blessed me in so many ways- amazing husband, incredible children and all the rest of our family, so many unique experiences and ministries that He presented to us, it has been astounding to experience all that God has brought to my life!
I’m sure many of you share amazing stories of God’s work in your life. Some of your stories we know but many others, we probably have not heard. Nevertheless, we want to thank you for responding to God’s call to your life. Thank you for your interest in our ministries and our lives, for your prayers, and for your support! Now, for a few updates!
The Alaska Christian Educator’s Network (ACE Network, for short) was officially launched on March 4. Rural educators in Alaska face unique opportunities and challenges. They are off the road system, in cross-cultural communities, and almost everything about their situation differs from what they knew previously, including educational training. We provide a professional network whereby like-minded, Christian educators in remote Alaska can experience relevant professional growth in their educational practice and in cross-cultural understanding. I (Jill) have a small Steering Committee of experienced and exceptional educators that assist in rolling out this ministry. This ministry is a way to support educators and communities, and we hope will be very helpful in village schools in locations where our missionaries serve.
Steve update! THANK you all for your prayers, emails, texts, calls and for caring so much. He is doing great! He feels super (although he felt fine before) and is halfway finished with his PT. His goal is to be able to climb Lazy Mountain with me this summer! His schedule is back to usual, with some adjustments. We are so thankful for his recovery and looking forward to getting outside and being more physically active this summer!
We appreciate your prayers so much. Thank you for your friendship.
Many blessings ~ Steve & Jill
