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Sunchild News - February 2008

www.arcticoutreach.org e-mail rinker@arcticoutreach.org


Dear Friends,

Last Sunday, a little 8 year old girl was answering all the questions in Sunday School with amazing insight. "When you sin, that makes your heart black, and when your heart is black you can't be with God, and only Jesus can take the sin out of your heart and..." At each answer the adults would just look at one another wide eyed. Later the same child spoke up again, "My Dad hung himself, and he did it because..."

Several things were dramatically impressed on me as I listened. This amazing ministry team is effective and getting results in ministering to these people. How thankful I was that a young person with needs as deep as this child could have someone there to love them and meet their needs. Instead of being an emotional basket case, this child dresses up on Sundays and marches out of her house with an air of authority and a big smile. She has a deep purpose in life because these people are faithful and consistent to be there for her. This Sunday we had yet another lesson to behold. You have probably heard the old proverb about how God often does his greatest wonders with the last person you would ever expect to find the Lord. Well, a young lady that was in church Sunday grew up close to our house and was in a class of her own when it came to trouble and sadness. I could write a volume on her problems and hopeless condition. However, when she became an adult a few years ago, just like in Ephesians chapter 2, the two word phrase, "But God..." intervened in her life. God gave her a home, a husband, and children. Recently, she was riding with a friend(?) who decided that she was going to kill them both by wrecking the car. She desperately tried to get out, but couldn't, and the car was driven straight into a semi-truck at high speed. The driver of the truck was killed from the impact of the car. Yesterday this lady 'walked' into church, although she is still in the healing process from having her body smashed to a pulp. (They have been coming for several months.) Her younger sister brought her and both earnestly sought God in prayer for needs in their lives. It is really true that often the 'successful' miss it and the least expected find the truth. The ministry team has all stayed together for second semester and is growing in their burden and love for the people.

Our Sunchild VBS is now scheduled for July 6-11th. The Alberta Child Evangelism Fellowship is sending two teams to run the VBS. We need lots of volunteers to help with crafts, recreation, and working with the young people who camp for the week. Let us know if you can come, you could take a holiday after VBS. One of the college students who returned to Germany is planning on bringing a team of about 12 to help out for a couple weeks in August.

Karen and I are in the process of moving back to the Sunchild Reserve. Our timetable is to be completely moved by April 1st. Our new address there is Box 975, Rocky Mt. House, Alberta T4T 1A7 Canada. Our daughter Jenny and family will be moving into this house here in Three Hills. This is over a year ahead of our schedule, but the needs and opportunities are such we need to be living there. We will continue to work with ministry teams from the Bible College, so that won't change.

Our Christmas service included going out caroling and having a big supper. All the gifts we had for our church families came from churches here in Alberta. There was enough for all our church families.

Our son Joshua had a great adventure this past summer, guiding Mt. Sheep hunters in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. He took care of over 40 horses in a packing adventure far out in the mountains. He has demonstrated a lot of maturity in difficulties and is a son we are very proud of.

Our daughter Melody is working in a large day care in a church in South Carolina, and Melany is working in the dining hall kitchen at the Prairie Bible College. Now I can write another book titled "Seven Kids Learned To Drive And I'm Still Alive." Our son David is bouncing very hard over the 'teen years' stage of life requiring lots of prayer. It is truly wonderful that we can 'believe God' in his behalf. Our son Reuben and his family are pastoring the Mt. Top Church in Cumberland, Md and we just got the news they are expecting their 2nd child. He won't be born in the same hospital I was born in because it isn't there anymore.

In December I made a trip east to see Mom. I didn't get to visit many of our friends because I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Mom. I still feel bad about not getting to see many of you who live back there. I did have a wonderful time with Mom, but her heart condition is very serious. I'm just so thankful for every minute I got to be with her as Gods special gift to me. Karen stayed home and kept the ministry going and the home fires burning, and then in January she made a trip to see her family as her mother is not well, and I kept things going so she could get away.

The mission has been able to get a good 4 wheel drive Jeep station wagon for Karen to use in the harsh conditions on the gravel roads and winter storms. She has a very extensive ministry that has been much hindered by not having a suitable vehicle for this type of work. The older vehicles which only a mechanic can operate have been hard for her and the two wheel drives sometimes can't make it. This one is ten years old, but is in excellent condition.

We have been having some 30 below weather last week. The electricity was out on the Reserve and the church froze up. When the power came back on the batteries in the thermostat were froze and the furnace didn't come back on. It took us some time Sunday to get it working and it took a while to get much heat, so everyone had to tough it out, but we were able to have our services OK.

Some of the work on hand includes partitioning off a room for an office in the church. Setting up a shower in one of the church bathrooms so the teams this summer can shower. This includes some provision for hot water. We need to set up three tent frames, this includes building two new ones. A lady here in Three Hills felt a burden to buy two new 16 x 23 tents including materials for the frames! Wow, that will be a real blessing for our summer camps and one tent will be set up for a kitchen and dining room.

Please keep us in prayer, Rodger, Karen, & Family

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