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www.arcticoutreach.org --- e-mail rinker@arcticoutreach.org --- phone 403-989-3715
Dear Friends,
We finished holding 3 VBS's now and we want to thank all of you who prayed to make these so successful. The 'Priority One' group from Pennsylvania sent us a team again this year and they were here 2 ½ weeks. They worked so hard and were a great blessing to us. We held VBS next over in the mountains at the Big Horn Reserve, and last, we held VBS on the adjacent O'Chiese Reserve. We had a number of volunteer workers from the Red Deer, Three Hills, and Calgary areas who stayed and camped with us for the Sunchild VBS. There is so much work to be done and the only way possible is to have this help for the entire time. Much of the work is other than VBS itself, such as cooking and doing dishes for the workers, preparing crafts and attending to the neighbor kids and adults who are constantly here. Please consider this option to come and help next summer for yourself or someone you know who would like a 'Missions' experience!
This year we had an extra treat that was very special for everyone. We had a team from Korea come and camp with us to help with the last two VBS's! This made it a 'triple' cultural experience and it proved to be highly interesting. A DTS from Blackfalds, AB made our work the field ministry part of their training. The Koreans were a sweet spirited group of people who had an amazing impact here. Be sure and check out our web version of this newsletter for pictures of all this. Also, Karen will be writing a separate newsletter because there is so much to write about and we will post it all together on our web page.
The Crossroads Church in Red Deer is adding a S.S. room addition onto the church, and it was far enough along to use during VBS for classes and dining hall. We seriously needed this extra room and it greatly helped us to get through working with so many staff and students. Of course we are enjoying the extra room on Sundays now as we have moved our Primary class into it.
To continue on with the 'good news' we are thrilled to report that the VBS director we have had for the last two years came this year to stay on for at least 4 months to take on much of the workload of the S.S. and assist where needed in the mission. Holly Mayfield from Pennsylvania is gifted and experienced in working with the youth and organizing the program materials, but also is able to meet the great need for the 'music' department! What this means is that Karen doesn't have to stay up all night improvising a basic program. Instead Holly is providing a quality course and Karen doesn't have as heavy a workload, and has the fellowship of working together. So she is a real lifesaver!
Many of you are praying for the situation concerning our house. We have been in meetings and the process is on-going, and we expect to have it resolved soon...but...it is certainly been a trial beyond our imaginations..thats all I'll say for now, except it continues to be a real battle in that they continue to party non-stop and much evil happens there. In the last couple days we have had to call in several police and the ambulance was hauling people out yesterday. Both Karen and Holly do the Facebook thing, but I have no time for it at all. If anyone wants to connect through that, talk to Karen or Holly. We had numerous adults coming in the evenings during VBS to pray and seeking spiritual help. We were glad for all the help we had to assist with this added burden! In the past we always held special services, like a camp meeting, during the VBS time. Now we have no one to do that part and we haven't been able to keep that up. The adults remember what we used to do and some still come, even though we aren't having these special evening evangelistic services along with the VBS.
In May I made an Outreach trip to Old Crow, in the Yukon. I took a student with the aviation school at Three Hills who is working on his Commercial and Instructor ratings, and is one of the students who comes on Sundays to do his ministry assignment here at the mission. We had a great trip and Otis was able to get a lot of valuable experience flying in the north, staying in Native homes and getting acquainted with the Native people. I had an unusual experience connected with flying a medical emergency in the worse mountain wave turbulence storm I've ever flown in. It was an 'other dimensional' experience. We are always open to involving a supporter who would like to partially finance an outreach trip like this as well as having a once in a lifetime missions experience!
We built a new computer and it is up and running. We now have video conferencing abilities so we can visit live with our son Reuben's family down in the States! If you have that ability and would like to visit with us, please contact us to set up a visit! It means so much to us because of our isolation to have such a visit. But especially..please keep us in prayer..we still need answers to prayer in a very serious way!
In His Service, Rodger & Karen Rinker
Karen & Holly have written more news and pictures. The link to Karen's August newsletter is at the bottom of this page below the pictures.
This is three of the Korean ladies in their traditional dress.
Below: The team from Pennsylvania is in the yellow shirts. The Korean team is in the black shirts
Below: We have known Rhonda & Pattie since they were small kids and their family used to come and stay with us. Here they are with some of their family as they came to spend a few days during VBS.
Below: Some of the girls working on crafts
Below: This is inside our new Sunday School room that is being built by the Red Deer Crossroads church. We had to start using it even though it is still under construction.
Here are two of our neighbor girls
This is our new S.S. room under construction by the Red Deer Crossroads church.
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