Well days 3 and 4 of Avalanche Ranch went very well. We had 28 on Wednesday and 29 yesterday. The kids are having tons of fun. We pray now that they will realize church is fun and will plug into Sunday School.
Yesterday we shared the gospel and encouraged the kids to come talk to either Butch or myself afterwards if they wanted to know how they could be a part of God's family and have Jesus as their forever friend:) 2 girls came to me after we were done and prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior! Wahoo!!!!!
Today is our last day and we will have a closing program tonight so the kids can bring their praents, families and friends. We once again issued the challenge of raising money, this time time to buy goats and chickens for needy families in countries like Uganda, through World Vision. The kids have done awesome in bringing in their loose change, hoping for the chance to throw a cream pie at Pastor Butch. I'll be sure and post pictures when we are done:)
Well off to get ready for Day 5....
Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
2nd day done
Well, the 2nd day of Avalanche Ranch is complete. We had 31 kids again today, 1 new one and 1 was missing from yesterday. I've had parents tell us how much their kids have talked about VBS at home. Kids who have gone before but never talked about what they did. I guess we're doing it right because that's what we want. When kids are having so much fun the Bible sticks and they sahre it with their families without being prodded, then I know that we will see those kids and hopefully their parents again.
Monday, June 22, 2009
VBS - 1 day down, 4 to go
Today was the first day of Avalanche Ranch here in Glenwood. I wasn't super excited to do a VBS I've done before but it works when you don't have much time to plan:) The kids today had a blast.
We saw God answer our prayers and it's just the first day! We prayed for 30 kids and God brought 31 today. People doubted and said we'd be lucky to get 15:) God showed them:~)
Friday we put in the Chadder DVD and discovered it was cracked and had to order a new one. We had to have our order placed by noon Mountain time in order for it to get processed. So at 10:58 (11:58 MST) we got that order in, paid for next day delivery and just as we got started today it arrived.
I kind of like having VBS in the afternoon. It was nice to have the morning to go over my lessons, especially since I'm covering multiple areas:) Chaos hit at noon though when all the kids showed up. We got through it and got back on track. I also learned that they need a little longer to eat lunch so maybe game time will have to be a little shorter.
I need to go over tomorrow's lessons, check registration forms and relax. Looking forward to another great day at Avalanche Ranch!
We saw God answer our prayers and it's just the first day! We prayed for 30 kids and God brought 31 today. People doubted and said we'd be lucky to get 15:) God showed them:~)
Friday we put in the Chadder DVD and discovered it was cracked and had to order a new one. We had to have our order placed by noon Mountain time in order for it to get processed. So at 10:58 (11:58 MST) we got that order in, paid for next day delivery and just as we got started today it arrived.
I kind of like having VBS in the afternoon. It was nice to have the morning to go over my lessons, especially since I'm covering multiple areas:) Chaos hit at noon though when all the kids showed up. We got through it and got back on track. I also learned that they need a little longer to eat lunch so maybe game time will have to be a little shorter.
I need to go over tomorrow's lessons, check registration forms and relax. Looking forward to another great day at Avalanche Ranch!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Hallenbeck News for June
June 2009
Greetings Family and Friends,
We pray this finds you well and enjoying summer. I am sorry it has been a while since our last letter. We have been busy getting moved, unpacked and settled. For those of you who may be wondering “What? You moved?” We felt God leading us to leave Round Mountain and on April 1, arrived in Glenwood, WA, to serve the church here.
The transition has gone fairly smoothly as far as ministry goes. The church itself averages about 40 people each week. The people are generous and giving is strong. We have been made to feel very welcome here. Part of our church is the original building, constructed in the late 1800’s and then moved to the current location. The other part, the Sanctuary, was constructed in the 1950’s. If you do a Google search for “The Little Church on Crutches” you will most likely find an interesting article about the history of our little country church!
We try to spend our days out in the community when we can, either at school, the restaurant (which conveniently is right cross the street!), or the store. People are very friendly and we enjoy many conversations “over the fence” as we walk. The town itself is very small. 9 square blocks plus some housing in the outer areas. Ranching and logging are the main industries. The school has 63 students, K-12, and about 15 full-time staff. We’ve been told the population is between 200-500. This town is full of history, with generations of families being in residence. Many of the founding families still have descendants living here.
As we move into the summer months we ask that you pray for several things.
~ Father’s Day weekend is a big weekend here. There is a Rodeo and the church is bringing in a Christian Country singer for a concert on Saturday evening, as well as hosting a Cowboy Church Service Sunday morning. Pray that many will hear the Gospel.
~ Vacation Bible School is June 22-26. We are praying for 30 kids and right now have about 14 registered. Pray that we will have enough volunteers and that it will be an effective outreach to the kids and their families.
~ We will be traveling to Camano Island in July for a conference. Since Village Missions was unable to continue staff conferences, many of the District Representatives have put together mini-conferences for the Village Missionaries in their districts. We are privileged to be able to go, but are praying that we will have the finances to travel.
~ The first week of August is Summer Camp. Pray that kids from the community would attend and respond to the gospel. Again pray that through this we could reach not only kids, but their families as well.
~ Then in September we will begin Fall ministries. This will include a re-vamped Sunday School program for kids and youth, Youth Group and possibly an after-school program for Elementary kids. Pray that God would raise up volunteers for each of these ministries.
We thank each of you for praying for our ministry and for supporting us financially. We have been truly blessed in these tough economic times that each of you continues to give faithfully. We thank God for you each and every day. May He bless you as you give.
Serving Him Together,
Pastor Butch and Jennifer Hallenbeck, Grady, Spencer and Becca
Greetings Family and Friends,
We pray this finds you well and enjoying summer. I am sorry it has been a while since our last letter. We have been busy getting moved, unpacked and settled. For those of you who may be wondering “What? You moved?” We felt God leading us to leave Round Mountain and on April 1, arrived in Glenwood, WA, to serve the church here.
The transition has gone fairly smoothly as far as ministry goes. The church itself averages about 40 people each week. The people are generous and giving is strong. We have been made to feel very welcome here. Part of our church is the original building, constructed in the late 1800’s and then moved to the current location. The other part, the Sanctuary, was constructed in the 1950’s. If you do a Google search for “The Little Church on Crutches” you will most likely find an interesting article about the history of our little country church!
We try to spend our days out in the community when we can, either at school, the restaurant (which conveniently is right cross the street!), or the store. People are very friendly and we enjoy many conversations “over the fence” as we walk. The town itself is very small. 9 square blocks plus some housing in the outer areas. Ranching and logging are the main industries. The school has 63 students, K-12, and about 15 full-time staff. We’ve been told the population is between 200-500. This town is full of history, with generations of families being in residence. Many of the founding families still have descendants living here.
As we move into the summer months we ask that you pray for several things.
~ Father’s Day weekend is a big weekend here. There is a Rodeo and the church is bringing in a Christian Country singer for a concert on Saturday evening, as well as hosting a Cowboy Church Service Sunday morning. Pray that many will hear the Gospel.
~ Vacation Bible School is June 22-26. We are praying for 30 kids and right now have about 14 registered. Pray that we will have enough volunteers and that it will be an effective outreach to the kids and their families.
~ We will be traveling to Camano Island in July for a conference. Since Village Missions was unable to continue staff conferences, many of the District Representatives have put together mini-conferences for the Village Missionaries in their districts. We are privileged to be able to go, but are praying that we will have the finances to travel.
~ The first week of August is Summer Camp. Pray that kids from the community would attend and respond to the gospel. Again pray that through this we could reach not only kids, but their families as well.
~ Then in September we will begin Fall ministries. This will include a re-vamped Sunday School program for kids and youth, Youth Group and possibly an after-school program for Elementary kids. Pray that God would raise up volunteers for each of these ministries.
We thank each of you for praying for our ministry and for supporting us financially. We have been truly blessed in these tough economic times that each of you continues to give faithfully. We thank God for you each and every day. May He bless you as you give.
Serving Him Together,
Pastor Butch and Jennifer Hallenbeck, Grady, Spencer and Becca
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