December News

December 2010

Greetings Family and Friends

It's Christmas Eve so I decided I had better stop putting off writing the Christmas letter! This is our second Christmas in Glenwood. Hard to believe, time has flown by.

This past year has found us quite busy with life and ministry. The church in Glenwood continues to grow strong as people seek to deepen their relationship with the Lord. We are continually seeking ways to challenge people and help them to grow, not only through Bible study, but opportunities for fellowship as well.

This past spring Butch and I went back to school, taking classes through Summit Bible College online. Our goal through this is to be better equipped for the ministry God has called us to. It has been challenging at times, especially in the busier months.

The kids are all doing well. Grady has just been accepted to George Fox University and plans to attend next Fall. He is being challenged through Running Start and will graduate high school with his AA degree. Spencer has been helping out with the basketball team and loves working with young children. Becca played volleyball in the fall and is playing basketball now. She continues to enjoy band and has begun playing the Alto Sax this year. She continues to play her Oboe as well.

As we enter 2011, please pray for us in the following areas:

• Our finances – between car repairs and dental needs, we are finding our budget severely stretched!
  
• Our ministry – pray for unity in the church and for opportunities to share our faith with everyone we meet. Pray that people would have a strong desire to "know and grow" in the Lord.
  
• Our family – pray that we would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the purpose He has for us, and not get distracted by the little things.
  
• Praise the Lord for the work He is doing in Glenwood and pray that we would continue to have opportunities to build relationships with those in our community.
  

We thank God for each of you and the role you have in our ministry. We could not continue to serve the Lord full time without the many people who continue to pray for us and support us. We pray that each of you will be truly blessed this Christmas season.

Serving Him Together,

Pastor Butch and Jennifer Hallenbeck, Grady, Spencer and Becca

Opening Day!

Today was opening day of deer season and guess what...Grady got his first deer. Awesome. It's a nice sized 4 point. This will certainly get some meat in the freezer :) Way to go Grady!

Family Picture Time!

Last Friday we went out to take some family pictures. There is a great little park in Lyle, WA along the Klickitat River. I've posted them on our facebook page. Go here to see them.

Fall News from the Hallenbeck’s

October 2010

Greetings Family & Friends

Fall is definitely upon us. We have had freezing temperatures the last few nights then it warms up during the day into the 70's. It is time to clean out the flower beds for another season.

Life and ministry in Glenwood continue to move forward at an amazing pace! We continue to see growth in several individuals who have recently begun to seek in earnest a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Coming up is our Fall Women's Retreat in Corbett, OR. We are currently taking 23 ladies. Please pray that the ladies will be blessed as they explore what God's Word has to say about friendship.

Other ministries that have begun again with the arrival of fall are Men's and Women's Bible Studies and Youth Group. The Bible Studies have been well attended. As is usually the case in small churches, there are few workers to do all that needs to be done. Please pray that God would raise up individuals to help lead youth group, teach Sunday school and Children's Church, and be involved in music, women's ministry and various other areas of ministry.

There are many work projects needing completion around the church. Perhaps you would like to serve the Lord by coming out to help complete some of these projects. The youth from Lake Tapps came out last summer and built us a storage shed, (which we have worked diligently to fill up!). They also did a fantastic job rebuilding the white picket fence around the Parsonage. Currently the Parsonage is being re-sided and will be painted soon.

On a personal note, we are continuing to take classes from Summit Bible College. The kids are doing well at school for the most part. Spencer and Becca are struggling a little bit in Math, both are in Algebra 2 (together), but with a little extra time on homework they are getting it. Grady is beginning the process of college applications. George Fox and Whitworth are his first 2 choices. He plans to go to Baja Bible School in Tijuana, Mexico after college.

Prayer requests:

• An economical vehicle: this is our most pressing need. We would like to purchase a Suzuki Sidekick. Cost will be about $3000. We also need tires for the Yukon before the snow arrives.
  
• Praise the Lord for those who have helped us out with Grady's dental work. He had to have a root canal done by a specialist and needs to have a cap put on. Pray that God would provide the rest of the finances for this.
  
• Pray for each of the kids and their schooling. Pray that Grady would finish strong and complete his AA through Running Start. Pray that Spencer would apply himself more to the difficult classes, mainly Algebra 2. And pray that Becca would not get discouraged when she has to work harder than she is used to, mainly Algebra 2.
  
• Pray that each of us would be a witness for Christ through our daily lives and the choices we make, especially our children.
  
• Pray for Village Missions. There are several fields awaiting leadership.
  

We thank God for each of you. We know that you are praying for us as we continue on this journey that God has set us on. Without you we could not continue to serve the Lord here in Glenwood. Lately our financial support has been a little low. If you would like to know how to support us financially, please contact us or Village Missions. www,village-missons.org. We are praying for you as well.

Serving Him Together,
Pastor Butch & Jennifer Hallenbeck, Grady, Spencer, & Becca

Yummy Goodness

Well, the women's ministry is sponsoring a Fall Bazaar to offset the cost of our Women's Retreat and we are selling Chili in bread bowls and Cinnamon Rolls. So today I decided I'd better get busy and start making those cinnamon rolls! 2 batches done, 4 more to go!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart...

lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

I am reminding myself of this often. It seems unexpected expenses keep piling up. We don't know how we will take care of these needs but we do know that God knows. He is in control and will provide all that we need and more.

So we are asking that you pray for us. The three most urgent needs are, Grady needs extensive work done on one of his teeth, we need a more economical vehicle, and wisdom and finances to get the Yukon running before winter.

Otherwise, life is moving right along at it's usual rapid pace! Guitar lessons started again today. I love teaching kids how to play! Butch and I start classes again in a couple of weeks. Becca's first Volleyball game of the season is in a couple of weeks as well and then we'll have two games a week for awhile.

In the midst of everything we are diligent in taking time out for ourselves. Mondays are our day so last Monday we headed up to get more Huckleberries. They were more ripe this time but still on the small side. We're going one more time on Monday to see if we can get some more. Butch got a bear last week. It was a young one. We've already enjoyed one roast and some burger from it. I've been carving out time to scrapbook and make some cards. My goal is to get Grady's life scrapbooked before he graduates. We'll see how far I actually get!

So that is the latest from the Hallenbeck's. (I was waiting for Becca to finish homework and figured a quick update was in order) :D

Until next time...

The End of Summer

The end of summer is upon us and today at least, it most definitely feels like fall. Overcast, rainy, not very warm...so I'm trying a new meal in my crockpot. Potatoes, zucchini, carrots, onion, green pepper, sausage, and some broth. We'll see how it tastes in a little while :)

School started last week. Part of me was excited, but part of me wanted my kids home just a little longer. It seems as though we finally hit a point in our summer where we weren't running in all directions, and then the kids have to return to school. On the flip side, they'll be out June 3, 2011!

The end of summer also brings Huckleberries! We went out last week to "our spot" but the berries weren't ripe enough yet. We are trying to wait patiently to go back out and pick some, but that is so hard! Perhaps next Monday.

I want to try and make some Huckleberry jam this year, but that will depend on how much we can pick. It takes a lot of Huckleberries to make jam! I have been rationing the last of last year's berries so we don't run out before we can get some more.

The end of summer also means the beginning of new ministries at church. I am excited for that. Bible study always seems fresh when we've had the summer off, youth group does too! We are starting a new Youth Bible Study on Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour. Hopefully the kids will grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ through our study. Women's Ministries are getting ready to kick it into high gear as well.

I am praying that this will be a fruitful year in Glenwood!