October 2009
Greetings Family and Friends,
As we enter into fall we are reminded of the many blessings of God. We see in His word that He blessed those who were faithful. As we have followed God, He has blessed us as well. We have whole-heartedly followed Him as He has led us on this journey with Village Missions. When he first called us to follow Him late in 2001, when he sent us to serve Him in Round Mountain, NV in 2006; and now in Glenwood, WA. God is providing for us, taking care of us, and helping us reach people through relationships.
In September Butch had the privilege to baptize 4 people, one of them being Grady. We were able to hold this service at the pool of a man in the community who does not come to church. As we prepared for this service, we have come to realize there are many within the church who have not been baptized. We pray that they will come to understand the need to obey God in this simple act of obedience.
September also began new ministries. Jennifer gathered a team of women to begin developing Women’s Ministry. In October they held their first event, Sweet Thursday. Sweet Thursday is “women’s socials on a shoestring…tied to a generous God.” 13 ladies attended and enjoyed a sweet dessert and a short devotion by Jennifer with lots of fun and fellowship sprinkled in. Please pray that this ministry would grow and that women who don’t attend church would be reached.
Shortly after school started, Youth Group began. We average 6-10 kids every week. Please pray that we would reach our goal of 15 kids every week. Also pray for one more female leader. We are also beginning to have a presence at the school. Jennifer is helping out with band one day each week, we volunteer to go on field trips, help out with special days, and attend any special events the school has, from fundraiser dinners to sporting events. Pray that kids would get to know us, accept us, and trust us and that through them we would be able to get to know their parents.
There are many projects that need to be tackled on our church building. The men have recently been working on some roof repair over the breeze-way to help with the snow load. The back door needed to be replaced and a new porch built as well. Pray that the projects would get completed in a timely manner. If you feel led to bring a group to help out with any of our building projects, we would be glad to have you!
The men have also begun meeting for a monthly men’s breakfast at the local restaurant. They average 5-6 each time. Pray that this would build unity among the men of the church and that others would be reached through this time of fellowship.
Both men’s and women’s bible studies are in full swing. The men are just beginning a study in the book of James. The ladies are in the middle of a Kay Arthur study on the Names of God. Please pray for those leading the study and for more to get involved in Bible Study.
As we move along towards 2010 we are praying for God’s direction in ministry for our little church. There is a strong desire to reach the community. We are developing a plan of action to equip the church body to share their faith and reach out beyond the 4 walls of the church. We are striving to be people focused, not program based. Please pray that God would give us creative ways to reach the people here in Glenwood and that the walls would be broken down between church and community.
On a personal note, we are doing well. Our kids have blossomed since we have moved here, especially Becca. She is always willing to try new things. She just finished Volleyball, which to some extent has filled the void left by not being able to continue with swimming. All 3 kids have been accepted at school which is no easy feat in a small town. Our biggest struggle has been the lack of challenging classes and electives for them to participate in. We have recently discovered the Internet Academy which will allow for some electives, plus Grady is taking Running Start, college classes for dual credit. He should graduate High School with his AA degree.
There is much to be explored here and our days off will often find us out in the woods, discovering trails and looking for wildlife and places to photograph. The fall colors are absolutely spectacular right now and there is no shortage of photo opportunities. We are in the midst of hunting season and Butch and the boys have been spending as much time chasing deer as they can. Soon it will be Elk season and we have been told our little town becomes quite populated with hunters during Elk season. We are looking forward to opportunities to minister to the hunters.
As you pray for us please remember:
· Praise the Lord for the opportunities He has given us thus far to be involved at school, to help out those in need in the community, and building relationships.
· Leadership Development –
· VBS 2010 – last year we reached 32 kids during VBS. We are praying for 35 this next year, which is nearly all of the 4 year old – 5th grade population here in Glenwood. We may need help from an outside group to reach this many so pray that God would provide for that need.
· Grady needs braces and Becca is nearing time for phase 2 of her ortho treatment. We do not have enough in our current budget to cover these expenses.
· We are also in need of a more economical vehicle. Ideally it would be 4-wheel-drive and have some ground clearance. We have been told we get “feet” of snow, not just “inches”.
· We both desire to get some more schooling. Butch has found an online Bible College out of California that with his enrollment, Jennifer could attend for free, however, finances just won’t allow for that expense right now. We are patiently waiting for the Lord to provide.
· Pray that God would continue to open doors for us to build relationships in the community and give us opportunities to witness.
We thank God for each of you. Knowing you are praying for us and support us in this ministry is an encouragement to us. We could not serve the Lord in this place without your partnership. Though there are times we may feel discouraged, we are reminded that God is El-Shaddai, God Almighty, All Sufficient One. He is everything we need, our Provider, our Comforter, our Lord. Through each difficulty, he makes us stronger. We need only to keep our eyes fixed on Him.
Serving Him Together,
Pastor Butch and Jennifer Hallenbeck
Grady, Spencer and Becca
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Women of Faith
Well, it certainly is a weekend not soon forgotten.
Myself and 5 other ladies from the church went in to Portland for what we thought would be a conference filled with laughter and reminders from God's word, great worship and fellowship.
We received all that, plus a little more.
Satan tried, but was not successful, at stopping God's work through this conference. We arrived at the Rose Garden about 6:15, went inside, found something to eat and found our seats. As we were eating we noticed that the venue seemed surprisingly empty. There were a few thousand people milling around but definitely not the numbers we expected to see. One whole section was completely empty. We wandered around on the concourse and noticed yellow caution tape in one area but really didn't think too much of it. Just found it odd that we couldn't walk through there. So we went back in and found our seats because it was getting close to 7:00, time for the show to start.
7 comes and goes, 7:15 comes and goes. Finally about 7:25 we see a large group of ladies across the arena finding their seats and we think, "Huh, I wonder why they weren't letting them in before"
Then Mary Graham (President of Women of Faith) comes on stage and announces that the Arena Staff have requested that Friday night's events be canceled due to an incident and we need to quickly but safely evacuate the building. So the Saturday portion was extended by adding an hour in the morning (Seriously? They're starting at 8AM?) And it will go until 5 PM instead if 3. So I'm not really thinking much about what is happening. My first thought was, "But I have all this stuff I need to do when I get home for Sunday. If we don't get done until 5 we aren't going to get home much before 8. Uggghhhhhhh!)
So anyway, we ask a few people on the way out if they know what is going on but everyone is clueless. Outside I see the police vehicles and one of them has the black box thingy behind it so I figure it must have been a bomb scare. But I kept that thought to myself for the time being. We arrived at our hotel about 8:30 and found Breaking news on one of the local channels (Thank you FOX News for having a newscast at such obscure times:)
That is when we learned that in fact there was a bomb scare, a suspicious package found in a restroom around 6 PM. That explained the yellow caution tape. Had we arrived just a few minutes later we would have been locked "out" instead of "in".
But the Lord blessed our time together. Since we had unexpected time waiting around before the conference I found my way to the book table and purchased a book called "Laugh Out Loud" So as we sat around our hotel room we took turns reading stories from the book and laughing out loud!
Saturday was a long day with Friday Night's events added on, but it was good. I particularly enjoyed Lisa Welchel, I have always felt that I can relate to her story and as she shared about her "Scrapbooking Moment" I thought "Oh, been there done that" Putting the scrapbook page slightly ahead of concern for the injured person involved. Oops:)
I think all the ladies had a great time. We will probably take a group next year and will add to our prayers "No Bomb Threats, please!"
Myself and 5 other ladies from the church went in to Portland for what we thought would be a conference filled with laughter and reminders from God's word, great worship and fellowship.
We received all that, plus a little more.
Satan tried, but was not successful, at stopping God's work through this conference. We arrived at the Rose Garden about 6:15, went inside, found something to eat and found our seats. As we were eating we noticed that the venue seemed surprisingly empty. There were a few thousand people milling around but definitely not the numbers we expected to see. One whole section was completely empty. We wandered around on the concourse and noticed yellow caution tape in one area but really didn't think too much of it. Just found it odd that we couldn't walk through there. So we went back in and found our seats because it was getting close to 7:00, time for the show to start.
7 comes and goes, 7:15 comes and goes. Finally about 7:25 we see a large group of ladies across the arena finding their seats and we think, "Huh, I wonder why they weren't letting them in before"
Then Mary Graham (President of Women of Faith) comes on stage and announces that the Arena Staff have requested that Friday night's events be canceled due to an incident and we need to quickly but safely evacuate the building. So the Saturday portion was extended by adding an hour in the morning (Seriously? They're starting at 8AM?) And it will go until 5 PM instead if 3. So I'm not really thinking much about what is happening. My first thought was, "But I have all this stuff I need to do when I get home for Sunday. If we don't get done until 5 we aren't going to get home much before 8. Uggghhhhhhh!)
So anyway, we ask a few people on the way out if they know what is going on but everyone is clueless. Outside I see the police vehicles and one of them has the black box thingy behind it so I figure it must have been a bomb scare. But I kept that thought to myself for the time being. We arrived at our hotel about 8:30 and found Breaking news on one of the local channels (Thank you FOX News for having a newscast at such obscure times:)
That is when we learned that in fact there was a bomb scare, a suspicious package found in a restroom around 6 PM. That explained the yellow caution tape. Had we arrived just a few minutes later we would have been locked "out" instead of "in".
But the Lord blessed our time together. Since we had unexpected time waiting around before the conference I found my way to the book table and purchased a book called "Laugh Out Loud" So as we sat around our hotel room we took turns reading stories from the book and laughing out loud!
Saturday was a long day with Friday Night's events added on, but it was good. I particularly enjoyed Lisa Welchel, I have always felt that I can relate to her story and as she shared about her "Scrapbooking Moment" I thought "Oh, been there done that" Putting the scrapbook page slightly ahead of concern for the injured person involved. Oops:)
I think all the ladies had a great time. We will probably take a group next year and will add to our prayers "No Bomb Threats, please!"
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Baptism Sunday
Today we had a baptism after church. We were scrambling trying to find an alternate location but it worked out. A guy in town has a heated pool that he let us use.
Butch baptized 4 people today, one of them being Grady. It's exciting to watch your children take this next step in their walk with God. To me it is them saying that their faith is becoming their own. A faith they want, not just because they have been raised to believe, but because they truly believe. And it is an even more special moment knowing that dad was the one to baptize them!
I promise I'll post a picture soon. The camera is downstairs.
Butch baptized 4 people today, one of them being Grady. It's exciting to watch your children take this next step in their walk with God. To me it is them saying that their faith is becoming their own. A faith they want, not just because they have been raised to believe, but because they truly believe. And it is an even more special moment knowing that dad was the one to baptize them!
I promise I'll post a picture soon. The camera is downstairs.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
She's Growing Up!
Tonight Becca is at her first babysitting job. Yet another reminder that she's growing up. (Sigh....)
She hasn't called home yet so all must be going well:) I'm proud of her for being willing even though she was pretty nervous about it. I told her she couldn't back out when the last round of nerves hit just as we were leaving. She knows the kids fairly well so I'm sure she settled right in. We'll see how she really did when she gets home tonight:)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Veteran's Memorial Dedication
Last Saturday the Veteran's Memorial at the Glenwood Cemetary was dedicated. Butch had the opportunity to be part of the Service.
This is taken from the White Salmon Enterprise. (the local paper:)
Photo by Elaine Bakke
REMEMBERING -- Butch Hallenbeck reads a poem honoring vets during the dedication of the Veterans' Memorial at Glenwood cemetery.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Must be time for an update!
We are settling into the routine of school. 3 weeks down. a lot more to go:) At least they aren't counting days till Christmas Break, YET!
Grady's Running Start classes haven't yet begun so he has been having a pretty easy start to the school year. We discovered the Internet Academy, out of Federal Way. He is taking his Algebra through that and is already wanting to take a couple of other classes as electives. He is thinking about the possibility of summer school to get a required class out of the way so he can take a Web Design class next year. Plus taking the required class during the summer will free his schedule to take Band. I told him we should probably get through this year first!
Becca is already looking ahead to high school and beyond. (Sometimes I wonder whose child she is:) We were looking at classes offered through the Internet Academey and there is a Photography Class offered as an Elective. Since we don't have much opportunity for Electives here, she is already thinking about how she can work that into her schedule. And then she made the comment, "When I apply to George Fox University it will look really good on my Application to have taken a Photography Class. It will help me with my Art Major." We'll see if she still feels that way in a couple years when she actually gets to high school.
Spencer is plugging away at school. So far he seems to be doing well, although I haven't checked grades yet. I really need to do that! He still isn't showing much interest in thinking about life beyond High School. He's thinking of Running Start next year so that he can graduate with his AA. He doesn't have much interest in going to college at this point so I think he figures at least that way he'll have something more than a high school degree.
Things are going well with our ministry here. Youth Group begins this Sunday. We're praying for 15 kids. New Sunday School classes start as well. We'll have a class for 5th grade and down and a class for Middle School. And the best part, we have teachers for both so I can be available as a back-up! We're still developing the Music Team. We'd like to have a couple more adults join us. Just praying about who to ask:)
We've been pretty busy around town these past couple of weeks. Yesterday the school kids participated in a town clean-up, which we helped out with. Today is a dedication of the Veterans Memorial at the Cemetary. Butch is involved in that. We've had a couple of Memorial Services to attend as well. Next week I'm going in to help out with the beginning clarinets in band. I guess I better dust mine off:)
So that's just a bit of what our life has been like these past few weeks. I forgot to mention our Labor Day camping trip. 5 families from church camped and it rained so hard we all came home on Sunday. We didn't do much other than hang around under tarps and visit. Next year I think we'll try for July instead:)
Grady's Running Start classes haven't yet begun so he has been having a pretty easy start to the school year. We discovered the Internet Academy, out of Federal Way. He is taking his Algebra through that and is already wanting to take a couple of other classes as electives. He is thinking about the possibility of summer school to get a required class out of the way so he can take a Web Design class next year. Plus taking the required class during the summer will free his schedule to take Band. I told him we should probably get through this year first!
Becca is already looking ahead to high school and beyond. (Sometimes I wonder whose child she is:) We were looking at classes offered through the Internet Academey and there is a Photography Class offered as an Elective. Since we don't have much opportunity for Electives here, she is already thinking about how she can work that into her schedule. And then she made the comment, "When I apply to George Fox University it will look really good on my Application to have taken a Photography Class. It will help me with my Art Major." We'll see if she still feels that way in a couple years when she actually gets to high school.
Spencer is plugging away at school. So far he seems to be doing well, although I haven't checked grades yet. I really need to do that! He still isn't showing much interest in thinking about life beyond High School. He's thinking of Running Start next year so that he can graduate with his AA. He doesn't have much interest in going to college at this point so I think he figures at least that way he'll have something more than a high school degree.
Things are going well with our ministry here. Youth Group begins this Sunday. We're praying for 15 kids. New Sunday School classes start as well. We'll have a class for 5th grade and down and a class for Middle School. And the best part, we have teachers for both so I can be available as a back-up! We're still developing the Music Team. We'd like to have a couple more adults join us. Just praying about who to ask:)
We've been pretty busy around town these past couple of weeks. Yesterday the school kids participated in a town clean-up, which we helped out with. Today is a dedication of the Veterans Memorial at the Cemetary. Butch is involved in that. We've had a couple of Memorial Services to attend as well. Next week I'm going in to help out with the beginning clarinets in band. I guess I better dust mine off:)
So that's just a bit of what our life has been like these past few weeks. I forgot to mention our Labor Day camping trip. 5 families from church camped and it rained so hard we all came home on Sunday. We didn't do much other than hang around under tarps and visit. Next year I think we'll try for July instead:)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
First Week...
The first week of school is complete. I think all 3 kids survived! I know the parents did!!!!!
Tuesday morning we sent them out the door and promptly headed up into the hills to pick Huckleberries. We got about 2 gallons, which we then had to sort and get in the freezer. I am enjoying a Huckleberry Scone as I write. It is very tasty. A new recipe for me though, therefore it will need some tweaking to make it my own. We plan to go back up this coming week and get a couple more gallons. Huckleberries in the freezer are like gold and we plan to get as much as we can before the bears get them all.
So back to the kids...
Becca is in 7th grade this year, there are a total of 5 kids in her class. She settled right into the routine of school. Volleyball starts Monday and she plans to play. She hasn't played before but when there are that few students, it doesn't seem to matter as much! She has all the typical classes. She doesn't like History so is a little concerned about her Pacific NW History class. She is trying to convince me that she shouldn't have to take it because she had Nevada State History in 4th grade. She continues to be the only Oboe in band and we are looking into private lessons for her. She plays very well and with lessons could become an excellent Oboe player.
Spencer is in 10th grade this year. Also a total of 5 kids in his class. There is one new one but he is not new to Glenwood, he went to Trout Lake for a few years of school. Big sister wanted to take Running Start so they are attending Glenwood this year. Spencer is having his typical feelings towards school, "Why Bother." So far he has been doing his work and Grady keeps telling him he has to have a good GPA for college. Maybe big brother will be more of an encouragement to him than we seem to be. He isn't in band this year, Geometry was the same period. Spencer doesn't seem to mind but I do. He does want to learn to play the drums so we are working on getting him a drum set and some DVD's so he can learn.
Grady is in 11th grade, and, like Becca and Spencer, has 5 kids in his class. He is taking Running Start which has created a few minor issues. With our move, he is on the off year for math, so he has that with 2 other students during the pre-Calc class. He is missing a quarter credit of Biology so we will be working on getting that final credit through independent study, and he needs Pacific NW History. He is doing that through independent study as well. He is in band with 2 other students, a trumpet player and a clarinet player. So for his classes he has US History, Algebra 2, band, and PNW. Plus he has 4 running start classes so he has a pretty full load. We'll wait and pick up the Biology credit when he finishes the PNW credit.
Needless to say, I think that all 3 will be very busy this year.
As for Butch and I, I am sure we will be filling our days with church things. Visiting people, Bible Studies, Music, Youth Group and other ideas we have got brewing. We are still praying about going back to school and asking God to provide the finances to do so and we have committed to becoming better musicians by playing together daily and learning more.
I'd post the first day of school picture but all 3 told me no because we haven't gone shopping yet. That's what happens when school starts before payday!
Tuesday morning we sent them out the door and promptly headed up into the hills to pick Huckleberries. We got about 2 gallons, which we then had to sort and get in the freezer. I am enjoying a Huckleberry Scone as I write. It is very tasty. A new recipe for me though, therefore it will need some tweaking to make it my own. We plan to go back up this coming week and get a couple more gallons. Huckleberries in the freezer are like gold and we plan to get as much as we can before the bears get them all.
So back to the kids...
Becca is in 7th grade this year, there are a total of 5 kids in her class. She settled right into the routine of school. Volleyball starts Monday and she plans to play. She hasn't played before but when there are that few students, it doesn't seem to matter as much! She has all the typical classes. She doesn't like History so is a little concerned about her Pacific NW History class. She is trying to convince me that she shouldn't have to take it because she had Nevada State History in 4th grade. She continues to be the only Oboe in band and we are looking into private lessons for her. She plays very well and with lessons could become an excellent Oboe player.
Spencer is in 10th grade this year. Also a total of 5 kids in his class. There is one new one but he is not new to Glenwood, he went to Trout Lake for a few years of school. Big sister wanted to take Running Start so they are attending Glenwood this year. Spencer is having his typical feelings towards school, "Why Bother." So far he has been doing his work and Grady keeps telling him he has to have a good GPA for college. Maybe big brother will be more of an encouragement to him than we seem to be. He isn't in band this year, Geometry was the same period. Spencer doesn't seem to mind but I do. He does want to learn to play the drums so we are working on getting him a drum set and some DVD's so he can learn.
Grady is in 11th grade, and, like Becca and Spencer, has 5 kids in his class. He is taking Running Start which has created a few minor issues. With our move, he is on the off year for math, so he has that with 2 other students during the pre-Calc class. He is missing a quarter credit of Biology so we will be working on getting that final credit through independent study, and he needs Pacific NW History. He is doing that through independent study as well. He is in band with 2 other students, a trumpet player and a clarinet player. So for his classes he has US History, Algebra 2, band, and PNW. Plus he has 4 running start classes so he has a pretty full load. We'll wait and pick up the Biology credit when he finishes the PNW credit.
Needless to say, I think that all 3 will be very busy this year.
As for Butch and I, I am sure we will be filling our days with church things. Visiting people, Bible Studies, Music, Youth Group and other ideas we have got brewing. We are still praying about going back to school and asking God to provide the finances to do so and we have committed to becoming better musicians by playing together daily and learning more.
I'd post the first day of school picture but all 3 told me no because we haven't gone shopping yet. That's what happens when school starts before payday!
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