Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Do you ever feel tired, but not
so much in a drained and empty kind
of tired? Have you worked hard on a
project which you believe to be worthwhile, and when you are finished you are tired, yet thankful for what has been accomplished? I confess that I am currently both tired AND
thankful.
A team from St. John Lutheran
Church in Palmer returned on Monday, July 17, from the village of Eek, about a
20 minute flight SSW of Bethel. (Eek
means “mound.” The village of Eek now
exists on it’s second mound along the
Eek River, which is a tributary of the Kuskokwim River.) Our team primarily
conducted Vacation Bible School July 13-16, 2023. However, we also held evening Bible classes, provided
a community picnic, and generally sought to bring the love of Jesus to the
children and adults of this village.
In some ways I feel like St. Paul
as he wrote to the various churches, rejoicing and thanking God for the faith
accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Paul wrote to the
Christians in Philippi. “ 3 I thank my God every time I
remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6) (cf. also 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5)
I am not alone in my joy and thanksgiving following our trip to Eek. A total 53 children attended Vacation Bible
School July 13-16. We were pleasantly
surprised that the children seemed even more attentive this year than in past
trips. We again had help with VBS from a
number of mothers. But we also had a new addition. Four grandmothers came and watched daily with
smiles on their faces as their children and grandchildren learned about Jesus,
sang songs of faith, and worked on crafts which reinforced the Bible
stories. I learned the names of Bessie,
and Edith, and Martha, and Xenia, and truly enjoyed sitting and asking these
elders questions when I had time. (I
also slipped them extra snacks.) This is our 6th year of sharing
stories about Jesus, and it was our 3rd trip to Eek. We missed 3 years because of COVID. To have such a response from the children, after
being kept out of the village for 3 years, warmed the hearts of all on our
team.
Yet, there was another blessing in addition to the children of Vacation
Bible School. In the past we have also
offered an opportunity for growth to the adults of the village. We held evening Bible classes in the church. Previously I do not remember more than 3
members of the village attending class at one time. This year we rejoiced as 8-10 adults attended
class on Thursday evening, and 10 people attended on Friday, and 15 came to the
class and participated on Saturday. The
adults read God’s word, asked questions, and kept coming to class, and bringing
others. In Bible Class on Friday night,
as we studied about prayer, I shared with those attending that I have been
praying daily for the people, and the village, and the church in Eek since we
were first there in 2018. Seeing the
response of the adults coming to evening classes was like seeing a resounding
answer to prayer, an obvious reason for thanks and joy.
In addition, we saw a larger participation in two worship services on
Sunday. And, not only did VBS children
sing in the evening English worship service as we had requested, but some
children also came up and sang two more times in both morning Yupik worship and
the evening service. I watched delight on the faces of their parents and
grandparents.
It was not our efforts which caused this response of faith. It is God who BEGINS the good work and God
who BRINGS IT TO COMPLETION. “ 3 I thank my God every time I
remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” But, as our time in Eek ended, we saw both children and adults responding
to God’s love in Jesus.
Sometimes it
is good to be tired. What a joy to see
our Lord bring the love of Jesus to others through the efforts of our hands!
A Child of God, Tired
AND Thankful After 6 Days in Eek!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Last week seven people from St. John traveled
to Eek, Alaska, to conduct Vacation Bible School July 13-16 on behalf of our
congregation and Alaska Mission for Christ.
Those who served include Temple Christiansen, Pastor Davis, and his
daughter Talia, Sara Guhl, and her grandson Gaelen, Marilee Nufer, and myself.
We are thankful and joyful for the opportunity to share Jesus, and for the
reception of God’s love in Jesus by the children and the adults of Eek. Here
are A LOT OF pictures from this mission trip. https://photos.app.goo.gl/dMbRDw3LcBrQENxR7
P.P.S. Other Activities: After being out of town in Seldovia and Eek
for about 2 weeks, I’m getting a little behind.
But . . .
·
Mary’s house is nearing completion in our efforts
to get it “living ready.”
·
Our garden is doing well. We are eating lettuce, spinach, radishes and
even quite a few strawberries. I weeded in
between trips. (If you want lettuce and you live in the valley, let us know. We
might be able to share a little.)
·
Also, our flowers are in full bloom. Here are a few flower pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1SBp4CP822RHfqyM8
·
I have not been fishing since I was in Seldovia,
but . . . I did golf with friends, Pastor Tony Schultz, Pastor Paul Birner, and
Pastor Tim Rossow on Tuesday, July 18.
We finally had a nice day, and we enjoyed the game! Here is a picture of Pastor Paul Birner on
the green on hole 17 at the Palmer Golf Course, Pioneer Peak in the background.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AkfMAmyuxBtY2AdC8
·
I am preaching at Star of the North Lutheran in
Kenai on July 23 and 30. I plan to fish
and to dip net while on the Peninsula. J
*******
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired
at the end of August 2019 from serving as senior full-time pastor of St. John Lutheran Church
in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly
devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue
writing these devotions. So I have
continued writing. However, with life's
changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child
of God." Since I am no longer
senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send this message to those
who asked to receive it.
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help
each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John
Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished
on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1
John 3:1 a)
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