Summer Update 2017

Celebrating Pastor Ben and Marcela's anniversary.

Dear Friends,

As the summer comes to a close, I’m thankful for all the opportunities for sharing the gospel, making disciples, and enjoying our church family. Since my last update, I attended the Seventh Day Baptist Pastor’s Conference in April (Alfred Station, New York). What a blessing to meet with so many other pastors and leaders, and be challenged and encouraged as we heard about “Soul Care”. Leaders need to take care of themselves as well as tending to the needs of others. It was timely for me as I’ve needed major dental work this year and recently experienced an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. I’m not good at taking time to recover but I’m learning. I’ve found it’s important to be on the receiving end sometimes as others have the chance to care for me. (One of our church ladies loves to feed me.) 

 

In June I was in Wisconsin to attend the final week of the excellent online class I took through the SDB denomination. It was on Sabbath Theology. Being a Seventh Day Baptist all my life, I thought I knew lots already about the Sabbath but I was surprised how much more there is to know! It has helped me better explain from the Bible why we keep the seventh-day Sabbath, and I have a deeper reverence for this day of rest that God blessed and called holy. I also enjoyed getting to know more of our pastors.

Also in June I enjoyed a short visit from my daughter, Ana, on break from her tours with Disney on Ice (sound technician). We visited Olympic National Park, which I’d not been to before. It’s an actual rain forest! Our hike took us into a thickly overgrown trail, but we had fun bushwhacking. We just saw a small part of the area so I’m hoping to return another time and explore more.

Algona Days in July. Luis and Ana, Kimberly, and me.

For all-church gospel outreach this summer we had booths at two city events, one in Algona (July) and one in Auburn (August). At both of them we were side by side with the Seattle Area SDB church and that was a great partnership. We gave away a number of Bibles, gospels of John and tracts. We also prayed with people and had some good conversations about Christ. If you want to contribute a donation specifically for the outreach materials, please let me know. I’ve had several people pay for Bibles and tracts for us this year and we are grateful for the partnership.

AuburnFest in August. Pastora Marcela at the table.

Auburn Library, Fourth of July

The weekly ministry tables at two local libraries are also going well. God brings those who are spiritually hungry and I’m so thankful we can give them the truth that saves, rather than see them turn to other groups who are out witnessing to a false gospel. Jordan and Martina regularly man the Auburn table, and Ana Plaza and I have the Kent table. Jordan reported recently that a woman prayed to receive Christ, praise God! 

There is an atheist who often stopped by the table in Kent but it was hard to have an in-depth conversation because of so many people browsing. He suggested we meet for coffee and we’ve been doing that monthly and plan to continue, now as friends. He is adamant in his view of reality and offers many resources for me to check out. I offer him the same and am learning a lot! Please pray for him (and for me). 

Kent Library with Ana

 
Has your church considered doing baby showers as a way to invite people to get to know you? Two of the women I disciple through home Bible studies were expecting and we showered them with love and gifts on two different Sabbaths. Yoana had her baby boy in May and Magali had a girl in July. Party planning is a new skill I have on my resume. It was fun to create a trivia game based on famous babies in the Bible.

 

We were hoping to take some of our youth to the annual SDB Conference in California this year, using funds offered for youth ministry by our Northwest Association. Then we found out they were not old enough for the high school conference, so we searched for another opportunity for them to grow in Christ this summer. We sent three girls to Black Lake Bible Camp in Olympia, WA (no SDB camp nearby) and that was a blessing for them. Please pray for our youth to have godly influences in their lives.

 

I decided to drive to southern California for Conference and was glad to have Christina McNeme for company on the way down. She’s the daughter of my friend, Vivian Allen (Montana). Christina had been helping our church ministries for the previous month and especially enjoyed ministering to the youth.

 

Two of our youth with Christina at Fort Nisqually, a living history museum in Tacoma.

Pastor Carl Greene and his dynamite Bible studies.

Conference was at Azusa Pacific University with the theme, “Life on Mission”. Pastor Ben and Marcela were there from our church, and also Jordan and Martina. I was blessed by the many great sermons, workshops and conversations with fellow SDBs about living out God’s mission in our communities. I also had a display board in the exhibit area with pictures showing the places where I’ve been serving SDBs in church planting. It was great to see two Hispanic churches become members of the General Conference, one of which I had assisted, the Agape Ministry SDB Church in Puerto Rico. The other was a church in Riverside, CA, Redemption Evangelical Fellowship. God bless the expanding presence of Hispanic SDB churches!

Two sisters are pastors! My sister, JoAnne Kandel, and me.

Big Basin Redwoods CA State Park - see the tiny people?

On the way home I visited friends in a couple places and saw a Redwood forest near San Francisco. Very impressive! I also made an appointment for a root canal for the day after I got home due to an infected tooth. I think my teeth have hit their expiration date. 😊 This is my second root canal this year and work on other teeth is recommended. The Lord has provided for me financially through so many of your gifts and I’m very thankful. Because of the dental expenses and car maintenance (tires, brakes), I’m looking into some part-time employment, but I remain committed to full-time ministry.

My two-year service to the church in Auburn is coming to a close in January and I’ll be moving back to Colorado for a year or longer. What I believe the Lord would have me do next is continue to serve SDBs in the areas of church planting and revitalization under Pastor John Pethtel, the Director of these areas, and continue to raise my own support. It’s under discussion with denominational leaders and we’ll see how God directs. I also want to support my home church in Boulder as they are currently moving through the PULSE process for church revitalization, or perhaps there will be a new church plant in Colorado that I can join! Wherever I am, I’ll continue to share the gospel in the pubic square and train others to do it as well.

God bless you, all my partners in ministry! As always, donations can be directed to the church here, “IBS Dia”, and contact me for the mailing address. Be sure to note my name on the memo line of the check.

Please lift up these needs in your prayers.

• For our newer believers to put down deep roots in Christ
• For God to send more strong Christians to join our church in ministry
• For my health and strength, and for God’s provision for the extra expenses
• For pastors Ben and Marcela and their family
• For my transitioning ministry areas to others, and for God’s guidance for what He has next for me
  

Church camping trip in August; Thousand Trails campground near Leavenworth, WA.