Merry Christmas

The Bright Morning Star

“…We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)

Our Christmas Newsletter

Kyle’s video debut

One of Marianne’s former Sunday School class kids is currently studying at Northwest Nazaren University in Southern Idaho. He had to do a video project for one of his classes, which is posted to on the web. It is called “The Dual”. You can watch it here: “The Dual” (He is the one with the red scarf)

Marianne’s Milestone

Marianne reached the half-century mile marker on October 4, and we were very happy to be able to celebrate her day of honor with my brother and sister in law, who spent some time in Canada and the US, celebrating their Silver wedding anniversary.

Germany 2008

Soccer Fans

Although unplanned, it was nice that our trip home to Germany coincided with the European Soccer Championship games. We were able to join many German fans in rooting for the national team.
Another wonderful celebration we were able to take part in was our nephew Nikolai’s wedding to his lovely wife Anne!

Nephew Niko and his lovely wife Anne

Merry Christmas And A Happy, Blessed New Year!

Solomon asked: “Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood?” 1 Kings 8:27 (The Message)

John states: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes…” John 1:14 (The Message)

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas and  Blessed New Year 2009!

Thank you for your prayers and support throughout the past year!

Update on a possible New Ministry Home for YWAM Kamiah

Northern View

A little over a year ago, we moved out of the building that had been graciously donated to us for ministry use for many years by local friends of YWAM.  We have since had a sense that the Lord wanted to give us our own “domain” for ministry, and we have prayed and thought about this for quite a while. A few weeks ago we began to actively pursue finding a property in our area. We met with a local Realtor and looked at a variety of properties for sale in our area, both with buildings and without. One of them clearly stuck out.
This home is large enough to house staff and students for Discipleship Training Schools. It allows for the possibility of an ongoing sports-outreach to the community and other weekly events, such as Bible studies and youth meetings. It is in great shape and requires almost no renovation or changes to be usable to us. Here are some of the advantages of this property:
Location is only about 3 miles out of town, so it is both close, yet not in a zoned area, that would prohibit us from using it for ministry purposes.

• The property is self-contained with its own septic and water supply. Not to mention the beautiful view.
• The home sits on a 11.5 acre almost completely usable property, in other words, there is much room to expand for building cabins for more housing and a pole building for meeting/classroom/office space.
• We have learned that the owner has already dropped the price to $ 350,000 from $ 395K. Comparisons with other properties clearly let this one emerge as the one perfect for our purposes.

We are quite aware that this is a significant amount of money to be raised, but we have received encouragement from our board to carefully pursue the project and begin a capital fund raising campaign.

View from South

Teams making a difference for Jesus!

This year we hosted three different outreach teams, from Molalla, Sutherlin and Portland, Oregon. We feel so blessed by the wonderful, quality, hard-working, Jesus- and people loving and servant-hearted groups.
Although they were here one after another, the work they were involved in was true team-work. All three groups worked on repairing, scraping, caulking, priming and painting First Indian Presbyterian Church. The church had received a new foundation last year and now desperately needed the exterior work. The teams also did a great job in reaching out to our community and especially in relating to our young people. They did a worship concert in the Park, put on the annual Kamiah Hoop Camp and Vacation Bible School and a very well prepared Field Day with games, sweets and activities.
I think, we are most encouraged, every time, when we see how young people give their time, talents, money, yes, their whole life to the Lord., working hard in His Service. To see how their dedication and service for the Lord enriches them and blesses others is priceless!

Where we serve

Indigenous Ingenuity

After having dug to a depth of 50 feet last year, Mexican scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Mexicans, in the weeks that followed, Texans scientists dug to a depth of 75 feet, and shortly after, headlines in the Houston newspapers read: ” Texas archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the Mexicans.”

One week later, “Navajo Nation Council”, in its Window Rock, Navajo times newsletter reported the following:

“After digging as deep as 90 feet in wash beds near Kayenta, Elmer Chee, a self taught archeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing.

Chee has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Natives had already gone wireless.” Ayyyyyyyye.

(Sorry, do not know who to thank for this, probably received it in a forwarded email)

Foundation Work

This summer, the 133 year old church building of the Nez Perce Indian Presbyterian Church received a new foundation. The building still rested on the original foundation consisting of large boulders and wooden blocks, which had suffered rot over the years leading to buckling of floor and walls.

A local contractor jacked up the building with many heavy duty truck jacks, excavated the old foundation, removed the rotten beams and poured new footers on which concrete blocks were set, fortified with iron bars and filled with concrete. After the concrete had cured for several days, the building was gently let down onto the new foundation.

Now the building is once again level and the previously bowed out wall is straight.

This much needed work also showed us as a congregation just as in the natural so to in the spiritual: a secure and straight foundation is necessary for the soundness and growth of the whole congregation, the living church.