Hello to all from the top of the world.
June and July's 2008 Newsletter.
We start off the month on the 5th of June with a new granddaughter Kelsey, 7 pounds 8 oz. and 21 in. long. That makes 10 grandchildren, 1 step grandson, and we have one due in February.
Our snow started to melt early June, but on the 8th of June we had some new snow, new snow is always so pretty.
On the 14th of June our VBS team from the Crossing Church in Birchwood Alaska came to do our VBS which started Monday, June 16 through the 20th and during VBS we had 13 saved, Praise the Lord. The team was great and we thank The Crossing for sending them. We made some new friends! (Pictures on our website.)
Zach and Jennifer Greer from Texas came to Kiana on the 18th of June to spend the summer and help Kim and I with the ministry here in Kiana and this region. They are willing to stay on as a more permanent basis but need job or jobs and housing. Jennifer is a qualified teacher so we are looking into teacher jobs that would provide housing for them. Kim and I feel blessed to have them here with us and feel that that the ministry here is also blessed by having them, so please pray that God's will to be done and if they are to stay here, we know it will all work out.
On the 21st of June my cousin HJ Piepmeier went home to be with the Lord, please pray that the Lord would be with his family. We spent a lot of time with H.J. and Judy when we lived in Appleton City, MO.
On June 26 Kim, Janelle, Matilda and Eva headed to Hawaii with the WMU
"Collide" to Hawaii for a mission trip and returned on the sixth of July. It was called: Lima Kokua Collide. Lima Kokua means: Helping Hands. The trip was from June 28th-July 4th. We worked with Pastor John Vaughn and his wife Charlene at Kalihi Baptist Church. We worked in the "projects" painting parking lot lines, picked up trash around the area, passed out VBS fliers, and played with the children. We also made some new friends and Lord willing, they will come here next summer on a Mission trip from their church! It was a great experience and we plan to do another Collide next summer. (pictures on website)
July 8 brings around every year my beautiful wife's birthday and she starts planning for what she would like on her birthday as soon as it's over each year. LOL She had some of her friends over for cake and ice cream. Her cake was decorated like "Kim Possible"
On July 11 through 18th Don Chapin's team was here from Athens Texas. They helped us with many work needs like fixing our septic drain problems, trimming and cutting trees, connecting oil heater in my shop, working on motors and in many other jobs. If that wasn't enough they also did backyard Bible club with our children here every afternoon and every evening had a townwide crusade. Many lives were touched with all their desire to serve others. Thank you Don, Vicki, David, Jan, Jimmy, Josh, Paul and Linda, great job and our thanks also to their church family.
On the 19th of July Tim Stevens from Arkansas returned for his 10th time here to Kiana and he brought a friend of his John Reed which could only stay one week out of the two weeks Tim was staying L . John and Tim are two of the best Christian men I know and both of them are available, "big John" is 27 and "quick on his feet Tim" is 31, so any interested women or mothers of young women looking for son-in-law's can ask me for more information or phone numbers, we even have pictures. LOL.
Thanks for all your help. One day while fishing, Kim, caught 3 salmon and one Pike, her first fishing since living here. Tim and John put up all the Salmon we need for the Winter. Blueberries are just now getting ripe enough to pick, will start on that soon!
Alaska Native Youth Camp this year was from July 19 to August 2 there were 63 campers in all this year, we sent seven from Kiana two leaders Zackary and Jennifer and five youth, four of the five from Kiana made decisions for the Lord and the other one already had. (pictures on website)
This is from Lance Kramer:
Hello everyone,
Our preliminary results show we had:
- 11 salvations
- 16 rededications
- 3 baptisms (Jesse Sergie (DLG), Autumn Bronson (IAN), and Marc Nanalook (TOG…one of our counselors)
Our FIRST EVER baptisms at ANYC! Notice, there’s about 11 that WANT to be baptized…pastors, looks like you have some candidates.
What numbers don’t show is how the camp has positively affected not only campers but counselors and staff as well…one of those "gotta be there" kind of things. The Holy Spirit did His part and PTL we did ours.
The students learned a little about sexual purity and gained a few tools to help them fight that battle. They were also challenged to be "rescuers" and missionaries in their communities.
We had several who passed the Evangecube tests and others made AWESOME tracts to share their faith with. They are WAY more creative than you and I may think. I wish you could see some of their tracts…encourage them to make them often and share with their friends.
Anyway, I’ve got to go to bed now. Pray for me as I travel to Unalakleet to preach for a week at their VISION ’08 camp.
Lance Kramer
There was a run in with a porcupine this month our dog Moka got a little too nosey with a porcupine and got her nose and mouth full of quills she was running around shaking her head and blood running from her nose and mouth. Kim saw her first and told me what happened I called Moka and held her between my legs and pull those quills out of her nose and mouth she didn't like it then too much but she was glad when I got them out, we were able to get her a round of antibiotics to keep her from getting any infections and she seems to be fine now.
Highlights for the last two months.
The weather for June and July has been cool and rainy for the most part temperatures between 30 and 60° except for one week towards the end of June that it was in the 80s well at least a half a week okay for a couple of days, LOL, now in the first part of August the sun has come back out and were up to 61 today.
Updates on my sister Jackie and my brother Jerry. Jackie's lymphoma has come back and she had a large mass removed from her chest they believe that they removed it all and she is going to be starting chemo again. As for my brother Jerry his last chest scan showed a little fuzziness that the doctor really thinks it's probably just scar tissue from his radiation treatments will check in again next month.
As for myself, I had to go to the doctors in Anchorage while our Texas team was here in Kiana. The orthopedic surgeon said my arm will was healing fine a little crooked but not to worry and my general doctor told me I needed to listen better about taking my medicine, for all of you that know me well know that I don't have a listening problem, LOL, she told me if I didn't want to follow her instructions I could find a new doctor. I'm going to listen to her and I really am doing fine.
Please pray for Pastor John Forrester and family, John is in China.
Please pray for Kobuk, Shungnak, Ambler, Kiana, Noorvik, Kotzebue and any other Village in the Northwest Arctic Borough that the Baptist will be ministering in and around Alaska
Please pray that the Lord will continue to give Kim and I the health, wisdom, strength, finances to continue serving the Lord in the Northwest Borough of Alaska.
Please pray for the Lords will to be done in our children's lives and their families.
John Jr. and Shellie, Mikey.
Sarah and Wes, Hannah, Abbi, Leela, Seth, plus baby on the way due in Feb.
Jana and Greg, Kylie, Kaycie, Gregory and Kelsey
Jesse and Tish, Shelby, Haley, Austin, Katelynn, Haileigh, Damon.
We have a trust fund, "John and Kim Piepmeier Kiana Baptist Mission Trust Fund". We are doing this so that the work will continue here in Kiana, even after we are gone. If anyone would like to donate to this fund, you can send checks to the Alaska Baptist Convention 1750 O'Malley Road Anchorage Alaska 99507.
Please pray for our friend, Ted, he is planning on being home the end of this month and helping us in the ministry.
Thank you to those who have partnered with us to help pay utilities
Thank you to all of you that have helped with providing needs from the "Ways You Can Help" page.
Thank you to the many who have sent us letters, cards, and e-mails,
supplies, and love gifts along with their prayers.
Thank you to the ones who continue to support us and pray for us
God is Good! All the Time!
Gasoline and Stove oil is now $7.00 a gallon plus tax. We are needing to fill up our barrels by next month. If anyone or church is willing to help with this, please make checks out to:
Kiana Baptist Mission (designate: fuel) and mail to:
Kiana Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 145
Kiana, Alaska 99749
Love in Christ,
Pastor John and Kim Piepmeier
"Mission Service Corps Missionaries"
On Top Of The World In Kiana Alaska
Our Eskimo names: "Qayaaqpaq and Ayagiaq"
P.O. Box 145 Kiana Alaska 99749
(907) 475-2126
www.kianabaptistmission.com
