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KIFB Wins with Non-Run Marathon
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"I’ll do that for you God." I remember that vow I made to God at the age of eight after listening to the tape where Patch the Pirate goes to visit the missionaries on the Island of Afraidica. I decided right then that I would be a missionary for God too. Of course, saying that and doing it were two different things. I went to a Christian school that I truly loved and at the age of eight I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. People question whether kids this age can truly make a commitment but I knew what I was doing and I loved my school for bringing to that point. These two decisions made by a small child would have a profound effect on me for the rest of my life.
Home was a different story, however. My parents did not live the Christian life and my dad was verbally abusive to my brothers and me. He was especially abusive to my mom who was epileptic and brain damaged. I would even see him strangle her at times. I was embarrassed by my dad’s heavy drinking and I guess I was angry at my mother because I wanted to have a "normal" mother like all of the other kids I knew. To be honest I don’t remember most of my childhood. It really wasn’t until I started attending the Christian school that my first memories of childhood developed.
After two years my parents took me out of the Christian school and we moved yet again. It was a pattern that followed me through my whole childhood. I was embarrassed by my dad’s drinking and wouldn’t bring friends home. When I did eventually make friends we would move soon after. I did stray from God after leaving the school but God never left me. Even though I rejected God, He stayed close beside me through these difficult years. I did not even recognize that He was with me until 1997 when I rededicated myself to Jesus Christ. As I began to study God’s Word, I saw His hand in my life through all of the troubles and turmoil. I saw that God had been with me even when my parent’s and friends had let me down and I had let them down. I realized that I would not have made it through those times without Him.
My life had changed dramatically but God had more in store for me. Two years ago the childhood memory of the promise I made to God to serve as a missionary came rushing back to me and hit me with the conviction that only the Holy Spirit can provide. I knew at that moment that it was time to move away from my secular job and start working for Christ. I began investigating going to Puerto Rico or possibly Wisconsin to work in full time in Christian ministry but those doors were closed to me. God directed me to serve at the Kodiak Baptist Mission.
As I began my work with the kids of Kodiak, I knew from His work in my life that these kids from broken homes needed Christ more than anyone. I knew that by working with them in love and showing them that they needed to make Christ the Lord of their life that, even if they did stray, Christ would stay by them and guide them and they would forever changed by His presence. I am convinced that these childhood decisions do matter and it will help shape their lives beyond what they or I can possibly imagine. I have been working at the Baptist Mission for over a year now and I won't lie. It is difficult working with kids who carry burdens but I see in them that same little eight year old girl, with all of her problems at home, who made a promise to God to serve Him. I know that these kids matter and are worth the time I spend with them.
I don’t know what the future holds for me but I know as He continues to teach me it will be better than anything that I can possibly imagine.
RonDeLu Garshwiler has entered her second year of service as a volunteer at KBM. The expenses of living in Kodiak have forced her to take a second job and we hope that several people will consider sponsoring RonDe in her ministry here at KBM so she can focus all of her energy into the kids.
My son Joshua was delighted as I lit the candle and let him blow it out. It doesn’t take much to entertain him. When I turned my back he had grabbed a very hot metal part of the candleholder. Josh immediately burst into tears and gave a great cry. Running to me he sought to be consoled by his father. As I put his fingers under cold water and gave him hugs, I, like a thousand fathers before me, wished I could take that burn from Josh and put it on myself. I wished that I could take all of the scars and pain that Josh would have in his life and leave his body as pure and unblemished as the day he was born. If we earthly fathers, who are evil, wish that we could take away the pain of our sons and daughters, how much more our heavenly Father must desire to see the pain in our lives taken away.
As we work with kids here at the Mission, we are reminded every day of the great pain that so many kids carry with them in their lives. There are times when some kids become so overwhelmed that they break down in tears and are nearly inconsolable. Other times children misbehave so as to push the adults away from them so that they won’t be hurt again. Working with these kids can be very trying at times but these are the kids that need Christ in their lives more than anyone. The Mission’s preschool, after-school, and our residential programs seeks to reach these kids who are in the greatest need. Many of these kids are from split families and the parent they live with works. There is often so much anger and resentment bottled up in these kids, which has no real outlet. It is our greatest hope the love of God will show through us so that these kids will want what we have.
Psychologists can spend hours with these children trying to cover up the pain their lives, but we believe that only God can take the scars from these children and put them on Himself so that he will suffer the pain rather than them. Everyone is familiar with John 3:16 but sometimes we have to remember that not only did God so love the world but he also loved little Rick, who might give us more trouble than an eight year old should, so much that he gave His only Son. God not only would willingly take little Rick’s scars, He would love to have them. He is earnestly seeking after Rick and putting the people in his life with the hope that Rick will let Him take this pain.
As we work with these kids I hope you will intercede in prayer for us that we would be given the wisdom to know how God can best be seen in us. I hope that you will pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of these kids so that their hearts will be open to the message of Jesus Christ. I hope that you will pray for the parents of these kids that they will also come to know Jesus so that the family’s joy may be complete. It is with the joy of Jesus Christ that we see the possibility that these kids may once again have a spiritual body that is even purer than that which they were born with.
Every year a strange malady grips our country called Superbowl mania. People who have no interest in football, suddenly choose up sides and become fans. Hats, shirts, and other regalia tout the wearer’s team of choice. It even affects the Mission, for every year we host a Superbowl party. Since we have a large screen TV and lounge, a tradition of watching the game, socializing, and eating together has evolved over the years. It can be real fun or a drag at times. Some are glued to the TV, others are talking sometimes loudly to the consternation of the aforementioned group, others are eating, playing games or whatever. It's a real mixed bag.
I didn't attend this year. I guess because I was a bit worn out but the real reason was that it is difficult for a guy that knows nothing of what's going on to feign interest. It's probably like taking a date to a football game and having to stop to explain what's going on all the time. Fans become irate after about the fiftieth question especially when you observe, "If those guys learned to share, they wouldn't have to fight so much over the ball."
It was a rainy day in Kodiak (I know that will not be a revelation to many of you who have visited our fair island). The parking lot was muddy but between the cars a group of kids were playing football. Now this to me is the essence of games. Children in a parking lot making up rules that make the playing field fair, using cars as boundaries, counting to ten because there are not enough defenders to cover the quarterback as he tries to unload the ball downfield. There were no uniforms, no one was selling candy to buy equipment, and no adults were refereeing. Frequent time outs were called, not for commercials but to make up impromptu rules and negotiate problematic plays. This to me is what it is all about. This was the Superbowl and most of the adults didn't even know it was happening right under their noses.
I have the feeling that we adults have robbed the children of play. I think it a crime of the first magnitude to turn sports into a pint size pro team where you need all the pomp and ceremony of the pros to play the game and where parents pressure kids and coaches play only their best players. Play is for kids. It is in play they learn to share, make up rules, and negotiate fair outcomes to problematic situations. A child's work is play. It is getting ready to assume your place as an adult in a civil society.
I am glad we are highlighting the Sonshine Preschool in this edition. The Preschool is the best hope for the future of the children. It is here that three year olds begin to take their place in a civil society. As I looked at the little unused clump of ground to the right of the Sonshine building, I imagined a new laboratory for teaching civility among the children. It is called a playground. Although, we have the best facility and teachers in Kodiak, we have no adequate playground for the children. We now have the opportunity to focus on this need this summer. I have seen many visions come to pass in the last four years at the Mission. The Nautilus exercise room, the preschool building, the new salehouse, the new areas for the after school program, the closing in of the pavilion, and the outdoor chapel. I now look forward to making a neglected corner of the Mission into another place to train children.
We need your help. If you are one of the many groups that will come as a work group this year, we will need you to do some hard physical work. If you are one of those who constantly support the mission in prayer, we need your support. If you can help us financially, please get behind this important project. Commercial playground equipment is expensive. The required safety for children must be built in. A fence is not a glamorous mission project but it is a real necessity. There are a few people who could buy a playground or a piece of equipment but most can't. But perhaps, you or your group could buy a foot of fence, a teeter-totter board, or a yard of concrete. Please stand with us in this important project.
The children of Sonshine are constantly learning. There are, of course, the regular rounds of colors, numbers, days of the week and special themes for each month of the year. These academics prepare the children for school. There are also games and free play that allow each of the children to gain valuable tools for life in a social and civil society. The Christian preschool adds another dimension to the process, learning about the meaning of life and the God who created us to live. This dimension, for many children is left out. God is far off and only a fuzzy feeling. Sonshine kids learn that God is near and vitally interested. They learn of Bible stories and heroes. They learn songs that speak of faith and worship. This is an everyday experience but every Friday we have a special time: Chapel. The children come to the Mission chapel in the basement of McWhinnie Cottage and put into practice the things they have been learning all week.
Chapel
time has a two-fold purpose. It helps the children become familiar with church
and what is expected of them in church--learning why we do some of the things we
do in worship and to participate in worship. There is also a teaching.
Explaining the Christian faith to a child challenges us to think about what we
are really saying. Hearing children interpret what we say can be a real eye
opener. We were lighting the candles the other day. We had already learned not
to be afraid in the dark because Jesus is the Light of the world, and now I was
lighting three candles. I lit the first candle for the Father, the second candle
for the Son, and as I lit the third candle I began to say, "For the Holy..." but
a small voice from behind finished my sentence "for the moon." I added the Holy
Spirit and went on. It seems perfectly right for a child if you light a candle
for the son you should light one for the moon. It also provides a little window
into the world of the child who is trying to make sense of the spiritual world.
They are not too young to learn. We need to teach, line upon line, precept upon
precept, not waiting for some magic age when they can understand. These children
are filling a tool box to face life with and we want them to have every tool
available to the Christian.
We thank God for the many caring hands that help the Kodiak Baptist Mission. One recent addition to our preschool was five beautiful hand-made quilts given by the Dorcas Circle from the First Baptist Church of Palimosa, California. So many groups all across the country have given so freely of their gifts and we are blessed by it every time.
KIFB Wins with Non-Run Marathon
Experts have found that over 150 people in Kodiak have enlarged hearts from not running. No, this is not a medical condition but rather the generosity shown by the people of Kodiak in supporting the Kodiak Island Food Bank’s 1st Annual Non-Run Marathon last Saturday.
“We wanted to have a fund-raiser event that anyone could
participate in and still feel like they were supporting a good cause,” said
Trevor Jones of the Kodiak Baptist Mission. “Being our first year we weren't
sure what to expect but I was happy to see people come early and stay for the
whole day. It made for a fun atmosphere since there was probably never less than
75 people there.”
“I think I’m winning this race,” one of the contestants announced after getting up from a free ten minute massage provided by licensed massage therapists Debra McCusker and Michelle Miller. Free food was provided and over a hundred prizes, provided by local merchants, were given away during the event, but most people seemed to enjoy just relaxing and talking to their neighbors. Dano DiNucci of KVOK/KMXT, a local radio station, kept the people who left the event informed with a live broadcast of all the prize winners and happenings from the marathon.
“The support of the community was far greater than we could have ever expected. Since this was our first year doing this event, we only printed 60 shirts hoping that we wouldn’t have too many left over,” said Faith Bancroft, Coordinator for the Kodiak Island Food Bank. “Carl (of Royall T’s) kept printing the shirts as the event was happening and by the end of the day he had printed over 160 shirts.
“I am just thankful for all of the support we received from the community, local merchants and the many volunteers who helped bring this together. Considering the tremendous response we had this year, we look forward to an even bigger and more exciting event next year.”
You can not run in Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or anywhere for that matter and support the Kodiak Island Food Bank. Long-sleeve mock turtle- neck shirts are still being printed for Kodiak Island Food Bank's First Annual Non-Run Marathon (with a logo similar to the one above) and are available by sending a check to the Kodiak Baptist Mission for $25.00 (including shipping, please specify size).
As I look out my window I can see the tall grass and uneven ground where we will build a playground for the kids of Sonshine Christian Preschool and Day Care this summer. For a moment each of us involved has taken time to think back to our childhood and remember the joy of hours spent on the swings and the thrill of going down the slides and for a moment we can relate even better to the kids we work with. It is with this child-like joy that we have pressed forward with our vision of how a playground should be. We have to remember for a moment how a child would view the different ideas that have come before us. Now we are asking you to think back to your childhood and prayerfully consider giving to this project. First American Baptist Church of Stockton has already designated their America for Christ offering to this project and we hope that there are others who also have caught a vision of themselves playing on a playground as a child and will want to help.
