Seniors are among the most at-risk members of any community. This can be due to diminished physical and mental faculties, which increase their need for care, assistance, and, at the very least, attention. Sadly, not all seniors are receiving these. Perhaps their family members may be living far away (or in some cases, completely absent), or maybe they don’t have the means or resources to get professional help. Regardless of the situation, it’s only right for church members to take it upon themselves to see to the welfare of seniors in their congregation and community. Here are some links to help in that endeavor.

Addressing Welfare at Home

5 In-Home Safety Risks for Seniors

6 Steps for Preventing Falls Among Seniors

How to Prevent Home Injuries in Seniors

6 Household Chores Older Adults Might Need Assistance With

How to Find Financial Assistance for Seniors

Taking Care of Health and Well-Being

Exercise for Older Adults

The Health Benefits of Walking for Seniors

Special Nutrient Needs of Older Adults

Shop Fresh from Costco and Get It Delivered

The Complete Medication Management Guide for Seniors

Although it may not seem like very much, your attention and company will go a very long way for seniors in need. And the best part is that it won’t even take up too much of your time and your resources. So, go ahead and make a senior smile today.

Photo via Pexels

Currently, teams for UND and CR will be here from March 10th - 18th to help us deliver these news magazines and be involved in prayer, service projects, and anything else we got going on. If you know of ANY service project needs, please let Tim or Darcy know!

LifeHouse Church will be sponsoring another exciting booth at the Winneshiek County fair this year. You will find the very popular face painting again, and in addition to that there will be an upright wheel that people can spin to land on a question from the Bible. If they answer it right, they win a really cool prize. If they don't, well, let's not talk about that.

Nordic Fest

This year LifeHouse Church has something special up its sleeve for Nordic Fest. We will have a float entitled "Jesus took a liking to a Viking". It will be an actual float with a Viking kneeling before a cross that's elevated up on a mountain. It will be a site to see. And, of course, there will be lots of candy and a small booth on the corner next to the game exchange/ Magpie.

Hong Kong Mission

LifeHouse's 2 pastors and part-time staffer, Darcy, will be heading to Hong Kong and East Asia for a mission trip this summer. The mission is to run English speaking camps to help locals learn English and at the same time use the Bible and Bible stories to teach them. This exposes them to principles and promises in the Scriptures that most know nothing about. The most significant element is introducing them to Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for them and for all mankind. It will be a powerful time!

Good Friday showing of The Passion

On Good Friday LifeHouse Church hosted a viewing of the movie The Passion. 

The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus which depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Passion of the Christ largely covers the final twelve hours of Jesus' life beginning with the agony in the garden and ending with a brief depiction of his resurrection.  (from Wikipedia)

This movie is known for its particularly realistic portrayal of the brutal act of whipping and crucifixion.  It is rated R for that reason and young kids are strongly cautioned against seeing it.

Easter Celebration and 1 year anniversary

On April 24 we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and our 1 year anniversary. We have done a lot in this last year: we have sponsored service projects, a soccer program, bible studies, "Get a Life" Skills seminars and more. A band from our sister church in Ames, IA, Stonebrook Curch, came and helped us sing to the LORD in style. A new stage and curtains for the windows were ready for the service. After the service we had great fellowship and lots of food.

Since Bob wasn't able to share a message that God put on his heart that Sunday, he recorded it and posted it on our website.  Give it a listen here:  http://www.decorahlifehouse.org/kitchen/podcasts. If you would like you can open and print message notes and Knowing Him in Obedience of Humility handout. (When clicking on the link if it doesn't open or ask you to save it: right click and choose "save link as..." you can save it to your computer from there.)

Toward the end of the summer the older kids went head to head with a 6th grade girls team from Calmar.  The first match ended in a stalemate, but during the second match the Calmar girls showed tremendous teamwork and skill and dominated the NLSL team.  Next year girls... next year!

During the last day of competition, though, everyone came out a winner as every participant was awarded a medal and personal words of praise from their respective coaches.  Overall, it was a tremendously successful summer.  We hope to see you all next year!

(Philippians 4:4-8) 'Don't Be Anxious About Anything, Instead Pray About Everything'

^"4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

To Anyone and Everyone who reads this blog, it is my hope and prayer that you would be encouraged and find comfort in God's everlasting love, thanks to His amazing grace through His Son Jesus! 

God has been teaching me to not be anxious about anything, including finding a job.  I have been hunting and waiting on Him to provide for my every need, which is nothing new; after all, there's a time for every season under Heaven (Ecclesiastes 3) 'A Time for Everything':

 "¹ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

 ² a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot...

 ³ a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

 ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

 ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

 ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

 ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

 ⁹ What does the worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

 ¹⁵ Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

 ¹⁶ And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

 ¹⁷ I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."

 ¹⁸ I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. ¹⁹ Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. ²⁰ All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"

 ²² So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?"

Honestly, I don't know how often people think about what will happen after they die; yet, on account of having 13 surgeries, 12 physical ones in my life time so far, the first at age three, and the most recent just three summers ago, I have been wondering what people will do after I die and return to the dust.  Growing up on a dairy farm for 20 out of the past 24 years of my life, I have watched how each season under Heaven is crucial.  Spring is the time when my dad and my two brother's generally plow up the soil and plant the seeds that they want to grow over the summer, in hopes of bringing in the harvest in the fall.  Many times there have been seeds that were sown that didn't grow, due to lack of rain, too much sun, or even too much rain, along with wind causing crop damage, when the plants don't have deep enough roots to keep them stable.  Similarly so, I have come to see how God's planting, watering, and harvest of human souls is very similar to that of earthly farmers.

As a child, I recall hearing the stories of the Bible and wondering what all the parables meant.  Over time, I was blessed with the hands-on education on my parent's farm, getting to help my great grandparents, grandparents, and parents work in the fields and gardens sowing and reaping multiple crops.  Interestingly enough, I didn't realize at the time that God had planted a seed in my heart.  This was a seed of love, which He was watering and cultivating through the multiple hospital visits I had throughout my lifetime, along with other trials that made me wonder when I would die.  Each time I returned back to the farm, I questioned God and the many stories I heard from my Sunday School teachers, since I did not know when God would decide to call me Home for good, to Heaven.  Mulitple people sent me cards of encouragement when I was physically sick, some of you who are reading this blog right now even.  I can't thank you enough for all your prayers and the Bible verses that you wrote inside the cards, they were truly water to my soul!

During the times I was healed physically, my soul still remained sick from a spiritual perspective.  Since I didn't understand why the things happened to me I questioned God and kept asking, "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?  Would other people be better off if I were dead?  What is my purpose in life?  Where are we going?"  All in all, the only place that I could find answers to my questions was the Bible, and from people who were part of our church and other churches, all who are part of God's Church Body as a whole.  Yet, my soul was very unstable throughout the storms of life, due to the fact that my roots had not grown very deep into the Word of God.  Sure, I knew the stories and had heard them repeated over and over every Sunday; however, I didn't know how to grow deeper on my walk/journey/adventure with God every day of the week.  Needless to say, "God allows(ed) all things to happen for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His will" (Romans 8:28).  At the time, I didn't understand this truth when I was going through the trials, which included:

1) an inguinal hernia at age three

2) a femoral hernia at age four

3,4,5) rhabdomyoscaroma/a type of cancer in my left jaw bone at age five, followed by radiation, the initial surgery to remove as much of what they could of the cancer tumor, a surgery to put a central line in/also called a port these days, and chemotherapy to follow up in means of trying to kill the rest of the cancer... A random manager in a Hardees asked my mom if he could lay hands on me and pray for God to heal me, which became answered prayers soon after; and another surgery to remove my central line that my mom had to remember to change the dressing and flush with heparin everyday so the blood wouldn't back up

*I was hospitalized with chicken pox's since my immune system was too weak from the chemo

*Next I had spinal meningitis and encephalitis at age ten and was hospitalized again

6) then another surgery for what was a possible hernia but was just a cyst when I was in junior high

7,8,9) the following three reconstructive surgeries my senior year in high school which were done out of selfish motives

*I was bit by a rabid skunk (a skunk with rabies) the summer after I graduated

10) open heart surgery, in which God took out my heart of stone and gave me a heart like His heart; I was 'Born Again' 9/20/03

11) an unexpected surgery my first year of college due to my hip bone fusing with my rib bone both of which were used to rebuild my left jaw bone

12) another similar surgery a year and a half later when the rib bone grew up around the metal fosa that had been put in and fused together once more

13) the most recent was a precautionary surgery to make sure the golfball sized lump was not cancer that was discovered upon getting kicked in my sternum by a cow the first couple weeks after my parents' put in a milking parlor the summer of 2006

***As you can read for yourself, I felt kind of like Job out of the Bible, and God responded in a similar sense to me like He did to Job the first fall when I went off to college at the University of Iowa in 2003.  On account of being told, 'if I lived through all the research and experimental things I had done on me at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) I would have full paid tuition at the University of Iowa, so I started there, only to have God move me back to NE Iowa two years later.  Following my second un-expected surgery, my parents thought it would be best if I moved back home/to the farm so they could monitor my jaw better, in case I would need a third surgery.  Therefore, I opted to attend the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) the fall of 2005 - spring of 2007.

Moving back to Northeast Iowa, I saw my life through a new light, which was thanks to God's perfect timing of teaching me more about the two greatest commandments found in three out of the four Gospels, (Matthew 22:37-39), (Mark 12:30-31), (Luke 10:27):

^"Jesus answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

No one had truly taught me how to love my neighbor, like Jesus modeled for us when He walked on the earth calling His followers, to follow Him and He will make us fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).  God used Sabina Huseyinova, an exchange student who stayed with my family my senior year in high school (from Turkmenistan, a country by the Caspian Sea), and God showed me that I needed to not only look out for my needs but the needs of others.  He showed me what it feels like to be a foreigner in this land, as I went off to college and felt like a foreigner myself, not knowing people, where I should go, what I should do in a new place.  Everyone on earth is our neighbor, and as Christians we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, because we know where we have come from and where we are going when we die physically.  Consequently, this is why I feel as though God has called me back to Northeast Iowa to love people like Jesus first loved us.

It is my prayer that God will continue to plant His seeds of love in people's hearts and water them, by pouring out His Holy Spirit on all His Children, who know Jesus as our Savior, Redeemer and Best Friend.  As we come to the source of Living Water, Jesus, we can drink and eat our daily bread, which is God's food found in His Word.  His desire is for us to grow up into maturity, as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds in His Word, so we can be harvested for eternity when Jesus returns to take all His followers Home to Heavens  

(Matthew 9:37 & Luke 10:2) 'Jesus Told Us To Ask/Pray For More Workers To Be Sent Out Into His Harvest Field'
"He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

All of you are in my prayers; and if you have any questions, comments, or would like to help in the harvest if you are not already, please contact me or anyone else on the www.decorahsummerproject.com website, God Bless!

Resting In His Love,

Jenny Larson

406 E. Main St.

Decorah, IA 52101

(563)-419-5619

jenny@rockisu.com

I immediately offered to show her how to be 100% sure, going through a "Do You Know For Certain" track.  After some lengthy explanations, lots of additional verses, and a few analogies, Kerry finally understood that there was nothing she could do to earn salvation.  I explained the magnitude of deciding to accept Christ's gift of salvation, and that it would be a hard road to walk, but that Christ was there to help us along the way.  She thought about it for a minute, and decided she wanted to trust Christ for her salvation and life.

Together, we prayed, and she asked Christ to be her personal Lord and Savior!  She was weeping and praising God.  Apparently she had prayed on the way to church that morning that she'd find Christ that day.  Praise Him for His faithfulness to answer our most sincere prayers!

So, Welcome, Kerry, into a new family of believers!  Though the summer project is officially over, I will be praying for you and I know I'm leaving you in good hands!

The years rolled by, and my joy continued. My fourth grade teacher wrote on my report card, "Keep up the happy disposition." (I'd never heard that last word- my vocabulary still wasn't very developed!)

At home, I was becoming a responsible young lad who could manage a significant portion of our family dairy operation. From record keeping to animal health, and, yes, the morning and evening milking, I knew what was up and felt good about being trusted by my dad with responsibilities.

But as I entered high school, I started wondering about my future, and my smile faded into uncertainty. I still loved the dairy and my dad, but I had a nagging emptiness about my career's long-term value. Would I be happy? Would I be a success? Would I find it fulfilling?

I was sort of in free fall for a couple of years. I was lonely, a little confused, and very fearful of making wrong choices. Every scenario I played out in my mind seemed pointless and meaningless.

I entered college, enrolling in Animal Science, but still sensing a diminishing confidence that I would be happy with a career in it. Worse than that, I had no confidence I'd be happy in any other career, either. Something was missing.

Walking back to my dorm a couple of days into my freshman year, I stopped to receive a piece of paper from some people positioned along my sidewalk. I chatted with them for a bit, and invited them to visit me in my dorm room.

I don't remember what we talked about those first couple of times we talked; I was too busy observing them. They were genuinely happy, and it seemed to be coming from what they were doing. They had differing degrees and pursuits, but their joy didn't seem to be coming from their career choices.

About two weeks went by and I talked to my new friends many times. One Sunday evening I was trying to study, but my emptiness and their fullness invaded my mind and took over. I had to get to the bottom of this. If there was any way I could have what I saw in them, I wanted it.

By that time I had learned where some of the men were staying, so I went over t their house, interrupted what they were doing, and started pouring out my concerns to them. Why wasn't I happy? Why was I so fearful of the rest of my life? What about after life was over: could I be certain about any good then?

For the first time, as I listened to them, the Gospel of Jesus Christ sounded like good news that was relevant to me. They said that God was good and had a plan for my life. That sounded like the God I had heard about in my religious upbringing, so no problem there. But I felt so much outside of any satisfaction in knowing about Him. Inside I was in dark turmoil, feeling guilty about my private lust and sensing that I was God's enemy.

What really started to open up hope to me was the acceptance of two realities. One of them was that I was indeed a guilty sinner who had chosen to live against the standards of a hold God. I would have previously said that I was a sinner, but I had always softened that in my own mind by thinking in a general sense that everyone else was, too. I had never gathered up the courage and humility to say to the righteous Almighty God, "Yes, I am right now your enemy, by my own choice."

The second reality that came to me that night was just exactly what it meant to "believe in Jesus Christ." I had previously envisioned myself as a sincere person, hoping that my good intentions would merit consideration for Heaven. I had done the best I could, and I hoped that God would take it from there, that He would make up what was still lacking in my efforts. But that evening it became clear that nothing I could do would undo my past wrongs. There was no hope for me in my own efforts whatsoever.

Biblical truth became my reality, that "all have sinned and fall short of the (standard) of God." I knew this was true for me. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He save(s) us." I knew that night that it was going to be His mercy or I was sunk. "The Lord has laid on (Jesus) the (sins) of us all." "Christ died for our sins." That made perfect sense to me, too, that a substitutionary payment was necessary. And, lastly, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." I remember that being the hardest part of the change in me. Could I be saved in that way? Could it be that the responsibility for my eternal destiny was upon my own shoulders? But then I reasoned that if that was the route of salvation, then my new friends had been in my spot at one time, too, sensing their own need and calling out to make Jesus both Savior and Lord to them too. They urged me to make a decision to trust in Jesus, and I finally did!

Oh what a course I have been on! I did not find immediate joy. I had a lot of doubts that I had "believed right." But God has been entirely faithful to bring me into and through many stressful life situations which have heightened my trust in Him.

Over the last thirty-five years, my joy has increased to way beyond childhood levels, because I have given the controls of my life over to Him, and I know I can trust Him to do the best with my life. I have experienced a job loss, a few conflicts in marriage, and a few problems in my parenting, just like anyone else; but like an athlete who knows that success in the game depends upon appropriate training, even the problems in life have a purpose for me. They give me numerous opportunities to ask Him what to do and to trust Him to turn problems around for good. My wife and I have been married for going on thirty years, and we have raised five wonderful children. We are consistently happy. We have hope and confidence even in troubled times.

I believe we were made to have a relationship with God. Our sins separate us from Him. Jesus died to pay for those sins, and rose again to prove the debt was paid. Now He offers eternal life as a free gift. If you will confess your sins as I did, and tell Him you want the gift of eternal life, and turn from your old life as I did, you, too, will be granted eternal life.

Every summer since about 3^rd grade while I was growing up I went to a church camp and I loved it!  I was a whole different person at camp then I was at home, I had friends, and I felt like people cared.  Every year at the end of the camp week they would give a sermon that told us that we were sinners and that we could know we were going to heaven and have a personal relationship with God.  After the sermon they would dim the lights and have everyone bow their heads and close their eyes and anyone could come up to the front who felt that they needed prayer or wanted to ask Christ into their lives.  I went forward my first year at camp, and then my second year when they did it again, I remember sitting in my chair and thinking "Is this something I need to do?" "I did it last year" "I don't really want to do it" "What are people going to think?"  In the process of thinking all of this, I felt a kick in the butt (literally) and the next thing I knew I was walking down the aisle to pray with someone.

Since I grew up going to church and I was already a "good girl" I didn't realize the impact of this decision until much later in my life or what these prayers meant.  I know looking back on my life that God really protected me until I could understand.  If I had gone to a bigger school where I would have had more opportunities to get involved in drugs, alcohol, or premarital sex, I probably would have taken advantage of those things to fill the void that I felt in my life and I would have been hurt.

After I graduated High school I went to a community college and began to experience what the real world was like.  Several of my friends in my first year of college enjoyed going to the bars and smoking. I never joined in, but hung out with them when they did it; I even remember once that one of my friends was afraid she was pregnant.  This was different than anything I had experienced before, and God once again protected me by giving me a conscience and helped me listen to it.

In the next two years I moved from one town to another and eventually I moved to Boone where my oldest sister and her family lived.  We had become pretty close over the last two or three years and became a support system for each other.

One day I was listening to the Christian radio station and heard about this thing called "see you at the flag pole", that was going to be at college, where the Christians at that school gather around the flag pole and pray.  I was excited to hear about this and decided that it was something I wanted to do.  When the day came I woke up early and started walking there, only to turn around and head back the way I came.  I indecisively started walking four times before finally arriving at the pole.

While I was there, I met a girl named Jen who later became one of my best friends. A few of us at the flag pole that day started a Bible study and an FCA group on our campus.  Jen was always inviting me to do fun things with her church friends like Halloween parties and canoe trips and ended up inviting me to go to church with her. It wasn't until I was actively involved with Stonebrook, Jen's church, that Jesus began to take on a real meaning and I realized "Jesus Loves Me" was not just a song, but the truth.

After living in Boone for two years I finally moved to Ames; this was the best move I had ever made at this point in my life.  This was the beginning of me making my own decisions and not doing everything I was told to do.  Another girl and I rented an apartment and got involved in small group Bible studies at Stonebrook.  I slowly began to change from a quiet, shy person into someone not so quiet and shy. One night towards the end of winter, I was on campus with a bunch of the students for a "free Friday flick" when Tim Borseth, one of the pastors, walked up to me and asked me if I would consider moving into the basement of the house that he and his family were buying.  I was scared out of mind that this guy whom I respected so much as a leader was asking ME to live with him.  I agreed, which was another great decision on my part. 

Somewhere within the two year time frame of living with the Borseth's my small group leader took me out for lunch at Fazoli's and we talked about baptism.  I had thought about this several times but had never fully decided to do it. I went home that day and asked with a huge smile on my face if Tim and Kristen would baptize me, and they of course said yes.  That night they baptized me in a hot tub that one of the other pastors owned.  I was excited to take this step of faith and show people what Christ had been doing in my life.

A few years later while I was at a retreat, I was reading my Bible and found Psalm 139.  I immediately claimed this as my life verse.  It reminds me of how intricately God knows me and how deep His love for me goes.  I often look back at it when I feel the world is crashing in around me and no one loves me or cares about me.  It's comforting to know that God loves me even when people fail me.

Jenny met a nice young lady named Courtney last Saturday on her walk.  Courtney is 19 years old, and grew up going to church on and off.  She never committed her life to Christ, however.  Well, on Wednesday night, Jenny & Darcy were praying with her, and she asked them to help pray for her salvation.  After explaining what Salvation was, Courtney decided she wanted to ask Christ to be her personal Lord and Savior.  So, Praise God, as He is so kind to us!  She is now going through the "Begin In Christ" series with Jenny, who will probably be staying here this fall!  I'm sure Jenny can fill everyone in on the rest of the details at a later date!  Praise God!

Last night was our last soccer practice for the Northern Lights Soccer League.  Our coaching staff said it was a lot of fun, and are bummed that the summer league is coming to an end!  Our players are becoming young soccer buffs!  They've been learning how to dribble, shoot, and work as a team.

Luke, our head coach, says he's been really impressed by the kids and their hard work!  "They are really great kids," he said. "The parents have been a huge support, and their kids are growing in talent because of it!"

We have our last game this coming Saturday at 2PM.  There will be a special awards ceremony afterwards, where our players will receive medals for their hard work and participation in the program.  If you're in the area, you should come check it out!

We hope to have the program available again next summer!  Until then, keep practicing!

During the first week at college I didn't know anyone except for my girlfriend, who was very busy and never even stopped by to see my dorm room.  I took a chance at the cafeteria and started chatting with some strangers.  They invited me to check out a Christian group on campus.  I didn't want to but decided to go.  At the event a lady spoke on how to understand when God speaks to us.  Her example was of God telling her to end a relationship and she refused to, but in the end the guy dumped her.  After the event I went back to my dorm.  My girlfriend called me up and told me we should end our relationship. 

From that moment on I spiraled down into a pit of depression.  I continued to go to the Christian group, which brought me some happiness but I started failing in my classes, and drinking heavily.  I continued to get depressed to the point of contemplating suicide.  I became friends with a guy named Brent, and we hanged out a lot.   One night I was hanging out with him at a party and was totally broken down thinking about my x girlfriend.  He took me for a long walk and talked me through some of the issues I had.  Then he shared with me who Jesus is, and answered a lot of questions on my heart.  He explained how we need Jesus to be able to connect to God, and how our separation from God will keep us from true happiness and peace.  I learned a lot that night and went back to the dorm where I prayed to give my life to Christ; I was at the point where it was either Christ, or death.  When I was done I felt God's holy spirit in me and tears of sorrow and desperation turned to tears of joy.  And God showed me many times where he had reached out to me in the past but I had turned away from him.

After that I started to be happier, but my grades were still poor, I was still struggling with depression, I was still looking for a girl, and I was an alcoholic and got drunk every other day.  Slowly, as I seeked God out, he worked things out.  By God's power I completely gave up drinking within a month.  I passed all my classes that semester somehow.  After a couple months I surrendered my longing for a relationship with a woman to God and he has given me complete peace in that area of my life.

Decorah is quite the adventerous place.  I absolutely love it here!  We have made all sorts of wonderful friends, including Hammy, Emilio, and Belteshazzar (our squirrel neighbors).  

But seriously, the people in Decorah are fantastic!  The Borseth family is a blast to be around.  They are all very generous (and goofy).  I can see why Tim is so excited about planting a church in this area.  

Dan, Jenny, and I are still hunting for jobs, but I know that God is going to provide.  I am excited to see the jobs he has for us and how he will use them to bring glory to his name.

We have started in on our weekly schedule which includles a lot of time in the word and in prayer.  Woot!  Biblestudy has been great; Tim is an excellent teacher (he didn't pay me to say that).  It is good to dig into the word together.  This summer we are going through the book of John.  At our first Biblestudy meeting we read aloud through the first six chapters.  Next week we will begin to take a more in depth look into the book.

We had a nice Memorial Day picnic at Dunnings spring and went for a hike/wander through the woods to the nearby Ice Cave.  We then free climbed up some rocks to a fantastic view of Decorah and hiked back.  It was a wonderrful afternoon.

Tuesday night we helped Tim's mom out with some projects  around her house.  we took off some ceiling that had been damaged in a leaky roof, took out a broken window, and relieved his mom of excess cake and cookies she had lying around.  ;) 

After our work, we decided to play a little and make some "mashed potatoes."  Tim, Luke, and I all hit our marks!  It was a blast (no pun intended). 

Keep praying for us!

Love,

Beth

And they're off...

On Saturday, most of the DSP team (affectionately known as the Decorah 7) arrived ready to eat.  Val Borseth fed them well at a BBQ at the farm house and then again at a pot luck on Sunday.

Sunday yeilded a modest turnout for our first church service in the park.  15 of us sang A cappella the best we could, and then were challenged by the Word of God looking at a faith that surprises God (Mark 6 and Luke 7).  It was good.  And so was the food!

We then had our orientation meeting that night over Mabes Pizza (are you seeing a theme here).  Chris Malone and Jomarie Lensing blessed us with some great worship before we worked through all the details of the program.

Then, on Memorial day Monday, we met at a sweet natural feature in Decorah, Dunning Springs.  And we... yup, you guess it, we ate.. had a great picnic of Subway sandwiches.  Then we went hiking and spelunking in Ice Cave.

Not done yet... we had our first "solid food" teaching that night by studying "the real Jesus" as revealed in Revelation 5.  It was a powerful call to believe in the right Jesus... the one revealed in the Bible and not one from Sunday school stories or modern psycho-babble.

Today, we head back to the farm to work at our first service project.  The old farmhouse and grounds needs a lot of work.  And Val will have treats for us to enjoy afterwards.

Yes, this will be a very fulFILLING summer!!

Our kickoff events can be summarized in one phrase, "Let's eat!"

Saturday (5/23)- BBQ at the farm house (Val’s place), around 5:30pm

Sunday (5/24)- morning service & lunch- at Phelps park, 10am

Sunday (5/24)- BBQ or pizza or something at Andy’s house followed by an orientation meeting, around 5:30pm

Monday (Memorial Day- 5/25)- picnic at Dunning Springs, around 1pm

You are warmly invited to any or all of these events!

Now, more than any time else, we need God's Presence and blessing.  I was inspired by this verse yesterday:

“Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"  Exodus 33:15-15

Pray for us.  Participate with us.  Together we will advance God's Kingdom to the very ends of the earth.