Tapestry adopted the Hanthorn family at Christmas, and have committed to pray for and support them as they live and minister in the Northwest Territories. This is their latest update.
June 2009
Dear friends and family,
When we returned home, to a houseful of eager and excited kids and relieved grandparents, my dad was in the hospital two and half hours north in Inuvik. He had fallen while chasing Judah Ben on ice skates and broke his ribs in several places and punctured one of his lungs. That was a very scary time for my mom and the children as he was in so much pain he could barely move and talk. Not wanting to leave my mom alone with the children, he waited until the day we would be arriving home to get medical help. The Health Center in Fort McPherson, immediately had him sent to the hospital and after being examined by the doctor, he was told, “You’re a lucky man! If you hadn’t come in, you would have been in one way or another.” He was hospitalized for 5 days and the good news of this story is they were not able to fly home as scheduled and we were able to enjoy them for another two weeks.
Sarah helped a lot in our absence as the little ones looked to her for comfort and affection. She told us that one day she was holding Jesse on her lap and she looked at him in a way she hadn’t ever done before. She was moved to tears as her heart was opened to “see” what a sweet and loving little boy he really is. It changed her life as she began to realize how special her brothers and sisters are and how she needed to see them, less as irritations and more as blessings and opportunities to show love. It is wonderful to see the change in her…to see her growing up.
Our church fellowship has been busy planning, praying and preparing for the upcoming building project. Our faith is being stretched, our finances are being stretched, but we…the church body, are being strengthened. We were all very much encouraged when the foundation, the pilings, arrived on a semi truck a few days before the ice bridge across the river was closed. The weather warmed up suddenly, despite our prayers, and the proposed date of closure was moved up one whole week. We were very concerned and we prayed. We prayed alone and we prayed together, seeking God’s intervention. When the pilings arrived, hours before the road closed to heavy traffic, there was reason for thanksgiving. Paul asked the trucker, who had driven all through the night, to come in for coffee. His answer… “No way, I’m getting back across that river… then I’ll relax!”
One member of our fellowship group, a single parent, who tithes regularly, has gone through a very difficult time recently. While away on a short vacation, her house froze up (after unusually long temperatures of 40 below) leaving her and her two kids temporarily homeless. A few days later, after missing work to begin to sort out how to go about repairs, she returned to her job to find out that she was now, not only homeless, but jobless…she was laid off. On her last pay day, she came to our house and gave me her tithe. At first, I didn’t think much of it, because she always brings her tithe on pay day and we are used to her coming. Later that evening it hit me, that she had given to the Lord from her last pay check and I was moved to tears. I called her and we talked about it and she said, “It never even crossed my mind to keep what belongs to God.”
This is only one area of her life that she has “shined like the stars” through her trials. Her faith, that God has something better ahead for her and her children, and that He will provide for her in the “drought” has been a blessing and a challenge to me. I was sitting with this same lady at a ladies retreat a few days ago. We were laughing and having fun together and she looked at me with a big smile and bright eyes and with all sincerity said, “I have no husband, I have no one to fix my house, I have no job…but I’m happy in the Lord.” It is so encouraging for Paul and I, to observe this kind of Christian growth among our people…a growth that weathers the inevitable, but difficult storms of life, with faith and trust in God and not with the false comforts of alcohol.
A number of people from our fellowship have worked very hard to raise funds above and beyond their means for the church building project. During our winter carnival in late April, we set up a wall tent and turned it into a mini take out restaurant. We sold chili, hamburgers, and homemade goodies. At one point I turned to Kim who was flipping hamburgers and told her, “Don’t look now, but there is a line-up of 8 or 10 people behind you.” “Don’t worry about me,” she said, “I’ve learned to keep my eyes straight ahead!” What a good reminder, not only when flipping burgers, but for all of life’s pressures. When we counted our pennies that night, we were amazed to find a profit of $1,000!
Another time, the ladies of our church decided to have a flee market and bake sale. I hid myself away when the large green garbage bags of other people’s “junk” came pouring into my home. I was overwhelmed and did not know how to begin to set it up or if that was even possible. My absence wasn’t missed as the others went right to work and organized the stuff and one hour later the sales began. By the end of the night we had raised another $1,000…$1,025 to be exact!
Two pages is just not enough to share with you all that God has done in the past 4 months…there’s the story about our fellowship praying for men to come to church and then the next three Sundays having some men come for the first time; the story of a man who Paul has discipled for years with “yo-yo” progress, reluctantly having to go to jail but returning a stronger Christian and on fire for the Lord; the story of God sending us a young, vibrant, Christian woman to spend a month with us at a time when we were feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities and myself and my daughters personally needing a friend and encourager; the story of Joel feeling the tug to missions through a book he read in school and Sarah being tugged to work in the community because of her dependability and trustworthiness; the story of Mary, when sitting with her two sisters, said to my dad in my hearing, “Look Wayne, see the fruit your daughter grew” and my eyes filling with tears knowing afresh that “we labour not in vain”. (At that moment, my dad represented hundreds of people who have paid a price and prayed for souls in McPherson and Mary was telling them all “See? You have fruit for your sacrifice”). Lastly, (but not the last one), the story of Tribal Trails, a First Nation TV program sponsored by our mission NCEM, coming to McPherson and interviewing five strong believers from the church fellowship who’s testimonies will be made into a DVD and then aired on their future programming (Paul and I are so proud of these Christians who testified in front of TV cameras…this is so out of their comfort zone).
For the next two months there is going to be a whirlwind of activity…no winding down for summer! We have three weeks of ministry at Kamp Klondike and then without a breather, the building project will be on top of us and hopefully many of you! We are excited! ... (and a wee bit scared). Paul isn’t a business man, yet I have been impressed with how he has handled the pressure, the decision making, the stress, the responsibility, the demands and the “millions” of emails and phone calls in relation to the building project, all the while keeping on with daily ministry and the multiple needs of people around him. We covet your prayers at this time as we, along with many volunteers, build this “lighthouse” for the north. We have felt personally and through circumstances, the disturbance and distraction of the enemy against this project. We deeply believe that this building will be a mighty tool for evangelism, and the salvation of many souls.
We encourage each of you to pray about your involvement in this project. It is not too late to link arms with our team. The project dates are July 15-28. If you are coming, or if you would like more information, please contact the volunteer coordinator, Myrna Parker (if you have not already done so). She would like to give the contractor a complete list of volunteers as soon as possible so that he can begin to divide up the labour appropriately. Also, if you have not considered a financial gift to this project before, would you pray about making a contribution? We are thrilled, awed and humbled with how God is providing through the generous gifts of His children both here and abroad. We believe whole-heartedly that God is IN this project and we do not fail to acknowledge Him as our Master Contractor and ultimate Provider for this building project. We appreciate you considering how God may enable you to participate.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Together, we labour for His kingdom…in His fields…with His strength…for His glory.
Onward,
Lynn, for us all