North to Alaska

Joel and I realized it’s been a long time since we given an update. I thought I had done one a week ago, but I guess it never left my thoughts and materialized on paper. So it’s time to catch you up!

We left Texas as planned on Sunday July 16^th at about 5:30 PM; we drove straight through to Michigan and arrived somewhere around noon on Monday. It went GREAT, thanks for all your prayers. Abigail pretty much slept for the whole time, with very little cry time. Joel was able to drive the majority of the way, with myself filling in when needed. Monday, Tuesday and most of Wednesday, were spent getting settled at my parents, which will serve as home base till we move to British Columbia. Wednesday evening we connected with some friends and family that won’t be in Michigan when we return. On Thursday morning we got to participate in a Carpenter Cousin’s meeting to pick out some of our Grandparents things, since they have sold their house. About 2:00 PM we left for Chicago to catch our plane. We finally arrived in Alaska about 12:00 AM, Alaska time, (which is 4:00 in morning in Michigan). But again things went GREAT, prayer is powerful, Abigail slept most of the flight and Joel and I were even able to catch some rest.

Friday morning we woke up semi-rested in Alaska!!! The first thing I realized when I stepped outside is that Alaska has its own smell. It is good to be able to visit again. We spent the next two days able to relax a little and even got to see my cousin Karla before she flew back to Michigan (she was in Alaska for the summer). Sunday we were able to present at Sand Lake Baptist Church. Joel was the youth pastor there while he lived in Alaska five years ago. It was good to see old friends and be able to share how the Lord is working on our lives. We hope to have some good contacts from that time as we sure love and appreciate those people.

Monday morning found us on a bus full of campers bound for Victory Bible Camps. We arrived and got settled into a wonderful cabin that we get to stay in for a total of two weeks! Joel is the evening speaker, every night, but other than that we don’t have a set schedule. Joel spends his time studying and he also hangs out with the kids a lot. I have been able to relax, which is so nice. The Lord has been working in kids lives this week and it’s so awesome to get to be a part of that (we’ve been able to see some kids come to know Christ as Savior). We are so excited to be where God has called us to be. There are so many stories we could tell of how the Lord has blessed us in just the last week, but I’m running out of space. Thanks for being a part of our journey. –Amanda (for the 3 of us).

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Well I’m writing this entry from Texas. Since leaving LaGrange we have gone north, west, back east and now we are south. It’s been a lot of fun, and we are blessed so much by everyone’s hospitality and kindness. We have been on the road for almost two months now and only two of those nights were spent in a hotel.

On Wednesday the 5^th of July we left the St. Francis, Kansas area to drive to Whitewater, Kansas (near Newton). We had visited this area 3 years ago on our honeymoon and it was so wonderful to be back. We stayed with Jonathan Wiebe’s family (Joel and Jon became good friends at Victory Bible Camp), but we also knew other people from this area that we met at Frontier and also Victory. Several people expressed interest in joining the support team, which is so encouraging. Sunday after church we had a good Mennonite meal then we headed south to Texas. We arrived in Weatherford about 9:30 at night pretty exhausted, but glad to have made it. We are staying with our friends, Clint and Ashley Weaver (who we met in LaGrange) and their three adorable girls.

This week has been a lot of fun for the whole family! Joel has been getting up with Clint at 5:30 am to be the heat and they have been able to ride and rope almost enough to satisfy the hunger, Abigail is enjoying the company of other children and I have gotten to swim, relax and have girl talk. Once again it has been nice to be in one place for a longer period of time. Our plan is to leave for Michigan Sunday the 16^th late afternoon and go the whole 18 hours to my folk’s house. We will just be in the Sturgis area for a few days and then Friday the 21^st we catch our plane to Alaska. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us during our travels. Though traveling has its stresses we have had a great time and feel so blessed to be able to interact with all the wonderful people we met along the way. The team that will enable us to go to the Chilcotin has started to come together and that is exciting to see God do. Thanks again for your interest in our lives. -Amanda (We had to include a picture of Joel & Clint roping).

Greetings from Kansas

Today is the 4^th of July; I can’t believe how fast the summer is going. Our travels have gone well. It’s definitely hotter the further south we get! Since leaving Miles City, Montana on Tuesday the 28^th, we have seen a lot of people. Our first stop was Busby, Montana the home of Reuben and Diana Busenitz (Jen Boyd’s parents). We had a great time of fellowship that was enjoyable and also challenged us to keep our eyes on eternity. Friday the 30^th we drove down to LaGrange with a few stops to say “hi” to friends along the way. We stayed the weekend at our friends Dave and Wendy Stiegelmeier, who are heading into their senior year at Frontier School of the Bible (where Joel went to school). Saturday the 1^st of July was spent taking care of business, we had a months worth of mail to read! Sunday, we were able update our home church about our last 6 weeks and then we headed for Kansas to visit Jake and Joy Stroh, friends we knew from Frontier. It’s great spending time with old friends and it’s fun to see Abigail play with kids her own age. We are having fun celebrating the holiday, yesterday spent the afternoon on the lake in a boat so we are all a little red. Wednesday we will drive to the Whitewater, Kansas “area” to see Jonathan Wiebe and the rest of that clan. We are fortunate to see how God is blessing our journeys. We send regular prayer updates, and if you are interested in receiving them, send an e-mail to us at: joel.sewell@interactministries.org