CANDIDACY!!!!!

ONE QUICK POST BEFORE PASSING OUT AND GOING TO BED.

JUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM DREW.  THEY WANT US TO COME BACK FOR CANDIDACY.

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!

Home

We are home...  yeah!

We had a wonderful reunion with our kids. 

We are very very thankful for our church family.  Thanks to the Barnes, Alexanders and Weavers for taking such great care of the kids.  Thanks Belinda and Laura for the meal.  The kids said it was very very good.

Please pray for MARC.  The mission is challenging in ways you cannot imagine.  We pray God will allow us to be part of it.  We are waiting for MARC to tell us if we are going to be offered Candidacy.

Off to bed - I think we are going to have a bed full of kids tonight.  The older kids are still awake and we are going to watch a movie with them.

RETURN

Our time here in Soldotna is quickly coming to a close.  We have seen a lot and met some wonderful people.  In less than one week we have had meals with 9 families, visited 2 churches and 2 schools, met a realtor. took one flight with Samaritan's Purse to Port Allsworth and spent hours and hours at MARC asking questions and getting to know the ministry.

Jennifer and I know that God has called us to Alaska.  We were invited here by MARC for us to explore and make sure this is where God has called us before we take the next step - Candidacy.  We have been praying for eight years for God to show us where He would use us.  Obeying God is enough for us regardless of the location - Greenville, Europe, South America or yes even Alaska.  We believe that God has shown us this week exactly where He has prepared a place at MARC for the Bodoloksy family to serve.  After being here and exploring we are in love with the mission, the location and most of all the people.  The people serving God here at MARC are already family.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a flight in the Samaritan's Purse Casa

It was an awesome experience.  I was not supposed to get to fly this week and at the last minute they had this run from Soldotna to Port Allsworth to take some building supplies to a camp that Samaritan's Purse is rebuilding for the local kids and

"Wounded Warriors" from Afghanistan and Iraq.  We flew right over Mount Redout (picture to left).  The pilot told me that the last time Redout blew in 2009 it created the saddle you see at the top between the 2 peaks.  Even now the volcano has been smoking and steaming quite a bit but there have not been any eruptions in 2010.

We arrived at the camp and landed on a snow packed gravel runway.  With the

windchill It was somewhere around -2 degrees F.  It was cold crisp and beautiful.  Tim Amundsen was on the flight with us and he had his little dog with him.  During the flight the dog wondered around the cockpit and just pretty much went where he wanted.  The load we took there was drywall, insullation and a snowmobile.  Without these flights these towns would have no contact with the outside world during the winter.

We are excited to come home and share with everyone our experiences.  One of the biggest questions is "What's next?"  The next step in the process is Candidacy and if we are invited back for Candidacy it will be in the Spring.  Candidacy is a 2-3 week period of time during which we live and work here in order for them to evaluate us as a family and me as a pilot.  We will need much prayer and support during the next few months as God prepares the way for this.  After Candidacy the team decides if we are to be invited to serve with MARC.  At that point they send us home to raise support.  MARC missionaries are Independant Missionaries and must raise their own support.  The MARC staff works with you to develop a budget for living in Alaska because the cost of living here is so high.  After this it is up to you to gain support from churches and individuals.

Please pray for us as we begin our travel back to Greenville.  Please pray for the amazing families that have cared for our kids.  Please pray for our baby that Jennifer is carrying and that he will be peaceful during the flights.  Please pray for MARC and the mission here in Alaska.

James & Jen

GOD's Fingerprint

MOUNT REDOUT

God's fingerprint - the beauty of His creation

Mount Redout is an active volcano that is visible from many places in Soldotna.  The last major eruption of Mount Redout was in 2009.  It is an amazing sight to come around a corner and see the volcano towering above the horizon.

THE MOOSE IS ON THE LOOSE

My kids are really love the moose stories because of the all of the roadkill we have eaten since we arrived.

Here is a moose Jennifer and I saw in someone's front yard.  It was funny because we had to stop and take video / pictures and the locals were frustrated with us for blocking traffic.  The moose had been eating something from the front yard but at this moment he is staring down the neighbor's cat.  We thought for sure we were about to see a moose go toe to toe with a cat.  The cat however was smart and made a dash for the back yard.  I'm sure the moose was thinking "hmmm...  that kitty looks tasty.  Here kitty kitty..."

Jen and I spent all day yesterday at MARC.  We met more of the staff and got a tour of all of the facilities.  There are 2 hangers together at Soldotna airport - one belongs to Samaritan's Purse and one belongs to MARC.  The 2 organizations work hand in hand to serve Alaska and one scheduler handles all flight schedules.  Most of the flying I would do in the first years would most likely be in the Piper Navajos:

 or the King Air A-90s

We had the opportunity during our time at MARC to sit down with the Director of MARC - Drew Baker.  We talked about vision and missions.  Drew was an Air Force pilot before he went to a very Muslin nation to serve as a ministry pilot there.  He has a clear vision where he believes the Lord is directing MARC to reach more people and provide more resources to bring the Gospel to lost people in bush Alaska.

Before Jennifer and I left the airport we had the privilege of meeting 2 guys that were hanging out at the airport - Tim Amundsen and David Cochran.  Tim is the son of Roald and Harriett Amundsen who were the founders of MARC in 1964 and David is a pilot/commercial contractor.  The two of them are buddies and have stories about their service around the globe with Samaritan's Purse.  We really did not know who they were and almost walked right past them.  I was worn out from talking to people all day and hungry because we had skipped lunch.  It was Jennifer who decided to introduce herself and this great conversation followed.  David has worked to bring resources to many African villages and Alaskan villages.  He has used his contracting skills to build youth centers, worship centers and homes.  What a blessing to get their perspective.

Last night Jennifer and I had dinner with another couple from MARC.  To me it was an honor to meet this gentleman and his wife.  He has been flying here since 1982 and has logged over 14,000 hours serving God and reaching people.  The stories they had to tell were rich.  They have 4 children that all love the Lord and even one of their kids is serving in China at this time.  They had a gentle spirit and it was obvious they were fulfilled by their years of service here at MARC.

Please continue to pray for God to give us clarity.  We will come to a time of decision here quickly if they offer us Candidacy.  That will mean we will have to come back for at least 2-3 weeks and Jennifer will have to be with me.  They would even prefer the whole family come because it is a time of evaluation for everyone.  Please pray for God to bless our resources.  As we progress in this process we will have to sell our home, our land in Northern Greenville county and many of our possessions.  We will have to trust in God in a way we have not done before.  Please pray for the families that have so willingly and lovingly supported us during this week by caring for our kids.  It is huge that someone can love a brother enough to not just watch our kids but to love them as if they were their own.  Our friends and our church family are cherished.

James & Jen

Sunrise in Alaska

We learned on the morning of day 1 that the sun does rise in Alaska.  This is the view out of our back window across the Kenai River at 9:00 in the morning.

On the evening we arrived Jennifer and I met a couple named Greg and Melanie.  They spent hours with us answering question after question about MARC.  Greg is a Pilot / Mechanic and they have been here for 7 years.  He and his wife gave us insight into the ministry, schools, houses, support, environment ...  We really learned a lot from them.  The next day - day 1 - Melanie invited Jen to meet all of the wives.  They get together to encourage and pray for each other and the ministries that each participates in.  Jennifer enjoyed getting to know a little about each one of them and seeing the variety of families that are here.  There are families here from all over the U.S., with various Christian backgrounds, some with kids and some without, some in their early 20's and some in their late 40's, some trained by the military and some trained privately ...  but the one thing that binds them together is they love Jesus Christ and they have all been called here by God.

For the evening of day 2 we had dinner with two families.  Our main course was roadkill moose chili.  It was really really good.  One of the families had 4 little kids and it made us really miss our kids.  We are so thankful for the Barnes and the Alexanders and their patient loving hearts with our kids.  We also thank God for our loving church family at Taylors.  We have been blessed by the families that have provided meals to those that are providing care for our precious little ones.  We have received Bodo sighting reports from several folks that have seen our kids in stores, choir practice and at the altar.  When John Doar texted us that James was at the altar with Joshua we cried.  You all - our prayer partners - are keeping us up.  Thank you for loving us and our kids.  Thank you for how your relationship with Jesus has encouraged us.

We have just finished day 2.  Today was Sunday and we visited a local church for worship and Sunday School.  The name of the church is College Heights Baptist Church and we loved the worship.  Afterward we visited a Sunday School class and engaged in a study of what is enough and when we are to be content - very appropriate.  The body of believers there is sweet.  The variety of people was really interesting - we met a game warden, as state trooper and a kindergarten teacher.  After church we had lunch with two MARC families.  Both of these families were from Georgia and one of the guys was actually born in S.C.  We should have brought them some Chik-Fil-A to go with the sweet tea - it was like being at home.  We were enthralled at hearing the stories of ministering to kids in bush Alaska.  It is amazing how little the people in the bush have - it is like third world conditions.  MARC travels to these villages and brings resources to the missionaries to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The needs are urgent and time is critical.  People in the bush are looking for joy and peace and often turn to drugs and alcohol and become empty shells.  In all too many instances this search ultimately turns to suicide.  If only we could introduce them to the author of life before they begin this desperate journey.  Just to open the pages of a Bible with them and introduce them to the peace that passes understanding that can only come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  They would never again need their drugs and alcohol and they would choose life and not death.  There is a great need for ministry here.

Tonight we visited another church with Greg and Melanie (the couple from the first night).  Their church was having a Thanksgiving feast.  It was awesome!  We ate too much and now we have the turkey sleepies (if that is a word).

We love you guys.  Thank you for your prayers.

James & Jen

ARRIVAL

Our journey to Alaska started on Thursday evening when we dropped our children at our friend's homes.  It is so comforting to be a part of the church family at Taylors.  So many have offered prayer, love and support during this journey.  There are not words in our language to describe our love for you.

We are here in Kenai, Alaska.  Everything is snow covered and it was around 34 degrees Fahrenheit when we landed.  Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

We left Greenville-Spartanburg yesterday morning at 6:25 a.m. (which was 2:25 a.m. in Alaska).  We had connections in Atlanta, Seattle and Anchorage.  All went perfectly and our bags even made it to Kenai with us.

Different families within the organization have invited us to dinner each night to get to know them and discuss our questions.  Last night however was left open because of all the travel.  There was a staff member from M.A.R.C. at the airport to pick us up and he invited us to dinner at his family's home if we were up to it. We were so excited to be here and actually meet some of the families we forgot we were tired.  We drove on snow covered roads and up a steep driveway to a real log cabin nestled in the woods. Another family was invited as well and they had been here for the past 3 weeks doing Candidacy.  They had just learned this week that they have been accepted as members of M.A.R.C.  It was fun to talk to the two families and get to know a lot more about how the organization functions and what God is doing here in Alaska.  It was also really cool to talk about daily life in Alaska - like how they get a call from the Sheriff at 2:00 a.m. to let them know a moose has been hit on the highway and they are welcome to come get it.  And you thought we only ate roadkill in South Carolina.  It's not as disgusting as it sounds.  Apparently the moose are so huge that most of the body is undamaged and can generally provide up to 400 pounds of meat.

GOD IS AWESOME!!!

Jennifer and I are preparing to visit M.A.R.C.  We are leaving Friday November 12th.  We truly do not know what to expect.  We know there is a ministry there in which we believe God is calling us to serve.  We know it's really cold and snowing a lot.  We know we are leaving our kids 3500 miles away and seeking God's will.  We know God is awesome and powerful !!!

Please pray for our family while we are separated.  Please pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will guide our steps and reveal to us what the Creator wants us to see.  Please pray we have the courage to be obedient no matter the call.

We are so thankful to be in the church body of Taylors.  As Jennifer and I have begun to answer this call we have reflected on the last 4 years   We are in awe that God has allowed us to be loved, mentored and encouraged by the family of Christ followers at Taylors.