Back from Candidacy

The kids had a great time playing in the snow with Mr. Jim during our last days in Alaska...

While we were in Soldotna our family lived in Kenai in the home of Mr Jim, as the kids lovingly called him.  He could have been simply a gracious host as he opened his home to a family of 10, but he was much much more than that.  In three short weeks Mr. Jim became our very good friend.    Sunday (April 3rd) we were privileged to be there when Jim celebrated his final day working for the Federal Aviation Administration and we had a little gathering at his house.  This is a picture of us all gathered around in Jim's living room playing Apples to Apples Bible edition. Jim is in the center of the picture standing up with a blue shirt on.

Tuesday (April 5th) was our last day in Soldotna.  We had to say goodbye to all of our dear friends at M.A.R.C.  It was difficult to leave but we know we will return as soon as the deputation process is complete.

M.A.R.C. lobby

Len holding Hannah

We drove up to Anchorage on Tuesday night and it was a beautiful drive.  On the way out of town we got one more cup of coffee from our favorite of the 10,000 coffee shacks in Soldotna/Kenai, the town where  the number of coffee shacks is equal to the population.  It snowed extremely hard as we crossed the pass between Soldotna and Anchorage. The snowflakes were as large as silver dollars and the scenery was God's gift. Tuesday night we were at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Wednesday we had the privilege of eating lunch with Mike Procter, who is the Executive Director of SBC in Alaska.  We learned a lot from him about the work the Southern Baptist Convention is engaged in all around Alaska.  We also enjoyed some delicious Chinese food with him - we wish we had remembered to take some pictures.

Wednesday night we worshiped with the church family at Anchorage First Baptist church.  Wednesday afternoon we met with Ed Gregory, the pastor of this incredibly friendly church.  You would have to meet Pastor Gregory to understand how comforting he is.  We shared with him all the work that God has been doing in lives of the Bodolosky family.  At the end of our meeting he prayed with us.  A few hours later we went to the evening dinner and worship.  We felt so incredibly welcome.  When we walked through the door, Kathleen picked up Hannah and became her instant buddy.  I was teasing Kathleen and said, "We will get Hannah from you after dinner."  She said, "OK" and took Hannah to her table.  She fed Hannah and loved on her the rest of the evening.  Pastor Gregory introduced our family and our mission at dinner and did not get one single child's name wrong.  I could not have summarized the work of M.A.R.C. better than he did.  From the love of the members to the comfort of the pastor we loved our time at First Baptist Anchorage.

Well Thursday morning had to come and it was an early morning.  We got up at 2:30 a.m. and started the process of heading from Anchorage, Alaska to Minnesota to Atlanta to Greenville.  It was snowing and 30 degrees in Anchorage as I walked from the

van dropoff to the Delta terminal.  Nine bags to check-in and nine bags to carry - it worked like a well oiled machine.  We made it through security without a hitch and we did not lose a single child.  Praise God!  We took up 3 rows on the left side of the airplane.  We all wore our M.A.R.C. TShirts and got a bunch of questions about our mission with M.A.R.C.

We have arrived safely back in Greenville very hungry and very tired.  The only food we had during the day was Delta pretzels, cookies and peanuts.  Not to mention lots of coke and sprite.  Sixteen hours of junk food and the kids were still amazing.  I am so proud of how they behaved and showed the love of Jesus Christ the entire time.

We spent our first day home helping our sweet friends, the Weavers, move out of the home they just sold.  The Weavers have been such a blessing to us during this process.  They even kept our van for us while we were in Alaska, to avoid paying parking fees, and met us at the airport late at night when our plane landed to come home. What a blessing to have Christian friends like them.

When we finally arrived home late last night there were encouraging notes all around our home written by the Realtors that looked at our home during the Open House Tracy coordinated.  In addition there were breakfast muffins and a snack plate for the kids.  In the refrigerator was an amazing dinner prepared by Kendra from her and her sweet (and growing) family.

While we were in Alaska for Candidacy what a blessing our Taylors family was to us.  We knew many of you were praying for us daily and many of you also provided much needed support.  Dawn responded to our many emails with questions about addresses and contacts.  Beckie and Shannon covered the 7th grade Sunday School class in our absence.  Many provided words of encouragement via facebook, email and texts.  There is no way we could have successfully traveled with this large family to remote Southern Alaska to continue this journey God has called us to without the loving support of our Taylors FBC family.  This is truly the body of Christ - many members with many functions.

Now we are digging into the Deputation process but first we have to unpack our bags ...

Keep us in your prayers ...

Praise God!

We Have Been Invited to Join the M.A.R.C. Team!

Thank you for praying for our family over the past 4 months as God has been preparing us for this ministry.  We knew many were praying for us yesterday as Jennifer and I went before the Candidacy Committee. 

Caleb was so excited when he got the news that we are invited to join the M.A.R.C. team !!!

Jennifer and I arrived at M.A.R.C. early yesterday morning.  As the committee arrived, everyone was in a good mood and friendly.  When the committee began their final discussion before informing us if would be invited to join the MARC team Jen and I got a little nervous.  We knew God had led us to Alaska, and as doors have continued to open, it has become very clear that MARC is where God would have us to serve.  However, we also knew that God could close this door and we would have to be obedient to that.

The committee went into the room around 8:15 and Jennifer and I waited in David and Karin's office.  One of our good friends, Greg, talked to us to keep us distracted as the minutes ticked by.  Around 8:45 we started to wonder, "What is taking so long?"  "Are they discussing the clarity of our calling, the quality of our marriage, my flying abilities, the discipline of our children... ?"  So much had been poured into preparing for this one moment - God's calling in May, my mission with the Air Guard in September, our application in October, our visit to MARC in November, communication with the prayer team, invitation to candidate in March, preparation of our house for the market and flying a family of 10 to a remote town in Alaska ...  Now we were sitting in David and Karin's office knowing that God was about to reveal to us through this committee if MARC would be part of our journey.  Finally just before 9:00 the doors opened and Wendy came out - she had a big smile on here face.  However, I don't know if I've ever seen Wendy not smile - she's just a very sweet person and smiles a lot.  Then Drew came out and asked if we were ready.  Jen and I walked into the room and there was the committee around a table - Drew, Wendy, Travis, Mike and Bob.  They had placed two empty chairs in the front of the room for Jen and I to sit in.  There we were with the committee looking at us - no pressure of course.  Drew had some words to say about the discussion of the committee - mostly there were questions about the responsibilities I would have with the Air National Guard if I continue to fly for the Guard after relocating here.  This is a new scenario for MARC and they want to be sure it is good for the mission and good for our family.

Finally with a joyful smile on his face Drew announced:

"It is the committee's unanimous decision that we would like to invite the Bodolosky family to join the M.A.R.C. team" 

AMEN !!!  AMEN !!!  TO GOD BE THE GLORY !!!

Here are some pictures from our last few days here in Soldotna. 

Wednesday night we were at the home of David and Karin Reese.  They live across the Cook Inlet from Mount Redoubt - one of the volcanoes in the Aleutian Range. 

Redoubt is currently active as is evidenced by steam coming from the volcano.   This picture is taken from David and Karin's deck.  Mount Redoubt last erupted in 2009 and before that 1989.  In 1989 it spewed ash up to 45,000 feet and caught a Boeing 747 in the ash.  Fortunately the flight landed safely in Anchorage.

Here is a picture of the 1989 eruption (from google)



Last night we were having dinner with Tom and Wendy Turner and it started snowing.  The kids were outside jumping on the trampoline with the Turner's kids.  Grace has become an Alaskan already jumping in just a T-shirt and skirt.

James has not had a jacket on in over a week:

The boys also got to shoot guns with Mr. Turner:

What a shot!  Now we don't have to eat roadkill moose !!!

ok it's really a picture we downloaded from the Internet but it makes a good story.

Please continue to keep us in prayer as we go through this week.  We will be in training on Monday and Tuesday and then start our journey back toward S.C.  Tuesday night we are travelling back to Anchorage, Wednesday we have a few meetings in Anchorage and Thursday we fly home.

In Christ

The Bodos

Please Continue to Keep us in Your Prayers

This past weekend we took some time off as a family and went to a small town south of Soldotna named Homer.  Homer is a beautiful little fishing town that is just about as far south as you can drive on the Alaska road system.  From there if you want to explore further south (down toward the Aleutian Islands) you have to use the ferry system or aviation.  We had a great time exploring the beaches, looking for bald eagles (which are everywhere here) and eating halibut.

On Sunday we visited a church that we attended during our November 2010 visit - College Heights Baptist Church.  We feel very at home at College Heights and can see our family becoming involved in that church when we relocate here to serve at M.A.R.C.  There are kids at College Heights that match up to the ages of our kids and they all seemed to be comfortable in their classes.  Jen and I visited an adult class where we studied the balance between Truth and Grace.  The discussion was very encouraging.

After church we visited the beach.  It's not like the East Coast beaches.  The beaches are very rocky and they are still ice covered.  We took some great pictures of some of the kids on the beach (Jen, Ashleigh, Hanah and Caleb decided to view God's beauty from the warm car):



Some of the Bodo kids standing on a chunk of ice








Grace the Explorer (or a Princess on Ice)



Joshua the Explorer



Some of the Bodo kids standing in front of a sheet of ice that came in with the tide



Jacob the Conqueror



We have one week left for our time here at M.A.R.C. for candidacy.  Please continue to pray for us as we continue to seek God's face in this experience.  This Friday our Candidacy Committee will meet again to decide if they would like to invite us to join the organization.  We will meet with them at 8:30 local time on Friday (12:30 east coast).  We will be returning to Greenville on April 7th and will be back at Taylors on April 10th.  We look forward to seeing all of you and sharing our experiences and testimonies.

In Christ 

James & Jen (&Ashleigh, James, Sarah, Jacob, Joshua, Grace, Hanah and Caleb) 

How we Got Here

Snowy beach in Alaska

All is going very well here in Alaska for the Bodolosky family.  There are moments of homesickness for the kids but it seems to be getting better as the days pass.  Of course there is nowhere like Taylors First Baptist and our kids desperately missed DNOW!  Praise God for the work He did through that weekend.  What a powerful testimony for those that live Christ!

This was a week of evaluation for us.  Jennifer and I met with our Candidacy Committee on Monday morning.   The Committee knows our Testimony and how God has led us to this point.  There were some tough questions however about how we think it is possible to bring a family of 10 to one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S.  We can only give some of our ideas but our "final answer" was if God wants us here He will provide.  We can only continue to be faithful, walk through open doors and pray.  This week I was evaluated in 2 airplanes - a King Air A90 and a Cessna 172.  In addition I did an evaluation in the simulator flying through mountain passes in Alaska in bad weather.  I think this all went well.  I can thank the military for good training and God for preparing this path and allowing me to have the training.  Every night we have dinner with a different familly from the staff.  This has been fun but something like work for the kids.  Most homes are not used to hosting a family of 10 and our kids have to be on their best behavior.  WE HAVE BEEN SO PROUD OF THEM!!!  I have never seen them work together as well as they have here.  I cannot say that it has been perfect and without tense moments but I can say that God has been very gracious to us.

We were reflecting on the past 4 months and the amazing work God did to get our family to Candidacy at M.A.R.C. 

We made our budget needs known to get to get us here and it was not a small budget - approximately $11,000.  God met our needs with the money contributed, raised and saved.  The entire budget was completely met!  Many people made direct contributions - we do not know who you are or how much you contributed since it was done anonomously through the church.  We very much appreciate your hearts and desire to join us in ministering to the people in the villages of Alaska. 

There were fund raisers coordinated by Shannon Keating - Colonial America Days - and this raised a significant part of our budget.

There were many people that helped make this day a reality.  Thanks to all of you!

Another praise from the last 4 months was the listing of our home on the market.  We will be able to use the salel of our home to pay off our remaining bills as we move into support raising for the mission field.  In the last 4 months our home went from a 1970's NOT READY FOR the MARKET to an updated 2011 READY TO SELL house.  So many people contributed to this effort.  THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!

Many pictures are missing here because in the absence of sleep I mostly forgot to take pictures.  Here are a few ...

Here are some pics from the finished product

We are humbled to see the  mountains God has moved to bring us to this point.  If you had told us last March that we would be in Alaska Candidating with a flying ministry in March 2011 we would have never believed it.  This was not our desire or our goal.  As God continues to lead we will continue to follow.  There are mighty mountains in the future and we will continue to pray and trust in the Lord.

Thank you for your prayers.  We Love you all dearly!!

In Christ

The Bodos

Update from Soldotna

We arrived in Soldotna on Thursday evening around 7:00.  We were having dinner that night with one of the

staff families from M.A.R.C. so we did not have time to even unload our 19 bags from the van - we just headed straight to their house when we arrived.  We did however, have to stop and snap some pictures of the moose in downtown eating the trees.  James Jr thought at first they were statues because they are soooo big.  It was a cool way to start our time in Soldotna.

After dinner on Thursday we headed over to the home where we are living during our stay.  We are being hosted by a gentleman that lives in Kenai and has 3 bedrooms in his downstairs.  We did not know what to expect but when we arrived we were super blessed by what a great host he is.  He has welcomed us into his home with such enthusiasm and love it is amazing!  The kids have had fun playing in his yard where the snow is still up to their knees.

Today is Monday, March 21st, and Jennifer and I had our first meeting with our Candidacy Committee.  They asked a lot of very good questions to confirm that this is a calling God has placed on our lives.  The meeting lasted about an hour and really encouraged Jennifer and I.  This afternoon I was allowed to fly along on a flight on one of the King Air A-90's. 

 It was good to get to see the primary airplane that I will be flying when we move here.

During the next 2 weeks Jennifer and I will continue to take the kids to a different house each night to get to know staff members and for them to get to know us.  After each evening the person whose house we ate at gives feedback to the Candidacy Committee.  I will also be receiving a flight evaluation this week. On April 4th we will meet again with the Candidacy Committee and at that time they will inform us if we are going to be invited to join them here are M.A.R.C. 

Please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us in the direction God would have us to go.  We believe this is where God has called us but we are willing to accept a closed door if that is the conclusion of the Candidacy Committee.  Please pray for the children.  Mostly they are very happy to be here and enjoying the new experiences.  There is some anxiety and we pray it will be alleviated before we leave.

Glory to God !!!! We are on our Way

Wow!  It's hard to believe but we are on our way to Soldotna for Candidacy.

The last 4 months have been an amazing time of learning more about our faith in Jesus Christ and learning to rely on Him for our strength.

Nothing has happened as we have planned but all has been perfect!  As we drove away from our house and Greenville we cannot help but reflect on the prayers, love and support you all have given us as we have travelled on this journey to this point.

Please continue to pray for us continuously.  We are currently in Minneapolis waiting for our connection to Anchorage.  The kids have been awesome and so far this has been a really good experience.  I know this can only happen with the continuous hedge of prayers lifted up by you all.

In Christ

The Bodos

Candidacy is Coming into View

We leave in 3 weeks for Candidacy!  It is just on the horizon now and we are very excited!

It is amazing to look back over the last 5 months to see all God has done to prepare our family for this moment.

A few weeks ago I traveled to Alaska with the military.  We landed in Kenai, Alaska and I had the opportunity to see the Director of M.A.R.C. for a few minutes.  It was all very brief but I was able to be in Alaska, refresh the vision and bring that home to our family.  What a blessing! God's perfect timing!

The last 2 months have been the busiest months of our lives but the most rewarding as well.  We have been living with a purpose and moving towards a common goal.

Our house is almost ready to be placed on the market.  There are some projects to finish but our objective is to have it listed by the time we leave for Candidacy.

Our funds are coming together.  Our budget is $11400 and we have about 40% of that.  If you are still interested in helping with Candidacy you can send a check to:

     Taylors First Baptist Church
     200 West Main Street
     Taylors, SC 29687-2342

PLEASE MARK THE Memo Section of the check with the following:
     BODOLOSKY M.A.R.C. CANDIDACY

This journey has been an amazing journey of faith.  We never know what is over the horizon.  God has been bringing one step at a time into our view.  Now Candidacy is coming into view.  Please keep our family in your prayers as we prepare to leave for Candidacy.  We will be in Alaska from March 16th until April 7th, and when we return in April we will believe we will know the next steps God has planned for us.