Friends,

We feel a little surprised to discover ourselves in August, when we're pretty sure that last time we looked it was mid-July! We are thankful for time spent with family during the last two weeks of July and looking forward to upcoming events at Shepherd's Staff.

Saturday we'll be holding the annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser in Curtis, Nebraska. This is the third year for the event, but the first time we'll be experiencing it. The golfers participate for free but are asked to raise pledges (remember the Bike-a-thon?) that go to the ministry here. So far we are expecting 12-16 golfers and are excited to see how the event will go.

Family-wise, we're starting to think about school. Gwen will be educating Tyson and Jesalynn at home again this year. We have decided to send Natasha to the public preschool two mornings a week to give Gwen and the kids some focused school time and to help show the community that we are not "against" their school. It is a hard balance--doing what you feel is right for your family while also considering how those choices will affect the ministry you are working for.

Gwen is also looking for piano students; would you pray that she will be able to make contacts towards that?

Finally, we want to share with you a joy in our family. One of the blessings of working for a ministry is that we get to spend a great portion of our time (even when working) with our children. Lately Natasha has become very aware of the role that Jesus plays in our family. She asks lots of questions (many of them the same ones over and over) and is genuinely learning about a relationship with him. We continue to pray that God will draw all three children closer to Him each day and that He will use them for His work in a mighty way.

Teaching Through Doing

Well, it finally feels like Kansas. Near-100 degree weather most days and lots of humidity. As usual, God can work in any setting, in any climate, to impact people for His name.

This week Shepherd's Staff is hosting 23 missionary families (about 85 people) from a five-state area. It's been fun to see familiar faces, learn new names, and discover connections. Tonight we took part in the worship. I (Gwen) stood in the back so I could be available to answer questions or help if needed, and it was so wonderful to hear so many voices blend together in praise of our Lord. Later I helped with the children's program and was again impressed by the way 20 or so missionary kids took part. They prayed, learned about the beginnings of Hudson Taylor's call to China, and sang songs. They are so young, but they are already learning how to reach others with the call of Christ.

I'm also noticing how my children learn to serve Christ by serving with me. Tonight they helped put glasses on the dinner table; last week the girls helped me vacuum the stairs. They are so eager to help and to serve, and it is my desire that we will be able to continue to foster that attitude within each one.

Spring Cleaning...in Summer

Wow! We spent all of last week preparing one of our facilities, Hiram Hall, for the upcoming Village Missions conference. We swept and mopped, painted and organized, even made minor repairs. This building will be used quite a lot next week, so it was important that it be sparkling clean. We're looking forward to the conference and sharing about Shepherd's Staff with the many missionary pastors who will attend. Part of the mission of Shepherd's Staff is to minister to the rural church: its pastor, and its congregation, and these missionary pastors are definitely rural!

One neat thing about this mini-makeover was how much our children were involved. Tyson and Jesalynn both helped with painting, and Natasha and Jesalynn worked very hard one afternoon to vacuum the stairs. Sometimes the kids were just around, hanging out in the basement or watching a movie on the big theatre screen, but often they were chatting with us and learning about service. What a joy to see them continuing to develop a heart of service!

On another note, Gwen has started work on a relaunch of the Shepherd's Staff website. As part of this work, she's reading a book on designing with web standards and another on designing graphics. Sometimes she feels like she's gone back to college! She's looking forward to putting some of this new knowledge into practice very soon!

We so appreciate your prayers for us. There's a lot of work yet to be done here in Kansas, and challenges to face each day. We are learning to lean on God all the more, to align our hearts with His over and over again.

July 2, 2010

You know it's been a busy week when you struggle to even come up with a decent title for a blog post! We headed back to western Nebraska last weekend and spent five busy days connecting with family, friends and supporters in various ways.

Thursday we stopped in Sidney to share watermelon at the park. The group was small, but we got to share about our new ministry to people that we hadn't had the chance to do that with before. On Friday we attended the memorial service for a friend; it was sad to think of his passing, but so good to visit with his wife and hear how God is working there.

Saturday found Tim out on the golf course early in the morning while Gwen met an old school friend for breakfast. Both of us were encouraged by these meetings and enjoyed catching up. That afternoon we headed out to the lake with Tim's family and relaxed for a couple of hours while enjoying God's creation.

On Sunday we attended church at Calvary Memorial in Gering and then held a spaghetti feed to let people know more about our work in Kansas. What a blessing to sit and chat with friends and family!

Monday found us throwing a surprise birthday party for Tyson. We met some of his friends and their families at Vedawoo for cake and climbing.

We finally headed home on Tuesday. Now we're trying to catch up...planning for a big conference mid-July, getting the word out about fall events, and doing our best to promote this ministry. Pray for us as we seek to follow God's guidance and to serve the people who come to Shepherd's Staff in the best way possible.

Come Have Lunch With Us!

Hey, all. We're settling in for a week of work after a great week of Creative Arts Camp. I'm loading pictures to the Shepherd's Staff FaceBook group on and off this week, so be sure to stop by and join the group, then check out the pics and jump into a discussion.

We want to invite all of you to join us for lunch on Sunday, June 27, at Calvary Memorial Church in Gering, Nebraska. We'll be serving up some amazing spaghetti and garlic bread after the service. We'd love to have the chance to visit with you in person, to share what in the world we're doing out here in northwestern Kansas, and to answer any questions you may have. And hey, you can't beat a free Sunday dinner! (We will have a basket for a free-will offering.)

Creative Arts Camp went really well. Here's a picture of Jesalynn and another camper working on their devotions for the day. The kids experienced a good mix of Bible truths, creative fun, and more fun. The final program on Friday night was pretty impressive--everything from bell performances to karate demonstrations to puppetry and drama. Everyone played a part in the performance; Tyson and Jesalynn both had a chance to hold a puppet or two up and told me how tiring it was. They are already looking forward to next year.

Next on our horizon are a series of pulpit filling (Tim), a trip back to western Nebraska, and lots of meetings and phone calls to book dates for later in the season. We're working on getting promotional materials together for Paintball Weekends, our annual golf tournament fundraiser, an annual trap shoot, pheasant hunting, a Crop 'n' Clip scrapbooking weekend, a Pastor Appreciation Package, and more. If any of these strike a chord with you, email us (griffithsgang@gmail.com) for more info!

Creative Arts Camp

It's the end of the beginning in the picture above, as students practice holding up props for the big performance on Friday.

This week we've been hosting 20 or so kids for the annual Creative Arts Camp. The kids are learning about music, drama, puppetry, ceramics, leathercraft, and more, as well as participating in fun activities like paintball and the bounce house. Friday night they'll throw a big performance to show their parents what they've learned.

It's been a good chance to share with the kids about topics like God's love, respect for leaders, and sharing God's Word with others. Tyson and Jesalynn are campers and have really enjoyed it. Natasha has enjoyed this week of being an "only child", but will be thrilled to have her brother and sister back again.

New Adventures.

It's the day after Memorial Day weekend, and the atmosphere has sure changed in our little corner of Kansas. Last week we were making contacts, working on an update, figuring out the calendar, and puttering in our little garden in the evenings. This week, all attention is focused on the upcoming Creative Arts Camp.

Since we're brand new here, we're having to jump in right in the middle. Tim is out checking a pool for leaks and filling it, preparing the BB gun range, and making sure the campfire pit is ready to go. I'm trying to make sure my "best-laid" plans for a music class are doable, setting up music for chapel time, and teaching for a VBS in Oberlin (a larger town to the northeast of us). Tyson and Jesalynn are enjoying VBS and anticipating their week as campers next week. It's a little busy around here!

We'll be updating this blog as regularly as we can, and adding pictures as we have them. I wanted to draw your attention to the PayPal button to the left; you can use this for automatic monthly giving. (PayPal uses the word "subscribe" to describe that.)

I'll keep this short today because there's much to do, but I want to leave you with a few praises and prayer requests. Our home in Laramie is still on the market--one of our biggest prayers. We've unpacked all of our boxes and are settled into our new home--a big praise. Please pray for the kids who will attend Creative Arts Camp June 6-11--that they will not only enjoy the activities planned for them, but that God would use this time to draw them closer to Him.

(Picture is from the day we discovered Monument Rocks, about 45 minutes south of us. Who knew there were gigantic rock formations on the Kansas plains?)