I'm so excited to share with you about our weekend. You may remember that Tim's position is called Director of Ministry Development, but you may not be sure what that actually means, or what that has to do with the past weekend. Well, first things first. As Director of Ministry Development, Tim's primary goals are to increase awareness of Shepherd's Staff and increase bookings throughout the next 15 months. When we came at the beginning of summer, the ministry had a few bookings for summer, and nothing through the end of the year.

Well, things have changed a bit since we came, and this weekend is a good example. We started out with a paintball group from Goodland Baptist. They came in to play paintball and have a hot dog roast at the paintball park. Our second group arrived in time for supper, which they enjoyed at the Ranch House. They then joined in on our other weekend activity: Family Movie Night. The eight Sublette paintballers and about a dozen local people watched Prince Caspian. Gwen really enjoyed bantering with local kids and Tim led a discussion afterwards. The Sublette group stayed overnight and played paintball in the morning before doing their own hot dog roast and heading home.

While the fall schedule is not yet booked to capacity, we definitely see an increase in events. God is using Tim, providing contacts, and allowing us to reach others for Him while here in northwest Kansas. We are so grateful for each of you who pray for and support us in this ministry, and we are so excited to continue to share with you how God is working.

It is always so encouraging and amazing to see God's provision for us: for our family, for this ministry we are serving, for the everyday mundane things we often don't even think about. The Griffiths family has seen this provision so much in the past week, and it is a great reminder of the power of the God we serve and seek.

It seems like there are so many avenues God uses to bless us. Whether it's a period where it looks like we might be short on funds, only to see them come in, or a donation towards the upcoming Trap Shoot (September 11), or people willing to help with a future event, God supplies our needs before we even know we have them. Even the little frustrations we face every day are a reminder that God is in control, even when we feel like we aren't.

Bookings for Shepherd's Staff continue to come in. Tim has been running a Fifty Dollar Paintball Special for August and September bookings, and we are getting to the point where the weekends are just about filled up. We are excited to share Christ's love with each person who comes out for this activity.

Friday we'll be hosting a Free Family Movie Night in the Shepherd's Staff theatre (the Hall). We're going to show "Prince Caspian" and have discussion questions available for anyone who wants them.

We've also started to ease into the school year here in the Griffiths home. So far we've started with math and phonics/spelling, done a little science (with plans for an experiment on Friday!), gotten back into the piano practicing routine, and even tried a little Latin. The kids are really enjoying this.

There's so much going on right now; a quick blog entry can't possibly fill you in on everything. We had a very encouraging meeting with a board member last night, right when we needed some refreshment and the reminder to be patient. The kids are looking at the start of the soccer season (a first for Jesalynn) and it seems like every day has something exciting in it. We so appreciate your prayers for us as we serve God in northwestern Kansas, and we pray that you join with us in praising a wonderful God!

We're praising God for a great first experience: the annual Shepherd's Staff Golf Tournament. This is the third year for this event, but the first for Tim and I. It was originally scheduled for early June, but when we arrived in mid-May, there just wasn't enough time to get everything put together.

Fourteen men got together to "scramble" around the golf course in Curtis, Nebraska on Saturday, August 7. Despite the typical August heat, everyone seemed to have a good time. We don't have a final count on funds raised for Shepherd's Staff yet, but we are pleased with the results so far.

A friend and supporter also visited us this weekend, including taking part in the tournament. It was a blessing to have him just sort of jump in to family life with us and to be on the receiving end of some of his computer knowledge!

School will be starting in 2 weeks here and we are starting to get ready for that. Since we school at home, we're starting to set our school-day routines again and we're working on a little bit of school work each day. Please be praying for balance for Gwen as she adds school back into a mix that already includes time spent working for Shepherd's Staff and running our household.

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.