High School Ministry and Shepherd's Door

We have a great affection for the ministry of Shepherd's Door. Our Senior Adults have been taking offerings for them at their monthly potlucks for years. We have a couple women at New Life Church who work there.

In addition, for the past six months our high school students have been serving meals at Shepherd's Door in NE Portland. Priscilla K. who is a professional caterer has found a ministry ideally suited for her. She prepares the meals our young people serve, but as you can read below in the email she sent me, it's not the cooking she loves!

By the way, I left work early last Thursday and went to Shepherd's Door. I was going to skip it because I was starting a 3-day catering job the next day. During the day Thursday I was feeling sad that I wouldn't be there. I have developed a relationship with many of the women there and I think they look forward to seeing me. I know I look forward to seeing them. I walked in and was greeted with warm smiles and hugs.

One of the ladies had celebrated her 53rd birthday on Wednesday and she told me it was the first sober birthday she can remember. She said she would usually celebrate her birthday like every other day, getting drunk and passing out.

We also celebrated the 1st birthday of a boy named Malai. His mother could not stop crying about her boy turning 1. I talked with her for a little bit and she told me she was crying because when she found out she was pregnant with Malai she had planned to abort the pregnancy. She said she really didn't want a baby but at the last minute she couldn't go through with it. She kept saying, "I love him so much, I can't believe I ever thought about aborting him?" We cried and we hugged, and we celebrated her decision to keep her baby. We took lots of pictures of the two of them together and I'm going to put those pics in a scrapbook for her. It was great!

You really should come with us sometime.

Outdoor Service And Picnic

At 10:00 a.m., Sunday, August 2nd, New Life Church will be holding our Annual Outdoor Service and Picnic at the New Life Robinwood location. We will recognized the kids who participated in Sports Camp and have a potluck picnic after the service. We will provide chicken; If your name starts with A-L, please bring a hot dish and salad. If your name begins with M-Z, please bring a hot dish and dessert. Also, please bring a lawn chair if you have one.

New Life Oregon City will be joining us and will be leading the service. We are delighted to be sharing the day with them.

There will not be a service at New Life Church Riverfalls.

Mega Sports Camp

Mega Sports Camp begins on Monday at New Life Robinwood at 9:00 am. Here is a brochure describing it that includes registration.

Middle School Retreat Update

Here are some pictures of the Middle School Retreat last weekend. Below is Scott Haugen's email to parents about the retreat.

Clearly we had a great time, but more importantly we were changed by God's word.

Commitments were made by students to live sold out for Christ, to choose now a direction and path for their life that will honor and serve God, to take specific action steps to build character qualities, and there are two student who desire Christ as Savior and who are praying about that important decision.

Thanks for your support and prayers and for trusting New Life with your children.

--
Scott Haugen

Sometimes Every Day is Father's Day

Thought you might enjoy this piece my daughter Lauren posted on her blog. And yes, I love her.

Alaska Team Video

If you missed the report on Sunday night. . . or enjoyed it so much you'd like to see the ministry video again, here it is:

Bocce Begins

Competition was fierce this last Thursday as the Bocce ball summer league began. Team Grayson/Rachel displayed the precision of surgeons as they dominated the field, finishing the night with a perfect record. Team Crystal/Jessica also finished the evening with a perfect record… ending the night with zero wins. Overall everyone had a ton of fun, and lots of laughs. Bocce ball play will continue at 6 p.m. this Thursday night at Hammerle Park. All are welcome to come and play. Bring your set if you have one and spectators are definitely encouraged. If you think you have what it takes to withstand the intense pressure and fierce competition of the Bocce ball summer league get a partner and join us for a really fun time.

Alaska Mission Trip Day 9...Over and Out!

It was a sprint to the finish today to get done all of the projects at the Hospitality House. At about 11:00 PM we finally stopped for the day. We will clean up a couple of odds and ends tomorrow morning before heading out to the camping trip.

Because we were so busy finishing projects, none of us really took any pictures today. To the left is a fun shot of Audrey Evans (Dan and Barb's daughter) before the sink got put back in the kitchen\. BTW, Darin and Larry did get finished with the granite counter tops today!

Tomorrow we leave for the camping trip/retreat. Please pray for Larry as he will be speaking about "Freedom from Sin" tomorrow night. Pray for Lee on Saturday evening as he will be speaking about "Freedom from the Law". Pray for Nathan on Sunday morning as he speaks about "Freedom from Death."

Well, this will have to be "over and out" until after the trip. We will not have internet access at the retreat. Please pray for the team throughout the weekend when you think of us. We look forward to seeing all of you and telling the story of what God has done here. Please be sure to join us at the Alaska Report Service on Sunday, July 12th at 6:00 PM at New Life Robinwood. Until then... Your Alaska Mission Team

Alaska Mission Trip- Day 8

We forgot to tell you, yesterday, that Donna got finished with organizing the loft and staining the floor. Way to go Donna! The team hit the ground running hard again today. Darin and Larry got a lot of work done installing the kitchen counter top. The team had quite a laugh about the "water spots" on their clothes. "Really it was from the tile saw." Donna and Nathan did demolition in the bathroom and Lee and Nathan installed a pocket door for increased privacy. Beryl and Louise kept us well fed, even though the kitchen was basically unusable today. Cale did some painting and kept busy as the team video man.

You know what they say, "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy." And this team hasn't had very many dull moments. We have been making good use of the new horseshoe pit. So far, Larry and Darin seem to be the top dogs. The ministry center has a climbing wall on the side and several team members gave it try this evening. One of the most exciting parts of the evening came when Louise and Laurissa got into a major wrestling match in the middle of the kitchen. As you can see from the picture, I think Louise won!

Last but not least, I want to let you know that Paul Metko will turn 65 years young on July 4th. The team surprised Paul with a German cchocolate cake and a card signed by all of us with messages of love. If you get a chance, drop Paul a card in the mail and let him know how much you care about him and appreciate his ministry.

Tomorrow is our last full day of work here at the hospitality house. Pray that we get it all done. Pray that we would make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. Pray that God would be glorified through our work here! We are... Your Alaska Mission Team.

Welcome Baby Abigail!

Abigail Aline Poletti was born at home at 2:15 in the afternoon on Sunday, June 28th. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long. Both mom and daughter are doing well. Congratulations Dan and Brenda!