Ethan and I both got new hairdo's for spring!


We are dog sitting this little dog named Baby for some friends. Maggie (the black and white one) is our little dog.Spring is here! I have since raked up the leaves in the yard!


The kiddos dyed some eggs for Easter.

And our new project for the summer is chickens! We have 20 chicks. We bought all these, we tried to hatch some from eggs, but they didn't make it. Out of 12 eggs, there were four that had chicks in them, but they never hatched.

We have some bad news and I am so heart broken having to post it.

The baby we were eagerly awaiting miscarried on March 1st.

Sermons Now Online

We have something new at Nenana Community Church…

I received an excellent suggestion from a member that is in the lower 48 for the next few months. He asked about having sermons recorded so that he and his family could listen in even when they are away for a time. What a great idea! Alaskans love to travel and making sermons available is an excellent ministry opportunity.

The elders chatted about the best way to accomplish this request and we now have a new mp3 recorder. Added to the mix is that the other 2 elders have extensive backgrounds in the skill set to produce a reasonably refined audio track for posting online.

Look on the left hand side of the blog for a list of sermons. Click on the link and it will take you to Bill's blog with a short summary of the topic and a link to the sermon download.

The 2nd Annual Chili-Off was held January 9th, 2010. There were four more contestants than last year, and all the chili was really good. Each chili was judged in every category and the one with the most points overall was the grand champion!


The judges were left to right, Rebekah Thompson, Carl Horn, Bill Troxel and Wayne Miller.


The winners were Sam Verhagen, Tastiest Chili (2nd year in a row);


Prettiest Chili went to Terri Thompson;


And Hottest and Grand Champion to Jeff Coghill (2nd year in a row)!!!! Photo is from 2009.

Congratulations!!!

******

We had a very busy but very happy Christmas. From the week before Thanksgiving until Christmas Day we had something to do every day. Places to go, people to see, things to do.

On Christmas, we opened presents in the morning and then visited with two different sets of friends before we left on vacation. We so needed it. But it wasn't really an all rest vacation, we were visiting supporters and friends all through Alaska.


This is near Eureka, between Glennallen and Anchorage. I am always amazed at how beautiful Alaska is, every time of year. The sky was so blue and the snow was so white. God is so creative!

The frost was really incredible. It must have stuck out about six inches from the one side of the power pole. All the trees were droopy and the power lines must have been four inches in diameter. It was really cool.


I was taking pictures through my sunglasses and this one is really neat. Darn it though, my sunglasses got broken on this trip. I really liked the purple tint.


This is my friend Esther. I like this photo because we both look so happy.

Esther took this picture of me and Bill so we could have a formal photograph for Village Missions. We don't do formal very often! In fact, we had to borrow some clothes to take the picture!

We will be going to Hawaii in February for a real incognito vacation! We are all looking forward to laying on the beach and soaking up some sun!

What a great way to start the New Year!

I'm pregnant!

Our baby will be here in September 2010.

We are so very excited!

We put on a community Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. A lot of people came out to have a good time. There was even a pinata and a movie!

We have had three potlatches since mid November. This is a pot of moose head soup. It is served at every potlatch from these enormous pots. Bill has started to help cook the soup.

I set up a table selling fabric at the holiday bazaar. I had a great time and got to see a lot of people.

Ethan had one of the main parts in the K-4 Christmas program. Go Ethan! He did a great job!



Bill got to play Santa Claus again this year. Not everyone was happy to sit on his lap!

Happy Holidays from Nenana, Alaska!

We want to wish all of our family and friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God bless you greatly and may you in turn bless others.

2009 has been a great year for us! Our photo was on the front page of the Fairbanks paper, we got to see the Tanana River ice break up, and Bill got his head shaved at AWANA. Rebecca won a local quilt contest, Bill said the river blessing, friends and family came to visit and all of Nenana survived the wildfire that was only a couple miles away. All the details are on our blog; scroll down to read all about it!

We are involved in many activities and are never bored or have nothing to do. The kids participate in tae kwon do and they have won trophies at the tournaments. Aerin is in cheer club this year to encourage the high school basketball team at their home games, and Ethan has joined Cub Scouts. Aerin’s favorite subjects are music and reading and Ethan likes lunch and recess (math too!) They just participated in the annual fall concert; Aerin played the trombone in a trombone/trumpet duet, and Ethan was a part of the 3rd/4th grade drum choir. They both did a great job! Bill keeps busy writing sermons, leading Bible studies, and cutting wood. We bought a chain saw this winter and he has been using it to help others get in wood; we don’t have a wood stove. I work 10 hours a week as a file clerk, quilt and help others with their sewing projects, and be a wife and mom. There is never a dull moment around here.

Nenana Community Church is thriving. We are making a difference in our community and people notice. We just put on a community Thanksgiving dinner, free for all, and about 120 people came (out of a community of 400 or so). We have an average attendance of about 35 and are growing out of our current rented space. This next year we will begin seriously looking into plans for building our own church building. Many times this year people have stopped us and thanked us for coming to Nenana.

We were highlighted in the Village Missionary Prayer Spotlight this October and received quite a few letters, phone calls, emails and monetary gifts. It is wonderful to know that people are praying for us and really want to know what we are doing up here. As the only VM missionaries in Alaska, sometimes it can get lonely and we think we are forgotten. It was so encouraging to hear from so many.

Please pray for us during the upcoming year. Pray for guidance as we will be looking into blueprints and fundraising for our own church building. Pray for ministry opportunities as we continue to plan and implement community activities. Pray for Bill as he prepares the sermon weekly. Pray that we can be a light in the darkness in Nenana. Pray for Aerin and Ethan as they grow up. Pray that I can be a good wife and mother, and not neglect my family by being too busy doing good things.

Our work here is really making a difference in the lives of those around us. Your donations are keeping us here. We have lost some supporters over the last year, due to the downturn in the economy, and we are asking for your help in staying in Nenana. If you could support us on a monthly basis or make a one time gift, we would greatly appreciate it. You can do this by contacting Village Missions by phone at 1-800-617-9905 or on the web www.village-missions.org. If you know someone who is looking for a missionary to support, please pass along our information. Thanks!

Did you celebrate a Thanksgiving meal? Did you celebrate Thanksgiving Day? We celebrated Thanksgiving Week!
On Sunday, we ate dinner with some friends.
On Monday, I took someone to the doctor and ate lunch in Fairbanks.
On Tuesday, we ate the Thanksgiving lunch put on by the school.
On Wednesday, we didn't eat out but I helped Jeannie make pies for Thursday.
On Thursday, we ate at 2 p.m. at the Bennett's and then again at 6 p.m. at the Verhagen's.
On Friday, we hosted a community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Tribal Hall, about 120 showed up.
On Saturday, there was a memorial pancake supper for Joshua Mayrand.
On Sunday, we had church potluck.
On Monday, Thankfully we ate at home (Between AWANA ending at 5 p.m. and taekwondo starting at 6 p.m.)
On Tuesday, lunch out at the wellness meeting, and dinner at a potlatch.

And we just got word that a local elder passed away today and there will be another potlatch this week.

And this is really our normal.

We were chosen to be in the Village Missions Spotlight recently and have been overwhelmed with care. Thank you for your letters, notes, monetary gifts and prayers. We have been encouraged, uplifted and made to feel special. This came at a great time for us as we were feeling a little low. God knows our every need.

Bill's dad and stepmom, John and Patti Troxel, came to visit for a few days. We had a great time visiting with them. They blessed us with a bunch of groceries and presents for all. Thanks!

Bill and the kids did some pumpkin carving while I took pictures. Last year we had a pumpkin but never got around to carving it. So, I made sure to do it this year. Aerin has said she is going to dress up as a tourist and Ethan is going to be a ninja this year.


And here is just a great photo of Aerin.


And a great one of Ethan too.