Help Needed:Mission Alaska: Frozen Chosen
Our former Christian Challenge co-workers, Steven and Lindsay Hallam answered a call to become missionaries to Natives in Kenai, Alaska at Alaska Christian College. They told us of the school’s need for a team of workers to come do various updating/maintenance projects that will enable the college to continue reaching students all over the state of Alaska . We are very excited because we get to lead a mission trip of college students from Arizona to bless college students in Alaska.
Alaska Christian College seeks to: Empower Alaska Natives through biblically-based education and Christian formation to pursue excellence in character, learning, and service as followers of Christ. We have the amazing opportunity to train, inspire and disciple Christian Challenge students, while serving Alaskan Natives. Many A.C.C. students have had very rough backgrounds and A.C.C. can literally change and in some cases, save their lives. We cannot do it alone and we would like to ask you to consider partnering with us by praying and/or giving. The total support needed is $5500.00. This money will go for our whole family’s airfare, food, room on the college campus for Bryan (Jamie and kids will stay at the Hallam’s house) and for some supplies for A.C.C work projects. We prayed a lot before making the decision to include the boys in the trip and feel like it’s important for them to serve on missions with us (as at home with Christian Challenge and church activities) and our missionaries set up a Vacation Bible School for the children to serve at! They will be helping run a Vacation Bible School for Native children and other missionary kids while the Christian Challenge team does the work projects at the college!!! The boys are very excited to tell people in Alaska about Jesus, pull weeds and work at the college (if safe with work projects going on) and serve in the Vacation Bible School, passing out flyers for the church, or serve any other way that is needed. They are also excited to get to see their friends since birth: Noah and Gracie Hallam (Dallas and Gracie spent many hours each week on the Mesa Community College campus with Christian Challenge!). We need your prayers and, if you feel led, support.
Thank you so much for your prayers! I look forward to seeing what the Lord does in Alaska through Christian Challenge.
Our monthly support is handled through the North American Mission Board, but donations for Alaska are being handled by the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. If you feel led to donate, please make check to: ASBC and mail them to us (please email jamiempowers@yahoo.com) for address.
Salvations and more!
This month is really exciting to write about because in spite of some difficulty, God has been doing some major work. Two girls who are on Paradise Valley Community College accepted Christ! The cool thing about it was that it wasn’t me who invited them or shared the gospel with them. Tim, one of my disciples who will be on staff with us next year had invited them to a Christian Challenge worship gathering. I meet with him once a week going over Scripture and accountability and ministry development. PVCC is his campus. I pour into him, and he pours into other students. It is truly a multiplication effort. He’s become part of our family as we minister together, pray for him as he follows up with these two girls and for a lady to really step on this campus.
If that wasn’t uplifting enough, one student that I shared about months ago that isn’t even on campus anymore at GCU texted me and said, “I think I found God.” He was an atheist who was assigned community service hours and I was able to give him the hours. We talked about wood working, cars, family and the Gospel. It was all very natural, but I thought that all that had come of it was a seed.
Thank God that He lets us plant, but He makes it grow. Recently this guy watched “God’s Not Dead” and saw the logic in there being a God. He may not be a Christian yet, but he wants to experience the God he said so long wasn’t there. Pray for us as we meet again and talk about what is next. He’s already in Scripture!
A Cool Facebook status from Chasen
We have loved Chasen as he has become part of the family. He’s played bass in worship for us and shared Christ with non-Christians after our outreach games of ultimate Frisbee. He just puts his experience with Christian Challenge better than I could.
“As my freshman year of college concludes, it’s time to say goodbye. As happy as I am to return home, I am reluctant to leave this place…I feel that there have been many things left unsaid. So, here it goes.
I began this semester with no friends, no connections, and no idea what to do. I was a brand new man in a foreign land, surrounded by strangers. This was just as expected-I knew going from homeschool to college was going to be a culture shock. I had to put down roots-I just wished I knew where to start.
Then I met an old friend. Old face, new place. He introduced me to a group called Christian Challenge. At the time I was involved in many groups at GCU, testing the waters. Little did I know just how much impact that fateful meeting would have.
This semester has been an awesome time of growth and renewal for me. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some pretty awesome people, and made some fantastic friends. I’d like to give a shoutout to Christian Challenge in particular-without you guys, I might still be in my room, wondering why I feel so alone. I can’t thank you guys enough for the impact you’ve had on my life this semester-I’ve made many good friends, been introduced to a thriving church community that extends far beyond Phoenix, and grown closer to God through CC. I look forward to getting involved in the ministry of Christian Challenge, and drawing closer to God and my brothers and sisters in Christ because of it.
Time to say goodbye…but I’m reluctant to leave. While I may be going home to family, I know that I’m leaving family behind. This has been one of the greatest and most fruitful years of my life, and I wish it didn’t have to end. Leaving will be hard, but I look forward to the coming fall semester. Goodbye, GCU-I wish you all a fantastic summer.”
Winter Retreat
This was the first year that we have had no snow in Pinetop, AZ for the retreat. It didn’t slow us down though. God moved like He always has at our Winter Retreats. Our staff came together and improvised and it was so good that the students who had paid for and expected a winter weren’t disappointed nor did they ever complain.
Every year we come back and students say that it was the best one they have ever been to. I was proud to have my team make up a bulk of the worship team, especially since it was the highlight for many of the students.
That wasn’t the only highlight though. We were able to get Byron Banta to join us as the speaker. I made sure to ask him nearly a year in advance because we had actually tried to get him the year before and he was booked. He was absolutely amazing. The students were deeply impacted by him. They were gleaning knowledge from someone 60 years older than them, not judging him for “not being able to understand them.”
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| Largest Spring Night of Worship we have ever had. Ryan and I did an intro video which has sparked a desire for some media people to step up and do more media in our events. |
Facebook post from Tim, who is “Uncle Tim” to our boys. When we couldn’t take the twins to their tee ball game, he and Uncle Ryan and Uncle Patrick took them for us.
“You know I spend a lot of time with Bryan and Jamie Powers and their family, when their son makes it into my profile picture. I really do love this family and how much they pour into my life. I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you so much, you and your family have been such a tremendous blessing. I'm sure Ryan Storch and Patrick Fry completely agree with me. — feeling grateful.”
Thank you, Partners, for enabling us to give our lives to these students in
His Name.
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| GCU Leaders dinner, planning, learning and fellowship at our house |
How God Used You;
We could not do this ministry without our team:
- Making disciples who are making disciples
- Great worship community
- Students’ roommates getting involved
Thank You for Your Prayers!
Please pray…
- New Salvations!
- Tim at Paradise Valley CC
- Sarah at South Mountain CC
- That we can keep the leadership team together as we are now spread all over the country for the summer.
- Hallams serving in Alaska
- CC Mission to Alaska
- Our guys group
- The strong personalities to be soft to God and new people.
- Ryan as he comes on staff
- Orphans in Mexico
- Us to train our boys up in a Godly way.
- Our support
- Sanctuary Church
- More salvations
How can we pray for you?
