Nearing the End

Hello again!

It has been a very long time since I have updated you on the goings on here; sorry about that! It has been a very busy month!! We have been on many adventures and hard at work.

We have been crabbing, halibut fishing, hiking to Mendenhall Glacier, kayaking on Mendenhall lake, ran a 5k, making homemade salmonberry jam, hiking out to Echo Ranch, and riding a helicopter to Herbert Glacier. We've been real busy! Also, the staff have left us and we are now running our own project. Scary? At first, it was intimidating, but since we've been on our own for 2 1/2 weeks, we've got the hang of it. It has been challenging, but God has really brought us together and unified our project. He has really blessed us with our new leaders and poured out His wisdom and discernment upon them. They are truly amazing and do a great job!

My work has been better than ever! My job is such a delight and blessing to me, and I am so thankful my Father has blessed me with it. He knew exactly what I needed this summer, and my job could not have been more perfect. I usually have a couple hours in the morning to package soap and there are few customers, so I get to spend a lot of time in prayer every morning. What a blessing! Jimmie and Pat are the best employers a person could ask for! They trust me enough to let me handle it on my own many mornings. Also, as a gift for working for them, they set me up with a helicopter ride to Herbert Glacier. It was amazing! They are some of the best models of Christ I have ever met; my summer would not be the same with out them. They have had a huge impact on me and my faith.

The past month, Christ has been teaching me so much about joy! Over the past year and a half, I have really struggled with finding joy in all circumstances. One of my goals for the summer was to restore my joy and refresh my relationship with my Savior. This summer, He has shown me some of the reasons why I struggle with it and helped me overcome some of these obstacles. What freedom! I am experiencing so much joy these days, and it's not because of my circumstances - it's all because my Father in heaven loved me enough to send His son to die for me so we could be in relationship. Words cannot express the joy He has poured into my heart!

I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left here! This summer has completely flown by! I'm not ready to leave yet, but I'm confident of His timing. It has been phenomenal to build relationships with these women on project. They are truly beautiful women, and they encourage me so much. Also, here at the end of the summer, I have gotten to know so many other women who live here and they are absolutely wonderful. The LORD has blessed me so much this summer with a great community!

As I near the end, please be in prayer for the following:

1) The rest of my support. I am still $750 short. If you at all feel called to support the work up here in Juneau and my summer, it's not too late to help. Please send a check made out to Campus Crusade for Christ to
Emily Kingsley
Juneau Summer Project
4300 University Drive
Juneau, AK 99801
Even $5 would be a huge blessing!

2) The ministry up here. These last couple weeks, God has really been opening doors within our work here! It's so exciting to see our God at work! Through building friendships and boldly sharing our faith, we are starting to see some growth. Please pray specifically for...

A. A girl I'll call Michelle. God has really put her on my heart and I've been looking for ways to share the gospel with her. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in her heart to help her see her need for Him and that He would open a door for me to share my faith with her.

B. Missio Dei. We are holding an outreach/revival event this Saturday. The vision is to unite the body of Christ here in Juneau by bringing local churches together to reach out to this hurting city. There will be a large portion of time set aside for people to go and share their faith and a worship time, plus a speaker, and a meal. Pray that God would give the church here a heart for the lost people of this city and that He would begin to bring people to Him.

C. The ministry in the workplaces. There has been a lot of fruit from the relationships built by project people in the workplaces. Pray that within these last two weeks we would use every opportunity to point our coworkers to Christ; and that after we have gone, Christ would be at work in their hearts.

3) That God would begin to prepare my heart for coming back home, but still keep me focused up here. Project is not over yet, so I need to still be here and finish strong. Pray that I can complete the work He has prepared for me up here.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blogs and pray for my summer! It has made a huge impact!

For our King,
Emily Ann
1 Timothy 6:12

Downtown Days

Greetings from Juneau!
I know it's been a while since my last post so I thought I would update you all on the wonderful things going on up here. There maybe pictures later. But no promises.
I have a job!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE it! I work at Glacier Smoothie Soaps. No, we don't sell smoothies. We sell hand made soap, made here in Juneau. I work at world headquarters: a small log cabin looking shop downtown. http://www.glaciersmoothie.com/index.html It's awesome! The people I work for are such a blessing to me! Jimmie and Pat work with me every day. They are originally from Texas, but have lived up here in Juneau for about 20 years in the past 30 years. Jimmie is the pastor of a local Baptist church here. Their daughter makes the soap. A lot of members of the family are involved in the soap business. The great thing is that out primary goal is not selling soap. We want people to have a great experience. I really love meeting people from all over and hearing their stories. I have met people from Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Quebec, Hungary, India, Singapore, England and Germany. I've even met a couple who went to Camp Geneva as kids and their daughter is looking at Dordt for a college. Small World!
I never would have expected that this would be the job I would have. But God knows exactly what I need! My ministry is very different than I would have expected. My co-workers are wonderful Christians who bless, teach, and encourage me everyday. Mostly, I just talk to customers and show them Christ's love. Cool story! Earlier this week, a lady came in kind of stressed and Pat started talking to her. Turns out, she had just finished handling a prayer-in-school ordeal. She had proposed to keep pray at the graduation ceremony. Things got crazy and the news even got involved. The school board voted no, but the students stood up and said the Lord's Prayer during the ceremony anyway. We were able to hear her story and encourage her in the battle. Our God is so big! And He is still in control!
The church I go to is also a huge blessing! It is so full of joy and love! The families are so welcoming and love having us there. The fellowship is really neat. I'm excited to get more involved and build relationships with the college and high school students.
We have gone on two camping trips thus far. The first one was pretty taxing plus it was hot out. But we overcame! The view from up top was beautiful and well worth the hard work. The other excursion was much easier and sooooooooo beautiful. It was probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. We camped on a beach and we could see the mountains on the other side of the ocean covered in fog. Behind us was valley then more mountains. We could even see some whales from the beach! Basically, God blows my mind! He is so creative and knows beauty.
God has been teaching me a lot since I've been here. It is hard to describe it in words. I have been learning more about myself and who I was made to be. I have so much more to learn! The community of women has blessed me so much! These women are seriously amazing! It is so encouraging to be around them and share these experiences together. My roommates have shown me so much love and encouraged me every day. The ladies in my action group show me so much grace and understanding as we all grow together spiritually.
Please Pray for...
1) Our ministry here. Juneau is a very dark place. Kids struggle a lot with suicide, drugs, and alcohol. Depression is rampant. Many people are 'spiritual' but don't want anything to do with Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead us to those who are ready for the Gospel. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in the hearts of the people here, that they would turn to Him as Savior.
2) My strength. We have a ruthless schedule with very little wiggle room. It is hard to even find time to do ministry with some of the women I have met. I have to fight for time with Jesus and make it a big priority every day. I usually end up getting up early to do it, which is a HUGE deal for me. Pray that Jesus would be my strength and continue to give me the energy to pour into others.
3) My personal growth. Pray that I would continue to be vulnerable with these women and let them in my life. Pray that I would continue to choose to grow and work through the ugly, messy stuff. Pray that I would have boldness living out my faith in my actions and words.
4) My support. I'm still about $1,000 short. Pray that God will provide and guide me in what to do next.
Thank you all for your prayers! We have a God who listens to our pleas! He is so good and takes care of us! Have a blessed week and grow in the knowledge of Him who is beyond understanding. How beautiful, merciful, and sovereign is our God!

For our King,
Emily Ann
Colossians 1:10-14