The Greer's

Every chapter ends with a period!

2010-05-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Jennifer, Gavin, and I got to Kotzebue on Saturday night. We came a day early because the ice fog has started getting pretty bad in Kotzebue over the last few days. The river was still frozen and it was snowing when we left, but thats the arctic. We have been sleeping in the basement of First Baptist Church of Kotzebue for the past two nights. Which reminds me of when dad and I stayed in the basement of First Baptist Church of Ketchikan almost 13 years ago and slept on crib matresses before coming home from our once in a lifetime adventure. We are flying to Anchorage today to see Kim Piepmeier and spend the night before we go to Seattle to spend some time with Grandma Baumann. We are very excited to see everyone and we will be there before you know it. We love you all and will see you soon. Thank you for your prayer and support as we put the period down for this chapter of our lives and see what the next title will be.

Gavin is now standing on his own!

2010-04-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

During our discipleship class this Thursday Gavin wanted to take a more active roll in things! Apparently he was curious to what the Bible said concerning the situation. He has been pulling up on his own for a week now and man is he busy.

Jennifer has an Interview today!

2010-04-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

Everyone please pray for Jennifer she has an interview with Fannin Middle School in Amarillo today at 1:45pm Texas time! We love you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Mesmerized!

2010-04-17T08:33:00.001-07:00

Gavin loves music. Even when he is all the way across the house I can start to play and he crawls as fast as his little chubby legs can take him directly to the sound. This warms my heart! He must have sat like this for half an hour strumming along as he felt the uncontrolable urge to do so.

Out and About!

2010-04-17T08:26:00.001-07:00

Jennifer and I took some of our youth sledding earlier this week and we had a blast! Jennifer even drove our snowgo (Translation: snowmobile) around on the lake for a little while. You know sometimes we get so busy doing so many admirable things that we forget to have fun enjoying God's creation.

The first picture is of Jennifer and I taking a little break on our snowgo. The picture on the left is of Duffy (sitting) and Austin (Standing) taking a breather from their snow boarding.

2010-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

What a week! We have a school full of Arctic Care personel and have thoroughly enjoyed them helping out in the village. I dont think there is an open room in our school for anyone else to sleep in, but they have been a great help in the community.
The Lord has been doing some amazing things in our lives as well as those lives we have had the opportunity to serve. The Lord has shown me that he dousn't need us! God will work in the lives of those in whome He chooses and we have the opportunity to share about His grace and salvation to the lost. What a relief to know that God is in control of all of our circumstances and we are not responsible for changing people, just sharing and teaching. Lord, thank you for saving us and choosing us to serve you in such a vital part of the world.
Continue to pray for the Northwest Arctic of Alaska and the Inupiaq Eskimos as we are preparing to leave in 3 weeks to be with our family. Pray for John and Kim and the ministry that God has for them here in Kiana. We love you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Gavins First Easter!

2010-04-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

First of all I would like to thank the Lord for His grace that sent His son to die on the cross for us. We had a great sunday and continue to pray for the people in Kiana and the region to come to know Christ as their personal Lord and savior.

I thought everyone would enjoy pictures of Gavins first Easter. We love you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Love,

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Pizza and a Bible Study!

2010-03-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is our weekly discipleship and pizza group. We had a blast and these are some pictures to show you how mature we are!

Monday 3-15-10

2010-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning, or afternoon to you. I hope all of you had a great weekend! Jennifer, Gavin, and I had a great time at church yesterday and had a wonderful youth group last night. We had 18 at youth and taught about the burdens of sin in our lives. So many times in our lives we allow sin to lie dormit. When we allow sin in our lives we can't effectively run the race that is set out before us. God loves us and wants a relationship with us, yet we have to "take up our cross daily and die to ourselves". Take up your cross today and die to that sinful nature that we all so often struggle with. Be aware of every action you make and keep your eyes on Christ "who is the author and perfector of our faith."
We love all of you very much and look forward to seeing you soon!

Good Morning!

2010-03-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't know Jennifer, Gavin, and I are moving back home! It will be a sad day when we leave Kiana, but we know that God is leading us back to Texas (We never thought that would happen). It is a very calming and reashuring time when God is perfectly clear with where He wants you. We have grown to love the people of Kiana and the northwest arctic.
Continue to pray for Jennifer and I as we are searching for jobs and direction on what we are suppost to do when we get back. Jennifer and I have both applied to teach in Amarillo and Pampa, as well as areas of ministry. Sometimes I have to be careful not to make my own plans and allow God to lead us. So pray for us as we search for jobs and a place to live. Thank you for your prayers and support. We know God will continue to move in the arctic and in our lives as we move to our next lap in the race. We love you all and will see you soon.
Pray that we don't get so focused on the next lap that we lose stride in the present.

February 7, 2010

2010-02-07T22:33:00.001-08:00

We had 21 at youth this evening and all is well. We were teaching out of I Corinthians 3:1-4. Continue to pray that God continues to work in the hearts and lives of all that God puts in our path. We love you all! We look forward to seeing you soon.
We are praying for Shirly Andres family. Coonie, we love you very much and your family is very special to us. We will continue to pray for the family!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Gavin vs. Sweet Potatoes!

2010-01-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

These times are unforgetable!

We love you all,

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Too much sugar after discipleship!

2010-01-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

This is what we do after our discipleship class on Thursdays. They were a little hyper and wanted to do some eskimo dancing. We had a great time and they are really excited to learn what it is to be a Christian. We thank all of you that have supported us and pray for us continually. These are some of the faces that have been effected! We love you all!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Youth Meetings

2010-01-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

We are blessed as we had 24 youth at youth group last night at our house. We are enjoying them as we are able to tell and teach them more about Jesus Christ and how to have a stronger relationship with Him.
Also pray for our friends the Stewart's as they are missionaries in India and one of their home churches in a village was attacked and many were hospitalized and don't have the money necessary for the bills. Jennifer and I are going to send some money to help the new believers. Helping and encouraging them as God will provide for their needs in times of adversity. If you would like to donate please let us know. We love you all! I will try and attach a copy of the email!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Dear Friends,

We come to you with some serious news and ask that you please pray for these people, this village, and all that have been connected to this situation.

One of the young men that Glenn has been training in CPM principles through T4T training has been working in an unreached Rajasthani village. Previously there were no known believers in this village. Now, there is one group of about 20 new believers meeting together in a home for worship.

A few nights ago, while these new believers were meeting together, a group of men (apparently organized by one of the new believer’s own family members) attacked the home with axes and iron rods. Several were seriously injured. We are getting reports that some of the women were being attacked to be raped and at least one put up enough of a fight that these men just began beating the women…at least one young girl’s leg was broken. We were told that some of the people fled into the jungle to escape. The leader of this house meeting was seriously beaten in the head to the point that he has had to have surgery on his eye. Eleven have been hospitalized. The government hospital turned them away, so they had to turn to a private hospital for medical care. The severity of the injuries along with this rejection for cheap medical care has greatly increased the cost which right now appears to be approx. $800.

The situation is bad and there seems to be no one for these people to turn to for help. The government, the police, and the media are not supporting the believers in any way. The media has even told this story in such a way that it disparages the believers rather than the attackers.

Please pray for this small group of new believers. Please pray for those that have been hospitalized, that they will heal quickly and be a witness for Jesus to those they encounter. Please pray that they will have the resources needed for their medical expenses. Please pray for the Christian workers in Rajasthan. Please Pray for great boldness for all of us during this difficult time.

Working together for HIS glory,
Glenn, Rhonda, Sarah, Abigail, and Jonathan Stewart

Goofy!!!

2010-01-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

This is a few of the kids at youth tonight! We had a total of 20 at youth and we had a great time.

Pray for us we have discipleship tomorrow with Dwayne and Martina. Pray that God will give us wisdom. More than anything we want to see God grow these new believers.

We love you all very much!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Kinda Chilly!

2010-01-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It is sunday morning and it has been a good week in Kiana, Alaska. We were able to begin discipleship dinner with a couple whose husband has recently accepted the Lord. We are excited to be able to disciple young believers.
It is about -50 zero this moring and when it is that cold very few people get out and about. Of course we will be having church and Jennifer, Gavin, and I will be headed that way in about an hour.
Continue to pray for us and the ministry here in Kiana. We love you all and look forward to hearing from you. We have been so blessed to be an extension of the Top O Texas Baptist association. We love you all.
Oh, and by the way it seems we have a family of moose that are living about 20 yards from our front door. They are nestled in the trees this morning trying to stay warm. Man, am I glad I'm not a moose. We prefer a 70 degree house. How about you???

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Pooped!

2010-01-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

Well, we are back in the frozen tundra. We praise the Lord for allowing us to serve Him wherever it may be. We also would like to take the time to thank Tim and Maralyn Savage for all they have done to help out with the mission over the last month. They have been a great help to Jennifer and I as winter time in the arctic is not always the easiest. They have no idea how much they are appreciated.

Also, I have a praise as I was able to lead a man to the Lord this morning. Jennifer and I have been praying for their family for over a year. This morning he called and told me that he wanted to become a Christian. So over the phone I was able to lead him to the Lord. Isnt it great to see God work in our lives. Pray for Dwayne and his family as we ask God to give him the strength necessary to lead his family and stand strong against temptation.

Jennifer and I had a great Christmas and look forward to seeing God work in all of our lives. Also we would like to thank the anonymous donor that gave money for our ministry. We will be using it for the discipleship that is now in progress. God bless you! We love you all.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

On the road again!

2009-12-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

We are on the road again as we are getting ready to get on our bush plane around 4:30 pm this afternoon. Pray for us as you never know what the weather is going to do. We are under wind chill advisory. The windchill is around -50 degrees below zero. Anyway we will see you soon. We love you all!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Only 45 Minutes!

2009-12-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

For the sun to come up, glide below the mountains and then go into hiding again, it only takes 45 minutes. It is dark, a little chilly, but we are chugging along and God is never done with us as He has proven to us over and over again.
Jennifer and I have recently had the privelage of getting to know Tim and Maralyn (The couple watching and maintaining the mission) since John, Kim, and the girls have gone on vacation to the southern carribean (suffering for Jesus I'm sure! Ha, Ha). They are a couple from Georgia that have donated their time and energy to take care of the mission while John and Kim are on vacation and Jennifer and I are in Texas. We are extremely blesssed to have them here and are excited to see how God is going to use them while they are in Kiana.
We leave for Texas on Wednesday and are excited to see our family and the sun for that matter. Everyone is not going to believe how big Gavin has gotten. We love you all and look forward to seeing you THIS WEEK! Thank you for all of your prayer and support. Continue to pray for us as we continue to pray for you and Gods direction in all of our lives.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Our weekly discipleship!

2009-12-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

This evening we had a small Bible study for some of the youth that accepted Christ a couple of weeks ago. This is more of a serious Bible study solely for the purpose of teaching these new believers how to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We are so encouraged to see these young adults showing their desire to grow closer to God. Thank you for your prayers as you should be encouraged that we have seen them answered.

Continue to pray for the new believers....
- Ryder Westlake
- Seth Morris
- Paul Henry
- Hunter Morris
- Inukuk Gerhardt-Cyrus
- Ryan Morris
- Katelyn Sours

Discipleship Training

2009-12-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

As most of you know we had 7 youth accept Christ the other night and we have begun our discipleship Bible study on Thursday nights. We had three girls show up for discipleship and know that the others will be here next week. This is a busy time in the arctic as basketball season has just begun as well as many other things. Please pray for the ones who have accepted Christ and for Jennifer and I as we disciple them to be leaders and servants of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We were extremely encouraged for the time that we had this evening with this new group of disciples. We love you all and continue to pray for you as you continue to pray for us in the ministry God has given us.

Christmas is coming!

2009-11-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

Kim sent us this picture and we thought we should share it with the rest of you.
I asked Jennifer this morning, " is it wierd that we have a blog that almost completely consists of Gavin?" If this is a concern of yours we appologize and will try to give you a little more variety. Since there are a few more things going on in Kiana thank just Gavin. But I have to admit we are smitten parents.

P.S. Really this is to keep the grandparents from
writing us out of their will!

Fat and Happy!

2009-11-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

We have all had those Thanksgiving days when we were so full that we had to loosen all of our buttons. But how many of you did it on your first Thanksgiving?

Actually Gavin was just happy to be home. We love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving and Jennifer, Gavin, and I have so much to be thankful for. Even though we have been sick this week we are getting better and life will continue as fast and furious as ever. We are so thankful for our immediate family, our church family, and we wish all of you a very happy turkey day. We love all of you and are thankful for your prayers and support in our ministry here in Kiana.
Again we would love to thank Linda and the ladies at Central Baptist Church, Pampa for all of the cake and cookie mixes that were sent along with many other things that are hard or impossible to get in the arctic. We appreciate your ministry more than you will ever know.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

It's an epidemic!

2009-11-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be sick which is why I am able to blog to you in the middle of the day. The picture tells it all. We have had a number of people that have been sick. I am able to be at home because Kim, Gavins baby sitter is the bugs latest victim and apparently Gavin cant take care of himself. Ha, Ha, that was a joke!
Anyway, I have a praise to tell you. Seven of our youth prayed to receive Christ as their personal Lord and savior last sunday night. We will be following up with discipleship this week. PLease continue to pray for them as temptation is extremely difficult in the village. We thank the Lord for how He works through us when we dont expect it.
We love all of you and thought you would like to see the action to your prayers. We love you all !

Thank you for the stockings!

2009-11-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who sent us the Christmas stockings for our program. It is quite a trick when you cant run to town to get what you need. We couldnt do it without all of you.

It is finally a little chilly here. I think it was -30 F this morning. Ha, Ha, Ha! Anyway we are staying warm and things are going well. Continue to pray for us as we search for Gods direction in our life.

I will send some more pictures of Gavin and the family soon. We love you all.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

A Happy Halloween!!!!

2009-11-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at our Halloween party at school. I thought I would send you a picture of my class and Gavin on our parade march through the school. We had a great time.
I have a request that we would appreciate if there is a person or group of people that would like to participate in our Christmas play this year in Kiana. Every year we hand out Christmas gift packages for the children that are involved in the Christmas production that we do at Kiana Baptist. This year we are going to put their gifts inside Christmas stockings. We are asking if there is anyone that would want to send us plain, regular, red and white Christmas stockings. We are in need of about 40 total. This is such a joy as we love to give the kids these presents every year. If any of you that read our blog would like to participate please let us know. We love you all.
Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Good Morning!

2009-11-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

I feel bad because I havent been in good contact with everyone. Things are going well and we are definately looking forward to seeing everyone at Christmas time. We will be comming in on the 17th of December and leaving on the 1st of January. I will write more this evening and share some pictures of Halloween and all of the exciting times we had. We love all of you and pray for Gods blessings on you all.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Hello Everyone!

2009-10-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you everyone for all of the prayers that we have received from all of you. We had a great youth group meeting last night as Jennifer and I shared the gospel with the whole group. I pray that God's Word will not return void and those that dont know Jesus will receive them into their hearts and lives. There were about 20 there and we had a great time together.

Gavin is really growing by leaps and bounds as you can see in the picture above. We love all of you and look forward to seeing you at Christmas. Continue to pray for Jennifer, Gavin, and I as we pray for God's direction in our lives. We love all of you and want to personally thank the ladies at Central Baptist Church in Pampa, Texas for sending us the gift packages. They are greatly appreciated and used weekly, if not daily. We love you all.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

10-3-09: Saturday Evening

2009-10-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday and I thought I would take a few minutes and let you know how our week has gone. Jennifer and I are doing good, Gavin is growing like a weed, and it is snowing up a storm. We have a few things that will remain unmentioned at the time that we are needing you to keep in your prayers. Pray for the ministry and that God continues to work in our lives. We covet your prayers and know that if God is going to do anything it will be through His power and will to change lives not by our works. We believe that God desires to work in the lives and hearts of people across the world. We love you all and miss seeing all of you. Sometimes more than others we seem to get homesick for our family which containes all of you that are a part of our church families back home. To our immediate families we love you and miss you very much. Oh, and Gavin says hello! In a grunting, cooing sort of way! We love you very much! Continue to pray for us as we continue to search for God's will in our life.

Recharge Time

2009-09-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

After a long day of school, treking through the snow (yea, you heard me right, snow!), and our busy schedule of ministry activities sometimes we need a break. So Jennifer and Gavin descided to take theirs this afternoon after school and I had to take full advantage of it. What a picture! It has been a good week of school so far. I am continuing guitar lessons at the school on Wednesdays and have a good turnout. Oh, back on the subject of snow, it has been snowing for three days now!

Continue to pray for us as we are asking Gods will for our life as we continue to serve Him in Alaska. We are also trying to descide if we are going to buy a snow machine this year. It is a great opportunity for me to go out and spend time with other men on the river, can get to town if we needed to for some reason, and do some mid winter harvesting of caribou, but again is quite an expence. We love all of you and continue to pray for you when the Lord brings you to mind. We love you all!!!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Sunday Night 9-20-09

2009-09-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I just got through with our youth group this evening. We had 22, 6th-12th graders over to our house and are presently teaching a Bible Study by Blue Fish productions entitled "Uprising". Please continue to pray that God gives us wisdom on how to reach and teach the youth here in Kiana. We want nothing more than to see Christ work through and change the lives of the youth here. We ask that you pray as we do for wisdom concerning the direction God has for the Greer's. We again love all of you very much and thank you for your prayer and support as we desire to serve God in every aspect of our life.
Gavin is doing good. He has really learning to smile and even a coo here and there. This evening he even got a little toy that one of the families here in town bought him while they were in Anchorage. It was extremely kind of them to do that for Gavin, but with that little smile who could resist.
Anyway we love you all and look forward to your responces to our blogs. It is great when we can hear from you and what God is doing in your lives.

Saturday 9-19-09

2009-09-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Today we had a cross country meet in Kiana. Jennifer and I volunteered Kiana Baptist Mission to work as volunteer's in the school kitchen. Jennifer, Kim, Gavin, and I worked in the kitchen as we served about 100 people from the region. We had a great time and are blessed as we were able to serve our community, even in such as small way. Later, if your lucky, I might post a picture of all of us in our extremely attractive hairnets. a, Ha, Ha! We again love all of you and look forward to hearing from you.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

What a Blessing You Are!

2009-09-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I are so thankful for the gift from Linda Dodd and all of the WMU ladies at Central Baptist Church. I have uploaded a picture of all that was sent and how special and appreciated it is. We love all of you and again thank you for your gifts and more than anything, your prayers. Continue to lift us up as we continue to strive for the Lords will in the life of the Greer family.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

On our way home after school!

2009-09-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Monday! Monday! Monday!

2009-09-14T19:20:00.001-07:00

Well, its monday and we have had a good day and a great weekend. We had youth last night and we had 16 youth attend. We continue to pray that God will continue to work in the lives of the youth and young adults in Kiana, Alaska. God is definately at work and Jennifer and I pray that God uses us in this movement of His Spirit. We dont want to push our beliefs and culture on others. We just want to see the Holy Spirit change hearts and lives as we believe He will have to for change to follow. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We just got home two hours ago and some of the youth followed Jennifer home. They visited and played the Wii for a little while. We are excited that people desire to be in our home and are excited that we can offer a safe and relaxing atmosphere. God has really given us a heart for the lost here, pray that He gives us opportunities to share the Gospel with them.

I thought everyone would enjoy another picture of Gavin and Jennifer. Gavin has just finished eating and man is he growing. More and more people are saying he is beginning to look more like me. The n I realized maybe its because he's getting much more plump now days. Ha, Ha!

We thank all of you for your prayers and ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We love and appreciate you all.

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

9-5-09

2009-09-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy day. I went with three other guys today and we got 7 young and tender caribou. Can you believe Jennifer wouldnt let me take Gavin out hunting? :( Well, since I am completely wiped out and have been cutting up caribou for 12+ hours I will write more tomorrow or possibly Monday. We love all of you and thank the Lord for how He provides for those who serve Him. Pray for us as we desire to follow Gods will for our life.

Wednesday 9-2-09

2009-09-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well wednesday has come and gone and it has been a good day. There have been a ton of kids sick here in Kiana. There were 44 out of 100 abscent from school today and we had only 7 out of 19 kids in my class.
Gavin went to get weighed today at the clinic and he is a whopping 9 lbs. 2.5 oz. Our little baby is really growing up a storm.
I just got done helping one of my newely found friends here in Kiana cut up some moose meat off of a moose they got the other night and it looks like we will get our caribou this weekend and we will begin to be a little more prepared for the winter.
Anyway, we love all of you and covet your prayers. Thank you for everything!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Sunday 8-30-09

2009-08-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great Lord's Day! Church was good as Kim has Sunday School, I did music, and John preached the Word. This evening Jennifer and I started a new youth series at our house and had 16 which is a great turn out. We have thoroughly fallen in love with the youth in Kiana and pray everyday that God with influence every aspect of their lives. Pray for us as we ask for God's direction as we work with the youth and young adults in Kiana. We love all of you and ask for God to bless you for your efforts in praying for us in our ministry here. Pray for Jennifer, she is extremely busy as she teaches 6 classes at the Junior High/High School and still desires to show Christ in every aspect of her life. We look forward to hearing from all of you. Our number here in Kiana is 1-907-475-2393 or you are always welcome to respond to our blogspot. We love you all. God Bless!

Zackary, Jennifer, and Gavin Greer

Once again connected!

2009-08-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

We are doing good and are once again connected to the rest of the world. We feel completely spoiled this year with many more conveniences since we live in teacher housing and it sure is nice. Oh, yes and running water and indoor plumbing. :) We sure do appreciate all of the prayers and support that have come our way. Jennifer and I have already had two youth meetings since we have been back and things seem to be really growing.

I thought I would post a new picture of Gavin who has been spending the days with Anna Kim, who we appreciate more than she will ever know. We love you all and look forward to hearing from you.

We made it back!

2009-08-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well, Jennifer, Gavin, and I made it most of the way back. We are presently sitting in the basement nursery at First Baptist Church of Kotzebue as Jennifer and I have school training as we are getting ready for school to start on Monday. Jennifer and Gavin are presently taking a nap and I thought I would reunite with the outside world once again. Honestly I have to say that we look forward to seeing our family and friends again soon, but it has been GREAT to see everyone here again. Gavin has been passed around to half of the people in the school district and has been adopted multiple times. Mom don't get upset, you and Susan are his only real grandmother's. Ha, Ha! Everythying is great. Gavin did wonderful on the airplanes and never made a peep. People around us couldnt believe that he was such a good baby. I said he is just like his dad, a precious angel baby! Isnt that right Nanny? Anyway, we love all of you and thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Continue to pray for us as we desire to impact the Arctic of Alaska with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Right out of the box!

2009-07-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

He was about 2 minutes old here and as you can tell his lungs are working fine.

Gavin Glen weighed 6.0 lbs and was 19 inches long. He rated a 9.9 on the 1 to 10 scale and the only reason he didnt rate a ten is because his little hands and feet were purple from delivery, but all is good and as far as I am concerned he is a 15 on a scale from 1 to 10.

Gavin Glen Greer

2009-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well Gavin made it into the world at 1:45pm on July 15, 2009. He is the most beautiful and precious little thing that you have ever seen. And who would ever have expected less with how beautiful and precious I am, I mean Jennifer! Ha, Ha!

Jennifer did a great job and after about 8 hours of contractions and only ten minutes of pushing our little boy made his great appearance into the world.

It has been great to have the family with us and we are so blessed to have the family we do have from the oldest to the new additions and those addition still on the way. We love all of you and just wanted to send you a quick update on how things are going.

Fun for Dad's

2009-06-29T12:42:00.001-07:00

Who in the world is this lunatic?

Sunday; June 28, 2009

2009-06-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Well first and most importantly today is my sisters 29th birthday. Happy Birthday Penny!

Jennifer and I had a great day today. We spent the morning at 11th Street Baptist Church, Shamrock, Texas. We spoke about Alaska and appreciate the hospitality of the churches in the panhandle of Texas.

This evening we went to a 4th of July party at the city park with Central Baptist Church, Pampa. We have had a great sunday as God has allowed us to share about what He is doing in our lives.

Pray for us next week as I preach at First Baptist Church Lefors in the morning and Jen and I speak about Alaska at Central Baptist Church, Pampa in the evening. Again we love all of you very much and pray that we all have a safe and fun 4th of July.

VROOM!!!!

2009-06-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Susan, dont worry! Ha, Ha, Ha! You should have seen her on the two wheels! Just kidding.

What a Motley Crew

2009-06-27T18:02:00.001-07:00

These are the ladies that threw the shower. Personally I am glad dad and I went to play golf. Why? I think I am a little afraid of this crew! Ha, Ha! Just kidding we love you and thank you very much.

I wish Mrs. Carol could have been there and in all actuality she was in our hearts. We love all of you very much! Thanks for the shower. I have only had a couple of those all winter. Oh, wrong kind of shower. Ha, Ha! Life is different when you dont have running water.

Baby Shower!

2009-06-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Jennifer and my two grandmothers at our baby shower today. We appreciate it so much and just sit and thanked God for all that he has provided for us. We love you all so much and look forward to telling our son how much the people here have done for us. God has used you tramendously and we love you very much!

The Feast for Father's

2009-06-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Don' forget to smile :)

2009-06-22T11:56:00.001-07:00

Girls Camp was Great!

2009-06-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at girls camp as we shared with them about our work in Alaska and what God is doing there. Jennifer and I had a great time with the girls as we watched God work in ther little hearts throughout the week.

Father's Day!

2009-06-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with family as we grilled and ate more than any of us should have. We had an abundance of food and once again everyone seriously outdid themselves. It is great to be able to wear shorts and short sleeves again as we spend the summer back in Texas. Happy Father's Day!

Jalepeno Poppers

2009-06-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day Jennifer made us a batch of Jalepeno Poppers. Man you cant get those very easy in Alaska and man, were they awesome!
As you can tell Gavin is still growing by leaps and bounds. It wont be long until he'll be on the ground running full blast. Continue to pray for us as we get ready to bring this new gift into the world. We are praying for a smooth birth and health for Jennifer and the baby. We love you all!

Back in the Mother Land!

2009-06-21T17:17:00.001-07:00

Back in Texas! It is good to be home. We have been extremely busy speaking at churches and last week we were the missionaries at girls camp. We had a blast! We are so excited to have the opportunity to speak at all of the churches we have and love being back around friends and family. We have had a great Father's Day! Next year I will be a father and maybe I can get a cool tie or something comprable. Anyway, I just wanted to write and let you know that we arent dead and that we now have internet so we can be better about staying in contact. Jennifer and I love you all.

Right Before the Hunt!

2009-04-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

This is a picture right before we did the easter egg hunt. We hid about 350 eggs and hopefully all of them were found although it is a new experience hunting eggs in the snow.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Jennifer as she teaches a lesson about the resurection of Christ and the true meaning of Easter. We had a great turnout of about 85 people. It was a blessed day! We love you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Gavin Glen Greer

2009-04-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the recent ultrasound picture for Gavin.

What a Stud!

2009-03-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

I dont know who this guy is but Jennifer said he is a stud!

Blueberry Hill

2009-03-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I went for a little hike out at Blueberry Hill, with Liz and Jacob! Really this is the name of the trail. I found that humerous.

Bird Ridge!

2009-03-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Jacob on the summit of Bird Ridge in the Chugach Mountain range outside of Anchorage. Jacob and I climbed this mountain last week over Spring Break. We had a great time doing what we love to do. Just thought I would give you a glimps of the beauty we saw from the top.

Boy or Girl?????

2009-03-23T13:06:00.001-07:00

Well, Jennifer and I went to the doctor the other day while we were in Anchorage and found out that we are going to be having a BOY! I was excited to be able to call my dad and tell him, "We are having a MAN CHILD!" His name as of now will be Gavin Glen Greer and he is one pound and is perfectly healthy. Jennifer is doing good as well and is excited that the baby is healthy and strong.
We thank you for all of your prayer that have been with us as we continue to serve the Lord in the Northwest Arctic of Alaska. We love you all and pray for you as God brings you to mind.

Wow, March Already!

2009-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well, its March already and it is nice to be having so much sunshine. We have made it through most of our first winter in the Alaskan Arctic and we have passed with flying colors. Not to bad for two native Texans in the arctic with no running water and pregnant to boot. The temperature has been warming up to above zero sometimes and man does it feel good. We are gaining about 8 to 10 minuites of sunlight a day and are doing well.
We again love all of you very much and thank you for the prayers.

Not Fat, Pregnant!

2009-03-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my beautiful bride and our 23 week old baby. As you can see Jennifer and the baby are doing fine. We will be going to Anchorage this week to spend some time with Jacob and Liz and to have our doctor visit. This time we will find out if we are having a "man child" or a "little girl".

We thank you for your prayer and support. We have had a great week of ministry with a full house in sunday school and a great turn out for youth. We love all of you very much and thank you so much for your prayer and support.

Were Back Online!

2009-03-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

We have been having some troubles getting online lately and that is the reason for the lack of communication.
All is well here in Alaska. We have had multiple blizzards back to back throughout February and March. I couldnt even begin to tell you how many feet of snow we have now. Lets just say that I have gotten very proficient in digging out my snow go.
Jennifer and the baby are doing good and I have been enformed that she is not getting fat! She is really starting to show and we will be going top Anchorage next week to go and get a check-up and hopefully find out if its a boy or girl. Of course dad is rooting for a "Man Child". So we will see.
We love you all and look forward to hearing from you.

I Think Were Being Watched!

2009-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

This is a nice bull that was watching us as we were out on the river! There have been alot of moose running along the Kobuk.
Jennifer and I have had a great day at church. I was able to preach and lead music this morning and Jennifer had a good turn out for sunday school. God is at work in our lives and ministry and we are thankful for your prayers.

Our First Family Picture!

2009-01-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is a 3-D picture of the newest Greer baby. Jennifer and I feel so blessed that God has seen us fit to be responsible for this new, little, life. We are extremely excited to partake in this adventure and thank you so much for all of your prayers. We have now made it through our first trimester and feel relieved that we have made it this far. This was a picture or the baby during the 11th week. Just this last week Jennifer went to the clinic here as there was a doctor on rotation between the villages. She was able to hear the heartbeat again and the doctor said it was good and strong. All is well and God has been more than gracious to us. We love everyone and thank you again for the prayers. Please stay in contact with us and we love you all.

Friday, January 16, 2006

2009-01-16T13:12:00.001-08:00

Well, its Friday and we have had a great week. We have gotten quite a bit of snow and it is still snowing as we speak. Jennifer and I have stayed busy working at the school as well as all of our church responsibilities. We love our jobs and praise the Lord for the opportunities we have to share the Lord in these areas of our lives.
I have begun a new ministry opportunity here at the school as I am giving free guitar lessons to anyone that wants to attend. This week we have had about 7 to 10 kids and this week I have had a few adults ask if they could come as well. I am praying that this will be successful.

Continue to pray for Jennifer and I as we are striving to be faithful to the Lord's direction in our lives. We love all of you and thank you for all of your support in so many different ways.

We would also like to thank First Baptist Church Gruver, Texas for sending the baby clothes that we will be distributing to women in the viollage which have babies.

Were Back in Full Swing!

2009-01-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I are back in full swing. We have had a great week being back at school and church. All of Kiana was glad to have us back. As soon as Jennifer and I stepped off of the plane we were hit by balmy -50 degree temperature and all of a sudden staring at each other wondering where we were, and why. Finally we have gotten used to the weather again as we have a two weeks of -40 to -50 degree tem[eratures. We are looking forward to all that God has planned for us while we are here.
p.s. for the ones of you that don't know Jennifer and I are HAVING A BABY! She is in her 13th week and all is going well this time. We will post some pictures of the ultrasound. While we were in Texas for the holidays we had our first ultrasound and heard the babies heartbeat. Thank you for all of the prayers and we look forward to hearing from all of you. We will post some new pictures in the near future.

Jen and Her Kiddo!

2008-11-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is the little girl's name is Ivory. She is the little girl Jen works with everyday at school. We got to know Ivory this summer in discipleship classes, and she has been faithful to come to Sunday School and Movie Night every week. Jen really enjoys working with Ivory and seeing her grow.

Winter Wonder Land

2008-11-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

It's Been A Little Chilly!

2008-11-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

Just to let you know, you don't have to worry about Jennifer and I. We are staying warm in our house and all is going well. I am sorry that it has been a while since we have communicated to you through our blog. It seems to be constant work when the temperature gets to -30 degrees below zero. Anyway, Jennifer and I will strive to do a better job with keeping in contact.

We have had great success with our weekly Singsperation. This is a time when we meet together and sing and play. We have been meeting at the friends pastor cabin, and last week we had 30 people show up. We are planning on singing on the radio on the 4th of December so pray that God will use us to minister to peoples heart through music.

During the children's Sunday School, we are rehearsing for the Christmas program that we will be preforming December 14th. We have about 25 kids involved in this Christmas program, and we are hoping to have a big turn out in the community to share with them about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We continue to appreciate all the support, prayer, and encouragement we recieve from you all. We are so excited to be a part of God's work here in Kiana!!!

The Winter Olympics!

2008-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I have made some good friends with this family that invited us to go do some leaserly ice fishing with them last night. I had gone with the husband last week and did pretty good. We didnt catch a thing last night and Jennifer was the only one who even got a bite. I tell you theres nothing like a woman in a parka, -100 below pac boots, and a beaver hat. Wow!

The First Morning We Woke Up to That White Stuff!

2008-10-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well you dont see much of that white stuff where Jennifer and I are from. But in the arctic it is here to stay. I asked a man the other day, "when is it going to get warm again?" He lauphed and said, "more than likely not until June." So I am guessing that it is going to get colder before it gets warmer.
Jennifer and I are doing good. Continue to pray for us as we are striving to follow the Lord with all of our hearts. Some of the things Jennifer and I are praying for are 1) for God to continue to give us opportunities to share our faith with the lost 2) for God to humble us and as we become less God will become more 3) for us not to become distracted with our daily jobs, but to remain focused on the reason that we stayed and that was to spread the gospel 4) Pray for the ministers in the villages of Kobuk (Luke and Sarah Stewart), Shungnak (Which at the time is without a pastor), Ambler (Paul and Glenda Worsham), Kiana (John and Kim Piepmeier, Zackary and Jennifer Greer), Noorvik (No church plant at the moment), and Kotzebue (John and Terry Forrester, Matt and Tammy Hoke) 5)Our youth here in Kiana that God would help them to mature in Him, and 6) That God would continue to protect us as we live in a very extreme part of the United States.
We know that God will continue to be faithfull throughout our ministry endeavors.

Finally, We Got Our First Real Snow!

2008-10-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

It snowed on October 27th and 28th and through it all we got about 6 inches of beautiful snow. But who knew that snow was so messy! Ha, Ha, Ha!

The Kobuk is Frozen and the Mountains Dusted

2008-10-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

We got a light snow on the 24th of October and it was nice as it cut down on all of the dust and helped to insulate the ground a little bit. Winter is comming as the snow begins to fall.

Ice Fishermen

2008-10-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was up on the bluff at the Baptist Church the other evening and saw some men taking up their nets from under the ice. I thought you might enjoy seeing the pictures. These particular men are fishing for white fish. Many other people are fishing with a jigger when they are fishing for tiktalik or mud sharks. From what we hear it tastes exactely like lobster and as people prepare it they actually boil it and dip it in butter and garlic as you would a lobster.

The Word of the Lord

2008-10-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion ,' says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." Lamentations 3:21-24.

Never forget that the Lord is our strength and our hope. Our hope comes in Him and when we attempt to find hope in our own abilities, talents, or God given gifts we bypass the strength that comes from the vine. God is our true vine, our source of love, mercy, and faithfulness. He is our portion and therefore we will hope in Him and in Him alone.

Moonlit Night

2008-10-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

This is the moonlit night from our picture window.

The nights have begun to grow longer and the days shorter.

What You Do When There's No Running Water! You Haul It!

2008-10-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

2008-10-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

Isnt Alaska Beautiful?

2008-10-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry It's Been a While

2008-10-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Over the last month Jennifer and I have truly appreciated your prayers, letters, and emails. They have been a great encouragement to us and have lifted our spirits as we made it through this last month. As most of you know Jennifer had found out that we were having a baby and the very next day she had a miscarriage. It is a blessing that God took care of us and enabled us to fly to Kotzebue to the hospital to get Jennifer checked out. We personally thank the ones who gave to make it possible for me to go with her to the hospital. She is in good shape and God took care us us in that respect. We continually remember that God is in control of every situation and that everything happens for a purpose. So you dont have to worry about us we are emotionally, spiritually, and physically strong.

Things are going well here in Kiana. God is continually at work in the lives and hearts of the people here. Jennifer and I are both enjoying our jobs at the school, Jennifer is an Intensive Special Education Aid and I am working as an aid in the first and second grade class. We enjoy the close contact with the kids of Kiana as they are a large part of our ministry here.

This is a picture of our cabin and even though it hasnt snowed yet the frost continues to freeze every morning and appears as though there is snow in the trees. It is truly our winter wonderland and we are blessed to have a beautiful place to live.

We thank God for you and for your prayers and giving that has blessed us tremendously.

2008-09-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

This is a video that I have been trying to get posted for a while and finally I got a strong enough internet connection to put it on our blog. This is a video that my sister and I had many good laughs over. In the lower fourty-eight we use much more expression or even words to answer yes or no to someone when they talk to us, but in the village things are done much differently. Watch and see! I hope you enjoy.

Jennifer and I on a Hike!

2008-09-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is outside of town when we went on a small hike to see some of the country side. This is toward the west side of Kiana near the old village.

My Five Star Outhouse!

2008-09-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

First of all be sure and check some of the previous posts for some pictures of some caribou.

This is Jennifer and I outhouse while it is still pretty warm. When the winter sets in we will have what people here calll a "honey bucket" or a five gallon bucket with a toilet seat. It is primative for people in the lower fourty eight but for people here it is the norm.

What Was That?

2008-09-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

The other day I was working on some electrical work that needed to be done before the winter time and I hear a thud outside my front door. John was out working on some wiring and he started yelling at me to come out. Aparently this own tried to fly through our front window and fell to the ground a little stunned. It layed there for about 10 minuites or so and then flew away. I twas very congenial as it let me take quite a few pictures of it before it flew away.

Cranberries

2008-09-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I have really been picking alot of cranberries. So far we have put back about a gallon. This is a good time for us to have people over to visit with hopes of sharing the Gospel. Our hillside behind our house is covered with cranberries and everyone wants to come over to pick. Again it is reasurring how God has provided more opportunities to spread the Gospel.

Fall Pictures!

2008-09-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

2008-09-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

More Colorful pictures of the Fall Time

2008-09-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Fall Has Come and Gone!

2008-09-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

The weather is the wierdest thing here. One day everything was green and it seemed like the next it was a colorful painting filled with reds,

yellows, and oranges. This is a picture out out picture window showing you the changing of the birch trees in out back yard. Now our birch trees have shed all of their leaves and the cold has become more constant. We can tell that winter is well on it's way here.

Caribou Hunting

2008-09-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I went out with John Piepmeier and our school councelor, Mark Turner to put some meat in the freezer, weekend before last. The first time we went out John shot one caribou and the second time we came home with three more. God has blessed us with the means necessary to make it through the winter. This is a picture of one of the caribou swimming across the river the first day we went out.

It's Been a Good Week

2008-09-07T17:15:00.001-07:00

Jennifer and I have had a good week. We were able to work this week at the school which gives us constant contact with the kids here in town. We are still continuing to work with the adults praying for men who will be leaders. This continues to be a struggle with ministry here. So continue to pray that men will be touched by God and that they will grow into leaders that can reach the Alaskan natives for Jesus Christ. Jennifer and I truly love all of you back home and continue to pray for your ministries there.

Well Here's The News!

2008-09-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I are staying in Alaska for the year. Jennifer and I have been thouroughly praying

for God's Direction in our lives and He has answered us in more than one area. We feel that our work that we were sent here for was not able to be completed in the three month time span we were to be here. So we began to pray that if God wanted us to stay he would provide jobs and housing. We were planning on comming back to Texas and the Sunday before school started on Monday Jennifer was offered a teaching job as a Intensive Special Education Aid here in Kiana. I am working as a substitute teacher and have been able to work even more with the kids here in Kiana. Tomorrow we will be starting our first ever home group in the house of one of our new converts and we are extremely excited about it. Pray for us as we prepare for the winter and desire to see God work in the lives of the Inupiaq people of the northwest arctic of Alaska.

We love our new home. It is a quaint little cabin out of town in the woods. We are very careful to watch out for bears and other wild animals around and most of the time I carry my little 44 magnum pistol as i was advised by most in the village to do. We have been blessed to get a oil stove from John Forrester in Kotzebue (The Pastor of First Baptist Church in Kotzebue) which should keep Jennifer plenty warm on those chilly -50 degree winter nights). One of the catches is that we dont have any running water in our cabin. Yes, we have gotten very good at taking baths out of a bucket and we have a fully functional, five star outhouse which I will post a picture of later. In the winter we have what the people here call a honey bucket. Basically it is a five gallon bucket with a plastic bag in it to catch the "unuk" I am guessing you understand this word. Ha, Ha, Ha! Anyway God has blessed us tremndously and we are excited to be the missionaries of the Top O' Texas Baptist Assocation in the Arctic of Alaska. We love you guys and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Our Bedroom

2008-09-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

A Portion of our Back Patio

2008-09-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our Primary Heat

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Our View of the River

2008-09-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our Living Room

2008-09-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

Our New House

2008-09-03T20:08:00.000-07:00