DEALING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

"Dealing with difficult situations," by Andrew Murray:

1. Realize that God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this place: in that fact I will rest.
2. Realize that He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
3. Realize that He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons that He intends me to learn, and working in me that grace He means to bestow.
4. In His good time He can bring me out again - how and when - He knows.

So, I am here...

1. By God's appointment.
2. In His keeping.
3. Under His training.
4. For His time.

Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

BRIAN'S STORY

Brian Sakultarawattn will be our guest speaker this upcoming Sunday, June 29th. So I thought I'd include this account of his and Haley's testimony in my blog.

"It was the stuff movies are made of. Handsome, strong, athletic, 19-year-old Brian Sakultarawattn hiked the mountains with his best friend, 18-year-old Haley Havlik. She had packed their lunch, and the two were excited to be breathing in the fresh Oregon air. They laughed, panted, and half-ran to the very top of the mountain, then paused to thank God for the beauty he'd created.

While Haley packed the remains of their lunch back into the basket, Brian reached into his backpack and pulled out a miniscule box. When Haley turned around, he was on one knee and had opened the box.

"I always want to take care of you," he said. "Will you marry me?"

Brian had already cleared his intentions with Haley's parents and promised he and Haley wouldn't set an immediate date for the wedding. After Haley said yes, she and Brian talked about a year-and-a-half engagement. They hiked down the mountain as happy as two people in love with God and each other could be. Little did they know their world was about to change forever.

Tuesday, December 26, 1995-a day Brian and Haley would never forget.

Brian was working at Teen Trees International, a tree farm near his home in St. Helens, Oregon. He had been learning forestry management skills there for the past two years. Brian and his supervisor tossed a few loads of discarded paper into a burn barrel in the parking lot and watched it burn. Dan left for lunch, and Brian guarded the fire alone.

When the flames shot above the barrel's rim, Brian glanced around the shop for a bucket of water to dowse the fire. But as soon as he tossed the contents of the bucket onto the flames, the fire erupted with a mighty BOOM.

Brian had mistakenly grabbed a bucket of gasoline instead of water.

Hours later, Haley, her family, and Brian's family listened as the surgeon approached them with the news that Brian had miraculously survived. Even though 94 percent of his body had been grotesquely burned, Brian was alive. But the handsome, dark-skinned, athletic young man was no longer even recognizable.

Brian learned fast that true identity cannot be established on anything other than a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

During the next several months, the burn staff had to reconstruct Brian's exterior shell. Using skin from cadaver and grafts from what little skin Brian had left, surgeons stapled together an intricate quilt of skin.

This blanket of cadaver skin was just temporary; it bought the physicians enough time to have Brian's own skin grown in a lab from a small graft. When his new skin arrive, cut into squares the size of mini Post-It notes, doctors repeated the grueling process of scraping off the old skin and stitching on the new.

To keep Brian alive, surgeons had to sacrifice his infected limbs. His forearms were amputated, part of his left leg was gone, and he was still in danger of losing his right foot. He endured 19 surgeries during the several months he was at the Oregon Burn Center. Three weeks after the accident, Brian regained consciousness.

He later lost his vision.

What about the engagement? Haley had a big decision to make. When she promised to spend the rest of her life with Brian, he was everything she'd ever dreamed of-physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Things were different now.

But Haley's response? "It just doesn't matter to me how Brian looks on the outside," she said. "He's still the same on the inside. I still see that boyish smile. I still share the dream of someday raising a family."

Two years after the accident, Brian and Haley were married. Brian wears his wedding ring on a chain around his neck, and the doctors say he can father a child. "I thank God every day for another chance to live," he says. "I especially thank him for Haley. Someday we'll have kids!"

The community rallied around the young couple and collected enough funds to build them a special home with ramps for Brian's wheelchair. And today, seven years after the accident, Haley still doesn't question her commitment to Brian. She knows true beauty comes from the soul and real identity comes from a solid relationship with the Creator."

Genesis 1:26-27, 31 Romans 12:2-5
Genesis 2:7 Romans 13:9

06-24-08 DAILY ASTORIAN ARTICLE

Church finally sees the light of reconstruction

By DAVID HOLLEY

The Daily Astorian

Six months after the violent December storms devastated Jerry Conklin's church off Lewis and Clark Road, reconstruction work has finally begun.

It took until late May for Conklin, the Clatsop County Building Codes Division and Conklin's insurance company to agree on repair costs. But workers from Helligso Construction began hammering away at the damaged building in early June and are expected to finish construction by October.

Conklin said he thinks repairs could cost more than $750,000. The Dec. 2-3 storms ripped through Lewis and Clark Bible Church on Seppa Lane, off Lewis and Clark Road, tilting its walls and tearing off part of and leaving a hole in the northwest corner of the roof. As rain continued to fall, the church sanctuary, kitchen, library and some bathrooms - all underneath the north side of the building - suffered extensive water damage.

The Building Codes Division and Conklin's insurance company both sent engineers to assess the damage, drawing out the repair process to months instead of weeks."If they were just building a new building, it would be faster," said Conklin. "It's just very tedious."Since the disaster, Conklin and his congregation have moved services to the basement, where the Building Codes Division said it would be safe to meet. The church formerly used the space as the children's "play room" and is about half the size of the sanctuary. "We're very excited to have work going on," Conklin said.

After Conklin filed a claim with his insurance company, Church Mutual of Merrill, Wis., in mid-December, the company approved initial work. Helligso Construction crews then began tearing out wet carpet and wet sheet rock ruined from rain damage.

The church met in Lewis and Clark Elementary School for the rest of December, before the basement was approved as a meeting location.

Jim Byerly, the acting building official in the Clatsop County Building Codes Division, and local engineer Bill Marczewski, assessed Conklin's church shortly after it was damaged. But the insurance company's staff disagreed about some of the initial assessments, Byerly said, so it commissioned a second engineer to assess the damage.

"Part of the reason for the delay is waiting for the insurance to get estimates on the work," said Conklin.The insurance company approved 100 percent of the repairs in May, Conklin said. "We appreciate that things are getting done," he said.

Byerly said the Building Codes Division has worked with more than 60 homeowners to help them assess damages."We're helping the homeowners talk with the insurance agents," said Byerly. "It's been a lot of leg work. It's actually been a lot of negotiations with the contractors, the homeowners and insurance agents.

"The Clatsop County Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee, which assembled in the months after the storm, has also been working to help find volunteers to help victims clean up after the disaster, as well as helping victims understand how to work with insurance companies, according to the committee chairwoman Charlene Larsen. Conklin did not contact the committee to help him work with his insurance company, but the committee has close to 60 other cases it is working on.

The parties involved in Conklin's case are developing final estimates for repair costs, which Ryan Helligso of Helligso Construction said should be finalized by the end of this week. Conklin said he hopes the repairs will be done by Oct. 12, when the church celebrates its 50th anniversary. Helligso said he thinks the construction will meet that goal.

50th ANNIVERSARY PROMO VIDEO

BUILDING REPAIR UPDATE - 6/21/08

Much progress has been made in the past couple of weeks. The chimney and fire place were removed. I guest we'll have to rename the Fireside Room. The south wall of the sanctuary has been structurally repaired. Work has begun on the repairs to the north sanctuary wall. Helligso Construction has prepared a new estimate for the insurance company. We're praying that it will all be approved and that work will continue without delays. The Daily Astorian interviewed me yesterday for an article that will appear next week concerning storm repairs still ongoing in the county.

Pastor Jerry

DAILY ASTORIAN ARTICLE FROM OCT 1968

Lewis & Clark Bible Church Marks 10th Year in Present Building

LEWIS AND CLARK: "From seed barn to complete church building in 10 years" was reviewed Sunday morning at the Lewis and Clark Bible church. Occasion was the 10th anniversary of church services in the present building. Former members and pastors attended.

Greetings were brought to the group by the Rev. Robert Ray-burn, western district representative for Village Missions. John Petersen, a missionary with Unevangelized Fields Missions, was speaker. The Rev. Harold Maycumber read a history of the church.
A special floral arrangement of gladioli, dahlias and carnations was placed at the stair landing. A large bouquet of bright coral gladioli was placed on the piano and bouquets of yellow gladioli were in front of the pulpit.

A fellowship dinner was served in the afternoon at the Netel grange hail. Arrangements of fall flowers were placed about the rooms and the tables had single dahlias at intervals.

The Rev. Mr. Maycumber was master of ceremonies. The men’s quartette of the church sang "Let the Sunshine In," accompanied by Mrs. Arvo Seppa.

The Rev, Mr. Maycumber read greetings from Mr. and Mrs. Karl Bock and family, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Beach, the Rev, and Mrs. Allen Cummings and family, all of Portland; the Rev, and Mrs. Forrest Livingston and family of Gunnison, Colo.; the Rev. and Mrs. Paul Mason of Cochabaoha, Bolivia; Misses Jean Scott and Katherine Broers of Logan; Miss Irma Porter of Paulina, Mr. and Mrs. William Frey and family of Mount Vernon, Wash.; the Rev. Walter Duff, national chairman of Village Missions and a telegram from the Rev, and Mrs. Marlowe Magnus of Duluth, Minn.
The Rev. Albert Crandall, Miss Clara Jean Fox, John Petersen and Robert Bernard brought greetings in person. The Rev. Mr. Rayburn spoke representing Village Missions and Arvo Seppa spoke in behalf of the church members.

Coming from out of town for the occasion were the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Crandall and Colleen of Gresham; Mrs. Troy Tread-well of Springdale, Ark.; Mr. and Mrs. Tom Elefritz and Marcella of White Salmon, Wash.; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bernard of Port Ludlow, Wash.; Miss Clara Jean Fox of Selleck, Wash.; Mr. and Mrs. John Petersen, Jeff, Leslie and Bruce of Belem, Brazil; and the Rev. Robert Rayburn of Graham, Wash.

Lewis and Clark Bible church is an outgrowth of the Netel Community church which began as a Sunday school February 1, 1948 led by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mason. During the next 10 years pastors were the Rev. Marlowe Magnus, the Rev. Albert Crandall, the Rev. Forrest Livingston and Miss Clara Jean Fox and, for part of one summer, Miss Irma Porter,

The Netel group shared pastors with the Jeffers Gardens Community church until the coming of the Rev. Mr. Livingston in 1955. During his stay it became incorporated as the Netel Community church.

In September, 1958, the Netel church purchased a former seed cleaning plant from Arvo and Hugo Seppa and William Larson Sr. and on October 1, the first service was held, Later that month the church body re-incorporated and changed its name to the "Lewis and Clark Bible church,"

Nothing was done to the building before the first meeting except to sweep it out and put in a few furnishings. Electric heaters were used for the first several weeks until a furnace was installed.
The church has been free from indebtedness for six years. Everything except the building itself and the heating plant has been purchased on a pay-as-you-go basis. Some items have been donated by individuals.

All labor has been donated except the finishing of the ceiling.

The Columbus day storm gave a severe setback to the building program when a third of the roof on one side was blown off but it was covered by insurance and soon repaired.

The Rev. Albert Crandall provided leadership for the new church group in the beginning months. He was assisted by the laymen. Later the Rev. Allen Cummings became a part-time pastor. He was followed by Wil11am Frey who came from Portland each Sunday. In 1963 Village Missions provided the Misses Jean Scott and Katherine Broers for a few months until a pastor was available.

In February, 1964, the Rev. Harold Maycumber, the present pastor, his wife Shirley and children Jill, Bill, Phil and Anne arrived from Kansas City.

There was much activity the past month putting some finishing touches on the building, including a steeple, flag pole and a new front porch. It is planned that a bell will be added soon.

1975 PICTURE OF THE SEED BARN

This is a picture of the old church building and the beginning of the construction of the new building--taken in October 1975.

Pastor Jerry

Celebrating 50 years of holding forth the word of life.

BUILDING REPAIR UPDATE

We've had a couple of meetings this week--with the engineer, contractor, and insurance representatives. Things are moving along according to plan. These are pictures of the kitchen and the north and south walls of the sanctuary. The north wall will need to be completely rebuilt. The south wall has had the chimney removed and will need additional blocking and strengthening. These projects are ongoing and the roof repairs will happen soon. Praise the Lord for the progress being made. Our goal is for all of the work to be done by our 50th Anniversary celebration - Oct. 12th, 2008.

Lewis and Clark Bible Church

Celebrating 50 years of holding forth the word of life!

Pastor Jerry

PICNIC WITH ANTIOCH BIBLE CHURCH

This past Sunday we invited the folks from Antioch Bible Church in Beaverton, Oregon to join us for our Sunday service and a barbecue afterwards. Pastor Eric Nyborg's message was from James chapter 1, "Be Doers of the Word." We had a great group of folks and the weather cooperated so that we could have our picnic outside. All in all it was a very encouraging time in the Lord!

MORE THAN A SEED BARN

It was 50 years or so ago. Harriet Pollard remembers because her son who is now 52, was only about 2 when it happened. Harriet and Helen Seppa Leigh (now in heaven with Jesus) were on a walk. As they passed by the seed barn Helen said, "Can't you just see this as a church?" They went inside and looked around. Helen remarked, "The pulpit would go over here." And so the seed of a thought of a building for the newly formed church was planted.

It was just an ordinary seed barn used to store the grass seed that was harvested from the nearby fields. It was dirty and unfinished. It hardly looked like a church! But Helen saw past the externals to what could be and what it would be.

How often do we pass by what is "ordinary" without thinking about what could be or what should be? Ordinary lost people are much like seed barns. Dirty, unfinished, not much to look at. Paul said to a group of believers--"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

It is a good thing that God has looked upon us as Helen looked upon that old seed barn. He looked past what we were to what we could be and what we would be in Christ. He chose us, predestined us, adopted us, redeemed us, forgave us, enlightened us, enriched us, and sealed us--all that we might be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:1-14)."

He took us as we were--dirty and ordinary in sin, and is now transforming us into a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:21). Thank God for His ability by His grace to transform ordinary lost sinners into saints and true worshippers!

Pastor Jerry

MISSIONARY NEWS FROM THE RASMUSSENs

Greetings Dear Friends at Lewis & Clark Bible Church

Isn’t this the cutest picture? Our friends from PNG sent this to us this morning. This is the local taxi and the driver is certainly getting his money’s worth. J

The days and weeks continue to fly – so we wanted to bring you up to date on what is going on here. We want to express again our thankfulness for prayer – thank you – it means so much.

Our students have all left, except for Joel & Missy Davis and Mike & Kelly McGregor. The Davis’ have a new baby girl (two little girls now) – they will be leaving us the middle of June. Missy will be having some critical surgery within the next few months before they leave for the Philippines sometime next year. I know they would be grateful for prayer. The McGregor’s will be with us for about six months longer. He will be helping in the helicopter department while one of our other pilots is in Indonesia. The others are in the middle of raising support; Bryan and Mellissa Abbott & son, will be leaving for Indonesia in July, Brian and Bailey & wee daughter will be leaving for the Philippines in August. The others hope to leave for the Philippines next year. Our new group of six families will be arriving in July and August.

Daughter, Sherel, Bryanna and wee Emma will be going to Coos Bay, Oregon for Katey’s (Karen’s oldest daughter) pinning – she graduates as an RN, June 14th; all of us are proud of her – she will continue another 3 semesters to get her B.S. in nursing. (They invited “mother, grandmother and great grandmother” along – she is happy to go J as she will be able to see daughter Karen also J) We leave Tucson, June 10th and return on June 24th. Pray for safety! Monty won’t be able to make this Oregon trip due to engine obligations at NTMA – but you can pray for us as we together make a trip into Colorado and Montana, July 10th to August 6th to visit supporters and family.

Karen and Ben need prayer too for safety in travel. They begin their home assignment, June 5th and will be flying home from Brazil, to home in the States (goodness, where is home?). They will be making the long drive from Miami, to Wisconsin and then on to Coos Bay for Katey’s pinning and for some meetings on the West Coast. Ben & Karen will then head back to Wisconsin to help Kelly get settled in Bible College. Pray for housing in Waukesha, Wisconsin for Ben and Karen; they would like to be near their children, Daniel & Amber, Kristyna (2nd year Bible College) and Kelly,( just beginning B.C.), while on home assignment. When they return to Brazil in 2009, it will be just the two of them. Adjusting to two different countries, culture and language, finding housing, traveling, speaking, changes in family isn’t always easy – these things seem to be the “norm” for missionaries - we speak from experience. Pray for their strength, rest and peace in the Lord. The picture at the right is of Monty, with granddaughters Kristyna and Kelly in 1995.

We love you all dearly – and pray for you. Thanks so much for your vital part in our ministry through your love and prayer here at New Tribes Mission Aviation. Blessings dear Friends.

Monty and Kathleen

HOW I CAME TO LCBC

Pastor Jerry Conklin's Testimony--from the 40th ANV Notebook. Just found the notebook yesterday. And, seeing how today is our 18th Anniversary of being at LCBC, I thought I'd post it. I wrote this ten years ago for the 40th Anniversary.

"How the ministry of Lewis and Clark Bible Church has blessed my life"

Lewis and Clark Bible Church has had a profound influence on my family and over a 28 year period. Here's how .. I grew up in a family of unbelievers. Our entire family was unsaved--all the Grandmas and Grandpas and all of the aunts and uncles on both sides of the family--not a one of them knew the Savior. Sometime in the early 1970's my Uncle Bob (my Mother's younger brother) and Aunt Sara were living in Seaside. They were into the "Hippy" thing and were drinking and doing some drugs. They were lost just like the rest of us.

At that time Paul Hatt was the Pastor here at Lewis and Clark Bible Church. Some of the youth from the church were out doing door-to-door evangelism. Sue Borges and Lavonne Thompson were a part of that group. They knocked at my Uncle Bob's door and invited him to go to church. Evidently Bob and Sarah were having some kind of party at the time and laughed off the invitation, but later Bob considered it and came to church. He actually came in his dirtiest clothes and parked his truck with his loud barking dog close to the church. His plan was to see how long it would take for someone to chase him off. He was surprised, however, when people reached out to him and told him how happy they were to see him there. Somewhere along the line while he was attending this church they heard the gospel and responded and were both saved. As the story goes his long hair got shorter and shorter week by week.

Later he invited my uncle Frank, who was a bartender in Beaverton, Oregon at the time, to come to a Bible study being led by a dear man of God, Don Gillum, who is now in heaven with Jesus. Frank came, with the goal of antagonizing the Bible study leader, later he came to receive Christ as well. Both Frank and Bob eventually went on to study for the ministry and become Pastors. Bob invited me to church one day. My signature is in the visitor log. I first attended Lewis and Clark Bible Church on June 3rd 1973 as a 17 year old unbeliever. I can't remember much about that day. I vaguely remember the old converted Seed Barn. Little did I know then that I would be returning to Pastor the church one day.

After High School I joined the Navy. As time went by I became increasingly discouraged by life and increasingly more aware of my sin. I was fairly certain that there was a God, but I didn't know anything about Him and certainly did not know about His Son Jesus Christ. My Uncle Bob and Uncle Frank and Aunt Becky (who was also saved by this point) were burdened for me and were praying for my salvation. About this time some other friends on board the submarine started attending Faith Baptist Church in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii. They had also demonstrated a change in their lives. I started attending with them. I had attended other churchs before, but there was something different about the people at Faith Baptist and there was a difference to what they were teaching. It was there that I first clearly understood that God had provided a means of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. One day Lee Stitcha, a Marine who was involved in the Navigator's, took me aside and explained how I could know Jesus in a personal way. Soon afterwards I trusted in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord.

Two things from that period in my life stand out in my memory--I had a sense of inner peace in the knowledge that my sins were forgiven (it felt as if a huge burden was lifted from me) and I had a great appetite for reading God's word. I would spend hours at a time reading the Bible. It was all new to me. I didn't know the Old Testament from the New Testament. Prior to that time I didn't know who Jesus was. I didn't know anything about who Israel was or what the cross stood for. I was completely ignorant. I got a hold of a Navigator's Scripture Memory Verse Pak and started memorizing Scripture. My life began to change.

When I got out of the Navy I went to work at Trojan Nuclear Plant. Eventually I found myself at Yankton Baptist Church in St. Helens, Oregon. That is where I met my wife Laura. Her genuine love for God and servant-mindedness continue to inspire me to this day. Eventually I became a senior Training Specialist in the Training Department, a good paying job with a good future. But, more and more I was feeling led to go to Bible School. By this time I was serving as an elder at St. Helens Bible Church and I sensed the call to full time ministry. In 1987 I decided to resign my job at Trojan so that I could train for ministry at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary. My boss appreciated me and wanted to keep me around so he made special arrangements so that I could continue to work part-time in my salary job while 1 went to school. This arrangement, together with my Veteran Benefits helped to pay for my education.

I appreciated my time at Seminary but was anxious to get started in full-time ministry. I had no idea to where we might be called to serve, but was determined to trust God in the matter. As the end of Seminary drew near I applied to and was accepted by Northwest Independent Church Extension as a prospective missionary Pastor. We invited the director, Dr. Roy Sprague, over for dinner one day. He talked to us about all of the various churchs in N.I.C.E. and those needing Pastors--I was impressed by his knowledge of all of the churchs and all of their needs. After he got done he asked us a question, "What kind of ministry do you think that God is calling you to?" I didn't have to think about it, it had been in my mind for months, and so I responded, "I believe that God is calling us to minister in a smaller church on the Oregon coast, something like Lewis and Clark Bible Church." Of course 1 didn't mean this particular church, as far as I knew the church already had a Pastor. I was merely using Lewis & Clark Bible Church as an example of the kind of location and setting that I had in mind.

Some months went by. Several possibilities were brought to our attention. For one reason or another it was obvious that these churches weren't what God had in store for us. We were beginning to get impatient as school was drawing to a close. And then one day we returned home late. There was call on the answering machine. The man had a Norwegian accent and mentioned Roy Sprague's name. It was Vic Albertsen calling to say that Roy Sprague suggested that they call to see if I could come and fill the pulpit as they would be needing to call a new Pastor! Vic's message was quite long. It took two separate phone calls to record all of it. Needless to say we were excited!

We came that first Sunday, June 1st 1990, seventeen years after my last visit to the church. Things were not the same as they had been before. There were only a dozen or so at church that morning. There was a certain sadness and discouragement in the air. The building and the parsonage were in a poor state of repair. There had been talk about whether or not the church would be able to continue. I preached my first sermon from Colossians chapter one on the supremacy of Christ. I talked so fast I doubt whether most of the folks could hear much of what I had to say. I was excited and I was scared, but when we drove away from the church that evening I turned to Laura and remarked, "That's where God wants us to be."

There were some discouraging things in those early days of the ministry. The first month's budget was $600.00. I had to work for a year or two to make ends meet. We would have Sunday evening and prayer meeting services when there would only be three or so. But God was at work, and I was confident that He had called us to the church and that we needed to faithfully serve Him regardless. My uncle Frank told me to remember two things (or maybe it was three)--preach the word, love the people, and remember that ministry is a privilege. And it has been a privilege. I count the people here at Lewis & Clark as my dearest friends. God has blessed us with unity and spiritual growth. We are a church family!.

So, as I think back over some 28 years I wonder where would my family be without the ministry of Lewis and Clark Bible Church? I suppose that God would have found another means to accomplish the salvation of my family members, but how exciting it is for me to come back to the church through which we first heard the gospel message of salvation through Christ. It gives me great delight to see God rebuild His church. I praise God for the ministry of Lewis and Clark Bible Church. The Lord has done great things for us!

Pastor Jerry

1973 LCBC VISITOR BOOK

Here is a page from the 1973 LCBC Visitor Book. My signature is there from 35 years ago. Long before I was saved and longer before I became the Pastor.

Pastor Jerry