We are grateful to hear from you,
the women in our conference. It strengthens us when we can share our stories,
thoughts, and encouragements. Perhaps you'd like to leave a prayer
request so that we can support each other in our quiet times with our Lord.
North Park Scholarship Winners
2009-2010
The following North Park students have been awarded the North Pacific
Conference Women Ministries scholarships in the amount of $700 each.
Congratulations to:
- Danielle Pickens, undergrad North Park University Student from
Vancouver, Washington
- Caenisha Warren, North Park Theological Seminary Student from Seattle,
Washington
Women of the Word
by Margaret
Jacobsen, Newport Covenant Church
"So faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Rom 10:17.
John surely knew where is love, strength & support came from. John wrote
about what he knew to be true. (John 21:24)
Now we too can know the one who is eternal (from the beginning). We
can touch & handle Jesus in his word and see that he is real. As with
Thomas, when the Lord invited him to "reach hither thy finger & thy hand" (John
20:27) -- to touch -- our doubt can be put to rest. We will find that
God's word is truly the living Word as surely as it was to John in his day when
he walked & talked with Jesus & called himself the one whom Jesus loved.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the
Word of life; (For the life was manifested and we have seen it, and bear
witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father and
manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard and declare unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full." 1 John 1-4
(All scriptures from KJV)
What's Working in Women Ministries?
"Speed Meeting" by Luanne Clark, Tigard
Covenant Church, Tigard, OR
We had not had a women's event for a quite some time, so as we
planned to re-establish Women Ministries at our church, we wanted to
provide an opportunity to renew old friendships and begin new ones.
Our evening event, "Friends in the Making" began with hors d'oeurves
potluck. (The hors d'oeurves were guilt-free since they comprised
our dinner.) After casual visiting during our munching, we had
each guest fill out a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card with basic info of name,
marital status, job (or not), children (and grandchildren) with their
ages. Each card was marked with a sticker, half of them with a
heart, half with a star.
We when adjourned to a large room and commenced with "speed meeting"
(similar to speed dating). The room was arranged with sets of two
chairs facing each other, each pair some distance apart from their
neighbors. Women paired up to sit in the facing chairs, one with a
heart stickered card and one with a star. The women were given
just five minutes to review their partner's info card and then ask any
other questions they wished. When the five minute timer went off,
the "heart" woman moved over to the next pair of chairs and began a new
meeting with the "star" woman who had remained in her chair. It
was great fun and we learned so much about each other despite the time
restraint. Our only complaints came when the timer went off and we
insisted that they indeed had to move, ready or not!
To complete the opportunity for all to have a face-to-face, after the
hearts-stars round was completed, the women were divided into two
groups, all stars together and all hearts together. Half of each
group sat while the other half moved through at five minute intervals
just as before. This still left a very few women who hadn't met
face-to-face. We asked them to sit together and exchange info when
dessert was served to end our evening.
Though it looks rather complicated on paper, the process was really
quite easy and it accomplished our goal - our greetings to each other at
church the next morning carried a new warmth and depth.
Our Continuing Walk
by Margaret Jacobsen
As we continue to "walk in love," let us remember and thank Jesus who
makes our walk possible.
Is 9:6 foretells that Jesus' name is to be called "Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Wonderful -- Jesus who came that we might have life
and have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Counselor -- Our 7-fold spirit -- the Spirit of the
Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and
might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Is.
11:2
Mighty -- Who hath abolished death and brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Tim 1:10.
God -- Jesus, who was in the beginning and was the
Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1.
Everlasting Father -- The same yesterday, today and
forever. Heb. 13:8.
Prince of Peace -- We, who he justified by faith
have peace with God. Rom. 5:1
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask
or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory
in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen. Eph. 3:20-21 (KJV)
2008 - 2009 North Park Scholarship Winners
It's our privilege to award two $700 North Park Scholarships each
year, with the generous support of the women who attended Retreat and
gave to the North Park Scholarship offering on Sunday. We received
our annual letter from Mel Soderstrom, Development Office, North Park
University informing us who received the two scholarships from the North
Pacific Conference Women Ministries for the 2008-09 academic year.
1. Undergrad NPC Woman at NPU: Andrea E. Carslon, Portland, OR
Andrea has already written us a thoughtful thank you note: "Thanks
to you and the North Pacific Conference Women Ministries for the
scholarship granted to myself. I was so blessed with the money I
received. Not only do I thank you but my parents are thanking you
too. The money was such a blessing this year, thank you so much
for the wonderful gift. I know God is working in so many ways.
Thank you so much and I thank the ladies of the women ministries for
blessing me with this money, that I can continue my education with.
Thank you for the love and support. In His Name. Andrea
Carlson"
2. NPC Woman at NP Theological Seminary: Sara Robinson, Kent,
WA
Greek and the Delicate Art of Family Planning
by Rebecca Worl,
Cedarcreek Covenant Church, Maple Valley, WA
"MaMa! MaMa!" My 16-month old daughter yells at me from inside her
crib, a door away from my room. I roll over in agony and stare at
my clock that menacingly blinks 5:45. In the morning.
Today is Saturday, time to go and sit through American Church History
from 8:30 to 5:00 in Seattle, an hour away from my home in the suburbs.
Getting my Masters degree in Theology and Biblical Studies has already
been a six-year journey. I started in 2002, just a quarter after I
graduated from S.P.U. It was my Dad's suggestion but my heart's
desire. I love the academic world and I love Jesus. I knew
that God had called me for a specific purpose in ministry, and getting
my Masters was a step in the process. Rob and I married a year
later in 2003, and moved to South Dakota. I took one class long
distance during those two years I worked while he finished school.
I felt disappointed that God had put a "stop" to my classes, even though
I knew I heard Him calling me to it.
Once we moved back to Washington, I started in again, with tenacity,
taking a whopping load of ... one class a quarter. That's
all I could handle and all I could afford. But it was something.
The Lord kept nudging my heart toward those open doors at Fuller, and I
kept following. When I got pregnant with Annabelle, I was so
nauseated for five months straight, that I withdrew from life, and
naturally, from classes. Again I experienced another halt in my
educational journey. I had to re-read my journals and remember the
call that God placed in my life to get this degree in the first place.
It wasn't for the bragging rights, it wasn't because I enjoy
hemorrhaging 1300 dollars a quarter, it was because God had proven to me
through countless experiences and encouraging words that he had a plan
for my life, and that plan included school. When Annabelle was
finally sleeping through the night, and I got more than 5 hours sleep at
a time, I called my advisor, Colleen and said "Sign me up for something!
Anything!" Again I started out at Fuller with ambition and
excitement. NOW is the time to go for it and finish. I would
envision the finish line. More so, I could see the looming
deadline; 2012 was coming faster than I had anticipated. I was on
the twelve-year plan, and Fuller requires a ten-year plan. I did
not let that deter me; I knew God would help me find a way to finish on
time.
When Annabelle reached one, Rob and I started getting excited about
another prospect; does Anna need a sibling? The thought of another
baby was a beautiful one in my mind, and I knew that school would work
around it somehow. The plan was on.
This was on my mind as I reached for my alarm clock and turn it off.
I deny myself the luxury of pushing the snooze button. Anna
confirms that denial as she screams even louder. I get up and get
her ready for her day, and prepare for my day. I pack my
laptop, I pack my note pads, my school books, and print off my work that
I needed to bring with me to class. Anna ate her cheerios and I
ate my coffee, said goodbye to my family, grabbed my familiar bag and
headed out to Seattle.
I arrived and settled in to my seat. I grabbed my bag and went to
get my laptop out, only to find, that I had brought my diaper bag to
class, not my book bag. I grabbed my key ring, which holds only
one key on it, and a squishy key ring, and ran out to my car to see if I
had any paper or pen. I went to open my car...with Annabelle's
pacifier. Her pacifier feels and looks a lot like my squishy green
Wellington boot key chain, and in my panic, I did not notice the
difference. I ran back for my real keys, went to my car, but did
not find any paper. I did not particularly like the prospect of
taking notes on a diaper, so I opted for my scrap paper from the
recycling bin. I took a second trip to Tully's, to ease the pain
of the frustrating morning.
Colleen met me for lunch to talk about my upcoming courses. We
discussed the summer plan and then looked at how far I'd come so far.
I'd taken eight classes, in six years. My heart sank...will I ever
finish? Colleen suddenly realized that this fall was the fall I
should start my Greek sequence. Great! Sign me up! Colleen,
not knowing anything at about my personal life, suddenly hands me some
great advice.
"I know you have a kid, if you thinking about having another, you better
wait until at least October to start, because if you get pregnant and
have a baby during your Greek sequence, you might end up having to start
it all over again." Gulp. I leaned way over to catch a
glimpse at her folder on me.
"Does it say something in there about this?"
"About what?"
"Did I
tell you at some point we were trying to have another baby?"
"Nope!
I just figured you might be thinking about it...and thought you should
know that your Greek come in a sequence, one you don't want to break."
"OK. October it is then."
I went home and told my husband, "Honey, we have to plan our next baby
around Greek."
"What?"
"Yep. We have to plan around Greek.
So the perfect time would be October, be due in June, and be getting
enough sleep by September to start Hebrew."
"So Greek and
Hebrew."
"Yup. Not that Greek and Hebrew are more important
than our family...but...it's important."
"I know it is." Rob
kissed me and got on board with the plan instantly.
This is the life a seminary Mom leads. When Anna was younger, I
would bring my pump to class, and plug into the bathroom during breaks.
I get little sleep and drag myself to American Church History class on
the one sunny day that Seattle gets. I take my diaper bag to class
instead of my book bag, and try to use a pacifier to get in to my car.
I orchestrate my family planning around Greek and Hebrew. I pray I
can meet the 2012 deadline. I can only afford one class a quarter,
but I
have met many other people on the slow plan like me.
I can do it. You can do it. God has called me to be a Mom.
But he has also called me to other purposes, and has given me other
gifts that I am to be a good steward of. So I go...and keep
going...and look forward to my lunch break where I can sneak down to
Zeek's Pizza, grab a slice of pepperoni pizza, sit by the canal, call my
daughter to say "hi" and then study my flash cards. This is the
life.
2007 - 2008 NPC WM North Park Scholarship Winners Announced!
Michelle Good-Hanson
4th Year Student
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham Covenant Church
Molly Buchan
lst Year Student
Sammamish, Washington
Pine Lake
Covenant Church
Our Global Ministry Chair volunteered in China this autumn to rock special needs infant orphans.
The women of the North Pacific Conference came alongside her with financial support, encouragement and prayer
to extend our love into the world. Here is a little news from Suzann's China adventure.
Cuddlefest 2007
China. Rock Babies
What an Amazing Call!
What a Profound Adventure
 I'm in love with a short, bald Chinese guy.
Meet my Henry. As a 30-day volunteer with China Care Foundation, I fell in love
a lot. It's a job hazard, but well worth the risk! We had an exorbitant amount
of heart babies in the children's homes while I was there. Henry is one of
them, but that wasn't why he was in my assigned home at the time. Henry was
born with anal atresia. His digestive tract had no exit so some clever surgeons
built him an anus and it works too! They don't always have that ability on the
first go if the muscles don't want to cooperate with the new plumbing. My
understanding is it was supposed to take three surgeries to achieve his success.
It's hard to believe how excited I can get over a dirty diaper!!!
Anyway, it was discovered Henry also
has a severe heart defect called MD - basically, he has a hole in his
heart so his blood circulation pattern is not normal and could cause
serious medical complications in the future. The good news is he is
doing so well recovering from his last surgery, he can wait while other
babies get prioritized for theirs.
Before going
overseas many people contributed money for me to designate for a baby's
surgery and I agreed to direct it to Henry. The ayis (nannies) kept
handing him to me as my own little charge so it wasn't a big leap to say
yes. That gets him half-way paid for at $2,000 of $4,000. It is
impossible to express how deeply this gift impacts him and how grateful
lam to those who are radically changing his life. This little guy glows
love. He is quite a serious little fellow, but when he smiles the world
gets a whole lot brighter.
There is
something very different about these babies. The way they look at you is
so unique from anything I've experienced before, and I've rocked a lot
of babies. Maybe they know they're fragile, or realize they've been
abandoned, but there is unadulterated appreciation of any attention in
their eyes and it goes straight to the heart. I am humbled by their love
and gratitude. And they are happy. I have to tell you, China Care rocks.
Each ayi only has two babies assigned and there are no more than 10
babies per home. Even in the transitory homes I volunteered in with
babies constantly coming and going from hospital and cities of origin,
they have a homey, cozy scene to live in where they are not only fed and
cleaned, but nurtured.
This volunteer
gig was the best job ever! I was the extra lap. I didn't change one
diaper or mix any formula, but I did get to hold bottles and nebulizers
for the infants, snuggle, play a hundred games of clap, clap, clap, rock
babies to sleep and let them just nestle in my arms. I got to hold the
hands of our extra- fragile babies and comfort them in their hurt and
distress. They are exceptionally attentive listeners and love a good
story. I got to make them smile and giggle and know they were the center
of the universe in those oh so special moments.
If I'm going to
rave about China Care, you must meet another heartthrob of mine. I had a
three-hour adventure one day going on ayi shift change at the hospitals
to meet Jack. He was abandoned at two weeks old. He was a mess. One of
the directors (and my new personal hero) quite literally saved his life
by choosing him from one of the orphanages to enter China Care's homes.
His surgery was for meningocele, a form of spina bifida where his lower
spine was open with some kind of fluid sack. He was tiny and emaciated.
I did not recognize him in hospital from his picture, and since no one
spoke English, I thought he was a different baby because the one I saw
was all rounded up! Turns out, he had just been well cared for and has
been thriving ever since! We hung out a lot my last week. He is so alert
and such a smiley, snuggle-bunny! All of their personalities are very
distinct and strong.
This trip was so
not about me. These precious orphaned souls are a force to be reckoned
with and we're called to look after them in their distress. (See James
1:27) What I saw was gorgeous lives full of potential and I thank you
for coming alongside us.
Want to help more? Go to
www.chinacare.org and check out
their ways to help. I'd go back in a heartbeat. It's good to be an
ambassador of love.
Thank You Donna Moline and Carmin Ottley for Sharing their Faith
Story.
It "Happened" at Family Camp
On 7/7/07, Carmin took a few moments to speak to those attending the evening service at Family Camp in Yelm,
Washington - to give witness to what a powerful God we have and to remind those present
that "Nothing can separate us from the love of God." It was her seven year
anniversary of sobriety. What God has done with her in those seven years is
nothing short of miraculous. 
Carmin is the daughter of Tom and Donna Moline, Directors of Cascades Camp and Conference Center, a Covenant
retreat center in the North Pacific Conference. When her parents accepted the job and
moved to Yelm, Carmin was 15 years old and not the least bit happy about the
move. To her, it was just one more hurt in a life already too full of pain.
When she was eight years old, Carmin was sexually molested by a trusted
Covenanter. At such a young age she was unable to find God in the midst of the
tragedy and inwardly felt shame and confusion. She found comfort in later years
hanging with the "wrong" crowd. She started drinking at age 12. Her parents
had no idea the path Carmin was on. When they moved to Yelm, Carmin found a
whole new level of "wrong" and started running away from home at age 16. She�d
be gone for days, hanging out with friends, doing things that would make any
parent's skin crawl.
Each time she left, Donna could only release her into God's hands and pray. "We didn't know where she was,"
Donna recalled, "and I'd go through this grieving process cuz it was like she'd died.
Then when she came home and things were good, I thought if she left again, I'd
get stronger, I'd be good. But then she'd leave again and I'd go through that
whole process again. We were always just hanging on to the hope that God
would bring her out of it." Carmin's addictions and disappearances went on for
13 years.
At age 19 Carmin became pregnant. She disappeared when Andrew was a year old. She was fully ensconced into
the drug culture and made her living selling drugs. Carmin remembers someone told her
once, "You need to get out of this while you can." She had just turned 21 and
used a needle for the first time. "Once you stay in too long it's hard to get
away. The drug culture is a different world; different people, different rules-
it's just evil," recalls Carmin.
Tom and Donna raised their grandson, Andrew, until he was nine years old. All the while Carmin was coming
and going, and when she was gone, her parents had no idea if she was dead or alive.
"We
were always relieved to get the call from jail so we knew she was off the
streets for awhile," said Donna. The heartache Tom and Donna suffered cannot be
described in words. But they were not in this alone, they had the support of
many, many friends, and they had God. They trusted Him fully. "I always knew
that God was going to use this for the good, and I prayed that he would bring
her back to us whole." But as much as Donna wanted to rest in the peace
that passes all understanding, she was still a mother who longed to see her
daughter. When she heard someone had seen Carmin in nearby Tacoma, she'd drop
everything and rush to that neighborhood looking everywhere for just a glimpse
of her. "If only I could see her," she said through her tears, "then I'd know
she was okay and maybe I could talk her into coming back home again."
At age 24 Carmin had racked up two
felony charges relating to drug possession and was tired of the life she was
living. She came home for a year and a half, started going to college and was
determined to set her life straight. But she tried to manage her life herself,
and intentionally did not turn things over to God. She ended right back up on
the streets, living her old life. Carmin remembers, "I shook my fist in God's
face and went into it harder and faster than I did before. I didn't want to
deal with the reality of my life."
Finally, at age 27, Carmin was at a place where she says she just couldn't picture herself in
"that world" for the
rest of her life. She had added another felony charge to her record and had
just gotten out jail yet again. "I was sitting in a hotel room on the side of
the freeway in Tacoma and I'd been out for three days. I'd used drugs; violated
my probation. I knew I would go back to jail again. It was just a matter of
time. I felt sick and broken and bankrupt -- physically, emotionally,
spiritual - sitting in that hotel - drug paraphernalia all over the place.
A friend was with me and I was thinking 'I don't want to be here anymore. I knew in the
depths of my soul I didn't want to do this life anymore. I didn't know the next
move. I couldn't call my parents and do this to them again. Guilt and shame
were working overtime. I was afraid, couldn't trust anyone. People I knew were
going to jail right and left. I was afraid to leave the hotel room. And for
some reason I looked down at my pager and my parent's phone number was there.
My heart leapt."
The date was July 7, 2000, right in the middle of 4th of July Family Camp. Not a convenient time
to be dealing with this kind of problem, but it was God's perfect time to deal with
it.
The Molines called several people
together at camp to pray for the situation. As it "happened," the main speaker
that year was a man named Gwenn Lewis. He had been redeemed from the drug life
and founded a ministry called "Sowers International." He offered practical
words of encouragement and direction for the Molines. As it also "happened,"
Mark Novak, the superintendent of the North Pacific Conference was at camp. He
had just moved up from California where the church he was involved with
(Redeemer Covenant) had a close relationship with a Transitional living called
Clean & Sober Transitional Living. Mark got on the phone right away and called
the C.S.T.L.. Carmin was on the next plane to California.
Carmin was at C.S.T.L. for three months
and it was there she met Joe. He was just out of prison for drug related
charges and the two of them found comfort in each other's life stories. They
started attending Redeemer Covenant and as Carmin says, "The people there
 just
loved on us and brought us into the fold." It was there they married, but it
was at a women's retreat Carmin attended when she was 30 that really changed
things. It was there she completely surrendered her life; past, present and
future, into God's hands. Carmin recalls, "I don't think I understood
completely about God's love. I felt he was in judgment of me, but it was my own
guilt and shame making me feel that way. I just told God "whatever it is you
want me to do - whatever you want me to be - I'll do it. From that point on, I
started growing spiritually."
In June of 2004 Carmin and Joe felt God
calling their family to move to Yelm, near her parents. It was there, with the
help of Crossroad Covenant Church in Yelm, that they started up a transitional
home for drug addicts. They used their life experiences and modeled the
recovery program after the one they had been through in Sacramento. "Truly
Motivated Transitional Living" added a second home in February of 2006 and has
just recently added a third home to this incredible recovery ministry that they
are both involved in.
"The biggest part of our story is God's faithfulness," says Carmin, "God's faithfulness to my parent's prayers
and the church family that supported my family during this time when they felt like
giving up. The people who prayed for me didn't even know who I was -- just
Donna's daughter. The most amazing part to me is that regardless of our past,
regardless of what we've done, our mistakes, our shortcomings, how far we've
gone down - God will take all that garbage and turn it into a trophy and a story
that glorifies him and will help others. NOTHING can separate us from the love
of God. People need to know that."
Donna remembers all those years with a
very emotional heart. They were seemingly wasted at the time, but now she sees
how God has so quickly restored them and shakes her head in amazement at what
God has done in her daughter's life. "My husband and I both became much
stronger believers in what God can do for people. God grew us in our faith
- it
changed us totally, which was wonderful. I wouldn't chose to go through it
again, but I wouldn't chose to NOT go though it again either because we did need
to be changed, too. Your pride just goes out the window - and you have to stand
on God's promises. Our verse was All things work together for good. We
held onto the hope and God gave us the strength."
2006 University Park Scholarship Winners
Two women have been selected to receive $700 scholarships for the 2006-2007 school year. The first
scholarship has been awarded to a University student -- Jessica Bracht from
Vancouver, WA. The second scholarship has been awarded to a Seminary
student -- Sarah Hammersborg from Tacoma, WA. Congratulations
to both of these women.
Thank You from Sarah Hammersborg:
Dear North Pacific Women,
Thank you so much for the scholarship! It was an answer to our prayers. It
was a relief to some of our financial burden. We had been trying to figure
out how we were going to pay for things with both of us being in school and
expecting a baby in June, so we were thrilled to hear about the
scholarship. Thanks for being an answer to our prayers. We miss the
Pacific Northwest a lot and hope to come back when we are done with school.
Enjoy the mountains and the sound for us. Thanks again! God Bless, Sarah
Hammersborg
Thank You from Jessica Bracht:
Dear Conference Women,
As one can imagine, financing school can be really stressful. I, like many other students over break, was
worried about how to pay for the upcoming semester. Then I received an email
saying you were going to give me $700. I cried...thank you so much for
your generosity and I hope you will continue to richly bless the lives of
students at North Park!!! Always in Christ, Jessica
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