Let It Snow... In March?

Note: Photos were added here on 3/8/09. Additional winter storm pics can be found on my January 2 post.


The forecast calls for more snow this weekend in the Portland metro area. I hope it starts falling in time for Kathy’s and my hike on Saturday! Either way, I am happy with the snow levels that have hit the Portland metro area this winter.



Last Thursday’s snow accumulation wasn’t too impressive, but waking up to a view of white trees prompted me to make an early Americano run around the corner to Black Rock coffee bar (pictured above, from this winter’s second snow event in January). Whether or not our snow storm earned the news media’s “Arctic Blast” moniker, this has been the best winter weather I’ve seen in my life.


The snow started falling on Friday, December 12. I caught my first glimpse of it while driving home from a class reunion at Warner Pacific College.


On Sunday morning, the snow started to accumulate while we worshipped at church.


On Thursday night, December 18, we met my family at a yacht club on the Columbia River for a tour of the annual Christmas ships parade.

My parents, Kathy, Summer, and I boarded a friend's yacht and gazed out the windows as the other brightly lit ships bobbed past us.

We even ventured outside to the deck, breathing in the chilly air as we weaved through the display of floating Christmas imagery.


By Saturday, ODOT had issued a warning for motorists to curtail any unnecessary driving. Of course, I used every excuse I could think of to drive my Jeep all over town.

The icy ruts were the cause of several accidents, many of them worse than the pile up in this photo.


Sharing the road with only a few other brave souls allowed me to rescue stranded drivers at will, glide through sparsely populated stores, and, most importantly, replenish our depleted supply of Peet’s coffee beans.

Running out of coffee qualifies as a household emergency, right?


Other fond memories of the 2008 “Arctic Blast” include:


Our neighbors building a sharply dressed snowman…






Kathy contemplating life, falling snowflakes, and the future of the Dallas Cowboys…




Our snow covered cars (yes, there is a blue Camry buried below)…






…And spending Christmas Day at our parents’ house in Vancouver.

Student Ministry Newsletter- Feb ‘09

2009 did not begin quietly for Aloha Church of God's students. We rang in the new year with the Insomnia 2009 all-night party, hosted by Vancouver's First Church of God.

Over 300 middle and high schoolers got crazy at this annual event.




Highlights included two concerts (The Nathan Arnold Band led us in worship through midnight)...




...a message by Pastor Don Doe...




...an inflatable obstacle course, door prizes, an interactive game with Warner Pacific College...




...adrenaline-soaked sleep deprivation (even through 6 a.m, as we snapped this pic while waiting in line for breakfast)...




and a Mountain Dew chugging contest (between Ben and Kenny) gone horribly wrong. Anyone with a hankering to see a photo of Ben's anticlimactic, gut wrenching (no pun intended) finale should request to be added to my "private" www.flickr.com contact list.

 

We are concluding our study of the church's beginnings with a unit on instructions for spiritual growth, as found in the epistles of the New Testament.

One of the more memorable moments was staging a minor food fight between theater students Alissa and Kevin to illustrate loving (and not so loving) methods of resolving disagreements. This vignette, taped by Derek and featuring a random cameo by Will, also touched on themes of gender discrimination and legalism.

Public service announcement: any foods harmed in the filming of this production will be matched by a donation to the Food Cupboard ministry.

 

We would like to say a special word of thanks to those who have already helped out our student ministry in 2009:

• Wendy: for being the best ministry volunteer leader ever!
  
  
• Sharon (pictured further below with Pastor Tim, at his installation ceremony): for teaching our students while Garth and Kathy were in Canby at the SHAPE pastoral development retreat, for filling in as our supportive Reaching Servant , and for helping us with our fundraising efforts.
  
  
  
  
  
• Janelle: for being a guest speaker on January 14, inspiring our students with her own disciplines for spiritual growth.
  

---and last, but not least---

• Pastor Tim: for starting out strong with his pastoral leadership and following the vision that God has given him for our church.
  
  We were pleased to honor him at his installation ceremony on January 25^th.
  
  
  
  We got even more bang for our buck when Ben gave his debut rock star performance for his dad during the service!
  

In Christ,

Youth Pastors Garth and Kathy Hamilton

Here are a couple of bonus pictures, not included in the church newsletter:




After getting knocked out of a Wednesday night crowdbreaker, Derek cries out to the heavens, "Why?"




ROMANS 16:19 SAYS!!... Well, our student ministry does strive for excellence in what is good. But who knew that praising God could be so hard on the furniture?

Inspiring Update on My Dad

Note: Check out the photos I added to some older posts this week, including our vacation to South America. Also, my August 2, 2008 blog entry has one of my favorite pictures of Bo and me hiking together.

After being diagnosed last month with Clark Level IV melanoma on his neck, my dad Doug Hamilton (or Bo, as we call him) had a successful surgery last week. On Tuesday, Bo received the news: he is now probably cancer free! Praise God for answered prayers!!


This photo is of Bo and Vive driving away from the hospital, just hours after his successful melanoma surgery! Bo looks great!

Our family has received a flood of support throughout this ordeal. Bo wrote a note thanking the hundreds of people (whom we know of) who lifted him up with their prayers and encouragement. You can follow the link to his note here: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddg3vg8n_1pwqq3kgj

If you prefer Microsoft Office Live, you can click here http://workspace.office.live.com/?id=qACQ0MDU0ZTg5Yy04NWFlLTRmNDctYTcwYS0yMTU3NzU2OGRiZmUAe9TW057xCzlNkDFax1KNrip9ezAiWxzZvCJGlwP9BIoru8B9ABJnYXJ0aGthdEBnbWFpbC5jb20AABQXUtM8klh6bToEIk9jj76lw8aDuwAA&cid=40

Here is the condensed version of the story: The doctors had originally told Bo that this reoccurrence of skin cancer had spread so quickly that it may be inoperable. Worst case scenarios projected a surgery that might have left Bo severely disabled, threatening to forever alter his active lifestyle.

Preparing for this possibility, our family prayerfully spent countless hours in the past month on the phone, over coffee, and in correspondence with each other and with friends.





On the Friday before Bo's surgery, my sister Summer and I met Bo for a hike near Washington State's Moulton Falls.

On Tuesday, February 10^th, our family met with Bo at 6 a.m. at Kaiser Sunnyside hospital for his melanoma surgery. After less than 2 1/2 hours, we received word from the surgeon that the tumor was removed, and that the removed lymph node did not show any signs of melanoma. In other words, they were able to cut the surgery short due to the cancer being less widespread than the test interpretations had indicated! Bo didn't even need skin grafts!

The picture at the top of this post sums up how that day, as well as this chapter of Bo's life, came to a joyful conclusion. Summer's note on Facebook recounts the day with loving detail. For those of you not registered with Facebook, I have posted it here http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddg3vg8n_2fqg89mgf

On behalf of my dad and the rest of our family, I want to say thanks to all of you who have kept Bo in your prayers during this time. We are grateful that his pre-operation tests were misinterpreted, yet we also know that the Lord had a mighty Hand in all of this. We are truly blessed!

 

Student Ministry Newsletter- January 2009

When I was your age... Kathy and I had to push both of our cars to church in the snow with bare feet.

Student Ministry Newsletter

January 2009

December's "Arctic Blast" snowstorm may have closed down roads and schools into Christmas break, but our student ministry continued to gain traction for the journey.

Students took advantage of the school cancellations to hang out throughout the week (DQ, above, is always a favorite place to take a break from the storm outside).




One memorable gathering at youth pastor Garth and Kathy's apartment inspired some of the guys to record a comically failed "video commentary" for the movie Dark Knight, to be posted on the Warner Brothers website. Trust us, it was bad. We should have learned from our previous week's premiere viewing of Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian that movies are meant to be watched, not talked through.

The students on our couch are taking the jump to Narnia together.

As expected, Aloha High School students Alissa, Kenny, and Kevin performed their roles wonderfully in the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In our study of the church's origins in Scripture, we just finished a unit on how the early church adapted to its growth in the book of Acts. We are thanking God for growing our student ministry as well.



On the week that many institutions shut down due to the piles of snow and ice on the roads, we planned a snowball fight at church on Wednesday night… and had a full house for the Bible study! We are excited to see how the Lord will work in our student ministry and through our church as a whole in 2009.

In Christ,

Youth Pastors Garth and Kathy

Here are some bonus pics from Flickr that I have made "public":


Brandon taking prayer requests during a Wednesday night meeting





Serving donuts and snacks to our church family





Cheering for the Dallas Cowboys at our apartment





This is us heading home from our apartment after shooting our "Dark Knight" webcam commentary. Obviously, we shuffled seats before the Jeep drove off.

Student Ministry Newsletter- December 2008

Student Ministry Newsletter

December 2008

Knight Life weekend at Warner Pacific College this year featured the WPC drama production of "Marvin's Room." ACOG graduates Alex Bates and Lindsay Adams (pictured, sitting) were involved in the play, with Alex on the set-up crew and Lindsay giving a terrific "you'll love to hate her" final performance as a selfish, vindictive mother. Garth and Kathy took a few students to Knight Life on Friday night and were treated to a free dinner and admission tickets. Thanks, Warner Pacific!

Aloha High School's own irreverent production of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged" had the audience rolling in the aisles in laughter. Students Kevin Gade, Alissa Degman, Kenny Degman, and John Nightingale stood out in a talented cast that brought out a decidedly memorable interpretation of the Bard's classic works.

Our Bible studies have been focusing on the community of the kingdom of God. Each of our sessions have dealt with a different aspect of God's kingdom as it historically developed through Christ's example and teachings. The "upside down" nature of God's kingdom is what sets the church apart from any earthly kingdom. Any greatness that we have as Christians depends on our submission to Christ's authority and our service to others.

Have a merry Christmas!

Youth Pastors Garth and Kathy

P.S. For you blog fans, I have made a few more of my Flickr ministry pictures public:


Garth off-roading with some students at Brown's Camp





Eleanor, Kenny, Kevin, and Juana attacking a hockey puck





Sibling rivalry: Buckle vs. Buckle




Sibling rivalry: Gade vs. Gade





Juana and Brandon... Awww, how sweet!

Student Ministry Newsletter- November 2008

Aloha Church of God Student Ministry Newsletter - November 2008

Those involved in our student ministry had many opportunities to live out their obedience to God in October. It was inspiring to witness people trying something different, stepping up to the plate to serve.

During the week that youth pastors Garth and Kathy traveled to Uruguay and Argentina, adult volunteer Wendy took the helm. After teaching Sunday school all by herself, Wendy coordinated the Wednesday follow up to the previous week's pop can drive fundraiser. So many students showed up that we ran out of seats, even with drivers Wendy, her son, and Sharon!

The next week, Aloha High School seniors Alissa and Kevin recruited students and adults to participate in a tentatively named "drama club." The initial meeting was well attended (not everyone was present when this photo was taken), with some future thespians ready to use their gifts to glorify God. We are hoping to see wonderful and entertaining presentations from this group in the coming months!

Last but definitely not least, AHS graduate Michelle followed up her heartwarming August testimony from International Youth Convention with her decision to be baptized by Garth and Kathy in October. Michelle's spiritual growth has been evident throughout all of the years that we've known her, and her obedience to God's Word was displayed yet again through her willingness to share with the student group about her baptism experience.

Much else could be said about our student ministry's increase in numbers (our turnout was obviously a bit smaller on this night),



our wild outreach events (such as following Scriptural clues through a frightening but tasteful "haunted" corn maze), and the intensified involvement of other emerging student leaders. But know this: God is actively transforming the lives of our church's young people.

In Christ,

Youth Pastors Garth and Kathy Hamilton