Well Hello All!!

It's been a while since I've posted and so much has happened ... where do I begin??

Well, I began my new job; I administratively support the FA's and assist our clients in whatever capacity I am able. I think I am really going to like this job - coupling the customer service and administrative support it seems to be a good fit! God also knew the darkness of Alaska was a potential issue for me so he put me on the 14th floor with the most amazing views of the Cook Inlet and the Chugach mountain range so when it is daylight I get to see it ALL, thank You God for once again blessing me, knowing my needs and meeting them!

LuLu is settling into school so well now. We have made the hurdle and it seems the sadness is gone, a routine is established and she is settled, thank You God! She has a couple good friends who she enjoys playing and being silly with.

M had an opportunity to spend the last week in a wrestling "Take-Down-Clinic". It wasn't something parents came to watch but more of a refresher course and assessment for the coach as wrestling begins in January and M will be going out for the team. He is now measuring 5'11" and weighs in at around 227 ... that's my baby boy!! tee hee!!

Rod's preaching is improving each week; his ease and comfort in front of the congregation looks more settled as he refines his style. We had an outreach event last night and hosted a "Parent's Night Out" for the community; parents could drop their kids off between the hours of 6:00pm and 10:00pm to get some alone time, go on a date, or whatever they chose to do. We had 12-children dropped off and it was a blast. We watched movies, made loads of crafts, had popcorn, played board and card games and to be honest, I think the adults had more fun with one another than the kids did!! ACF is getting their name out in the community and serving which feels amazing!

Rod and I have also been faithfully attending a Monday night big book study. The kids are used to our routine, the meeting is one hour, the topic is always fresh and relevant and the best part (for me) is we are doing it together. We used to go to a weekly meeting when we were dating and it is so nice to get back into that routine and share our recovery together!

We are excited as Rod's parents are coming for a visit and fly in the 26th! We get to have them for a week and are very much looking forward to some time with family to show them around our new home. The kids think it will be good for Grandma and Grandpa to know exactly where the different rooms are in our house so when they are visiting on the phone and say "Grandma I'm in the office" then she will know exactly where that is!

I LOVE this platform to be able to communicate with you about the happenings here in ER and enjoy hearing from you via e-mail and letters, it's meant the world to us! Please keep us in your prayers; we need them and we feel them!

Please continue to pray for:

*our marriage; that God would continue to be the center of our focus growing us closer together and that we develop strong, healthy friendships in Alaska;

*our kids; that they would develop strong, healthy friendships, continue settling in and feeling comfortable in their new environment, and grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus;

*for Rod; that he will seek God's direction for the church and be encouraged in his ability to lead the people of Eagle River;

*for Diane; that I will let God lead me at work (and beyond) with integrity and grace

*for ACF; that His body of strong & faithful will grow emotionally, spiritually, mentally AND in size so that we may effectively affect the hearts of ER to chase wildly after Jesus Christ

With Love, Thanks and Gratitude,
The Polar Poeppings

Hello All!

What a week we have had! We have had birthday parties, enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Lyons family, and decorated the church for Christmas *whew*! Ms. LuLu is now officially nine (how did that happen)? We had a party for her friends yesterday and she had a blast with her friends. My favorite part was when we put "Crazy Frog" on and they made a circle and did a 'dance party' ... it was a great time!

Thanksgiving this year was really nice. We were invited to Travis and Tracy Lyons' home with their two boys, her mom and dad Jim & Carol as well as Tracy's sister Stacy, her husband Seth and their two boys. We packed the house, ate a wonderful dinner, played some cards and enjoyed our first Thanksgiving in Alaska!

The church looks AWESOME!! Rod did a great job of creating and ordering banners to hang on either side of the screen (see the pics). Then the guys came together to move the sound board, the media table as well as the worship team around to create more seating space and open things up a bit. It looks wonderful and it feels even better.

We are excited about all the great things God is doing at ACF. New folks come each week, Rod's energy level is still very high, and the members are getting behind the vision and helping make things happen. We started a full-blown children's ministry today with worship and a lesson etc. and it was a great success! God IS Good!

We have received many e-mails letting us know how chilly it's been in Snoqualmie and that those temps are probably nothing compared to the cold temps here in Alaska. Well, just to set the record straight, we have had down right balmy temps this past week - in the upwards of 50* That's HOT for Alaska in November! Honestly, we realize winter has yet to rear it's ugly head, and are grateful for every minute we get before it hits!

We hope this finds you happy, healthy and seeking God in all you do! If you think of it, please join us as we pray for: continued adjustment for our children and that they would have a desire to know more about God each day as well as protection and continued communication in our marriage.

We miss you all and send our love,

The Polar Poepping's

"We have mutual acceptance."

This is what our real estate agent told us last week.

36529 SE Forest Street is now someone else's home.

This is a wonderful yet bittersweet time. We want to thank everyone who joined us in prayer for our house to sell and for our finances, we appreciate your support more than you'll ever know! We will close on the house in the next two weeks ... just in time for the holidays! It is our sincere hope the family who will live in that home will make as many wonderful memories as we did.

Until Next Time ...

The Polar Poepping's

Happy Veteran's Day!

First things first; we would like to give thanks to our Veteran’s both living and those departed. We have many rights in this country thanks to their sacrifices. God bless them, their families, and their commitment - we will never forget.

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We woke yesterday to find the snow gently falling - I think winter has come to Alaska. We keep hearing how this is the longest "fall" they've had in years, the simple fact we didn't trick or treat in a foot of snow was out of character for Alaska. Well we are just fine with the timing of the snow; it's beautiful and relatively easy to get around in as it's not hilly like it is in Seattle. It is funny that the people in Alaska don't really know how to drive in the snow any better than Seattleites - they will be darned to admit it, however!

LuLu and I were invited to a friend’s house to put together 28-shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child and that was great fun! Beth is a lovely hostess and the three of us had a great time making goody boxes for children in need - that's RIGHT up my alley!

Church was wonderful as Rod wrapped up his first 4-week series here at ACF. It is truly a gift to watch and listen to him as he is guided by the Spirit to share. He is teaching in a way that confirms again and again; we were meant to move and Rod was meant to begin full time ministry in Alaska. This is super important for those moments when the emotion overtakes me and I wonder "WHAT THE HECK WERE WE THINKING??!!!”... God is SO good!

This afternoon we had Rod's Instillation Ceremony. An Anchorage Alliance pastor, Jeff came to speak. He talked about Joshua and the way God called Joshua to lead His people. Jeff talked about how God kept reminding Joshua to be courageous and strong. He prayed for Rod's ministry, our family, and for our congregation. Jeff then invited the members of Alliance Christian Fellowship, fellow Alliance pastors, visiting pastors and attendees to come up and surround us and they prayed over us (see the pictures below). It is wonderful and overwhelming to hear the prayers of support, gratitude and love - it was a lovely service!

One more wonderful piece of news; I GOT A JOB!!! I will begin the first part of December as a Client Associate for a large finance company. I will be the liaison between the financial advisers and their clients. I am very excited for the opportunity, the challenge and ready for the routine! I think the coolest part of the whole deal is that I will be working in the same building my dad built 25-years ago when work was slow in Seattle – how cool is that?!

Last weekend Rod, the kids and I went to the information center here in ER and took a little hike (pictures below). We hiked around about a mile or so and checked out the beautiful sights; looked for bear and moose tracks, birds, different winter flowers and trees – it was a really nice little jaunt. The best part of all is that we traveled about 25-minutes to get there; it’s just in our back yard!!

We love hearing from each of you and appreciate the e-mails, letters, phone calls and those of you who have posted to this blog. We miss you all very much and feel your prayers, thank you! Please keep praying for our house to sell or rent; whatever is God’s will and that the kids will continue to settle in!

With Love and Frostbite,
The Polar Poepping’s

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We hope you all had a wonderful evening ... we definitely thought about and missed being with family and friends on Forest Street; hope you all had a blast!

With Frosty Kisses,
The Polar Poepping's

October 29, 2007

Here we go into week three *wow* I can't believe we're into week three already - that was fast! Well, we've had an eventful time as of late!

She has settled into school now and actually enjoys going to school again (yay)! A new girl began in their class today; she is from Washington which is pretty neat! We're looking into piano or dance or some kind of extra activity to get her connected outside school.

He continues to enjoy his new school. I gave him a challenge last week to ask a lot more questions of the other boys at the bus stop; "How long have you lived here", "Where did you move from", "What's your favorite video game/television show" etc. Well mom's theory of making new friendships by asking questions has proven fruitful! He spent hours on Thursday last week with our next door neighbor sledding and had a blast!! He also was invited to go 4-wheeling on Saturday with a guy from church and had a ball - he's in his element.

We got about 4" last Wednesday night; Rod and I spent 5-hours in the tire store lobby waiting for our studded tires to be put on (oy vey) it was a long night!! We enjoyed the snow for a couple of days and now it's all gone off the roads. This past weekend temps reached the low 40's and it was down right balmy :)

We spent time on Saturday decorating the church adding color with linens, candles, wall sconces and coffee service - really warmed the sanctuary up.Rod did a wonderful job preaching Sunday ; the congregation is really coming behind him; it brings tears to my eyes to see him in his element, so happy living his dream!

Tonight the kids and I went to her school to make "Welcome Home" posters for the 425th Battalion of the Army who will begin returning from Iraq in November and trickle in through December - it was awesome to go and make posters to decorate the school and our house and to support our troops - the kids and I had a blast!

The job search has finally opened up for me - I have a couple interviews for this week and another on Monday. God willing I'll be at work soon! I have been supported by a girl from the church, Shelly C.; she has been a lifeline to ER and I am so grateful for her. We had Jim and Shelly over last night with six of their seven children for dinner and a nice visit; our first guests in our new home and it felt so good.

Well, it's time to sign off for now. Many thanks to all of you who have e-mailed to encourage us and wish us success here, we are so grateful!

Until next time,
The Polar Poeppings

October 21, 2007

Well, we have safely arrived in Alaska. We are finally seeing the end of the mountain of boxes and settling into our new home, it’s hard to believe it’s already been a week. The weather here is gorgeous, cold but gorgeous. We went to the store and ‘outfitted’ the whole family with Sorrel’s and jackets that will keep you warm in temps as low as -40* … never bought a jacket with that feature before.

The kids both started school last week; hers was a little rocky as she is used to having mom at school for the past 7-years now. Drop off was rough, the tearful phone call during lunch didn't make mom and dad feel any better, however, by days end she bounced out of school with a smile on = success!! He made a couple of friends, found out they serve hot chocolate and was 'noticed' by a girl or two which for just about ANY middle school boy = success! Wrestling begins in January and we’re thinking a weight training course beginning in November is right up his alley.

Rod had an opportunity to preach his first message today and I believe it was well received - he did a wonderful job! God has really done such a sweet work in Rod’s delivery and it shows in the way his messages come across on a Sunday morning. I'm so happy for him that he is no longer bi-vocational and living his dream of being in full-time ministry. As for me, I’m going to hit the job market with full force by Wednesday this week and hopefully God has a job waiting for me and I just had to get here to find it.

Well, that’s all we have for now … we’ll keep you posted as new excitement arises for us in God’s country!

With love and blessings,
Rod, Diane & Kids