Wait, Where in the World is Ethan?

On this cold November day, Ethan is comfortably situated in northeast Tanzania near Kenya. After four days of travel, I should hope so! Taking one day longer than planned, the team arrived safely, and are, Lord willing, setting out to do their jobs in this underserved area. They will be teaching in a college and hope to encourage the Church by training her leaders.

Meanwhile, my son is working on his driver's education class, parent-teacher conferences all went well, and I am recovering from laryngitis. We have begun winter here in central Minnesota, but the red oak leaves and green linden leaves are still clinging to the trees. 

My youngest two daughters play violin in an orchestra in Princeton, MN.  We are so blessed to have a wonderful string teacher who hails from Chicagoland and taught in Germany. My oldest daughter keeps laboring over her junior year classes, including two college-level classes.  Such a hard worker. 

I would like to say with Martin Luther: My conscience is captive to the Word of God.  The words of God are more precious than gold or silver, and sweeter than honey (from Psalm 119).  It really is the constant thing in my life, though I waiver emotionally and in my faith in Christ.  I know God will ever be faithful to His words and that He can be trusted. 

Happy Birthday to this big guy on Friday.

Lots of love, Elysia

Newletter Time!

Ethan is leaving this afternoon on a long airplane ride to Northern Romania.  He will begin a three year relationship with the pastors in that region teaching them and training them in Bible, theology and preaching.  As I am sitting down to write a newsletter, I realized there are several friends, relatives, and acquaintances who may not receive our email prayer requests.  We send these out every time Ethan travels and periodically throughout the year.

I invite you to sign up today with your most current email address  Please click this link and complete the simple form to sign up for our prayer newsletters.  Thank you!

Romania Monastery Building, 2015

Highlights

My neglect of this blog forces me to list the highlights of our summer in a bullet format:

• Elysia's garden got bigger this summer with the highlight being a new patch of strawberries, and some additional rhubarb plants from some local farms. We really enjoyed eating the fresh peas, cucumbers, lettuce, etc. 

• Our cat ran away after only two months of making our home its habitat. We put out fliers, looked for hours and spent time chasing down leads to no avail.
• An active summer of driving around for appointments, weeks of Bible Camp, and airport runs kept Elysia in the driver's seat much of the time. The time driving aggravated her hip condition and back pain thus changing her mind and scheduling hip surgery for September 2.
• Ethan spent two weeks in May teaching in the beautiful African country of Uganda. two months later in July, he travelled again, this time to teach pastors in South Asia.
• Ethan spent Father's Day in bed with pneumonia.
• Gretchen and Peter John experienced ministry first-hand by loving the poor and serving on a mission trip to South Dakota in June.
• Amy and Elysia went to the Sherburne County Fair. She rode a Ferris Wheel for the first time!

• Peter John was our faithful keeper of our yard through weekly lawn mowing and trimming.
• Gretchen improved her culinary skills (and kept our kitchen hot) by her daily baking and cooking projects.
• An inch worm got into our A/C Heat Exchange wall unit thus burning out an off-brand Korean machine with an expired warranty and no options for replacement parts. Amazing what a little worm can do.
• Lizzy and Amy devoured the books on our shelves and at the Princeton Library. We visited the library every Monday on our way to violin lessons. The girls are learning so much from their teacher, Jill Musick Selin, who teaches out of her farm house in rural Princeton. Gretchen has excelled under her tutelage as well.
• Ethan's sister, Sharon, spent five days with us while her son was at Bible Camp. While she was here, she helped Elysia repaint our basement bathroom a light Aqua color to match the turquoise and pink decor. Yay!
• Peter John was invited by his Uncle David to spend a week in Utah and Montana with him and cousin Andy which included a backpacking trip to a lake for camping in Yellowstone Park. David put him in the front of the hike because he was a good pacesetter. PJ is almost six feet tall now at age 12.

• Ethan's nephew, Tim, from Dallas spent some time with us in August so that he could also attend Bible Camp at Inspiration Point. Sadly, Peter John missed camp because of a persistent fever virus. 
• Lizzy's grandparents flew her out to Arizona to visit them for a few days before our family reunion in August. Elysia gave up her sweet daughter as an "unaccompanied minor" on an airplane flight entrusting her into The Good Shepherd's hands. Lizzy was the first in our family to ever see the Grand Canyon! She took lots of pictures.
• After some major work on our cars at Integrity Automotive, we packed up Waldo, our little trailer, and took the minivan packed with camping gear for our family car trip to Montana and Eastern Idaho. The first weekend was spent in Billings to attend our nephew, Mark's confirmation and to hear his dad, Bill, preach at Yellowstone Lutheran Brethren Church. Elysia's parents and ancestors are from Montana, so we drove to Sunset Memorial Gardens to visit the graves of her grandparents and other relatives. 
• We saw Ethan's entire family for our family reunion at his brother's cabin in Eastern Idaho, and we enjoyed Bear and Moose country. What a feast for our eyes. The mountains were lovely, albeit covered in a smoky haze from the western forest fires. After the reunion, our little family rented a forest service log cabin with no electricity or water in the wilderness of the Gallatin Mountain range of Montana.  than was in his happy place. We cooked in cast iron over a fire and brought gear to protect us from the Grizzlies. We carried water from the natural spring in buckets for washing and filtering for drinking. The undistracted, quiet secluded life gave us time with each other, with God, and alone with ourselves. The girls especially enjoyed the natural springs near the cabin, and we all enjoyed mountaineering and playing in the creeks. Ethan, Gretchen, PJ, and Amy made it to the top of Pika Point on a seven-hour hike. Elysia's hips and back forced her to turn back. Lizzy went with her along with the bear spray. Ethan kept the wood stove burning at night, and we awoke to frost outside three mornings in a row. On our hikes each day we saw screeching hawks, squirrels, many small birds, mule deer, woodchucks, gophers, a pair of beavers at a mountain lake, ducks, and horses. The flowers up high on the mountain caught our attention, especially the Indian paintbrush and the lupine. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

  

  Pika Point, Montana

  
  
• Lizzy got braces!
  

Update from Uganda and from Home

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1

People often ask how we do while Ethan is away for periods of time. This trip is sixteen days total, and he has been gone two weeks so far. I always answer that I support him completely in what he is doing in teaching the Gospel to those who need the training the most. It is truly a privilege to serve the King of Kings and to be a missionary. 

My chaperone group at the musical "Peter Pan" Children's Theater, Mpls.

Mother's Day dinner at Culver's Restaurant

Breakfast made by G and a Lego note made by my two youngest

Fun at our friend's horse show

We saw lots of friends at the horse show

Life goes on….G's recital is coming up.

 
Nevertheless, with the privilege comes the trials and sorrows, too. The hard work of raising children and tending to their needs, including their ever-changing emotions, can be wearing. In addition, we experience the attacks from the Enemy of our souls, who sends His fiery darts relentlessly.

This relentless pursuit from the Enemy involves attacking our physical lives such as illness or in causing our car, oven, and washing machine to break down on the same trip my husband got his documents stolen and was stuck in London for three days; or it involves our emotions and temptations to sin which we daily battle (uffda, yesterday morning was a tough battle in that regard); or battling our wills to keep praying for the work in these other countries and staying close to God in His word; or distracting us from the real work, which is believing in Jesus whom the Father sent and rejoicing that our names are written in heaven; and finally, and most concerning, distracting us from the glory of our great and beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ, who is our Good Shepherd, our Faithful High Priest, the Alpha and the Omega, the Bread of Life, the Living Water sent from Heaven, the Redeemer, the Great I Am, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Resurrection and the Life, the Door, the Vine, the Servant, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Judge, and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. When these attacks come, we turn to Jesus with the Shield of Faith God has given us to extinguish these fiery darts coming at us from all directions. We are confident because God's word tells us:
Psalm 17:8-9

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me.

Psalm  118:5-7, 14,

Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me…The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Photo taken near the campus in Uganda

I have spoken to Ethan a few times through the computer, as the University has a good internet connection. Ethan's classes are at the end of a ten-hour day of intense classes for the students, who are often very tired by this point.  This two-week intense period of classes are offered for remote students, including pastors, who must travel periodically to the University in order to study and take classes.  Ethan spends three hours teaching them, and then the last hour and a half of class is spent at the library working on papers and quizzes, as well as studying.  He has taken some time throughout the class for brief breaks so that the students can keep going.  Africa Renewal University sits in a lovely location with beautiful brick buildings overlooking hills and trees.  Ethan spent time last Saturday traveling to see other parts of Uganda including Lake Victoria, a once in a lifetime experience.  He preached Sunday at the campus church, and is currently working through the last week of classes.  We see him again Saturday afternoon.  Hurray!

Give Thanks to God in ALL Circumstances

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7

Our Present Circumstances…

Today is Dad's 65th Birthday! We wish we could be at his party, but we have obligations here this weekend.  Dad is a multi-talented man with a heart for God's Kingdom.  He devours books and articles (that is where our third child gets it from!). He keeps serving and is a recipient of the Grace of God towards him in Jesus Christ.  We love him!

6:20 a.m. Eat breakfast, 6:42 a.m. catch the bus

Cheering on the Otters at the Wrestling Tournament at Spectrum
We had such great fun seeing our friends from Fergus Falls! PJ got to be the towel-tapper for  Mat 2 keeping track of the time for the referee earning him service-learning hours for his class at Spectrum.

1st Grade Science Fair Presentation

Ethan finished up a week of teaching in Iasi with the added blessings of meeting with church leaders in Moldova on Thursday and witnessing the graduation ceremony for the pastors and lay leaders in Iasi on Friday.  It was a personal blessing to him to have been a part of their training for the past three years.  Lord willing, TLI will begin teaching church leaders in other parts of Romania and Eastern Europe.  This weekend he is scouting out another site in Romania where pastors are interested in being trained. Pray for that opportunity.

We miss Daddy. He will be home Tuesday night.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

At Home and Abroad

Serbia, Romania, and Moldova

On the Other Side of the Pond

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15

The pastors in Iasi (in NE Romania near the Moldovan border) are studying hard while thoroughly analyzing all of the text of 2 Timothy. Ethan is leading a team of four, including his colleague Dr. Yong.  This class will be the final class of three years of curriculum culminating in a graduation ceremony Saturday.  Today the leaders decided to combine all of the students into one room in a workshop style class in order to teach the lessons in analyzing and diagramming the text.  This is very challenging for the students and the teachers because it is being translated from English teaching to Romanian for the listeners.  The students have the curriculum book on 2 Timothy already translated into Romanian, which is very beneficial for their learning and their ability to teach others also.  Please pray for these classes to bear much fruit as the teachers and students abide in Christ.

Ethan will travel to Moldova on Thursday to meet for a second time with church leaders desiring training in the Word.  Please pray for those meetings.

Meanwhile, at Home…

After a day of no school for Martin Luther King, Jr. day, the children returned to school today. They all have head colds, so I am praying for their health and strength for their days.  I headed to Moms in Prayer that meets to pray for students and teachers at the public charter school my older two children attend.  In addition to praying for the kids, we spent some concerted time praying for Pastor Saeed and his wife, Naghmeh, today.  Learn more about this U.S. prisoner in Iran at www.savesaeed.org  

After prayer, I attended my final physical therapy session for my hip labral tear and impingement.  This physical therapy has been a Godsend.  I have grown so much stronger through these sessions.  Though I will continue to have pain the rest of my life, we found that if I exercise it correctly, I have increased mobility and strength.  My goal will now be to do my exercises at least 2-3 times per week.  For now, I do not plan to have surgery.  I have also been taking on a crazy hard challenge from my sister-in-law to do planks, pushups, squats, etc. every day for one month.  The number increases every day.  I am getting to the point where I am wondering if my weakness will outweigh my ambition.  It will be any day now.  I am also memorizing a chapter of the Bible as a challenge for our church.  Though physical exercise is beneficial, godliness is worth SO much more. God is encouraging me so much through this time of memorization.  I Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Saturday we were blessed with a few opportunities to keep busy and enjoy ourselves.  Our Minnesota Historical Society had an event in Pine City, MN at the NorthWest Company Fur Post.  We were transported to the time of the Voyageurs and Ojibwe Indians!  We also got to try snowshoeing, cutting ice in a river for fishing, curling on the river, and a game called Snow Snake.

The Game of Snow Snake

Whose is further?

Snowball Fight…PJ started it!

The Fur Trading Post

Ojibwe Wigwam made of genuine Birchbark

Cutting a hole in the ice of the Snake River

Curling on the Snake River

Curling, an Olympic Sport invented in the Highlands using Stones

Kingdom Work in Europe

Photo Shots from Ethan's Travels in Romania

A few pics that I find interesting

Today Ethan flew out of Minneapolis on to Eastern Europe for more leadership training with Romanian pastors and lay leaders.  His first few days of travel are in Serbia where TLI runs a seminary training program for pastors.  Ah, Serbia!  We loved our few short trips to Serbia when we were living in Hungary.  The colors and the air feel warm in Serbia.  The bullet holes in the buildings reveal their war-torn past, however.  With the Lord, however, He renews hearts of people and rebuilds their lives, giving them eternal life.  This is the work that brings Ethan and TLI to Serbia…building the Kingdom of God.

Next, Ethan will travel to Romania and Moldova, teaching pastors their final core class on 2 Timothy in  Iasi, Romania, with a graduation service following.  Several men will be traveling with their team teaching this time.

I am so tired after a busy day today! Twice a week, I clean a large house in this area.  Today was a cleaning day.  Then the kids needed picking up early from school for a dentist appointment, I dropped off Ethan to the airport shuttle, and then on to Coon Rapids for dental cleanings (all five of us, minus Ethan, of course).  We came home for supper, dealt with some homework struggles leading to wailing from one of the kids, then all five of us jumped into the car to take G to her violin lesson 30 minutes away.  When the kids were finally in bed, the piano and hymnbook were opened, and I played quietly while they fell asleep. Time for sleep myself. Goodnight.

Have Thine Own Way

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

by Adelaide Pollard, 1907

I sat down at the piano yesterday in our new home in Zimmerman, MN.  When I flipped open the hymn book, this is the song that came up.  What a comfort to me right now!  Ethan is stuck in London on his way to Ghana.  Stolen documents!  He has no passport, no Ghana visa, and no yellow fever documentation. These are all required to get to Ghana to teach.  My mind and heart have been swirling since he texted me with this news.  I guess there is a first for everything.  He has travelled to many places in the world and has never gotten documents stolen.  Feeling out of control and unable to change anything confirms my humanness and lifts my thoughts and heart to God who has all things in His hand.

Early this morning I spent time reading the Bible and praying.  As I looked out on our woodsy property, I saw the fog in the woods, much like the picture above.  I heard the birds, and the knock-knock-knock of a woodpecker that made me smile.  What comical creatures!  God's glory shines in His creation, and as I think about God providing for these birds, how much more does He care for His chosen people!  Jesus said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31  Then, turning to Acts 16 for my daily Bible reading, the amazing story of Paul and Silas being directed by the Holy Spirit to Macedonia reminded me again of God's rule and good purposes in every one of these foggy days.

Pray for Us

It was one year ago that Ethan sat among several pastors in Northeast Romania, teaching through God's word and ministering to them. Friday, he will return to this beloved country again, instructing them in the Old Testament books of Ruth and Jonah, as well as teaching and leading them in preaching from the Old Testament.  For the last couple of years, these men have been attending classes taught by TLI instructors and growing in knowledge and discernment.  It will be a privilege to return once again.

Iasi is located in NE Romania near the border with Moldova

 PRAY FOR US

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the works of our hands for us. Ps.90:17

Off And Running in May

Ethan returned from Liberia Sunday, and he has had little jet lag to contend with.  Ethan was very blessed as he taught at the college in Ganta. He had twice as many students as originally expected and the classroom interaction and participation was outstanding. The weather was very hot and humid, as this is the hot season near the equator. He said the food and hospitality were amazing!!  All in all, the trip was a success, and we pray will bring lasting fruit in the lives of the believers being trained at the college.

Teachers l to r: Eric Alexander, Philemon Yong, Ethan Larson, Liberian hostess, Howard Foreman, Liberian host

The kids and I were well at home while Ethan was away.  It was very busy while he was gone as is usual.  Ethan's parents and sister were in town to clean out their house in order to move to Arizona.  We put on a last minute garage sale Saturday, and were completely blown away by the success of the sale.  They sold all the furniture except the pool table, and most of the smaller items went very quickly including the antiques and many of the household items they were selling.  God blessed them so much!  We were also very grateful for the Christian friends who helped us.

We are still praying about our future as we prepare for ministry with TLI.  We are very excited to serve God around the world through theological biblical education.  We are still in the support-raising process and have raised approximately 60% of our monthly budget.  This week Ethan and I went to Maple Grove to visit a classical school that is also a charter school (free public school education) that all four of our children have been accepted to. It appears God is opening up an opportunity for an excellent education for our children there for this coming year, surprisingly because many children remain on a waiting list in order to be accepted at this school.  We are waiting, however, on the finances and housing that would be necessary in order to make this move down to the Twin Cities possible.  This remains a matter of prayer for us as we wait on God to provide and direct our path.  A missionary friend reminded me yesterday of how God directed Paul in Acts 16 with the vision of the man from Macedonia and how God had stopped him from going another direction.  Also, he reminded me of Proverbs 19:21

There are many plans in a man’s heart,Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

God has a plan! We continue to wait on God and trust in Him.  Please pray with us about these decisions.

Another noteworthy piece of news is that our church is moving into their remodeled building this weekend.  Ethan has been working hard all week getting the sound system up and running.  He is there now!  Gretchen, Lizzy, and I will be working in the nursery Sunday, and we are looking forward to having our own building after renting the YMCA for several years. I just hope my child with the stomach flu gets better by tomorrow!!!

The kids and I had a great time in Underwood yesterday for the 4H Jr. Garden Day. We scooped a lot of dirt for their potted plants, seeds, and terrariums.  I have cabin fever for summer! It has been so cold here! There is a chance of snow and rain today still! Haha!  But at least we are starting to get some green grass.

God bless you all!

Crashed

• Little dots and lines appeared on our computer screen as Gretchen was writing her science report. This was traumatic for an eleven-year-old who had been writing her paper for a month already!  A few weeks ago our computer crashed, so this update will be bare bones with no pictures. Fortunately Ethan often backs up our computer on an external hard drive, so all our files and photos were not lost!
• Liberia, West Africa is the next destination for teaching and raising up leaders. Ethan will be teaching with a team from Training Leaders International at a Christian College in Liberia  April 18-28.  Last week he got all of his vaccinations completed and sent in his visa application. Now he is preparing his Systematic Theology class and studying hard.
• Our church is remodeling a building downtown, so Ethan has been actively involved in that as a deacon of the church. this is the fourth time he has helped a church plan, order, and set up a sound system and speakers. What a niche! His gift has certainly been used to serve the Lord, though.
• Easter was great and we are SO grateful to know JESUS CHRIST, our RISEN LORD! I did manage to sew some dresses for the girls out of some wonderful old patterns that were given to me. It was exciting to help Gretchen sew her own skirt for the first time ever. She did most of the basic sewing and I finished up all the tricky parts and handwork. I wish I could show a picture here, but it will have to wait.
• Gretchen turned twelve on Saturday, and we bought her a guinea pig with peachy colored and white fur. She named him Mr. Peaches McGillicuddy. This animal has been so much fun so far and has kept the kids so occupied that they have no time to fight! A blessing indeed.
• School of Choice had their open house last week, and there was no lack of projects and writing displayed. Peter had built a wonderful model of Mount Everest with his dad for his project on the Himalayan Mountains. They built it out of cardboard and paper mâché, and it included the route that Hillary and Norgay took in 1953.
• I am still busy homeschooling, doing some periodic childcare, and teaching music lessons every week (piano and guitar). We have only a month and a half  left of school. how are we going to finish our math??? 

Regards,

Elysia

Keep On Praying...Ministry Prayer Requests

Iasi, Romania       September 30 - October 8

Wanted to share a quick update on what's happening in our ministry and family. Romania Bound I have been meeting with my Romania teaching team this month and am impressed at the great men I get to teach with. Take a minute to meet them on our website!  We will be in Romania Sept 29th to Oct 8th. We begin in a church in Brasov the first Sunday, then teach classes Monday to Friday in Iasi (say: “Yahsh”). Iasi is in the NE part of the country and is the second largest city in Romania. The city and surrounding area is strongly Orthodox, and Evangelicals are an even smaller minority here than in the rest of the country. We will be teaching pastors mostly from the Baptist Union. These students have already gone through a few TLI classes so we are excited to be teaching a Biblical Theology course and help them see the whole scope and story of scripture. We will be teaching in churches in Iasi the following weekend. Please pray for me as I prepare, and for our team as we travel and serve these pastors, and for the strengthening of churches in Romania.  TLI Staff Meeting TLI has one of our three anual staff meetings the week before I leave for Romania. I am blessed to work with a great group of brothers, and look forward to being together. We have lots of work to do, and there is a TLI board meeting as well, so it will be a busy time. Its an especially important week as the TLI board will be deciding on a future location for TLI headquarters. We are adding a number of staff in the next year, and our teaching opportunities are multiplying quickly, so this is a big decision for all involved. Please pray for the Lord's wisdom, guidance and blessing for TLI Board and Staff. Support Raising The summer has been a slower time for support raising, but God has been faithful, and brought us a number of new supporters this month! Praise the Lord with us! I will be traveling and sharing about TLI in the Midwest and out to Boise in October and November. Please pray for our continued Support Raising efforts, and praise God for the team He is building! Family School is back in session, and our kids are at a home-school coop two days a week and home with Elysia for three. Busy times, but good to be back in the saddle after a fun and active summer! We would love to hear from you and what you are up to! Drop us a line or find us on Facebook! Grace Mercy and Peace!  The Ethan Larson Family