Dear friends at Grace Community Church,

Greetings from Rainy River! The Grace team is doing well and sends their greetings! We wanted to update you about some of the things that have been happening since they arrived....

On Sunday morning, the team attended Morson Community Bible Fellowship (where the Bible Day Camp is held) and enjoyed a fellowship meal after church in their honor.  Then we went door-to-door on Big Grassy and Big Island reserves inviting kids out for Day Camp.  We enjoyed ice cream sundaes at Willie & Rodi Longenecker after the door-to-door visiting.  Then we went swimming in Lake of the Woods before supper. 

On Monday we had a great group of children out and the day went very, very well.  That afternoon, we took a pontoon boat out to Webster Island and spent the afternoon and evening getting to know eachother and playing lots of games.  The weather ranged from rain... sun... hail... wind... lightning... you get the idea!  We really had a wonderful time and were sorry that we had to leave the island so early this morning in order to be back at the church and ready at 9:00am for the children!  However, whatever disappointment we felt was quickly diminished as the children began to arrive!  We had another wonderful day!!  After lunch, the team went with Mark to Big Grassy reserve and mowed the Pow-Wow grounds with three mowers and a weed eater.  They also raked a lot of grass and picked up a number of bags of garbage.  Word came from the Big Grassy chief that he and the band council were extremely grateful for our work with the children and also the work of mowing grass.  After that, almost everyone went swimming at a new park on Lake of the Woods, just a few miles from the church.  I am VERY sure that everyone will sleep well tonight!!

Tomorrow, we will once again have Bible Day Camp in the morning.  In the afternoon, we have been asked by the band council at Big Island reserve to come and play games with the children at the ball park.  Pray that we will make strong inroads with the people of Big Island.  Historically, they have been quite antagonistic toward Christianity.  We are very encouraged by the receptivity of everyone so far!

Tomorrow evening, Mark will be taking the Grace team to Young Star House (a group home for First Nations teens).  Mark visits the YSH residents every couple of weeks and does "church" with the kids there.  I am sure that the team will really enjoy this!  We had all the kids from Young Star House at our teen camp last week, so this will be a great opportunity for follow-up.

On Thursday, we will have Day Camp again and also have a closing program for the parents.  The kids will sing the songs they have learned, recite memory verses they have learned and do a play about Noah and the Ark.  Mark has been using this at all the VBSs we are doing this summer and it is a strong portrayal of the Gospel.  On Thursday afternoon we will be playing games with the children on Big Grassy reserve.  Then the Grace team plans to come in to Rainy River and have supper at our house.  Weather permitting, we will have a bon-fire that evening and enjoy a time of reflection about the special things that the Lord has done in our lives and the lives of those we have sought to minister to.
Please continue to pray for the second half of our outreach to Big Island and Big Grassy reserves.  Our God is ABLE!!

Love from the Masts!
For the sake of the CROSS
Joyously serving JESUS,
Tina Mast