News From The North...

Greetings from the Warm and Sunny North,

Nope, not a typo, we are having a nice spring/early summer here in Southeast Alaska. Well, we are now. It snowed several times in early May but yesterday we were into the 70’s. That’s HOT for Juneau. Shorts and t-shirts and hit the swimming hole hot. It can get pretty funny, too, watching the tourists in their jackets and hats and the natives in sandals and shorts.

Jesus did it again. We had a great trip: lots of fun with our brothers and sisters in India, as well as a wonderful time of ministry. But let me tell you about the few days before we left. Just 3 days before I left, I was still $1500 short of the need. Praise Chapel, the church we are now attending here, had a Friday night worship meeting (we call it Face to Face). Pastor Brian asked me to share about the trip and a bit of the message that I was taking to India, and then we would take an offering. Worship was fantastic, the presence of God was powerful, a truly wonderful time. I spoke briefly, maybe 20 or 30 minutes and we took the offering. $1500.00. Exactly. From a group of no more than 30 people. Wow! He truly is GOOD!

Mark teaching at the Ignite Conference

The other happening in the days just before leaving didn’t seem nearly as cool. Norbert’s uncle had to go into the hospital, and that meant that Norbert would miss the trip. Not the way you want to start. First, I had gotten to know and care about Norbert and was definitely feeling his pain. Second, we were down to 2 teachers for the whole conference. That meant that Greg and I would each have more sessions than we planned. But no problem there. I mean, what preacher doesn’t love the sound of his own voice? Seriously, that worried me for a bit, but God had it under control. The teaching He had given me would easily cover my extra sessions and Greg is never at a loss and nothing seems to fluster him. Thank you, Jesus, for bringing this guy into my life.

Worship at the Youth Conference

We started off our ministry time with a Saturday youth meeting.  About 300 young believers gathered to worship their Father and hear His heart for their generation. It was a wonderful time in the Lord with some of the best worship I’ve experienced in India. The freedom in worship that this generation moves in is inspiring. Sunday found both me and Greg ministering at 2 churches; and the next Sunday I ministered in 3, plus had a meeting with the leaders of the several churches that Bhalchandra Kamble leads. We were able to dig deeply into what it looks like to live in a revival culture and what it takes to get there.

Mark teaching

Greg teaching

The conference itself was truly wonderful with an average attendance of 350; God was moving and touching lives. It wasn’t without its challenges, though. Most of the time, we could sense His presence and feel the power and anointing, but there were several sessions that felt like we were fighting for airspace. But you know, those were the sessions that seemed to bless people the most. Doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ll take it, Lord! We didn’t see the Lord move in healing as much as in the past, but we did see Him touch a young boy that couldn’t control his right hand. It would clench on its own and when he tried to move his arm, it would simply flail about. After Greg prayed for him the first day, there was marked improvement, and by the third day, he had regained almost total control of the arm. I prayed for a lady with a

Praise and Worship Team

tumor growing in her side and felt the growth move in response to the name of Jesus. She was going to the doctor the next day and we are eagerly awaiting the doctors’ report.

Vilas and Juanita Samudre

Lena and Balchandra Kamble

I’ve got to tell you, I was a bit nervous about the word the Father gave me. You might remember that I was going to teach on the Bride of Christ. Well, you can’t teach on that without touching on the marital relationship and a woman’s place in the home, church and society. Touchy subject in India, given their lack of esteem for women, but the Lord pulled it off. Even the part that amounted to a “correction” was well received, even by the men! Some even seemed to be grateful for the “permission” to elevate their wives to their rightful place. Next month, I’ll share part of that message. In fact, if I can be so bold, I would like to suggest that you do a study on the topic yourself. You might start with Ephesians 5 and Genesis 2 and dig deep. I know you’ll be blessed and you might be very surprised.

Thanks again for all you do, your giving, your prayers and your support. Be blessed!

Yours for the Kingdom,


Mark and Julie