1/01/15 - Open Door Baptist Church

Transcription

Hitz Family
June 2016
Dear Supporting Churches and Friends,
Hello from the Far North! We are excited about spring’s arrival here in Iqaluit. The
bay is still many feet thick with ice, but most of the snow has melted, and the sun is
bright all day and through much of the night as well. Our boys have excitedly gotten
their bicycles out and are joyfully riding around the yard.
Emmanuel Independent
Baptist Church
Pastor Frank Herndon
704-718-8239
All Points
Baptist Mission
Executive Director:
Gary Forney
P.O. Box 977
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
Spring and summer are typically a very busy time for us. The warmer weather
affords additional ministry opportunities, as people are out and about more. This
summer we have plans to finish up some small projects on the church property as
well as complete some annual maintenance. We also intend to do some fishing and
hunting throughout the summer and early fall to stock our freezer with meat for the
winter. It is a blessing to have these local meats - arctic char (much like salmon),
and seal - accessible for our consumption. If you’ve never had seal meat, you are
missing out! And there are many ways to enjoy fish: boiled, raw, frozen, dried,
fried, or smoked. Some of our younger children (the real Canadians) even enjoy
eating the fish eyeballs raw: something their parents encourage but do not partake of
personally.
Our co-workers flew out this week for their furlough in the States. It is going to be
very different without them in Iqaluit. While they will be missed, we are glad for
their opportunity to report to churches and visit family.
Loretta’s brother, Matthew, was able to visit us for a couple of weeks before he
heads off to Bible college in the Fall. He was a delight to have around, as well as a
great help to us with some work (even snow shoveling) on the church property.
Thank you for those who continue to pray for Loretta’s health subsequent to her
recent surgery. She is steadily increasing in stamina, though it will still be a while
before she is back to her full strength.
As we mentioned last month, please do note the name change for our mission
agency. It is a change in name only; all other details remain the same. Please also
note that this applies only to our U.S. churches.
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: June 1, ’16
39 F (4 C)
Sunrise 2:35 a.m.
Sunset 10:29 p.m.
In the past two months we have had more than a dozen first-time visitors to our
church services. Some have been returning and we are pleased with the interest
shown in God’s Word. Please pray with us that God would raise up a group of
people serious to know and follow God as revealed in His Word.
Christ’s for the Arctic, \,
Paul J., Loretta, Paul Jon, Kenny, Micah, Josiah, Julia, MaryBeth, and Elaina Hitz
Isaiah 42:4 “The isles shall wait for His law.”
Praises:
1. Visit from family
2. Visitors to church
3. Many recent ministry opportunities
Prayer Requests:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Loretta’s full recovery
Continued language study
Salvation of souls
Co-workers’ furlough
Hitz Family
April 2016
Hello from the far north! The past weeks have been eventful and surprising for our
family with Loretta’s unexpected surgery and gradual recovery. God has strongly
reminded us of the brevity of life, the weakness of our flesh, and His faithfulness
through all things. Thank you for praying for Loretta’s health. She is making a good
recovery and just recently has felt some of her stamina return. She still has months
of recovery to go, but we praise the LORD for His healing.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
All Points
Baptist Mission
Executive Director:
Gary Forney
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: March 31, ’16
-12 F (-24 C)
Sunrise 5:55 a.m.
Sunset 7:21 p.m.
God saw fit to provide us with visits from my (Paul’s) sister for a couple of weeks,
and then from Loretta’s mother for another two weeks. Their combined help has
made a big difference for our family as Loretta recovers. We have enjoyed the
fellowship with family that we have not seen in a long while.
Our children are steadily growing and we are reminded of the great importance of
these formative years in their lives. Please pray for them that they would continue to
have soft hearts to God’s truth and that we as parents would reflect Christ to them,
and accurately disciple them in His truth.
Other news of interest is that our co-workers will be leaving for furlough next month
and we will again be alone at the helm of the ministry here. Please pray for the
Peacocks as they make final travel preparations.
With the start of the New Year, we began having a once-a-month special “Church
Family Night.” God has blessed the special services and we’ve seen great
attendance each time we have had it. We also had a large turnout for our
Resurrection Sunday service; many stayed for a meal right after the service and
visited for a long time. We pray that God will nurture a hunger for His Word and a
desire for Godly fellowship. Please pray with us for the families and individuals that
we are visiting, befriending, and teaching. It has been nearly seven years since our
family left for Nunavut and the things we have seen the LORD accomplish recently
sure seemed impossible to the young couple who left for the arctic with two little
children years ago.
Please note that the name of our mission agency has been changed and all support
checks should be made out to All Points Baptist Mission. There is essentially no
change going on here as All Points has been the sister ministry of Points North for
many years, operating out of the same office and church. The two names are
amalgamating. Bro. Gary Forney is remaining as the executive director of the
combined agencies.
Praises:
1. Loretta’s continued recovery from
surgery
2. Additional help from family
3. Visitors to church and special services
Prayer Requests:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Loretta’s full recovery
Continued language study
Salvation of souls
Training of our 7 children
Co-workers’ furlough plans
Hitz Family
January 2016
It is a new year! In looking back on 2015, we see much to be thankful for:
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
Director Gary Forney
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Jan. 21, ’16
-15 F (-26 C)
Windchill -40
Sunrise 8:44 a.m.
Sunset 2:46 p.m.
Praises:
1. Good Christmas
time ministry
opportunities
2. A healthy family
Prayer Requests:
1. Continued language
study
2. Local people to
respond to God’s
conviction
3. Safety through
winter
In the beginning of the year, we were in the States on furlough and enjoying some
time with family during the holidays. In February, we received our long-awaited
Canadian permanent residence! Shortly after that, Paul had a burst appendix with
near septic conditions and spent five days in the hospital in South Carolina. God
provided through this difficult times with the help of old friends and the forming of
new.
After returning to Baffin Island in April, we soon got busy with working to
complete the church building, catching up with local friends, planning for a summer
intern, and getting back into the full scope of the ministry of the Iqaluit church plant.
In May we had a summer intern, Gage Gilbert, with us for two months. His
internship included going to a small neighboring community, Paul teaching a twomonth Inuktitut beginners’ course, and many other profitable and enjoyable
ventures.
In June, Loretta’s Grandfather died. God worked in a sudden and miraculous way
for Loretta to get a “free” air miles ticket off of the island and she was able to attend
the funeral. This part of Loretta’s family are Old-Order Amish. God worked it out
that ALL the children and grandchildren of Loretta’s Grandpa were able to come to
the funeral; this large effort made by the non-Amish cousins greatly impacted our
many unsaved relatives.
In August our co-workers’ parents, Pastor Don and Debbie Barth, visited when
Emily was due to deliver Isaac. Pastor Barth was a great help for Thad and I to
finish up some work on the church property.
In October, our third daughter, Elaina Leetia, was born! A good friend, Jennifer
Hempen, flew up and was a great help to us for several weeks surrounding Elaina’s
birth.
In November we had the much-anticipated Grand Opening of Iqaluit Baptist
Church’s building. The building was packed out and the Gospel was preached. God
used the Grand Opening to give us new contacts and ministry opportunities.
In December we had a Christmas candlelight carol-sing service which brought out
several first-time visitors. Having the church building has provided a lot of new
opportunities such as this.
We are very thankful for each of you, individuals and churches, who have supported
us throughout the past year. May the LORD bless you for your faithfulness! Planting
a church in the far north is a slow process but be assured that God is working.
Hitz Family
November
2015
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Nov. 11, ’15
10 F (-12 C)
Sunrise 7:45 a.m.
Sunset 2:51 p.m.
We are just four days away from our Grand Opening! Please keep this special day in
prayer. We have had many, many people in town tell us that they are coming. It’s
hard to know who will come, but we are anticipating a good-sized crowd. Several
who have promised to come are friends that we have known and prayed for since
our early days in Iqaluit. We are praying that God would do a great work in people’s
hearts through the preaching of the Gospel, and open new opportunities for future
ministry.
Last month we asked you to pray for our occupancy permit. Thank you for praying;
a couple of weeks ago, we were issued the permit! We praise the LORD for this
final step and no more inspections to work through.
I have included some photos of the outside of the completed church building. To
God be the glory, great things He has done. We will update you later with details of
the Grand Opening. Please be in prayer as we anticipate that many people will hear
the Gospel.
Christ’s for the Arctic, \
Praises:
1. Occupancy permit issued
2. Provision of needs for building
Prayer Requests:
1. Many people to come to the Grand
Opening
2. Final preparations for Grand Opening
3. Loretta’s recovery and Elaina’s growth
Hitz Family
October
2015
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
From a busy and blessed past month, we have an exciting announcement to make –
the birth of our daughter, Elaina Leetia Hitz! Please see the photo announcement on
the second page for details. For those who like these kind of specifics, her name is
pronounced ee-LAY-nah; her second name, Leetia (LEE-tee-ah), is Inuktitut for
Lydia. We are thankful to our LORD for a good delivery and healthy baby. We are
also greatly blessed to have a good friend from Loretta’s home church staying with
us for a few weeks; she is a tremendous help. Thank you to all who were praying for
Loretta and Baby during these past months. God surely answered those prayers!
Please keep in prayer our final building inspection from the city, and the grand
opening of the church building on November 15. Below, you can see the bi-lingual
invitations we are preparing to hand out across town. The LORD continues to bless
the building project: last month He provided a dump truck load of gravel for the
church parking lot; this month, when I returned to pay for one more finishing load of
gravel, they proceeded to donate that load as well! The LORD took a project that
could have cost us more than $3,000 to costing us in total about $300.
Thank you for your prayers. May the LORD bless you!
Praises:
1. Safe delivery of Elaina Leetia
2. Provision of needs for church
building
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Oct. 7, ’15
27 F (-3 C)
Wind Chill 16 F (-9 C)
Sunrise 6:58 a.m.
Sunset 5:46 p.m.
Prayer Requests:
1. Loretta’s recovery and Elaina’s growth
2. Building projects and final inspection
3. Grand Opening service on Nov. 15.
Baffin Island
ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ
Hitz Family
August - September
2015
Our summer was delayed this year, but we are rejoicing to have had several days in
September that were sunny and in the mid to upper 40’s! This may seem like
nothing to celebrate, but for where we live, this is considered really nice weather. 
The past two months have been very busy as we are very nearly done with all the
different renovation projects on the church building.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
In summer news, our intern, Gage Gilbert, returned to the States in July and has now
started his senior year at Ambassador Baptist College. He was a tremendous help to
us here. Please pray for Gage as he finishes his college degree and pursues the next
steps the LORD has for him. Emily Peacock's parents have been visiting for several
weeks, and her father, Pastor Don Barth, has been a great help with the building
projects. Yesterday, the Peacocks joyfully welcomed their little boy, Isaac, and
Loretta is due in about two weeks. Your prayers for her and the baby are
appreciated. We still do not know what gender we are having so that adds a nice bit
of excitement to our waiting!
Our Sunday and Wednesday services continue to go well with a steady number of
people attending, and an occasional first-time visitor. Out of necessity, the building
project has taken a majority of our time, but even with the busyness, God continues
to provide opportunities to visit with and share the Gospel with people on a regular
basis. We are reminded often that this is the LORD’s work and that HE will build
HIS church.
One of the last projects for the church is the parking area at the back of the building.
With needing a lot of gravel to fill in and level the area, I went to the few local
business that sell gravel. When asked for a quote, one of the contractors said, “I’m
in a giving mood today….” and proceeded to commit to give us a 20-cubic-meter
truck of gravel for free – in case you are not sure how much 20 cubic meters of
gravel is… it’s a LOT of gravel, and about a third of what we need. Praise the
LORD for His provision!
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Sept. 8, ’15
46 F (8 C)
Sunrise 5:36 a.m.
Sunset 7:27 p.m.
As the building projects come to end, we are now making specific plans for a grand
opening service to dedicate the church building. LORD willing, we have scheduled
November 15 for the grand opening. We have invitation cards on order with which
Thad and I will be able to soon start canvassing the community. Please keep this
special service in prayer.
Paul J., Loretta, Paul Jon, Kenny, Micah, Josiah, Julia, MaryBeth, and Baby Hitz
Praises:
1. Safe delivery of baby Isaac.
2. Good attendance in church services
3. Provision of needs for church
building
Prayer Requests:
1. Baby Hitz due in two weeks.
2. Summer building projects.
3. Grand Opening service on Nov. 15.
Hitz Family
July
ᔪᓚᐃ
2015
Hello again from the far north! Summer has arrived on the calendar, but the weather
in our area has been mostly cloudy, rainy, and foggy for the past few weeks.
Normally, the bay would be free of ice and the first ships already arrived, but with
the temperatures remaining in the mid 30’s F (3 to 5 C), summer has been extremely
slow to come.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
The trip Gage and I took to Cape Dorset went very well. We were delayed a day
going in and coming out because of fog. Life in these small communities is a totally
different world from America, and even from Iqaluit. Not a lot happens in town and
each day is different from the other by the success or failure of hunting and fishing,
the ability or inability of the small planes to make it in with supplies, and so on.
I wish you all could have sat around the kitchen table with three young boys at our
host’s house in Cape Dorset. I asked these boys if they knew where we all came
from. They said no. I then asked them if they knew who the first two people were
that God made. They looked at me with blank stares. They did not even know the
names of Adam and Eve. Gage and I also talked to a group of young men who were
very friendly to us. The guys were randomly asking each other for a cigarette. I
asked them if they knew any other young men in town that did NOT smoke. Most
said no, but one young man said that he knew of one friend who didn’t smoke.
There is SUCH a tremendous need for solid churches to be planted in these small
communities. In Cape Dorset a small group of people seem to have a desire for
God’s Word, yet we do not know how much willingness there is to be taught, and
even more challenging is HOW to have a long-term ministry in such isolated places
with limited resources (humanly speaking). Please pray that God would send more
laborers and that those laborers would respond with obedience and faith.
The ministry in Iqaluit continues to press on. We hope to have our building
completed by the fall. In the past month, we have had several very full Sunday
services, for which we praise the LORD. People are hearing the Word and we trust
the LORD for the salvation of souls and the firm establishment of the church in
God’s timing.
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: July 1, ’15
35 F (3 C)
Sunrise 2:34 a.m.
Sunset 11:27 p.m.
Our intern, Gage Gilbert, is doing well and being a great help to the ministry here.
He will be heading home in less than two weeks. The time has gone quickly and we
are very thankful for his coming and his contribution to the ministry here. For your
enjoyment, I have attached two pages of photos from our ministry trip.
Christ’s for the Arctic,
Praises:
1. A blessed and safe trip to
Cape Dorset
2. Baby due in the Fall
3. Good attendance in
church services
Prayer Requests:
1. Baby Hitz due in early October
2. Baby Boy Peacock due beginning of Sept.
3. Summer building projects and timely arrival of
construction materials by sealift.
4. The remainder of Gage’s internship.
Cape Dorset – 1,400 People, 80% Inuit Population
It is summer in Cape Dorset and the sun is up nearly 24 hours.
The ice was still several feet thick on the inlet. Gage was ice fishing in a seal breathing hole.
Missionaries in the North truly do walk on water!
Enjoying the Land
Making Friends:
Hitz Family
March - May
ᒫᑦᓯᒥᑦ - ᒪᐃᒧᑦ
2015
Spring has finally come to the far north! We returned to Iqaluit on April 9 and found
that the winter we missed in Nunavut was one of the coldest in many, many years.
After having been gone for so many months, we quickly realized that we needed to
do some reverse acclimation back into the cold! Now, with spring in full force, the
roads are clear of snow and ice and there are many patches of ground (mostly dirt)
that are emerging from the long hold of winter. It will be June before all the snow is
gone and July before the bay breaks free of ice.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
With returning to Baffin Island, we have been blessed to reconnect with many of the
folks here. Under Pastor Thad’s leadership, our core group has continued coming to
church and growing in knowledge of God’s Word. There have been a number of
new visitors to church and we are continuing to pursue relationships with these
people.
We have the exciting announcement that God is blessing our home with another
child! Loretta is due in late September. Please pray for her and this little blessing.
Our ultrasound revealed that the baby seems healthy, for which we are thankful; but
it seems that our little one wants to surprise us, so we will have to wait to find out if
it is a boy or girl. Our co-workers, who have five little girls, are also expecting in the
beginning of September – and it is a BOY! Hopefully come Fall we’ll still have one
piano player between the two ladies. 
A long-time prayer and desire has been that I would be able to acquire a
snowmobile. Since returning to Iqaluit, we found a used snowmobile in good
condition for a very reasonable price. Now that Thad and I both have a snowmobile,
our dream of snowmobiling to our nearest neighboring community - about 80 miles
as the crow flies - looks much closer to reality.
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: May 12, ’15
19 F (-8 C)
Windchill 3 F (-16 C)
Sunrise 3:34 a.m.
Sunset 9:27 p.m.
This summer promises to be busy with the coming of an intern for the months of
June and July. Gage Gilbert, a Bible College student, will be doing his missions
internship with us. Much planning and preparing has gone into his time with us and
we have many plans. LORD willing, we’ll be doing a lot of finishing work on the
church building and property, conducting a two-month beginners’ Inuktitut class,
doing multiple vehicle maintenance and repair jobs, taking a ministry trip to one of
our neighboring communities, and more. There is much physical work to be done,
but most of all we desire a spiritual work to be accomplished in our lives and in the
lives of the people here. Thank you for your faithful continuance in prayer for us.
Praises:
1. A blessed and safe
furlough
2. Baby due in the Fall
3. Good attendance in
church services
Prayer Requests:
1. Baby Hitz due in late Sept.
2. Baby Boy Peacock due beginning of Sept.
3. Summer building projects and timely arrival of
construction materials by sealift.
4. A blessed summer with our intern.
Hitz Family
December-February
ᑎᓯᐱᕆ-ᕖᕗᐊᕆ
2015
The end of the year came quickly and we have many blessings to thank our LORD for in this past
year. The last couple of months of furlough traveling have been eventful and busy. As most already
know, our vehicle was broken into about two months ago and many of our personal items and
important documents were stolen. We are still working at replacing the last of the stolen documents
and appreciate your ongoing prayer during this tedious process. Through the gracious giving of
God’s people, our financial losses have all been recovered. Praise the LORD! Thank you to each
individual and church who gave to us. Although none of our stolen items have been recovered, we
have been able to replace many of the items and ID's.
We continue to enjoy the many opportunities to reconnect with churches and friends along the way.
Some of the folks we have not seen for over five years. What an encouragement and blessing to visit
with believers and be told that our prayer letters are being read and that we have been prayed for!
The ministry in Iqaluit continues to go well with Thad and Emily doing a great job. We have been
encouraged to hear of the “core group” remaining faithful to services and visitors coming as well.
Please pray for the fledgling ministry in Iqaluit that God would enlighten eyes to the truth of the
Gospel - that people would be saved, matured in the Word, and glorifying God in the establishment
of a local church.
With our furlough ending in a little over two months, we have already begun the long process of
saying goodbye. Our Grandparents are in their late 80's, and we are reminded that some goodbye's
may be the last for a long time. There are many “goodbye's” in the life of a missionary, but because
of Christ, our “goodbye's” are filled with HOPE.
We have a very important prayer request to share. Lord willing, on Feb. 3 (TOMORROW), we
are intending to cross the border into Canada to claim our permanent residency. With having lost
some of our ID's and replacing them, some complications may arise with our border crossing. Please
pray for God's direction. After claiming our permanent residence, we are intending to return to the
States for about 7 more weeks of meetings before returning to Baffin Island.
May God richly bless you in your service to Him!
Paul J., Loretta, Paul Jon, Kenny, Micah, Josiah, Julia, and MaryBeth Hitz
Baffin Bits:
Feb. 2, 2015
-11 F
(windchill -41)
Sunrise: 8:10am
Sunset: 3:25pm
1.
2.
3.
4.
Prayer Requests:
Border crossing Feb. 3rd
Health and safety
Timely recovery of stolen ID’s
More laborers for the far north
Praises:
1. Good meetings
2. Time spent with family and friends
3. God’s continued working in Iqaluit
Hitz Family
October
ᐅᑐᐱᕆ
2014
The months prior to our furlough were full as we tried to get a lot done on the
exterior of our building and make final preparations for leaving. The exterior
painting will have to wait until next July/August but at least we got the new siding
on before winter. The summers up north are so short that usually one will get only a
few weeks in which the weather is favorable for painting outdoors.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
During our absence, the LORD has continued His work in people’s lives in Iqaluit.
We hear reports of more progress on the building, lots of snow, and visitors
attending the services. Thad and Emily Peacock are doing a great job holding the
fort and continuing the ministry.
We are now in the States on furlough, enjoying the warm weather and catching up
with so many of you. A big answer to prayer is that we were able to acquire a 12passenger van for our travels. It has made the challenge of traveling with six
children even more pleasant. We greatly appreciate your prayers for our safety as we
travel across the country. Multiple sicknesses have gone through the family and a
couple of the children are sick as I write. It has been interesting to experience a bit
of reverse culture shock with some hot weather, bustling cities crawling with people,
endless miles of roadways, fast food everywhere, and huge stores with infinite
variety! A special treat is that we have already been able to spend quality time with
most of Loretta’s family and introduce them to our three youngest children. These
are precious times and we thank the LORD for the reunions. How wonderful heaven
will be when we are eternally reunited with our dear friends and family!
We have been encouraged thus far with the opportunities to update and reconnect
with our supporting churches. What a blessing it has been, as we have traveled from
church to church, to hear from so many that they have been faithfully praying for us
and the ministry in Iqaluit. Thank you for your prayers. We look forward to seeing
many more of you in the coming months.
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Nov. 7, ’14
24 F (-4 C)
Sunrise 7:33 a.m.
Sunset 3:02 p.m.
Praises:
1. Safety in Traveling
2. Provision of Vehicle
3. God’s working in
people’s hearts
Prayer Requests:
1. Good health for family while traveling
2. Safety while traveling
3. More laborers for the far north
Hitz Family
June-July
ᔫᓂᒥᑦ ᔪᓚᐃᒧᑦ
2014
Summer has finally come to Iqaluit with the temperatures occasionally surpassing
50 F (10 C)! The bay is still locked in but the ice should break very soon. Now that
summer has arrived, mosquitoes have arrived in full force. When we took the kids
out for a campfire recently, little Josiah got ten bites on his forehead!
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
The past couple of months have been exciting times for our family as we enjoyed
Loretta’s mom being with us for a couple of weeks and the birth of our second
daughter, MaryBeth Asita (Esther) Hitz. She is a sweet little girl and all of her
siblings love her to death. Shortly after bringing MaryBeth home, our three-year-old
asked, "Are we going to keep her?"
It has been neat to see the Lord continuing to work in people's lives here. Since our
great Easter service a couple of months ago, we have had repeat visits and one
family has been coming faithfully to church for a month. With the warmer weather,
people are outdoors more and this gives us many more opportunities to build
relationships. The Lord has reminded us that this is His work and we are excited to
see Him do the working in hearts.
We have done a lot of spring cleaning work on the church property and are making
preparations for the summer building projects. Please pray with us as we have much
to accomplish before our family leaves on furlough. The building projects for the
summer are to build a 30-foot handicap access ramp to the church, fix the front
porch and build a cold porch, and to re-side and paint the exterior of the building.
Along with the building projects, we also will be busy with some updating and
expanding of the church's Inuktitut and English hymnal, continued ministry to the
locals, and finishing preparations to leave for furlough.
A specific prayer request we have is the need to acquire a vehicle for our furlough
travels. We are on the lookout for a 12-passenger van to purchase. If anyone knows
of a vehicle for sale, we would appreciate the notice. Thank you for praying with us.
We will be heading to the States at the end of August and this flight will be a real
adventure. There are 8 of us flying but only 2 are over the age of 7! It will be a lot of
fun ... smiling back at all the stares and joyfully answering "Yes!" to the steady
stream of "Are they all yours?" questions.
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: July 5, ’14
45 F (7 C)
Sunrise 2:28 a.m.
Sunset 10:49 p.m.
Praises:
1. Loretta’s and
MaryBeth’s health
2. Provision of building
materials
3. God’s working in
people’s hearts
Prayer Requests:
1. Exterior building projects and timely arrival of
materials by boat.
2. Furlough Plans
3. Purchase of van for travel
Hitz Family
May -
ᒪᐃ
2014
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: May 1, ’14
26 F (-4 C)
Sunrise 4:10 a.m.
Sunset 8:53 p.m.
The past two months have been busy and blessed. Bro. Thad and I have continued
to finish up some last interior projects in the church building and to make plans for
this summer’s work on the exterior. The weather is getting warmer and this week it
is forecasted to get above freezing for the first time in about six months. The snow
has started to melt and the days are getting long. It is Spring!
Our Inuktitut class in March went extremely well. Not only did we learn a lot, but
we also made some good contacts for the future. While we wish there were more
of these kind of classes available, we are thankful for whatever we can get. Thank
you to everyone who prayed for us.
Loretta’s due date is May 18 - less than 3 weeks away! Praise the LORD that
everything has gone well. There are going to be five very excited Hitz kids when
this baby is born. 
Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is a special day in Nunavut communities and many
folks go to church who might not go any other day of the year. This year, we
planned a special day with a dinner after our church service. We invited most of
our friends and prayed much that God would bring them out to hear the Gospel.
God answered prayer in a great way and we had 29 people come to the service;
with our two families, that made 43 people total in our new building - what a
blessing to see God bring people in! There where three family units that came,
which was wonderful to see, as well as many first time visitors; everyone seemed
to have a good time. Please pray with us that these families would become saved
and dedicated to the Lord.
Now that it is May, our attention is turned to the summer projects on the church
building. Please pray with us as we seek to acquire the remaining building materials
for the exterior of the building. I have spoken with a couple of local contractors and
there may be willingness to help us get the rest of the materials from their stock.
Our furlough starts in September and we are excited to get to fellowship with you
all soon. As we attempt to finalize our schedule, we will be contacting the rest of
our supporting churches soon. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Paul J., Loretta, Paul Jon, Kenny, Micah, Josiah, Julia, and Baby Hitz
Praises:
1. Good Inuktitut classes
2. Tremendous turn out for
Easter service
Prayer Requests:
1. Loretta’s and baby’s health
2. Exterior building projects
3. Furlough Plans
Hitz Family
March -
ᒫᑦᓯ
2014
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: March 4, ’14
-7 F
(windchill -36)
Sunrise 6:31 a.m.
Sunset 5:00 p.m.
Below are photos from
our trip up island
The month of February was packed with adventure for me and Bro. Thad as we
took a ministry trip to two northern communities on Baffin Island, Qikiqtarjuaq and
Pangnirtung. The community of Qikiqtarjuaq (pronounced key-kick-tar-jew-awk) is
above the arctic circle and home to about 500 souls, and Pangnirtung has about
1500 souls. This being my second time there, the LORD gave wonderful
opportunities to reunite with old friends and make many new ones. Though I am
still learning, I was able to communicate quite a bit in Inuktitut, which opened
many doors of friendship. I also got to eat a lot of local foods such as caribou,
igunaq (aged walrus meat and fat), arctic char, clams, mattaaq (narwhal skin and
fat), and even a sea urchin! All of these meats were eaten “traditionally” (which
means raw and frozen) except for the clams – they were boiled - and the sea urchin
was cracked open and eaten raw. I can honestly say that I enjoyed eating
everything, except the igunaq which was very strongly flavored.
During the trip, God allowed us to speak of the Lord to many people. It is always a
blessing and privilege to share the truths of the Gospel and watch people respond
to it. We view the trip as a “planting” and “watering” time and we trust the Lord
for the increase in His time. Most people come through Iqaluit on their way out of
these two communities, and several expressed interest in visiting us next time they
come through.
We are now back to life and ministry in Iqaluit. The church plant continues on and
we praise the LORD for several first-time visitors in the past couple of weeks. God
has provided for Loretta and I to take an intensive two-week block course in
Inuktitut. The classes are three hours a day of total immersion – no English
allowed! We are thoroughly enjoying it and finding it very beneficial.
Our furlough starts in September and we appreciate your prayers as we make
plans. We are excited at the prospect of getting to see many of you!
Northern Lights
Praises:
1. Long-awaited language
class
2. Great trip up the island
3. Safety of families while
husbands were away
Mountains near
Qikiqtarjuaq
1.
2.
3.
4.
Prayer Requests:
Language class
Loretta’s and baby’s health
Exterior building projects
Furlough Plans
Hitz Family
Janauary - February
ᔮᓄᐊᕆᒥᑦ ᕖᕗᐊᕆᒧᑦ
2014
The Christmas season was a blessed time for us in Iqaluit as we had several visitors:
Loretta’s cousin and Emily Peacock’s parents and sister were here and we all
enjoyed fellowshipping together. We also had a church Christmas party and dinner
following our Sunday morning service and we were thrilled to see so many of our
friends come out. The LORD gave liberty and the Gospel was boldly preached.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
Bro. Thad and I have continued to finish up projects on the inside of the church
building. Last week we built a small platform and plan to soon build a pulpit.
Thankfully, nearly all the interior work is done; however, we still need to finish the
exterior of the building this summer.This includes re-siding the exterior, building a
handycap access ramp and a cold porch, and resupporting the front deck. Please
pray with us as we seek to finish up these projects.
God has given a great opportunity for me and Bro. Thad to take a ministry trip to a
couple of communities north of Iqaluit on Baffin Island. Last year, I went to
Qikiqtarjuaq (pronounced key-kick-tar-jew-awk) and Pangnirtung with supporting
pastor, Paul Timmerman. Having received welcome to return, I will be going up
alone on Feb. 12, and Bro. Thad will conduct the church services in Iqaluit, then join
me for the remainder of the trip. Please pray with us that God would open doors of
ministry in these communities. There is much need for the Gospel in the far north
and the laborers are few.
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Feb. 10, ’14
-17 F
(windchill -39)
Sunrise 7:45 a.m.
Sunset 3:52 p.m.
Below is a photo from
our Christmas party at
the church building.
We have attached a
full size file of this
photo in the e-mail.
We are praising the LORD for an opportunity to further our language skills: in
March, a two-week intensive Inuktitut course is being offered, for which we have
waited more than two years. A young lady from Loretta’s home church will be
coming up to help with our children as Loretta and I plan to attend the classes
together.
We have two big developments on the home front. First, we are planning to take a
furlough this fall and winter. Pastors, if you would like for us to be with you at a
certain time from September through February, please communicate with us and
we will try to work it out. Secondly, we are joyfully announcing that Loretta is
expecting our sixth child! We recently found out that it is a girl, about which her
older brothers are very excited. We thank the LORD for this great blessing! Please
pray for our little girl and for Loretta as she carries her.
Praises:
Prayer Requests:
1. Baby girl due in May
1. Loretta’s and baby’s health
2. Continued progress on
2. Feb. 12-20 trip to Qikiqtarjuaq and Pangnirtung
building project
3. Language class
3. Long-awaited language class
4. Exterior building projects
Hitz Family
December – ᑎᓯᐱᕆ
2013
So much has happened over the past two months, truly, the past six months that it is
difficult to choose which parts to relay. This year has been our busiest by far but we
are thankful to have made it to this point and to be able to look back at what has
been accomplished.
Baptist Church
704-718-8239
Points North
Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 977
pnbm.org
Contact Us:
P.O. Box 11374
Iqaluit, NU X0A 1H0
CANADA
867-979-4852
[email protected]
BAFFIN BITS:
ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE
Iqaluit: Dec. 12, ’13
-16 F
(windchill -43)
Sunrise 9:12 a.m.
Sunset 1:44 p.m.
In the e-mail there is a
photo attached of our
first Sunday service at
the church building.
In October we had a two-man work crew with us for four weeks and we were able
to get the bulk of the interior of the building renovation complete along with the
help of Frank Kelly from Yellowknife who finished up the remainder of the
electrical work. In November we had our friend and fellow Nunavut Baptist church
planter, Nathan Jones, fly over from Rankin Inlet to help as well. On November 12,
our family moved into the building!
We had our first Sunday service on November 15 and we had a good turnout (see
attached photo in the e-mail). For the past few weeks once we moved into the
building, Thad and I have been working on several unfinished projects in the church
side of the building as well as the house side. We are staying busy with these
projects but it has been nice to slow down on the building side of the ministry.
Over the past few months, God has brought some new people into our sphere of
influence as well as deepened some existing relationships. Our ministry team has
had expanding opportunities to befriend some very needy people. Paul has also
been having a regular Bible study with a young adult man. Though we have seen no
fruit resulting in a profession of faith in Christ, we are encouraged to see God’s
Word being presented and explained.
The personal details of these different situations are too delicate to publish in our
age of easy access of information. So, although we do not give you the specific
names of individuals or tell you the heartbreaking and often desperate situations
people are in, we do ask you to pray for these people … and pray for our two
families up here that we would have wisdom and grace on a daily basis. There is a
lot at stake and we are in great need of your prayers. The longer we are here the
more we see God open doors into people’s lives, but these opportunities do not
come without accompanying difficulties.
With Canadian Thanksgiving we enjoyed having a number of local friends over for
dinner. We are now planning our church’s Christmas party and we ask you to pray
that we would see many people come to it and that the Gospel would be
understood by those who hear. May the LORD richly bless you all.
Paul J., Loretta, Paul Jon, Kenny, Micah, Josiah, and Julia Hitz
Praises:
1. Move into building
2. Good first services in building
3. Provision of needs
Prayer Requests:
1. Church Christmas party
2. People to whom we are ministering
3. Language studies

1/01/15 - Open Door Baptist Church

Transcription

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