TFF Update

We wanted to update you all on a few things that have been happening here. We asked some of you to pray about some red tape problems. So far nothing has interfered with our clubs, but we do have 2 more to set up for this Fall. We had our first before school prayer time at Noah's middle school. About 30 students gathered in the library. We have just enough time to share a verse and take a few requests. Then we prayed before the bell rang. We are planning this on a weekly basis.

Our new MOPS program starts on Tuesday(Oct 12). We already have 5 moms committed. Please pray as we begin this program. Adam and have also been talking about trying MOPS again in Scott Co. As we were discussing it, we received a call from the resource person from Oneida Special School District. She works with needy families. She asked if she could put the MOPS program in the monthly newsletter. We will see if there is any interest.

The new Children's ministry we are leading at a local church has also been bearing fruit! We have about 75 kids ages 4 - teen. On the 2nd night, 12 went upfront to receive Christ. What a Blessing!! God has opened some new doors for us. Pray with us that we keep a balance,and meet the needs of our children. They are the most important ministry we have. Noah and Josiah's soccer teams are undefeated with only a few games to go. And we have officially bought our last pack of diapers. Yeah!!

yuiuyhf5t Emily signing out for the Fladie's

Springing into Ministry - on the Go

As most of you know Spring brings — yep — Spring Training — it also brings Soccer for the boys. Sometimes after practice or a game we stop at McDonald’s for a quick bite. That sometimes brings ministry opportunities. We would like to share how the Lord is working through us to make a difference as we meet former students. Here’s an example of one of those times:

Not much time goes by when a former student from one of our Campus Link Bible Clubs (which use to reach out to 3,200 students a month) comes up to us at Walmart, various local events, or somewhere and says:

• “Hey, aren’t you that preacher guy?”
• "Hey, aren’t you the one that comes and teaches the Bible at our school?”
• “Hey, you’re the Bible Man.”
• And so on…

No matter what they ask or say, it’s a wonderful feeling to be known as someone who shares the Word of God and has touched their lives in some way.

I would like to share about a contact with one such student at our local McDonald’s. Becky and I were sitting at a table outdoors eating our dinner while our three children were playing on the playground. There was a young man who began mopping the tiles around the nearby tables. As he did he noticed us and asked, “Aren’t you the preacher that came to my school?” “Which school did you go to?” we replied. As the conversation continued we found out that he was a student we had in elementary school and is now a freshman at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. Well, if that didn’t make us feel older. When we asked him why Chattanooga and not Knoxville (which is much closer), he said that honestly he wasn’t a UT fan (a Tennessean that’s not a UT fan? They exist?).

As we continued to talk with him and finish our meal, another student came up and began talking him. After a couple of minutes the second student realized who we were and said, “You come to my church.” I agreed and realized he was also a former camper at Galilee Bible Camp.

This is just one example of many, and as those contacts and opportunities continue to show up, we not only realize that those students have grown but so have we, because of them.

Touching lives—that is part of what being a missionary of AMF, and more importantly a servant for the Lord, is all about.

Kids' Korner

Spring Training (well actually May 8^th) will also begin again for Noah as he begins his first season of Little League Baseball. He still loves to play soccer but he is already excitedly anticipating the start (and Daddy too).

Noah and Josiah were both excited to get 2^nd place with their projects in their school science fair. They both moved onto the county level and each received a certificate of participation.

Josiah is also in a stage he will most likely never grow out of. I know I haven’t—even at my age and don’t plan to. Before you continue to worry anymore about what it is—it’s playing with Lego pieces. To build, create, imagine… ah...the life of a boy.

As for Emily, she loves being outdoors. She likes to watch birds and help Mommy do yard work. She loves to spend time with her brothers. She is also talking a lot more.

We are truly blessed with the “Little Ones” God has given us!

Spring Sprung?

Now the title of this article is not to be confused with a “Sprung Spring” — meaning a defective piece of coiled wire. Although I must say, even though Spring started three days ago, we did have sleet turning into snow flurries this morning. However, Spring has not sprung in the defective sense.

In fact, when we think of Spring, we think of new beginnings. Daffodils and other flowers begin to blossom. Trees begin pushing out new buds. The birds begin the sounds of the season — and so on.

For us it begins to “Spring” the start of some new things as well. Our Spring ministries have started at Galilee Bible Camp (GBC), including a new Quilting Retreat. It has sprung and blossomed along with our regular Spring ministries:

• Scrapbooking Retreat
• Ladies Retreat
• Men’s Outdoor Weekend
• Teen Retreat
• Super Saturday
• And More…

Our regular campus ministries are continuing to blossom as well. We have also been able to change our teen group into a weekly Bible club.

Here is an excerpt that Becky wrote for our AMF Monthly Report:

“What is the state of teens in the Southern part of the “Bible Belt”?

We have been ministering in TN for over nine years now, and I am still surprised at the lack of Bible knowledge. I was teaching a Bible lesson on the early life and temptation of Jesus. When asked who John the Baptist was, no one knew.

When I mentioned the Christmas story as an introduction, someone asked if that was the movie with…in it. They did not know why Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt or what happened to the boys two years and younger. They did know about Adam, Eve and the “apple”. But as we talked about the temptation of Jesus, some of their eyes were opened. We were talking about some of the temptations they, as teens, might encounter. One boy looked surprised and said, “Cheating is wrong, I do that all the time.” Later he asked if smoking was wrong.”

This was the first lesson in that new weekly Bible Club for teens.

As God provides, we pray that more opportunities continue to “Spring Up” and that His Word will go forth into their lives.

Let It Snow!!!

As I write this, the weather alert is on the computer screen. More snow is coming (and is here). The kids have really enjoyed all the snow this winter. We had some in PA and NY as we visited family for the holidays. It just added to the Christmas spirit. We drove home in it. After Adam and I returned from the Children’s Pastor’s Conference in Nashville, the boys had a few days off from school because of snow. They have been off seven out of the last eight days of school for about 7-8 inches.

We all had fun sledding. Even Emily enjoyed riding down the hill, although she could not walk in the deep snow. At one point we counted over 30 people on the sledding hill. That beats TV and video games any day!

The snow has interfered only a little bit with our Bible Club schedule. We are teaching Jesus’ parables and leading into Easter. Our Huntsville Club averages around 15 students while the ones at Boys and Girls Club hit 60-70. We thank God for these wonderful opportunities!

Even while we are waiting to see if school will be closed again, we are looking ahead toward camp. It is time to start planning and gathering staff. Please be in prayer for us as we do this. We have three retreats and a weeklong work team in March. We are jumping right in!

Also pray for us as Adam works with the Home Office as the Mission continues to adjust to the changing times.

And praise God with us for our many blessings! Other than a few colds, our children are healthy and growing. God continues to meet our needs in amazing ways!

We serve a wonderful God!

In His service,

The Fladies

Our Three Gifts Under the Tree

Greetings from cold, wet Tennessee!! We hope this message finds you Surrounded in the gifts of the Season: Hope, Love, Peace, Joy, Family and Friends. Our tree is up, our programs are almost done, and we have been enjoying all that Christmas brings: the sights, the sounds and the tastes. Emily got involved in decorating the tree this year, but she is a creature of habit. When we stepped back to look at the tree, there was one very low branch we with 5 or 6 ornaments on it. And she also walks around the house with an open book, any book, and sings her own little songs. And the boys are excited about their Christmas parties. Josiah gets to wear his PJ’s to school and have a Polar Express Party. Noah is at the age where anything with his friends is fun.

We have our last two Christmas lessons Wednesday and Thursday. We have been talking about the Christmas Story and what God wants for Christmas. The children were surprised to hear that God wants a Christmas present from us. He wants our lives given back to Him in obedience and love.

Then on Friday the adventure begins as we start our Christmas vacation. We will be in PA for Christmas and NY for New Year’s. And, YES, we are hoping for snow!! So we wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Blessed Christmas. May you overflow with the true gifts of the Day!!

With Love,

The Fladie Family

May you thank God for His gifts as you celebrate this Thanksgiving!

We are in the midst of our Thanksgiving lessons. We are telling the story of the first Thanksgiving. When the Puritans celebrated they put 5 grains of corn on each person’s plate to remind them of when that was all they had to eat that first winter. These kernels also stood for 5 things to be thankful for. Here are our 5!

1. God has provided a wonderful home for us to enjoy! We even had fun playing in the piles of leaves as we raked and mowed our almost 1 acre of property. We love being out of town and enjoy a variety of visitors: an assortment of birds, a family of white-tailed deer, a grey fox, and even a couple of skunks.

2. God continues to provide for our needs!

3. We have all remained healthy so far this season!

4. God continues to give us opportunities to minister and serve Him!

5. We are thankful for God’s involvement in our lives and the promises He gives us through His word! Verses like Jeremiah 33:3 and 29:11 are very dear to us. We must remember that “ He who Promised is Faithful.”

At the end of our lesson, we tell the children that not all Americans thank God on Thanksgiving anymore. As Paul says, “May it never be!” I pray that we will always thank God for the many blessings that He gives us.

May you thank God for His gifts as you celebrate this Thanksgiving!

TFF Update

We hope this finds everyone well. The boys are settled into school and Emily has found a comfortable routine. She naps from 10 AM – 1 PM, and when the boys come home she is right where they are. We have all enjoyed the quieter pace these past few weeks. But we know, in ministry, quietness does not last long. By the end of this month we will be teaching six different Bible Clubs, some with multiple classes. We will also be coaching soccer. Fall ministries will be in full swing at camp and the MOPS Program will begin. Life will go back to its crazy, enjoyable busyness. Pray for God’s strength and guidance until our next lull around Christmas time.

TFF Update

Adam and I are getting reorganized from the summer and gearing up for the start of our fall ministries. We are enjoying our home and yard very much.Well, the kids are settled into school. Noah is loving 4th grade. he has a good teacher and a lot of friends in his class. He is also getting more independent. Josiah is doing well, but does not have the love for school that Noah does. He often asks how many more days of school until Saturday. Emily is fitting into her own routine, but lights up when the boys come home. She is in the school of toddlerhood.

It's Official!!! & Summer's Here!!!

IT’S OFFICIAL!!!

Noah has received his 3^rd grade report card, Josiah graduated from Pre-school, and Emily, not to be left out, graduated from a crawler to a walker.

SUMMER’S HERE!!!

We jump right in with camp the first two weeks of June –

· June 1-3 Wilderness Camp (Girls)

· June 8-13 Sr. High Camp

We will have a few quieter weeks before we are back at camp July 6^th.

We’ll write more then.