Glacier National Park

Friday morning we returned to the Bergstrom home, and Jonathan, Andrew, Abigail and Anna Bergstrom joined us for a day at Glacier National Park. Pastor Schrepfer had given us some suggestions of things to see at the park and his list of favorites helped us get the most out of our visit. We got to stop at several waterfalls and hiking trails and even made it through the snow to the Hidden Lake. We had a wonderful day, and we are so thankful for the opportunity that the Lord has given us again to enjoy our wonderful country.

Valley Baptist Church

Eureka, MT
Pastor Matt Schrepfer


Upon arriving at the church we were greeted by Pastor Schrepfer. He and his wife started the church around 2 years ago out of their own home and now hold services in their renovated garage. It's great to see how the church has grown and they have several faithful families who are seeking to grow in the Lord. After the service, we enjoyed the food and fellowship with the church. We especially enjoyed talking with Amber and Ashley, two sisters who are both praying about going to Bible college. This is a young church that is setting out to do great things for the Lord. We are grateful for their dedication to the Lord and good witness for Him in the community.

A new trio!

Grace Baptist Church

Columbia Falls, MT
Pastor Don Bergstrom

Grace Baptist church is situated in one of the most beautiful areas that we have seen while we've been in Montana. The Pastor and his family enjoy the most beautiful view out of their back windows of the mountains and a gorgeous grassy field with horses grazing in it. When we first met the Pastor and his family we were impressed with the Christ - like spirit of the whole family. They are a very ministry minded family. There us a young lady named Andrea living with them that became a Christian while listening to some street preachers in California. When Andrea moved to Montana she was struggling with trying to find the right church when Lisa, the pastor's daughter, invited her to Grace Baptist. It was exciting for us to see Andrea's desire to serve the Lord. She is now the children's Sunday school teacher at the church, and growing quickly in the Lord as a result of the Bergstrom Family. We have fallen in love with this sweet family. During the service we felt so welcomed into the church just by the friendly faces of the congregation! The people were eager to talk to us after the service, and fed us some refreshments. Later that evening we sat down with the family and had lots of fun talking with them and playing with their children. It has been so exciting to see how the Lord is using this family.

Seeley Lake Baptist Church

Seeley Lake, MT
Pastor Bill Bogardus

On our journey to Seeley Lake today, we made a very important stop. As we passed through Missoula, MT we stopped at the last Cracker Barrell in the Northwest. We have missed good southern cooking and have not seen a Cracker Barrell in two months. We were all very excited to be somewhere that felt so much like home.

We were greeted at the church by Pastor and Mrs. Bogardus, who helped us to settle in at their home. The service went great and we enjoyed meeting the families of the church. After the service, we had a meal with some of the church, followed by a highly competitive basketball game with the kids.
Wednesday morning, Mrs. Bogardus prepared a wonderful breakfast and sack lunch for us before we headed on our journey. On our way to the next town, we stopped at Holland Lake and hiked up to a waterfall and lookout over the lake. The Lord gave us a great stop in Seeley Lake and we are grateful for his continued blessings on us.

Faith Baptist Church

Spokane, WA

Pastor Greg Boyle

We have heard many great things about this ministry in Spokane and were excited to visit. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet Pastor Boyle and his wife as they were traveling in Germany, but we were warmly welcomed by the congregation and their assistant Pastor, Bro. Donnley. We also met some Crown students and alumni as well. Jake and Amy Burkholder, who are Pastor Boyle's son-in-law and daughter, are now serving in this church. It is also home to Alysha Cunning, who just returned home from a year at Crown Southwest. Her brother, Andrew is also planning on attending Crown in the fall as a freshman. After the service we enjoyed eating at a cozy diner with the Donnley's and Burkholder's. It was so good to have been with these people who have such a heart for the work of the Lord.

Clark Fork Baptist Church

Clark Fork, ID

Pastor Eric Lamphere

This Independence Day weekend, we were with Crown graduate Pastor Eric Lamphere. Pastor Eric first traveled in this area with the New Testament Church Pioneers and returned to take this church after he graduated in 2007. On Friday, we joined the church for a barbecue and helped make a float for the 4^th of July parade. The float was decorated along with the theme of their upcoming Vacation Bible Club and we helped pass out water and candy with tracts and information about VBS. We had a great 4^th with the Lampheres, walking in the parade and enjoying some late night fireworks.

Sunday morning we helped in the Sunday School rally time, the Teen class, and a primary class. We sang during the morning service and Bro. Derrick preached a convicting sermon from I Samuel 15 on being little in your own eyes. We really enjoyed our holiday weekend with this loving church and are so grateful for the kindness and generosity of the Lampheres and all who made us food and provided us with a place to stay. It really was a memorable 4^th and we thank God for his continued blessing on our group and safety in travelling.

Victory Bapist Church

Sagle, ID
Pastor Jerry Favor

As we came into town, we were greeted by Pastor and Mrs. Favor and were soon made to feel quite welcome. We followed them to their house way out in the wilderness on a mountain and the pastor led us to a cabin further up where us girls were going to stay. It was a charming rustic cabin with a gorgeous view of a lake and the mountains surrounding it. We were so excited about staying there, though we were warned about aggressive moose.
We had a very good service with Victory Baptist Church and met several friendly families. The Pastor and his wife has ten children and other families in the church were quite large, so there were many children that we enjoyed getting to know. After we sang, Bro. Derrick preached a great message about knowing who you are in Christ from II Corinthians 13.
We are very thankful for Pastor Favor and his family for all their kindness to us in providing food and fellowship . We are especially grateful for the wonderful place we were able to stay the night and enjoy more of God's beautiful creation.