Happy New Year.....x2

Wow, didn't think it had been so long. Thoughts of another reunion in the next year or so are floating around....so perhaps this site will get some use again!

Yup, Still Here

Hey All

If you happen to check in from time to time you might wonder if this is something that will keep going. I'm planning on it. Currently, I'm pondering another all out reunion in the summer of 2010 so as that date draws closer, there will be lots more to post. If you want to help with that planning, please let me know.

In the meantime, if you have anything you'd like to share, please just send me an email and I'll get it up and send out a reminder to my steadily growing email list that the site is still here and should be checked.

Have a very merry Christmas everyone! Look forward to seeing everyone in 2010!

Sara

Book Release from Jaclyn Reinarz

It's official! Jacci's book is printed, released, and available for you to buy! You can purchase it for $9.99 from Target.com or Amazon.com.

Plus, Jacci is making plans to be in the cities this spring and summer for book signings so you can your copy signed by the author! When dates and locations are confirmed, I'll post information here and send out an email to the alumni list.

In case you can't picture who Jacci is, check out the reunion pictures. Jacci was a student at UMM starting in the fall of 1998. She was active in IVCF and graduated with an elementary education degree. Since graduating, she has been teaching kindergarten in Park River, ND.

Congratulations on a job well done Jacci!

Further Flooding Update

Thanks goes out to Sal who fowarded me an update on Katie (Forbes) and Phil Reindle (Katie went to Morris) as they fight to keep the water out of their home. A group of folks from MCC went up to help and below is the email that went out to MCC with some photos.


Dear Church Family - A group of MCC folks headed up to Moorhead yesterday to help Phil and Katie Reindl with a floodwhich is now endangering their home! Phil's side of the street by the river is being diked offwith a contingency dike so his "fate was sealed". Neighbors of his apparently have abandoned efforts to dike any further out back now that flood levels are predicted to be 42 feet at the creston Saturday and stay there for 3-7 days (most dikes were setup for a flood of 40 feet). Anyway - see attached photos, these were the guys helping to build a 4 foot wall around theReindel home (it was a real site to see Katie, 8 months pregnant, holding son Ivan lookingout at the relief effort through their front window!). So far their house is dry!!! Pat and crew worked from 5:30pm until 11:30pm yesterday and then crashed at John's apt. for the night. Neil worked with Phil and others late late to setup pumps behind the tallest part of wall which butts up against the river behind their home.






If you would like to know more about how Morris Community Church is helping out our friends in Fargo/Moorhead, please get in touch with Sal....

SAL da PAL
Salvador Monteagudo
(320) 585-5573
cell#651.338.2929
saldapal@yahoo.com

Fargo Flooding

For those of you who don't watch the news at all, even the national news, Fargo is experiencing record flooding this spring....even worse than what many of us experienced in west central MN during the spring of 1997. A fair number of IVCF'ers are now living in Fargo due to grad school, jobs, and/or helping with a church plant from Morris Community Church. Stacy (Iszler) Trentham is one of UMM's alums who is in the Fargo area and has been posting pictures on her facebook page this last week that demonstrate the rising waters. I've posted a few here for those who aren't on facebook...

This park is accross the street from Stacy's apartment. This photo was taken on the 23rd. Just when they thought spring had come to the generally frozen tundra of North Dakota.

More snow in the area is not what is needed. Here's pics from the 25th.

This is something pretty new in fighting floods. It's a temporary retaining wall that they fill with sand. It's supposed to help get long stretches of walls up quickly. They are setting this one up on the 25th.

This picture and the next are from yesterday (the 26th). That's river water you're seeing...not necessarily snow.

Next are a couple of photos from earilier today. It should be noted that the white you see isn't snow....it's freezing Red River water.
As of now, the river is predicted to rise another 1.5 to 3 feet and crest at some point late Saturday or early Sunday and then maintain the high water level for 2-7 days. Please be praying for everyone that they will stay dry and safe in the days ahead. As of now, there have only been minimal mandatory evacuations in the cities of Fargo and Moorhead.

Some of those you may know up there are: Catherine McDade, Cindy Norberg, Nathan & Andrea Rooney, Dan & Crystal Specht, Bill Royce, Karen (Wehler) Trana, Stacy (Iszler) Trentham, and I know there are more but names are escaping me at the moment. Write in a comment and add to the list! And then say a pray for them and let them know you're thinking of them.

WATN: Amy Chouravong

Here's an update from Amy. Amy, my apologies for not getting it up quicker. It seems the Christmas holidays got the better of me!

Amy sends a timeline of her life since Morris as well as information on how to support her on her upcoming year long mission trip.

Graduated from Morris on May 2004 (was commencement speaker).

July 2004 - moved to San Antonio TX

Oct 2004- Oct 2005 - 1 year in the University of the Philippines studying Broadcast Communications on the Catherine Sullivan Scholarship

Oct 2005 - Traveled to Thailand and Burma to meet relatives on my dad's side that I had not seen ever in my life.

Oct 2005-Feb 2006 - Spent vacation time in San Antonio TX preparing for the PI

Feb 2006-Oct 2006 - Volunteered with True Love Waits Philippines. Entered a reality show called "Close Up to Fame"

Oct 2006 until now - Worked with abstinence education in TX. Preparing for a one-year trip to the Philippines.

Dear Friend -
Thanks for your time in Minnesota as I was raising support for my mission! I thank God I was able to reconnect with you! I'd like to present to you a challenge for you to prayerfully consider. If God has put it on your heart to be a monthly partner with my mission to the Philippines, click the link below to my mission website. The instructions are simple to support me via Electronic Funds Transfer.
Simply click on the link below -https://www.denarionline.com/DonorServices/TEMPLATEPAGE.ASPX?COMP_REF=_CTEN&XCONTENT=MISSIONARY&MISSION_REF=_2H70X2X8N&CONTENT=MISSIONARYPLEDGE
from that point fill in - PLEDGE AMOUNT $Dollar Figure

PAYMENT FREQUENCY Monthly

PAYMENT METHOD - Electronic Funds Transfer
then - ACCOUNT TYPE: Checking

ROUTING #: Your bank routing # off check

BANK ACCOUNT#: Your check account # off check DAY OF MONTH: Day you want the withdrawal

I pray Colossians 1:9 over you, (read slowly) that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Thank you for your prayers and support,
Ami Chouravong210-867-5944 http://www.wagmuna.com/

P.S. Attached is my support letter to read more about what I will be doing in the Philippines.

And here is her support letter:

True Love Waits Philippines
Metro Bank Bldg., Room 302Banker’s Plaza Building Julia Vargas St., Cor San Miguel Ave.Ortigas Center, Manila Philippines
www.wagmuna.com

Dear Loved Ones,

All over the world, love-starvation is a real thing. We see it on billboards and milk cartons, disguised in perfumes and Playboy. My passion is to feed the love-starved youth by serving overseas with True Love Waits (TLW) Philippines beginning January 26, 2009.True Love Waits Philippines is a mission to reach youth with God’s message of love through Jesus Christ by unmasking the lies about love through a curriculum designed for Filipino youth. After three short term mission trips to the Philippines, God is leading me back to the Philippines long term.

During my most recent stay, I was a finalist on a reality show which now gives me the platform to impact thousands of Filipino youth. I will return to the Philippines as the TLW’s National Media Production Manager: supervising media projects, networking media contacts, and speaking in media outlets as an advocate of the message of sexual purity.

I have been accepted to Commission to Every Nation (CTEN), a non-denominational missionary sending agency. I will be serving with True Love Waits Philippines under this agency. Please consider being a part of my sending team by financially supporting my life’s mission. I will need $2,500.00 monthly. Use the enclosed envelope and response card to partner monthly with a gift of $25, $50, $100 or any donation of your choice. You may now send your partnership gifts, which will be effective immediately, even before I arrive in the Philippines. How else can you help? I would like to schedule a time to share with you about my calling, and pray about how we can partner to save Filipino youth and turn their hearts to God. Truly Loved,Ami Chouravong
ami@wagmuna.com
210-867-5944 (c)

View my personal testimony on wagmuna.com. Thanks for your support!
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." – Matthew 9:37-38

I know that's a lot of information all at once but Amy seems to have a lot going on in her life! Oh, and the picture above is from a mini reunion in Morris. Thanks for reading!

WATN: Back online!

Hey Everyone!

I've just realized that it's been over a month since I posted any updates. It's pathetic, I know. Life just seems to have gotten the best of me in November.

Anyway, I'm going to post a bunch of updates from the reunion today so happy reading!

Catherine McDade: Catherine is in Fargo working for Microsoft. She travels for work a bunch and has also gotten to do some personal travel to various places around the world. When she is home, she stays busy as an elder at the Harvest Community Church in Fargo which is a church plant from the Morris Community Church.

Anne (Robinson) Kuffel: Anne is married to a wonderful guy named Bryan and teaches first grade in the Hopkins school district. They have two kids, Katherine and David, and live in Chanhassen.

Mary (Ness) Everhardt: Mary and her husband Mark live in north Minneapolis and have 2 kids: Kenton and Blake. Mary works for a company called DecoPac making display cakes. So the next time you're at the bakery counter and see those fake cake display things, you can remember Mary since her company is one of the two major companies in the US that makes them!

Mark and Christy (Larson) Daigle: Mark and Christy have three kids, Micah, Naomi, and Oliver and live in Minnetonka. Mark recently started his own business. Information on the product he is launching can be found at www.where-pro.com.

Ross and Jennifer (Olson) Hawley: Ross and Jenn live in Bloomington and have been blessed with 3 kids; Benjamin, Emily, and Corinne. Jenn stays busy at home with the kids and Ross works as a product manager at the Toro Company.

Kevin and Sarah (Olson) Wergeland: First off, I have to say thanks to Sarah for all the great photos she emailed me previous to the reunion. Such fun to look at! Sarah and Kevin are currently in LaCrosse, WI and have one child, Samuel, who will be one just over a week from now on the 21st. Kevin is currently the chief resident and will be an internal medicine doctor at Luther Middlefert in Eau Claire in August of 2009. Sarah is home with Samuel and active in MOPS and Side by Side (a ministry for Christian medical and dental wives).

Melissa Turner: Mel lives in the Excelsior/Chanhassen area. She keeps busy these days with substitute teaching, working part-time at Target and volunteering with church and college ministry.

Sandra Hohnstadt: Sandra is currently living in Fairmont, MN and teaching math in Truman, MN (a small town just north of Fairmont).

Ryan and Deborah Scott: Ryan and Deborah have two children. Conner is 3 and Caiden is about 6 months. The big news in their life is that they are in the process of moving from St. Paul to Eagan. You can read the saga of their life on their blog at www.snazelfrat.wordpress.com.

Carissa (Anderson) Meehan: Carissa and her husband Tim currently live in Eden Prairie with thier three kids, Isaac, Naomi, and Ada.

John Kess: John is currently living in Bloomington and working at a company called Eaton Hydraulics. He volunteers at a church camp in Paynesville, MN called Ultimate Challenge camp. And, just so he doesn't get bored, he is also in grad school for engineering.

So, there you have it. All the updates I was able to collect at the reunion. I'm hearing rumors of babies and blessings out there so will be tracking them down to update this page going forward.

Hope the Thanksgiving holiday was full of many things to give thanks for!