December 2014

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

As I write this, Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner. It will soon be 2015. This last year has seen God bestow upon us many blessings and set before us many opportunities. Some of the challenges we were facing at this time last year seemed insurmountable. But God provided just what we needed at just the right time. In looking over the list of needs and concerns that we requested prayer for at the beginning of this year, I am so thankful to God that He had it all covered.

As we begin a new year, 2015 marks the thirtieth year that Voice for Christ has been broadcasting the message of hope and salvation to rural Alaska. God has used the teaching and music to touch many lives. We started with one station back in 1985 and God has grown it to a statewide network with four stations and twenty one translators. This network has the potential to reach 90% of Alaska's population with the gospel, although our focus is on the rural and native population.

KIAM AM and KAGV can reach Fairbanks and Anchorage respectively, but there are many remote areas outside of the population centers that they cover as well.

KYKD in Bethel covers remote villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta as well as in western Alaska with four translators.

KIAM FM and the translator network cover 18 villages from the Arctic to the Aleutian Chain.

It is truly exciting to see what God has done to take His Word to some of the most remote and isolated villages in Alaska. There are still more than a few of those places where Voice for Christ is the only consistent gospel witness. I am praying for the day when every one of these communities has a functioning church, but until that time comes, radio and visits from itinerant missionaries will have to suffice. In the villages where there is a Bible teaching church, we are able serve as a reinforcement to their teaching and evangelism.

We receive calls on a regular basis from folks who say that the radio is the only church available to them. We also receive calls from a number of people who have questions about their eternal destiny. Several of the radio Bible teachers we air report receiving mail and even phone calls from people in these remote places asking for prayer or literature. It is amazing how radio can go into places that we cannot and that people who would have never set foot in a church will listen.

There is one person who has listened to KIAM since we first went on the air. He just recently placed his trust in Christ. For years he had visited the station, usually inebriated. Several generations of VFCM missionaries have prayed for him. It has been such an encouragement to us to see him become a new creature in Christ.

So, 2015 will be a milestone for sure. We are excited to see what God will do in the coming months.

(Over)

December 2014. Voice for Christ Ministries. 409 1st St. Nenana, AK. (907) 832-5426 www.vfcm.org

Here is a summery of what God has done in 2014.

1. Allowed us to renew our broadcast licenses without any delays or problems.
2. Provided the resources and people to repair our AM tower in Nenana.
3. Allowed us to renew a long-expired railroad crossing permit.
4. Provided the resources to install three new translators in the villages of Port Alsworth, Aniak, and Kalskag. 5. Provided the equipment and funds to repair KYKD's boat so our missionaries can visit the fishing camps. 6. Provided a new phone system for KIAM to replace a 30 year old system that was failing.

7. Allowed us to meet the qualifications to join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. 8. Provided the people and resources to renovate our last remaining mission house.
9. Provided the resources to deal with several unexpected equipment failures.

In addition to all this, God provided the funds for us to finish the year in the black. At the beginning of year, at least on paper, it did not look like we would even make it through 2014. God is so amazing...

So, as we enter the new year, here are some concerns that we would greatly appreciate your prayers for.

1. Missionary housing: We have several prospective missionaries that we are not sure where they would live if they come. There is no housing available in Nenana. We have the opportunity to buy a house and property adjacent to our tower, but no funds at this time to do so. This property is also creating a serious access issue with our KIAM transmitter and tower that would be solved by us acquiring it. We are trusting God that He will provide a solution.

2. Missionary Staff: We still have no full time staff for KAGV, and are in need of staff for the VFCM headquarters. Please pray that God will call more people to ministry in rural Alaska. Our needs range from someone who can talk on the radio to someone who can maintain building and vehicles.

3. That God would continue to guide and direct VFCM and give us wisdom and discernment in following His will.

4. That God would provide the resources to do what He calls us to and that we would be good stewards of what He gives us.

In closing, I want to express my thanks on behalf of our missionaries and board for your faithful prayers and support. While I acknowledge that God is sovereign over all that takes place, your faithfulness and commitment to reaching the lost is having an eternal impact here in America's "Last Frontier".

Have a blessed Christmas, and a great New Year.

Art Thompson
VFCM Executive Director