As I have said many times before....we never know WHAT to expect!!  Today we only had 13 in the morning service and 9 in the evening.  I talked about the Native American Man that came to Bible Study that said he'd be here...well he went on a drinking binge, Natalie kicked him out...so needless to say...he was not here.  But Natalie was here and still doing well with her detemination to stay sober and get her kids back even if it means losing Elwood.  We're praying she will continue to stay strong and stand her ground when it comes to him and his drinking.   

One of the little girls that comes was in the hospital...she had been playing at the playground during school and a spider bit her on the leg and it got all infected.  The spiders are really bad up here and the bites make a hole and then a large ring around the hole. I am told they are very painful also.....so I hope we never experience one!!!   I went to the hospital yesterday afternoon to visit her and also tried to visit Annie.  My visit to Annie was unsuccessful because I was not on the list of allowed visitors. Without having seen her I really can't say how she's doing....but one family member says she's Ok and another says she's being kept sedated so they can control her.  Clarice is her guardian and has said she will have us put on the list allowed visitors. 

Another lady that comes with her 4 grandchilren wasn't here because they had problems with some boys in the neighborhood fighting, keeping them up all night, throwing rocks and breaking one of their bedroom windows....so they were too tired to come.  She came last night but the grandchildren did not.   

Others weren't here for various reasons.....most of them small, trivial....just whatever sounded more interesting than coming to church.

There are MANY things to pray about......it's hard not to get discouraged when people let just every little thing keep them from coming to church.  I have to keep reminding myself of the verse I have claimed...."Be Still, and know that I AM GOD!!"    That doesn't mean we shouldn't visit, pray and do our best....it just means that God is in control and when we've done ALL we can do...HE will do the rest!!!!

It's cool here today....very windy yesterday.....50-60 mph wind gusts.....just a reminder to us that Winter is on it's way!!!!         Sis. Sheri

Due to some of our mail/pkgs. being "tampered" with...we have decided it would be best to get a P.O. Box in another city....so our new MAILING address is

                   P.O.  Box 302

                  Mandan, ND  58554

Please make a note of this a send all Future mail to this address.

Thursday night we had 11 people at Bible Study which included our 1st Native American MAN!!  He is the boyfriend of Natalie, who is the mother that is working on getting custody of her daughter Angie.  His name is Elwood and they said he would be at church Sunday.....so pray that he does come!!  Both he and Natalie have a drinking problem which was a factor of Angie being taken away from her.  They both need the Lord!!!!

I have been missing the mountain scenery of the changing of the colors in the trees.  Then yesterday we went to Bismarck and I saw some beautiful fall scenery that the South does not have!!  Up here...the fields change colors like the trees do down south!!  Right now they are a mixture of greens, golds and even some reds and oranges!!    Gorgeous sight to behold......God is sooooo good!!!!        Sis. Sheri

Our attendance in Sunday morning Service was 19 and in the evening service we had 11.  I had one little boy back that had not been here for awhile.  Normally he is a very happy little boy, always smiling and loved to sing.  But he seemed very depressed and unhappy.  He has been living with his grandmother but they have been homeless for quite sometime and now she is in jail and he is living with someone else.  This is really having an effect on him and is was so sad to see that sparkle out of his eyes and that smile gone.  After the evening service I let a couple of the kids over to the house for awhile (some of the always want to come over aftwerwards) and he was one of them.  I noticed his shoes were very worn with holes at the toes...and I had still had one pair of nice Gym shoes that had been sent with some clothes....and they just happened to be his size. Of course, I gave them to him.  He was SOOOO happy....  Most of the time the kids don't even say Thank You...but he kept telling me Thank You over and over!!!   Please pray for "Javen"...he's such a sweet little boy and his family is nothing but alcoholics that are going to ruin his life.

Also, keep Annie in your prayers.  She overdosed on her medication last Thursday and is in Bismarck hospital.  It looks at though the overdose is going to have a permanent effect on her brain and she may never be the same again.  I went to see her last Friday and it was heartbreaking to see how close she really came to ending her life.  At that time she was pretty incoherent and still in ICU.  As of yesterday, we were told she is being kept sedated because she is still hallucinating and they cannot control her because she tries to fight the nurses.  The medication she took has had time to work it's way out of her system...so it appears that her brain has been damaged.  Sad, heartbreaking situation and the family doesn't seem to be broken over the situation....it's like they don't even care.

We've been to 2 funerals in the past 2 weeks and yesterday afternoon I went to a memorial.  When someone dies, the family holds a Memorial Service for the deceased the following 4 years.  It was almost like another funeral....minus the body.   Then they have a big meal, called a "Feed" and what they call a "give-away" where they give away Star Quilts and all sorts of gifts to people and almost everyone that attends gets something.  I received a tote with 2 blankets, towels, and dish cloths. They do things so different here and we learn something new all the time.

A word of PRAISE......our daughter Elena and her husband James celebrated an anniversary yesterday.....but they also came home and found their garage/workshop on fire.  The Lord protected their home and the fire did not reach it.  But the Garage did burn down completely to the ground.  From what we gather it was caused by a lighting strike.  We are just thankful that they are safe and their home had God's protecting hand on it!!!

Please remember Javen and Annie in your prayers,

Learning the ways of the Sioux,           Sis. Sheri   

We are in need of atleast 30 of the "Church Hymnal" song books.  These can be used (in good condition PLEASE) or new.  If you know of a church that has some they are no longer using...or some extra ones they aren't using....PLEASE ask them if we they would consider donating them to our mission. Help us pray about this. We appreciate all of you and thank you for your love, prayers and the way you are always willing to help us out!!

 Sis. Sheri  

This weekend was the funeral for the man that was killed last weekend....so once again it affected those who normally attend our services.  We had 17 in our morning service but only 7 in the evening.  We attended the wake after our evening service and it was so sad to see how he was portrayed as an alcoholic....and at the same time.....someone who was suposed to have known the Lord.  I think it would be safe to say that atleast 99% of the deaths here are alcohol related one way or another.  This deepens my burden for the people....especially for the children.  I don't want to see them end up like this man....only 39 years old and in an early grave because of an alcohol related car accident.

There is another wake and funeral this Wednesday and Thursday.  One of the elderly ladies that attends church, Ms. Joshua, has a sister that passed away.  I'm not sure of the circumstances other than she has been sick for quite sometime and was in the hospital when she died. Please keep this family in your prayers.  Ms. Joshua is a very sweet lady and a very good friend to Ms. Angie. 

A college student from Cleveland, TN is planning on coming up the first of October to help us out through December.  He is taking a semester break from school, (he's majoring in Elementary Education) and has to be back in January.   We are very excited about this.  He also happens to be related to me, my nephew's son.  I think it will be very good experience for him and also be good for me to have the help with the kids!!!!!  Right now he's trying to raise a little support for the 2 months he's up here so help us pray about this. 

Thanks so much for your love and prayers,          Sis. Sheri 

September started off with a very "off" day.  There was a death in the Redstone family....a cousin had been killed in a car wreck on Friday evening...so most of that family were out because of this. In the morning service we still had 12 but only 7 in the evening service.  This was the lowest number we've had in quite sometime.  We had a good time in Sunday School and Doyle had 5 adults for the preaching downstairs.   

This time last year we were preparing to leave for our trip up here.  The Lord has truly been good to us this past year and has blessed us in so many ways.  We have seen God work things out that we thought were impossible!!  How true His promises are that He will never leave us nor forsake us and He will supply our every need!! I have had to claim those promises and MANY more this past year and God has ALWAYS fulfilled each of them!!!!  What a mightly God we serve.

The people here are different and it truly is like a "world in itself".  We never know what to expect and even last night during church something happened  that just doesn't happen in churches down home. There are times that we get really frustrated with the people and our hearts break for their lost condition...but God has given us a love for them that keeps us going!!!  Doyle and I were sitting here Saturday and I ask him...."Thinking about the people here and all that we have been through and seen this past year...If you knew last year what you know now...would you have still come?"....and of course his answer was "Yes".   That would have been my answer too.    

 THANK YOU FOR YOUR PART IN MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO SERVE GOD HERE IN CANNON BALL .........Sis. Sheri