END OF TAG YEAR. A monthly publication of the Garden Community Church

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1 A monthly publication of the Garden Community Church END OF TAG YEAR April 19 was the final night of TAG for the school year. Dan and Rachel Janzen started the evening out by telling the kids about the project they could donate their TAG Bucks they had earned throughout the year. The kids donated 776 TAG Bucks, which represents attendance, bringing their Bible to TAG, and memorized Bible verses. The congregation had the opportunity to match those TAG Bucks. The final total was $914! The project Dan and Rachel plan to use that money for it to develop a Football (Soccer in the US) program in Rwanda. They will be able to purchase nets for the goals, balls, and other equipment needed to form a football league. Football is very popular in Rwanda and through this football league they will be able to share the love of Christ with the Rwandan people. Tami and Jenny did a skit that reviewed the lessons the kids learned this year on Fighting the Good Fight of Faith. The kids then had the opportunity to decorate tiles with a Bible verse that they learned. The evening ended with a Donut Bar. The kid could get a donut and eat it plain or put donut toppings on it. We thank the Lord for another successful year of TAG! Thanks to all the workers to invested into the lives of our kids throughout the year! A Special Thanks to Tami Hiebert, Jeanette Friesen, and Becky Vogt for their organization and time during the TAG year!

2 High School Graduates Joel Harms (son of Lindley & Kayla Harms) graduated from Berean Academy on May 13. Future Plans: Joel plans to attend Pratt Community College and get an Associate of Applied Science in Automotive Technology. Zachary Vogt (son of Scott & Amy Vogt) graduated from Hesston High School on May 14. Future Plans: Zach plans to attend McPherson College and major in Business while playing basketball for the Bulldogs. Steffan Hansen (son of Peter & Rachel Hansen) graduated from Home School. Future Plans: Steffan will be a freshman at New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin this fall. Eighth Grade Graduates Drew Hiebert (son of Rob & Tami Hiebert) Hesston Middle School Drew Janzen (son of Dan & Rachel Janzen) Berean Academy Cody Wohlgemuth (son of Delvin & Cherie Wohlgemuth) Hesston Middle School

3 College Graduates Allyson Vogt (daughter of Scott and Amy Vogt) graduated from Hesston College on May 14 with an AA in elementary education. She plans to finish her bachelors degree at John Brown University. Tiffany Huxman (daughter of Gary & Marci Huxman) graduates from Tabor College on May 20 th with a degree in elementary education. Stefanie Kennicott (daughter of Ivan & Mary Goossen) graduated from Moody Bible Institute on May 13 th with a Children s Ministry degree. Hans Hansen (son of Peter & Rachel Hansen) graduated from Grace University on May 6 th with a Bachelor Degree in Business Leadership. Hans & Kalla, with their two sons, plan to go to India on a vision trip for a month in May/June. Then they plan to go to Kentucky to begin studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with plans to work in India after graduation. Daniel Hansen (son of Peter & Rachel Hansen) graduated with a diploma in Biblical Studies from New Tribes Bible Institute on May 13. He has been accepted to do a 1-year internship at the Bible School in Wisconsin. After that he plans to head down to the Missionary Training Center in Missouri to complete his training as he prepares to serve the Lord in Papua Ne Guinea. Abigail Lily Quick April 13, lbs. 14 oz. 18 inches long Parents: Caleb & Cynthia Big sisters: Esther & Cora Grandparents: Ernie & Florene Goering

4 It s that time of year: end of school, graduation, and change. Change means something familiar ends and something new begins. At change-points in life, we often experience dissonance and disequilibrium. We fiercely cling to what is familiar. We shrink from the unknown and long to remain in the familiar. Change happens at a dizzying pace. Access information has grown in scores of directions that were not even fathomable 3 decades ago. Minds are filled to the point of bewilderment as we are bombarded with details about everything. And everything appears urgent. This information overload is compounded by the sense that kids are growing up at an unbelievable pace, loved ones experience health challenges, ones we love die, jobs end, and the mirror indicates years are passing. In times of change, it is time to turn to God. When forced into a new, unexpected, unwanted reality, it is time to examine our perception of God. Who is God? Who is God in the shifting seasons of life? How do we expose inadequate conceptions of God that linger unconsciously in our minds? How do we find the real God? I fear there are many (because I was one of them) who have not found a God big enough to account for all the twists and turns of life. We need to ask if our God is big enough to command our highest admiration, respect, adoration, and worship especially in times of change. The only place to expose misconceptions about God and to discover the One True God (who alone is worthy of worship) is in His Word! Without being in His Word, we are destined to be whipped around by life, frustrated by unmet expectations, and filled with dread about an unknown future. The search for the Real God, is intensely personal and while we may think that we are doing the searching, it is actually God revealing Himself to us. We really do not find God, rather it is God who reveals Himself to us. But for those to work together we have to be open to the search. We have to put feet to the puzzle and we must be guided by faith. I would like to share with you three steps that have led to my deepening confidence in a God I can trust and a God who deserves my worship. My path to knowing the True God began with anxiety as my children were growing up. There is nothing that makes you feel less in control than children growing up! It all felt out of control and I was terrified. First, I turned to the Bible and began reading it straight through again and again. It took time, and I took notes. I wrote down questions, observations, and patterns as I read. Slowly there emerged in my mind a picture of God s grand plan as revealed in the Bible. I read commentaries, I looked up Hebrew and Greek words, I prayed over what I didn t understand, and I began to memorize verses and passages. Second, I began to read other people s viewpoints about God. I read classics, I read theologians, I read biographies. I wanted to know how God was working in the lives of other people. I wanted to compare various viewpoints with what I was learning as I studied the Bible. Third, I began to take note of how God was working around me. I took note of the immensely broad sweep of God s creative activity around me, the astonishing complexity of the most delicate flower, the complexity of human physiology, the symmetry and rhythm of time and seasons. To meditate on this broadness and vastness did much to expose the inadequate little god that I had created in my own mind. Over a period of 15 years my faith deepened as I encountered a God who I can worship, love, serve, and enjoy personal communion with. I am more certain than ever that a Sovereign, Merciful, Loving God is guiding my path and the paths of those I love. I still have moments of deep doubt, anxious thoughts, and lingering questions, but I am not swayed by them. They are signposts pointing me back to the God I love, the God who is incomprehensible, and the God who (amazingly) gave His life for mine. This month s Vonnie s Views is a revision of what I wrote in May 2015.

5 Prayer Calendar and Memory Verse Memory Verse: Psalm 57:7 My Heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 1 Praise God. Rejoice in Him. He is kind, good, wise, strong, faithful, sure. 2 Pray Tim Zook is able to find solutions for problems he faces. 3 Pray for rest of funds to come in for Harvest Radio FM. 4 Pray we have 5 Pray President Trump & generous hearts, quick to help cabinet members have wis- others. dom & courage. 6 Pray God is transforming us into the congregation He wants us to be. 7 Pray others come alongside Mark & Mollie to encourage them. 8 Pray our lives are characterized by kindness, especially when not deserved. 9 Pray God is comfort & strength to those living alone. 10 Pray Lucas, Levi & Annika are safe, growing in love for God & others. 11 Pray those not in church regularly develop a hunger to fellowship & worship corporately. 12 Pray new believers in Brazil, Kazakhstan, Ukraine & Rwanda grow deep roots of faith. 13 Pray for Joel Harms, Nate Goossen & Zac Vogt preparing for college in the fall. 14 Pray God's blessings far outweigh our heart hurts & fears. 15 Pray for clarity of thought & unity for Pastoral Search Committee. 16 Pray Dan, Rachel & family have calm hearts & willing spirits in returning to Rwanda. 17 Pray we would each love God with all our heart, soul, strength & mind. 18 Pray God 19 Pray Janzens have safe would break down walls and travel - & opportunities on soften hard hearts among us. the way to bear testimony for Christ. 25 Pray God would help you to be obedient in something difficult. 20 Pray many children would learn of God's love & living for Him at CEF camps. 26 Pray Elwyn & 27 Pray those in Linda have God's peace & leading in family needs. the workplace do all to the best of their ability, glorifying Christ. 21 Pray farmers are alert, safe and smart in their work. 28 Pray we hold those we love loosely, trusting them to God's care. 22 Pray God would open your eyes to anything impure in your life you need to deal with. 29 Pray church leaders are growing in their relationships with & knowledge of God. 23 Pray for Ally Vogt serving at a camp in Alaska this summer. 30 Pray for marriages strong in the Lord, centered on Him alone. 24 Pray a hedge of protection around Josh & Hannah's hearts, minds & marriage.

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8 Suitcase Transmitter Installed There is a new transmitter in Ecuador. It is one of the suitcase shortwave transmitters made at SonSet Solutions. I (Tim) was asked by Vozandes Media, a partner ministry, if I could bring it down and install it. The fun part is during the weeks before, Renee was thinking of going to Ecuador for a friend s wedding. By now you figured out that we were able to travel together. We carried the transmitter down in our suitcases. Milton, an HCJB engineer, worked with me on the installation. We were joined by two German men who were volunteering at Vozandes Media. We spent several days working high on Mt. Pichincha, in the same building where I worked on transmitters for HCJB while we lived in Ecuador. Since 2009 Vozandes Media has been transmitting with an old transmitter they received from HCJB. The new transmitter reduced the cost of electricity from about $450 per month to $51.60 per month. There are no longer expensive tubes and parts to buy, either. Vozandes Media is using this transmitter to send the Good News of Jesus Christ in Spanish and in several other local languages. They are reaching Ecuador and into Colombia and Peru. I wish to thank you for your part in God s provision for us. We are privileged to be a part of what God is doing. Tim & Renee Praise God for the many ways He works in our lives. Praise God for safe and smooth travels to Ecuador and Haiti. Pray for the continued ministry of Vozandes Media in Ecuador. Pray for wisdom in work decisions.

9 Blessings in Ecuador Maybe you remember the Macias family from our years in Pifo, Ecuador. (The father, Oswaldo, donated a kidney to their daughter, Gabriella. Their daughter, Diana, graduated from the Bible Institute.) A few months ago, Diana wrote to invite me to her wedding! What a blessing it was to share in her special day and to see both Diana & Jorge express their love for Jesus and their desire to continue serving Him together. It was so neat to see our son & daughter-in-law, Josh & Hannah, in action. We had a fun retreat with the girls, and their babies, from Casa Adalia, where Hannah works. We visited their church and met many of their friends and co-workers. It was such a blessing to get a first-hand look at their daily life. Contributions for the Zook's ministry account may be mailed to: SonSet Solutions PO Box 2709 Elkhart, IN (574) Please include our account #