The Illinois Belleques!!

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter archive

2010-05-14T10:07:00.001-05:00

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs012/1103359379781/archive/1103404338174.html

This is our new newsletter archive! Check here for past and current issues of the AMF Kid's Resource Newsletter!!

Times they are a changing!!

2010-03-10T19:14:00.004-06:00

On March 1st I started my new position with the American Missionary Fellowship. Two years ago Cindy and I accepted the postion of Regional Director here in the North Central Region of AMF. It has been a pleasure to work with the missionaries here and see how God is touching others through their lives! We have always been impressed with the variety of the work they do but more importantly we are amazed at the quality of work they do in the hearts of those who do not know Christ.

AMF has now set us on a different path with the mission as we establish the position of Director of Children's Ministry Resources. This is not only new to us but new to the mission as well. Cindy and I have worked with children and youth for more years than we are willing to admit and the idea of helping guide the mission in this area is both humbling and exciting! We are really looking forward to seeing where God leads in the next few years!

But we will miss being Regional Directors as well. Fellowship with our missionaries and praying for them has been not only a responsibility but an honor! It seems like we barely scratched the surface with our North Central family and now God is moving us on! We trust God's direction and we know that he is placing men in our position that are more than capable of caring for our missionaries. Still, there is a sense of loss there!

So to our North Central Regional family we say, "We love you and will miss our previous relationship but we also look forward to the new directions God will take both of us as we make this transition! We are still in Illinois and look forward to hearing from you!" Your prayers are coveted for all the changes in store and the challenges ahead! We've been on such a mad schedule that Cindy and I have not had any time for blogging since August! We hope to change that now that we are in the process of settling again! Busy schedules ahead including a full summer!

STAY TUNED!!

My feet hurt but it was fun!

2009-08-09T19:44:00.008-05:00

The force is with us!!

Summer is both the best and worst time to blog! There is a ton of stuff going on to blog about but at the same time very little time to do blogging! Hence my newest post since the 4th of July! I have many new ministry items to blog about and I will get to them soon but I want to share a little of my last couple of days with you.

Last spring I planned a short vacation for my boys and I. They wanted to attend the Chicago Comic-con together. So for Nick's birthday we bought he and Alena tickets to come visit us. Alena stayed at home with Cindy and while they hung out the boys and I and my nephew Dan attended the Comic con which is one of the largest get together of comic book, star wars, gaming and costume aficionados in the nation!

We spent the last three days wading through quite and interesting collection of humanity! And we also spent three days examining some interesting collectibles and talking to artists and actors and fans who have dedicated their lives to large parts of their imaginations! Take a look at some of these photos and then please read my comments at the end!

Andrew and C3PO!

Ready to take on Comic-Con 09!

Beware of Troopers!

Lots of celebrities to sign autographs!! (only $30 dollars a piece!)
This Edward James Olmos.

Mad Gamers!!!

I have to admit that despite the overpriced everything and the fact that I don't think any one's autograph is worth 30-40 dollars and the alternator going out in the car- we had a great time! It was fun to see cool stuff and entertaining to watch people in costume and awe inspiring to see some of the artists and the amazing work they do. But in one of the panel discussion I was especially intrigued by a discussion concerning the construction of star wars costumes! The panel was made up of the folks you see in costume at the top of this post!

These folks are part of two different groups. One is a "storm trooper" unit of folks who like to dress up as star wars empire bad guys and the other is a group of folks who like to dress up as star wars good guy rebels. Many belong to both groups!

What amazed me was the dedication each had to the construction of their costumes! Many had invested several thousands of dollars in their uniforms. The Chewbacca costume cost it's owner about $5,000 dollars and is one of eight in the world! Chewie (not his real name) spent a year before a single stitch was sewn just researching the outfit to make it perfect. The costume was made of the same bolt of fake fur used by the costume artists to make Chewbacca's original costume in episode 3! He even hunted down the original molds used to make the teeth in the mask and hand sewed the hair a piece at a time into it! Many shared the joy of finding single pieces in their journey to complete their outfits!

And by the way do not think you can join this group by purchasing a store bought costume! These folks have high standards and a list of costume requirements that must be perfect before you can be considered for membership! Their dedication is intense!

It was interesting that this Sunday in church we were discussing the kingdom parables in the book of Matthew and one of those is the "Pearl of Great Price" where a merchant sold all he had to obtain a single pearl of great value! This made me think of the star wars fans whose dedication to their costumes was so intense that they sacrificed valuable time and money to complete each one with loving care!

I believe that is the same dedication that you and I are asked to have towards the Kingdom of God. As Pastor Bruce shared this morning it is our pearl of great price!! I have to admit that why I desire to have that kind of dedication to the Kingdom of God many times I find myself doing things that do not reflect that kind of attitude! It is a constant re-adjustment each day to live as a citizen of the Kingdom of God - the Pearl of Great Price!

Let's not let a group of star wars fans prove their dedication is greater than ours! How much more worthy is our endeavor than theirs! We need to live as citizens of the Kingdom today! The Kingdom of God is at hand!

PS - I don't normally spend a lot of time preaching on my blog so I hope you will indulge me this once! If you are interested in more of our trip to comic-con I will soon be posting some video on my facebook page!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-03T11:27:00.007-05:00

Hello to all and my apologies once again for so much time between posts! You would think I'm busy or something?

I've added two pictures to my blog today that show the front and back of a actual "report" form that was put together by an American Sunday School Union superintendent (much like the job I have now) that was in the Chicago area in 1894. That's right! This document is over 100 years old! It shows an example of the kind of Sunday School work that was done then. It copied fairly well considering it was filled out using a pencil. The back includes some commendations from very well known ministers and business men of that day. I especially enjoyed the comments from D.L. Moody and Homer Merriam (publisher of the Webster dictionary).

As we celebrate the 4th of July and the freedom that our country has been given through many sacrifices and the grace of our loving creator I am once again proud of AMF's historical heritage. And as you hear the Star Spangled Banner sung this 4th remember that Francis Scott Key was part of the leadership of what is now AMF and that those men not only valued political and personal freedom but also freedom from the chains of sin. Chains which still enslave many today! It is those chains that we are working to break and those chains which when removed provide the greatest freedom man can know! Eternal Freedom!

Happy 4th of July from the Belleques!

Ministry Highlite - Barron Church

2009-05-14T13:05:00.005-05:00

Frank and Linda Distad, AMF missionaries in Trego, WI have a unique church ministry that Cindy and I finally got to visit recently. After our Area Fellowship in Wisconsin we spent the night with the Distads and the next day attended their church in Barron, WI. Unlike most churches the majority of attenders at Barron have special needs. It is a church geared toward the disability community. A very unique ministry!

There aren't a lot of people at Barron Church (although

many members were unable to attend that day) but they

give new meaning to quantity vs. quality!

Frank and Linda Distad work very hard to make each Sunday

special for the congregation. Frank delivered a practical and engaging

message on the 23 Psalm.

Frank's simple but practical message kept the attention of all!

They even let me share a little but I received much
more from them than they did from me!

There were many special numbers, individual responses

to Christ, during the service!

This is my kind of worship team! Check out that smile!

It was a priviledge to be prayed for because my

birthday happened to be in the month of May!

Check out the cool Larry the Cucumber

I got for our fridge!! Sometimes it is the small

gestures of love and acceptance that make the

biggest differences!

Area Fellowship - Northern Wisconsin!

2009-05-14T11:57:00.007-05:00

Well it's been a while since I've posted but that is because we have been extremely busy with ministry! One of the neat things we get to do each year is treat our missionaries to a day or two off at what we call area fellowship. It's a chance to relax, fellowship, share information and get to know each other as AMF family better! Our recent area fellowship was held for our missionaries in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota plus one family from Northern Michigan. We had a great time together (at least Cindy and I did!). We were also fortunate to have our new Executive Director Ridge Burns with us and were able to get to know him better! Here are some pix from the weekend!

This Area Fellowship was held at Camp Chetek on Chetek Lake.

Always a great time for fellowship!

Ridge gives us a "graphic" perspective on AMF!

Worshipping together!

Ridge gets "schooled" at Carpet Pool by
an AMF Missionary Kid!

A great weekend with great Missionaries
who are serving the Lord everyday in the
North-Central Region of AMF!!!

Nebraska Camp Conference!

2009-04-03T20:45:00.003-05:00

The second camp conference for AMF camp ministry staff was just as fun and successful as the first! This time we were in Wellfleet, Nebraska at Bethel Bible Camp. Our hosts were John and Carol Lewis. Many great discussions, times of sharing and prayer and some fun thrown in provided a good time for all! Everyone is very excited for summer ministry! (and that's not just because it snowed on us while we were there!!) Here are some photos to peruse!

A quick game of "find your camp on the map"!

Studious missionaries sharing good stuff!

Our host John Lewis leads a discussion on facilities!

Prayer with our fearless leader in red shoes - Ridge Burns!

Three camp dudes (and half a dude!) checking out some media tools!

Three generations of camp girls!!

You'd think with a cool bell like this John would

use it to wake us up! Nope! He chose to play chickens

clucking to popular tunes every morning!

Poor Wade discovers the futility of group photos!

Forget changing a lightbulb! How many missionaries

does it take to accomplish a group photo!

Good luck Wade!

Kansas City Puppet Festival!

2009-03-24T00:50:00.011-05:00

I had the opportunity to help with another One Way Street puppet festival in Kansas City, Missouri this last weekend. It was fun and a good chance to equip about 200 people for ministry! I taught Script Writing, Gospel Ballooning and an Object Lesson Class. Here are a few photos of the action!

Our Host Pastor Dave of Evangel Temple prays for us!

Lots of cool blacklight!

We saw lots of puppet teams!

Lots of fun scenery!

Lip Synch competition!

This poor puppeter was working

so hard he blew and arm off his puppet!!

Amy Harder Amazing Puppet Animator! Check out her site http://www.puppetrylab.com/!

An Aussie puppet sketch!

A human video presentation!

A new group of balloonatics!

John Bell brings the closing challenge!

Puppet Competition Awards!

We even gave out a rarely seen Platinum award!

Our fearless leader Branden Treu!

My name is Brett Belleque and I am a trading card addict!

2009-03-17T16:48:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Cindy and I went to the Sublette Toy and Tractor show in Sublette, IL. Cindy has a nice blog on her site about the day. www.cindybelleque.blogspot.com. I wanted to share what I bought there. I have always had a fascination for trading cards - especially those that depict old television shows! (If you have any you would like to get rid of let me know!) My idea of fun is to open a whole box of trading cards! I'm not a professional collector but I think it is a crime that any pack sits unopened! I found some Andy Griffith cards at the show and thought I would give everyone a peek!

Each pack was for sale for a $1!

I only bought 5!

Opie and Barney!

I love Don Knots!

Andy and Barney!
One of the world's greatest duos!

Barney and his gun!!

With only one bullet of course!

Some of the gang from Mayberry!
I opened every pack and then closed them

again until I get some holders for them!

I might even clothespin one to my bicycle spokes!

They are meant to be enjoyed!

Western AMF Camp Conference!

2009-03-17T11:15:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to attend the first of two AMF Camp Conferences this last week at Camp Morrow in Wamic, Oregon. We had a great time sharing ideas, hearing God's word and fellowshipping. I did a special presentation each night with fun activities with our missionaries. It was a great time to consider how AMF fits into Christian Camping and how our model of Evangelism, Discipleship and Congregating is supported by our camp programs! Here are some photos of the weekend!

A look at Mt. St. Helens from my plane seat!

I was in High School when it blew!

Our special guest Scott Lidbeck challenges us from

God's word!

The camp fed us well and offered lots of opportunity for fellowship!

We tried to fit in some fun time too!

They have a fun challenging Frisbee Golf course!

No pix though I was too busy looking for my disc!!

Several missionaries led different forums

on a variety of topics.

There was a lot of great discussion and input!

We had many opportunities to pray together as well!

That's our motto! "Pray First"!

One of my favorite things to do!!

2009-02-05T16:24:00.006-06:00

Hi! Long time no blog! You'd think with the storms keeping us home that I would have found more time to blog about the happenings of the North Central Region of American Missionary Fellowship! But it was not to be! Good news however I am back to blogging for now!

I just returned from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota where Area Missionary Roger Gerber and I were recruiting for AMF. Roger's area is southwest Wisconsin and he has been avidly looking for an intern or two to be part of his Jail and transition ministry in 3 different counties! We were also trolling for summer missionaries and future fulltimers too!

It was a fun few days at the school and we met a lot of neat kids during the missions conference! Wess Stafford or Compassion International was the guest speaker at chapel and we enjoyed him as well! Here are a few photos of Roger and I at the school!

Northwestern was at one time a Catholic Seminary

You can find lots of latin, amazing architecture and

statues of saints!

I'm the good looking one on the stairs!

Some unique doorway artwork!

This is the original chapel. Apparently the columns were
brought from Europe but the ground was so marshy that they
sunk and had to be reordered!

Northwesterm is a Christian Liberal arts college where
every student also minors in Bible.

A look down the corridors of academia!

(My college was originally a mental institute!)

Apparently this old guy was their second president!

Roger meets with one of the many students we had the

opportunity to visit with!

Meet Jamie Boehmer! Jamie was one of our summer missionaries

who worked with Area Missionary Dale Heaton at Joy Bible camp! There is no better

thrill than meeting a young person who gives of themselves to serve Christ!

See you this summer Jaime!

Holiday trip!

2008-12-09T11:53:00.008-06:00

I've just finished looking at my reports from the last few months and realize I have driven over 10,000 miles since August and that doesn't include air miles! We took a short break over Thanksgiving (which included another 4 days of travel!) and Cindy did a great job sharing photos of the trip on her blog http://www.cindybelleque.blogspot.com/ but I thought I might throw in some of my own comments as well - with pictures of course!
ENJOY!

One of the perks of traveling is seeing amazing scenery!

An awesome three generation photo!

Soon to be included in the holiday issue of GQ!

I put my stamp of approval on Thanksgiving dinner!

(Like my aunt and mom care!)

The best thing to do when it's cold outside! Uno attack!

Helping Granpa get the lights put up!

Note for next year - not so many!!

A special gift of a wedding album for Kris and Thomas!

Some lovely ladies!

From left - Donna Roberts, My aunt Anna, Ma Belleque and my sister Toenail!

My parents and our kids put on an early anniversary party for us!

Yep! Count em' - 25 years of wedded bliss!

Did I say that right Cindy??

Some goofy girls!

Back home we boys have our annual fight with the tree!

Finally we get it up!

We have to bend the top limb to get the topper on!

Thank goodness it's artificial!

Ta Da!

And of course while we boys manage to get one tree up

Cindy accomplishes all this in the next room!

On the way home we came across a huge fire!

It was a big harvester that had caught on fire and was

the side of the road!

We'll we all have our traditons and mine includes

the decaptiation of the first gingerbread man!

I hope your holidays are special too!

Winning isn't everything but it can be something!

2008-11-14T14:24:00.004-06:00

My friend Karl Bastian put up a post about winning some cool Mt. Dew gear. You can check out his post at http://kidologist.com/2008/11/12/i-dew-win/#comment-2457. I was also a winner in that contest! It kind of got me thinking about how as a boy I (like Karl) felt like I never won anything! Now I know that's not true because I have ribbons and certificates and memories of contests but it seemed to me at the time that I never won a big prize! Funny how we think as kids! When I look back now I realize that I was very fortunate to occasionally win something!

I'm mentioning this for two reasons. First, I try to mention Karl's ministry and website http://www.kidology.org/ often because if your interested in kid's ministry you really should join and second I wanted to write about winning something at the Kidology University seminar held in October.

Like a lot of fun seminars they held a drawing at the end of the week for some really cool prizes from the vendors at the conference. In this case Kidology staff would throw paper airplanes into the crowd and if the paper airplane you caught had a prize listed on it you won! There were several fun prizes including a puppet and curriculum and lots of other fun stuff!

Now I have been to many of these kind of prize drawing and have occasionally won something. But as I sat in the audience I just felt like today was my day. I really can't describe it except to say that I just had that feeling! Maybe that's what gamblers sometimes feel when they think they are on a lucky streak! Anyway several prizes had been given away when Karl announced that the kidmo company was going to give away and entire set of their curriculum including DVDs, Cd's etc. All of the sudden I knew that I would win that prize!

Sure enough one of the airplanes which normally flipped and flopped and made circles in the air came straight at me and struck me in the chest so hard it hurt! I didn't even look at it before I stood up and began walking forward to receive the prize! I was so sure I had won! Karl was still asking who had won when I realized I had better open up the plane and make sure it was me. And it was! But I wasn't even amazed because I simply expected it to happen! Talk about weird!

I want to say thank you to Kidmo and Kidology for the prize. It is a really cool set of curriculum that I hope I get to use in the near future! If you get a chance make sure you take a look at their website. http://www.kidmo.com/ They have some very progressive products for reaching the TV and Internet generation for Christ! Thanks for listening to my story!

Autumn Festival Parade

2008-10-23T09:46:00.004-05:00

I hope you get a chance to look at Cindy's blog called "Life in a small town". The URL is http://www.cindybelleque.blogspot.com/. She does alot of fun stuff about our new home town. But I thought I might chime in here too! Here are some pictures of the Autumn Festival in Oregon, Illinois. I'm not even going to comment on them - I'm tempted to - but they speak for themselves!

Yep! That's life in a small town! Your comments are encouraged!

A trip to Grace College and Seminary!

2008-10-16T17:11:00.004-05:00

October 6-9th I represented AMF at the Grace College and Seminary missions conference with AMF partner Brad Lambright. It was a great time connecting with students and being in "college" again! Here are some photos!

Our displays were set up in the Orthopaedic Capital Center

a beautiful new sports center on campus.

My display. Exciting isn't it?!?

The candy bowl was quite popular!

The college is located in Winona Lake, Indiana.

It was a very popular Bible conference location for many years.

This is Winona Lake today!

This is how it looked years ago!

They had an awesome "Taste of the World" event.

I got too full to eat at all the tables!

A couple of beautiful Israeli Girls!

The students worked really hard to provide information
about each country and food as close to authentic as possible!

This is one of the growth groups I had the opportunity
to speak too! The students were awesome!

College has changed somewhat since I was there.
For instance there were no dinosaurs

and this room was amazing! It even had a washer and dryer!

And of course some things never change.
This is the room I stayed in in the boy's dorm!

I really enjoyed my visit at Grace college and we had some awesome discussions with students about missions and ministry in the US!

A big thank you goes out to all those who worked so hard to put this conference on and a big thanks to Samuel, Andrew and Kaleb who shared their room with me!!! It was a very comfortable couch!

Check out Wordle!

2008-10-15T18:49:00.002-05:00

Our friend Karl Bastian pointed out this website from his friend Henry Zonio's blog. It takes words and makes interesting graphics of them. You can play at www.wordle.net. I am behind on blogging and will try to catch up! This "wordle" I made using AMF's motto and ministry points.!

An Extra Trip!

2008-09-22T14:56:00.007-05:00

As many of you know my Dad, Ed Belleque, has been dealing with a form of Parkinson's Disease for several years. Last week I flew with my parents to Naples, Florida where Dad received treatment at the Pearlmutter Clinic. I was the official navigator through airports, hotels and freeways!

The clinic treats many types of brain disorders with an infusion treatment that also involves diet changes and hyperbolic chamber sessions. We spent the week there with dad having treatments and doing a little sightseeing when he wasn't too tired. Dad is progressing with the treatments and we will know in a few weeks just how much they are helping. We appreciate your prayers for both my mom and dad!

Here are some photos of the trip!

This mother duck and her brood adopted me while I was
walking around the clinic grounds. They have funny looking

ducks in Florida!

This may have been the daddy!

This is the Pearlmutter clinic where dad received his treatments.
It is a world famous clinic.

I learned that everything in Floriday is surrounded by water!

Dad got to meet his "idol" at a place called "Shell World"!

We found this fella on the side of the road in the Everglades!
We called him "Lefty" because he was missing his left foot!

He was very much alive!

Dad watches "Lefty" really closely!

Since we were in Florida we had to have seafood!

A beautiful Florida Gulf of Mexico Sunset!

It was a good trip and a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my folks. We are hoping and praying that the treatments will help dad reclaim some mobility to make his retirement a little more enjoyable! I am very greatful for my wife Cindy who covered the office for me while I was away! It is a bit difficult to do the job with only a cell phone and laptop!

AMF Tri-Regional Conference

2008-09-14T18:09:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I could tell you about the great speaker, good home office sessions, times of prayer, worship and fellowship. But instead I think I'll show you some photos of our missionaries doing something they don't often get to do - Having fun! Wish you all could have been with us in Rapid City!

First we hit the mini-golf course!!

Fishing for strokes!

Stroke penalties are serious at Pirate's Cove Mini-Golf!

We also shot a few pidgeons - Clay pidgeons that is!

Bill shows us his technique!

Our new Director of Ministry Resources takes a turn!

My first time shooting traps!

Congrats to Mark and Lila Hutchins 20 years of AMF service!

And we picked up our 10 year service award too!

The Wedding!!

2008-09-14T16:49:00.011-05:00

We finished our summer in Montana with Kristine's wedding. She married Thomas Rogers our new son-in-law on August 15th. The next day we moved to Illinois.

Ready to rehearse!

Ready to Rumble!!

Down the aisle we go!

Pastor Glen and Donna Small came to help out!

The show begins with the expectant groom!

Pastor Glen ran the show!

The Kiss!

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Rogers!

Happy parents!

Wonderful new in-laws Pam and Bill Rogers!

Beautiful Bride!

All the girls!

Kristine and her brothers, the rose among thorns!

Dancing with Dad at the reception!

Okay she likes dancing with him better....

Dancing with Nick!

With Andrew...

And with Sam!

Ring bearer meets flower girl!

Sparklers!

The outdoor reception was really neat!

And off they go!!!

Big Sky Boy's Camp!

2008-08-10T18:01:00.004-05:00

Our second week at Big Sky featured all boys at "All Boy's Week!" We had a great time with 52 boys and staff. Here's a few pics! 8 boys received Christ! Praise the Lord!

Old "What's His Name", teaching a lesson.

Riding the fun noodle! How many can you get on it?

A Bible lesson with Jeff!

Cannon Balls! A boy's camp requirement!

Ready, set......

BLOW!

Worshipping in song with gratitude in our hearts!!

Back to Camp!

2008-08-10T17:27:00.005-05:00

On our return from Illinois we immediately headed out to Bigsky Bible Camp for 2 1/2 more weeks of camp. This is the camp that our daughter Kristine and her fiance Thomas Rogers are working at all summer. Brett volunteered last fall to fill in as director for a few weeks since the new director won't be arriving until September. Here are some photos of the Jr. High Week! And a short video!

We leave no goofy game unplayed! Wear your balloons with pride!

The despicable "Pinky" gang!

Thomas loads a marshmallow flinger!

Kristine directed the ropes course many weeks this summer!

Yep, what can we say? Camp life is hard!

Nothing like a ride on the giant slip-n-slide

The Move!

2008-08-10T16:54:00.008-05:00

On the 18th of July the Montana Belleques made a valiant attempt to move to Illinois. Unfortunately upon arriving we discovered that we would be unable to move into our temporary rental. So we moved into a storage unit, got some business done and drove back to Montana! All in one week! However we are happy to report that the house we have been attempting to purchase (waiting for the sale of our Montana home) was made available for us to rent until the time comes that we can purchase it! So on the 16th of August we will be moving permanently to our new home in Mt. Morris, Illinois. Here are some photos of our quick trip! We did take two hours to stop and visit Mt. Rushmore (one of Andrews favorite places!) on the way home!

Loaded and Ready to Go!

Sam was the navigator!

Our new home away from home!

(we actually filled two!)

Sam got a good workout!

Cindy expresses all our feelings!

Almost done!

Victory is ours!

We took an afternoon to look around our new home!

This is Blackfoot the Indian! Who looks out over the valley!

The Rock River Valley! Not bad!!

A swimming pool at the motel on the way home was a necessity!

Mt. Rushmore is one of our favorite places to visit.

Andrew loves the presidents!

Why so somber guys??

We even found our new state flag!

Week Two

2008-06-27T18:15:00.004-05:00

From Bigfork in Western Montana we proceeded to another one of our favorite camps, Camp Lewtana in Lewistown in Eastern Montana where we joined missionaries Rob and Joni Odermann and Justin and Rose Antonich for two camps cramed into one week! We had a great time with both boys and girls camp!! There were over 15 decisions for Christ! That's why the staff is smiling!!

The happy staff at Lewtana Bible Camp!

The cabin leaders helping out with the evening service!

Rose Antonich - Camp director of girl's camp!!

Rose not only directed camp but she also watched a toddler and is pregnant!

So you wanna go back to Egypt? Presented by our

puppet team who were able to join us for a few days!

A tragic balloon accident. The dangers of being camp pastor!

The ultimate prayer warrior battles some evil forces!

Singing sheep!

We learned to let God be who He is and not try to put

Him in a box!!

The team shared a couple of cool black lite numbers!

We had daily visits from Flatman and Bobbin!

The three Amigos guitar choir!

A lesson on the parable of the soils! I don't think this young lady liked

being the thorny ground!

A little fun with windbags!

Week One!

2008-06-27T18:01:00.005-05:00

Our summer ministries began at Big Sky Bible Camp where Brett was the special speaker and a trainer for Counselor training week. God blessed us with a real Montana snowstorm on Tuesday and by Wednesday morning we had four inches of snow on the ground. And it was gone by Friday! This was not our first summer snow in Montana but it will be a memorable one! Here are some photos of camp and some unique snow shots!

Our future son-in-law Thomas and his giant snow ball!

No part of our car was spared from the snow!

The happy frozen couple!

Yes we had canoeing, snorkeling and swimming scheduled that day!

Look at that beautiful green grass mixed with the snow!!

No tether balls were harmed in the making of this blog!

This is the new CL Trading Post soon to be housing offices,

Craft areas and the camp store!! The carpet arrived on Friday!

Of course by the end of the week the low elevation snow was gone

and God sent us a reminder of just who is in charge! Please remember to pray for the staff

at Big Sky Bible Camp including our daughter Kristine and her fiance Thomas.

Pray for strength and wisdom as the camp reaches out to hundreds of kids from Montana!

And so it begins.....

2008-06-27T17:50:00.003-05:00

Well what can I say but, "Long time - no blogging"! As many of you know Cindy and I have changed positions at AMF. We are now regional directors for the North Central Region and will be moving to Illinois in July. We still have no buyer for our house in Montana (lovely home on a 1/2 acre, close to schools, 4 bedrooms call now!!) but we are still moving! The change in position and the start of summer ministries (we had summer commitments before we took the job that we felt we needed to fulfill) have put the blog to a stop - but - we are back to blogging again! Here are some events that concluded spring and brought us to summer!

Let the heavens rejoice! Sam graduated from 8th grade!

Our Gang of Four Kids!

Cindy and I and the boys (including Thomas and Sam's friend Josh)

made two balloon arches that looked great for graduation!

Our second event was that Cindy said goodbye to teaching for

The Missoula Public preschool! She will be greatly missed there!

Cindy and her coworkers!

The Last Supper foot notes!

2008-03-24T18:43:00.003-05:00

The previous post detailed our presentation of the Last Supper but I want to add some more info!

Kim Pace also sang in the presentation but we don't have a picture of her because she is our principle photographer and was usually behind the camera! A big thanks goes out to Kim and Alena Belleque for all of the pictures they took! Here is a final look at the entire table in Dixon.

The Living Last Supper

2008-03-24T18:15:00.008-05:00

The living last supper is a recreation of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper". Actors freeze in the position of the disciples who have just been told by Christ that one of them is to betray their Savior. Each disciple then gives a short monologue about how they met Jesus and how he has changed their lives. They ask themselves the question heaviest on their hearts, "Is it I? Is it I?". Normally I don't post such a large number of pictures but I am very thankful for those who worked to put on this production in Missoula and Dixon, Montana. All of the actors and musicians made it a special presentation and Cindy a I are are privileged to have worked with them! I hope your Easter was a blessed one!

Vocalist and Accompianist Debbie Johanasen

Cindy also sang and accompanied.

Eryn Astin played guitar and Sang.

Dawn Kinzle vocalist.

Jason Pace as John the Beloved Disciple

Steve Mendenhall as Philip.

Jim Cook as Thaddeus

John Kinzle as Peter "The Rock".

Curtis Davey as Andrew "The Bringer"

Nick Belleque as James "Son of Thunder".

Pastor Jim Herd as Simon the Zealot

Old "What's his name" as Judas Iscariot

Pastor Paul Keller as Thomas "the Twin"

Boone Cole from Dixon as Nathaniel

Sean Kinzle as James "the Less"

Matthew Charlick as "Levi" the hated tax collector!

The Apostle John prepares the Sound Board!

Asher and sound engineer Sam make last minute adjustments!

Right side of the table with Larry Johanasen filling in for Simon!

Left side of Table

The disciples finally figure it out!

The Hair Cut!

2008-02-19T11:52:00.003-06:00

Okay we shouldn't use our blogs to tease our children but...I am me! We had let Sam grow his hair out due to lack of time to cut it and his reluctance to let us. But after his first basketball game I realized the boy need to see to shoot! So I made a dad decision. Off comes the hair! Here are the before and after photos!

Cindy prepares for Battle!

The final shot before cutting!

A New Man!

(I wanted it shorter!)

Christmas 07

2008-02-19T11:41:00.006-06:00

Remember those boring old missionary slide shows? This is even worse! Family pictures of Christmas! But I know that some of you like to keep up with our family as well so.....

Cindy made Kristine a new quilt!

Santa Dad!

Kris, Sam, Nick and Andrew! Everyone was home for Christmas!

Nick and Alena!

Another gift....for me?

Christmas survivors! The happy parents!

Andrew turns 17 on the 28th of December!

He had the flu and was terribly ill!

A new addition to his growing muppet collection!

The star ship Swine Trek playset!

Notice dad can't keep his hands off it!

We are STILL ALIVE!

2008-02-19T11:29:00.003-06:00

I deserve to have my blogging license revoked! It has been so hectic around here and there are some upcoming changes in our ministry that are taking much of our time! Please keep checking the blog for some important announcements!

Christmas was as busy as usual! Unfortunately we didn't take too many photos! Here are a few pix from the puppet team at Hillside Manor this Christmas. The people there are so excited to see the kids every year! What a great ministry to just say Hi, to them! have you visited a nursing home near you lately?

Puppets at Hillside!

An attentive crowd!

Scratch and Sniff Bible!

Students visiting the residents!

Ready for Christmas!

2007-12-06T12:29:00.001-06:00

We had a great time getting the church ready for Christmas. Here are some hard working people! I came for the chili feed!

Mike climbs the ladder!

Mike falls off the ladder!

Mike finally gets the job done!

Margaret, Eunice and Ava put the tree together!

Excellent Job!

Sam tries his hand a bow tying!

And with Val's help is successful!

Kim gets the Christmas village together!

Cindy and Dawn tackle the poinsettia tree!

Another job well done!

The Nativity set is ready for Advent!

And some people's job is just to be cute!

Or read a good book!

Thanksgiving in Gillette

2007-12-06T11:26:00.000-06:00

After that last blog it sounded like we were so busy we haven't had any time for family! So let me say we did have a great trip to Wyoming for Thanksgiving! We went to my sister Tonya's house and met our daughter Kristine and Tasia Kinzle there for a great time of fun, food and hanging out! I was also able to squeeze in a speaking engagement before all the festivities started at Dry Creek. I spoke to the men's group there from the book of Exodus. It was a great meeting and a big thank you goes out to David Dick our AMF missionary in Douglas for inviting me! Here are a few photos of Thanksgiving!

Grandma and Grandpa prepare the feast!

The Whole Gang!

Happy Cousins!

The traditional beating of Kristine by her dad at Guitar hero!

(Don't let her tell you anything different!)

It's My Fault!

2007-12-06T11:13:00.000-06:00

Yep, it's my fault! I let myself get too busy to blog again! October and November have blown past us and now we are on the rollercoaster of December! One of November's highlights was taking the triple P Puppet team to Dixon Montana to perform for the Community Baptist Church Harvest Dinner! They invited the whole town and I think everyone showed up! Dixon is about 50 miles from Missoula and Pastor Jim Herd is a friend of mine. We love to help them any chance we get!! Here is the team in action!

The whole town shows up for dinner!

Pig Puppets bringing "Life to the Word"

A balloon lesson on the real meaning of Christmas!

Everybody gets a balloon!

Special Fund Raiser for Youth Ministry Team

2007-10-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Our youth ministry team is self supported which means we try to raise all of our own funds. We are trying a special fundraising opportunity from the disciples cross. Basically we will be constructing cross necklaces and selling them to raise funds for our team and its travels. You can see a photo of the necklace below. They retail for $10.00 but you can get one from us for $7.50! If you are interested in doing this fundraiser for your group just click the link to the left called "Great Fundraising Opportunity" and we will get a bit of credit if you decide to sell crosses as well! However if you just want a cross please email me and I will get some to you!! Thanks for reading! These really make great gifts!

Balloons Around the World!

2007-10-11T11:51:00.000-05:00

Well it's been a few weeks since we posted. That means it has been busy here in Western Montana. We are in training mode for the fall and have lots of training activities going on! That keeps us hopping! We have also had several trips to make which brings our total to over 11.000 miles since the middle of June! I'm a bit tired of driving!

One of favorite activities of the fall is "Balloons Around the World". It is an activity for balloon sculptors to once a year twist animal balloons for charitable organizations. Since our Youth Ministry Team does balloons we try to take a few days and visit the local nursing homes and twist away! Here are some photos of us at Village Health Care Center in Missoula! I hope your fall is going well and God is working through you!!

Brett

Odds and Ends

2007-08-13T16:13:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos I wanted to share with you but wasn't quite sure where to put them. First is a photo of Cindy's dad Chuck Conlee. Chuck spent three weeks with us this summer doing a lot of work projects for several different ministries. He traveled to Wyoming with us and to Big Sky Bible Camp. We so appreciate him and we think he had a great time being used of God in this way! Thanks again Dad!!

The other photos are of the Kaboom boys performing at Big Sky Bible Camp. Some of you are aware of the Kaboom Boys while others of you remain safely protected from them. The Kaboom Boys travel to different ministries presenting Science based programs that teach the attributes of God. If you haven't had the Kaboom Boys at your church yet you need to! You can get in touch with them by emailing the Belleques because Brett happens to be the Kaboom Boys Lab Director! Finally a couple of pictures of Sam and Andrew at the Big Sky Water Slides to let you know that we do play when we get a chance!! Enjoy the pix and your comments are appreciated!

Thanks for all your hard work Chuck!

The Kaboom Director and a willing victim!

Rockin' out with Larry the Lab Rat!

Preparing for the Mentos Diet Coke Fountain Finale!

Let the carbonation flow!!

Andrew prefers to relax at the water park!

Sam, however prefers the danger route! Often dragging dad with him!

Last Ministry Week

2007-08-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

This summer we really only had 6 full weeks of ministry but it sure seemed like more! The heat, smoke and fires didn't help any! All in all it was a great summer. We are off to Oregon to visit some of our supporting churches and see our daughter Kristine before she heads back to college in South Dakota this fall! Here are some photos of Big Sky Bible Camp located in Bigfork, MT just 2 hours from our house. It was a cowboy themed camp for all boys. Our lessons on Moses and the big round up fit right in!

Enjoy!

Dad and Lad Canoe trip!

Mad Cow Disease?

Rock Diving of the coast of Peterson Lake!

Time to Cowboy up!

Hanging out with your cool counselor at the fishing dock!

Begging Camp Director Darren Banek to let me cover the chapel with confetti!

Bible Drill Time!

Waterfront fun!

We take our carpet pool in Montana very seriously!

Singing in the Chapel!

Darren figures out how the trick is done!

High ropes excitement!

A boy and his cow - one happy camper!

Camp Report Week 4

2007-07-31T11:57:00.000-05:00

Camp Shiloh was a fantastic week! Not only was it a ministry week for the Belleques but this year we took our entire Youth Ministry Team with us to provide the counseling staff. It was a wonderful week with many decisions for Christ and many new relationships built between our Montana team and the Wyoming staff as well. Everyone wants to go back again next year! We were very fortunate to have 8 children from the reservation this year and 5 of them accepted Christ as their Savior! Our thanks go out to all who make this camp possible including our staff, the camp board and the supporting churches and also to the supporters of our ministry who make it possible for us to go to these camps and contribute. We took over 1,000 pictures and it is hard to choose which ones to share. I guess I need to learn how to attach an album to this blog! Here however are some photos of the week!

Camp is held outside of Tensleep Wyoming.

The chapel here is one of the oldest church buildings in Wyoming.

Yes Lindsay that was a waterballoon that just hit you!

Our chief cook and camp board president Gale Moravek

gives a great presentation on his ministry trip to Egypt!

Modeling the "FEZ"

A happy counselor and camper!

Preparing for water war! Choose your weapon

of mass water destruction!!

The Slime war begins!!

Slime War Warriors!

Our girls present special music!

Pastor Kurt drops by to share a special message!

Sam and Joe say, "Bring it on!!"

The traditional dumping of the water on the head!

It was over 100 degrees the first three days of camp!

I love this picture of Tasia - she doesn't!

Craft time!

Beadwork!

Chillin' with my homies at camp!

Camp is cool!

Hard at work makin' the vittles!!

A couple of desperados!

Camp is not complete without puppets!

It's Pharaoh Brett!

Hey! Let my people go!

Chow line!

A great staff!

Whose the guy in the green hat????

Week Three - VBS!

2007-07-31T10:56:00.000-05:00

Week three of our summer ministry found us in Wyoming conducting 2 Vacation Bible Schools at the same time. In the morning we were in Hudson, Wyoming where a small but courageous group of 9-11 kids met each day. In the afternoon we were in Shoshoni, Wyoming where a little bigger number, 18, met for Bible School. It was a 120 mile trip each day for five days in 100+ weather. Our VBS crew, Zakk Whites, Lindsay Horton, Jessica Christopherson, Jasmine Romero and Sam Belleque along with us (Brett & Cindy) did a great job! We led 7 kids to Christ and talked many into coming to camp the next week! Here are some photos.

Hudson VBS!

A Small Group of Great Kids
(and could they sing!)

Crafty Sisters!

Cindy manning the craft table!

Elvis makes an appearance!

A special presentation of the Paper Plate Puppet Theater
(say that five times fast)

Daniel in the Lions Den!

Evil advisors plot against Daniel!

Daniel is thrown into the Lions Den!

Angels from Heaven shut the lion's mouths!

Singing at the parent's program!

Shoshoni!

Another fine group of Bible School students!

Singing their hearts out!

No my good man you will not find the ball behind Pastor Brett's back!

Zakk brings the King to Shoshoni!

Lindsay and Jessica do the motions!

Cup Stackers were a big hit at Shoshoni!

A Tower of Cups!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego about to enter the fiery furnace!

In the Furnace!

What will happen??

They are saved!!!

So how many kids can you get behind your puppet stage!?!?

A Busy Summer!

2007-07-31T09:44:00.000-05:00

Hey folks!
Summer is whirling away. This seems like one of the fastest summer we've ever experienced. But blogging has obviously been slow. Keep a watch this week because we will be updating a lot! We finally have a week at home! One interesting thing that we have been doing this summer is producing a radio show on a local Christian radio station here in Missoula. It is called "Letters from Camp" and contains interviews with campers, directors and cabin leaders from the different camps we have attended. For those of you who are in the Missoula/Arlee area you can pick up the station at 90.3. For those who live outside the station's limit please pray for this endeavor that it will bring a little PR to some of our great camps and motivate people to pray for summer ministry! The stations website in progress is csnmissoula.com! Our friend Jason Pace whose photo regularly appears on this site is the station manager!

Week Two - Summer 07'

2007-07-02T22:29:00.001-05:00

Week two finds us at Camp Lewtana in Lewistown, Montana. It was a junior boys camp with a lot of energy! About 21 boys joined us for a week of fun and hearing from God's word! I hope you pray for camp staff all over the country each week of the summer! They are working hard and need all the support they can get! Remember to pray for the boys that received Christ or made decisions to serve him with their lives.

Here are some photos from Lewtana!

Prepared for a week of lessons on Moses! Its Pharaoh Brett!
(minus the hard heart)

Camp director Rob Odermann and Assistant Director Justin Antonich

make sure it's cool in chapel!!

Now if I can only convince one camper to move I'll get their chair!

The famous Camp Lewtana Bus pulls up to our favorite place!

The Swimming Pool!

Cowabunga Dude!

Another sighting of the infamous Happy Camper!!

A faithful counselor on Sunscreen duty!

You can never have enough Sunscreen in Montana!

Time for a trip on Lewtana Airlines!!

Someday I'll run this camp!!

Summer Ministry Begins

2007-07-02T22:11:00.000-05:00

Hi folks!

We have just finished our first two weeks of camp. Our first camp was Camp Grace held on Casper Mountain in Casper Wyoming. This was an all age camp with about 60 campers. We had several kids receive Christ and many make other decisions about their relationship with their Heavenly Father!

Here are some photos!

Sweet Singing at Camp Grace!

God at Work in hearts!

Camp Director David Dick with the international sign of "Please listen to me"!

Happy Campers!

The Traditional Camp Water fight!!

At the end of a long day of camp!

It's Willie the Worm!

2007-05-27T00:05:00.001-05:00

Many of you know I have been selling the "Song of John" puppet set at www.barrymitchell.com for the last two years. It is a fun puppet skit with three toilet brush puppets and a special CD. This month we will be adding "Willie the Worm" to our products list. Willie is a worm puppet who comes with an instructional DVD. He is really cute and has a fun story on obedience that comes with him. Barry should have it up on the website soon and I invite you to check it out! I just sent Willie and his brothers to Barry to be packaged with their DVD. Here is what they look like before shipping! Get yours today!!

A Little Memorial Day Fun!!

2007-05-26T23:31:00.000-05:00

Okay life should not be all work or all play but sometimes the two come together very well! I have been preparing my summer lessons for about 5 months now and am enjoying the study on Moses I have put together. I have been especially interested in the part Egypt plays in the story. So...when the King Tut exhibit came to Bozeman, Montana Cindy and I decided to take the gang (including Kristine who is home for a few days) to check it out! We went to the Museum of Rockies well known for its Dinosaurs and now its dead Pharaohs! Check out these photos!

The gang out in front of the Museum of the Rockies!

A guard to the tomb! We slipped him a scarab beetle and he let us in!

The Death Mask of King Tut!

The loyal family dog!!

A couple of boys and their "MUMMY"!

Was this guy a chick magnet or what??

An Eighteenth Dynasty Chariot. Like the hundreds you will find at the bottom of the Red Sea!

The Museum of the Rockies is famous for its dinosaurs!! Here is one about to eat my family!

Open wide and say "AARRGGHH!!"

Working hard or hardly working??

Area Fellowship 2007

2007-05-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

Our AMF 2007 Area Conference was held this last weekend at Camp Lewtana in Lewistown, Montana (say that 5x fast!). It is a time for our missionaries to fellowship and hopefully relax a little as we worship, pray and spend time together. As Area Coodinators it is our job to put the conference together and try to make it restful! We had a great time with our fellow missionaries as always. Our son Sam said it was the best one ever!!
Enjoy some photos!

Everyone enjoys helping with dishes. Right Justin?

Our future AMF Missionaries!!

Justin, Rose and Warren Antonich our
newest missionaries to Eastern Montana!

Cindy did a lot of work on the menu and running the kitchen!

Uncle Frank always brings balloons!

You can pretty much be sure that Cindy and Joni

are not talking about the menu! No doubt it's all about

two goofy husbands!

Arlen and Marilyn Hilkemann from Wolf Point Montana eating all the snacks!

Jewel King with the Antonich's new jewel - Warren!

(who apparently sees the headlights of oncoming traffic!)

The Triple P Puppet team trip to regional festival!!

2007-05-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

A third trip to Oregon this month involved taking our puppet team to the Oneway Street Regional puppet festival. We took 4 kids and 4 adults to Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualitan Oregon. It was the first church that Brett worked at after graduating from seminary! It was great to see our friend Gary Strudler the children's pastor at Rolling Hills who hosted the festival. A lot of learning and fun was had by all - plus we got a silver trophy for our competition piece!! Yeehaw! A special thank you goes out to Matthew Charlick who filled in for our missing members and to Sellwood Baptist Church for allowing us to stay in their facility!!

"On the road again! I just can't wait to get on the road again!!"

We enjoyed several great puppet presentations!

Getting educated!!

Cindy waits to see what award we will receive!

We got silver!!!

Gary Strudler children's pastor at Rolling Hills who hosted the festival.

Good job Gary!!

Oneway street festival staff. Dale VonSeggen, Gary Strudler,

Carrie Murphy, Dave and June Privett.

Thanks for all your hard work!!

Cindy gets goofy with Quina's new fish puppet!

Rick is trying to remember why he came!!

Pizza at Pietro's, a great end to a great weekend!

Well fed and happy puppet parents!!!

After the rain...THE WEDDING!!

2007-03-31T16:44:00.000-05:00

Two weeks after Cindy's mom's memorial service we headed back to Oregon for a day of celebration as our son Nick and his fiance Alena Purkerson became husband and wife! Brett also did this service! It was a day of joy and celebration! We are so happy to have Alena as our daughter-in-law! We would also like to thank Brett's uncle and aunt, Mike and Elaine Belleque for allowing us to use Oretown Bible Church for the ceremony! It was beautiful and such a nice place to hold a wedding (by the beach!!)! Here are some photos for you to enjoy!

Nick and best man Matthew Charlick

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Belleque

New in-laws the Belleque's and the Purkerson's!

Grandpa Conlee, Brett, Alena, Nick, Cindy, Grandma Belleque and Grandpa Belleque!

The Wedding Party!!!

Nick's personal bodyguards, cousins Jake and Dan!

Kristine Sang!

And Sam caught the garter belt!!!

A great big thank you goes out to all who helped make the wedding a wonderful event! Your prayers for the new couple are always appreciated. Your prayers for the old couple (Brett and Cindy) are appreciated as well as we try to get things back on schedule again and prepare for a busy spring and summer of ministry!

Thank you for your continuing support!!

Cindy's Mom with Her Savior

2007-03-31T16:34:00.001-05:00

As many of you know March has been filled with both joy and sorrow. On March 5 Cindy's mom left this earth to be in the presence of her heavenly father. We spent a week with our family in Oregon and celebrated her life on Saturday, March 10th. Brett did the service. Shirley will be greatly missed as her love for her family and her friends was truly her gift from God. The memorial service was packed and many of her friends and family had wonderful things to share about her life. I've included a photo here of Shirley and her kids. She truly made me (Brett) feel like one of her own. Also included here is a poem given to us by our friend Kim Pace. Thank you Kim this really does remind us of mom!

Black History Month with The American Missionary Fellowship

2007-02-05T13:57:00.000-06:00

Hi folks, February is Black History Month and I thought it might be interesting for you to learn about two black missionaries who were part of AMF's history! Here are their stories.

We appreciate all those in our mission who are black or work with the black community!!

A Break in the Ministry!

2007-01-29T13:26:00.000-06:00

Each year Cindy and I try to find time in January to take an opportunity to get away and reflect, relax and plan for the next year. We are very humbled and blessed to be able to use a cabin on Placid Lake that belongs to some friends. It is important that we take the time to do this each year (and a lot of fun). We thank our friends Wade and Mary for the use of their cabin. Here are some pix that Cindy took of our weekend!

Roughin' it at the cabin!

Life is hard in Montana!

A bald eagle watching over us!

And there he goes!

4 degrees below but beautiful at Placid Lake!

The end of 2006 update!

2007-01-29T13:17:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can't believe it has taken this long to update! The end of the year - especially December was extremely busy! Our puppet team was on the go constantly performing in schools, nursing homes and churches! We also had a busy kid's club time as well! It has taken most of January to recover from December and we are already busy planning spring and summer ministry. All that and a wedding coming up in March! Here are some photos of the kid's and the youth ministry team as they ended the new year! 2007 has many more ministry opportunities and we look forward to serving. Please keep us in your prayers!

The puppet team presents "Grandpa goes to the Mall".

Yes, sometimes you can even find Jesus at the mall!!!

2007-01-29T13:05:00.000-06:00

The puppet team works very hard to produce their shows. Here is a little behind the scene look at their most recent production "Grandpa goes to the Mall". This is the little drummer boy song!

It takes a lot of people and a lot of hard work to put together even one song!

We had a lot of "drumming teams! for this one!

You've got to find room for everyone to fit! Sometimes the hand perfomer has to be behind the puppet performer!

Sam's and Quinna working hard! Sam has the tongue thing going!

At least Tasia looks like she's having fun! But someone needs to turn up the heat in the sanctuary!

2007-01-29T12:37:00.000-06:00

Our last two kid's corner lesson series involved "Bowling" and "Christmas". Our unit entitled bowling for fairness used bowling games and some great Bible lessons to help our kids understand why God sometimes makes decisions that we think are unfair but really our for our best interest. Every body loved bowling - except for our "Pin-Setters" who got a good workout! Our Christmas study helped us understand what it is like to be "Wisekids" for Christ!

Lining up the pins!

Shoop learning to be a wiseman!

On the verge of a steeeeeee-rike!

We acted out the parable of the good samaritan using balloon hats!

Shoop complains that it is hard to bowl with arms made of foam!!

Our kids made Christmas ornaments for each of the families in our church to remind them to put Jesus first this Christmas season!

A Busy Fall!

2006-11-17T11:05:00.000-06:00

This has probably been one of the busiest falls that we have ever experienced! Youth Ministry Team, Kid's church, deputation, Leadership Meetings and Training Conferences have kept me on the run!! I have hardly been in Missoula at all these last two months! We are glad to have a few normal weeks and thanksgiving to rest a little (and watch some football!) and maybe catch up on our blog with some pictures. If you are on our mailing list you should receive our prayer letter in the next couple of weeks. If you are not on the list email me your snail mail address to
belleque@americanmissionary.org and we would love to add you! We are especially praying that all of our support will come in before the end of December. Whatever comes in January and beyond will count for next year! Would you pray with us about this? Check out the post following this for a special announcement!

P.S. When did I get old enough to be a father-in-law?

Engagement Announcement!!!

2006-11-17T10:57:00.000-06:00

I'm a bit embarassed. They've been engaged for almost 2 months and I have not posted about it yet. Here goes... Our son Nick has proposed and we will soon be the proud parents of a daughter-in-law! Nick's fiance is Alena Purkerson. They met at Big Sky Bible Camp but did not become a couple until last summer. We are very excited for them and appreciate your prayers for them as they prepare for the wedding, maintain work schedules and Nick completes school. They plan to marry on July 7, 2007. Nick should be able to remember their anniversary - 7/7/07!

The Eighth Annual Children's Ministries Conference!

2006-10-30T18:53:00.000-06:00

Folks, I've blogged a bunch today so you may need to open the archive for the entire month of October in order to see all the photos. Just scroll down the right hand side and you'll see it. Click October 2006. Here are some photos from last weekend. It was our eighth annual Children's Ministry Conference here in Missoula. New Hope Christian Fellowship was our host church and we had a great time with the 27 folks that came. Not a bad turn out but each year we hope for more. Enjoy the photos and don't forget to click on the October archive for more!! A big thank you goes out to Steve Brackman for hosting us at his church! And another thank you to the Puckett family who came and presented a great Gospel magic show Friday evening along with the Triple P Puppet Team!

2006-10-30T18:46:00.001-06:00

It was a long weekend!

2006-10-30T18:46:00.000-06:00

Learning to share Jesus!

2006-10-30T18:45:00.000-06:00

Magician Mike Puckett and his family came all the way from Aloha, Oregon to help us out!

2006-10-30T18:44:00.000-06:00

Whose the guy holding the Mr. Potato head?

2006-10-30T18:43:00.000-06:00

Children's workers actually sitting still!

EBC Kid's Corner - up in the air!

2006-10-30T18:17:00.000-06:00

Kid's corner has been very active this month. Although the numbers have been down the kids have had a great time learning about Daniel and his friends. They are learning what it means to put your hope in God! Most of the work this month was done by Jason Pace and Curtis Davey because I have been on the road a lot!! Thanks guys, you have done a great job!!

2006-10-30T18:13:00.001-06:00

Having fun with the parachute!

2006-10-30T18:13:00.000-06:00

Shawn and Jason do - Davey, Davey!

2006-10-30T18:12:00.001-06:00

Jason talks to Bibi about her new cooking show!

2006-10-30T18:12:00.000-06:00

Under the 'chute!

2006-10-30T18:11:00.001-06:00

Still young enough to rock and roll!

2006-10-30T18:11:00.000-06:00

Davey, Davey has certainly become our favorite song this fall!

2006-10-30T18:10:00.001-06:00

We finally meet a character from the story of Daniel - a reformed people eating lion!

2006-10-30T18:10:00.000-06:00

The parachute makes a great "Wheel of Fortune"!

2006-10-30T18:09:00.000-06:00

Shoop tells of his adventures at the Drop Zone School of Parachuting!

2006-10-30T18:08:00.000-06:00

Shoop's parachuting on television!

2006-10-30T18:07:00.000-06:00

More parachute fun!

What a busy month!!

2006-10-30T18:02:00.000-06:00

October has been like a daytona race! It has been so busy we haven't had much of a chance to blog! So here we go with October highlights! This is the youth ministry team at Village Health Care and Hillside Manor participating in Balloons Around the World! We have so much fun with the residents and they love to see our gang come and visit with them!

2006-10-30T18:01:00.000-06:00

A teddy bear for a grizzly fan!

2006-10-30T18:00:00.001-06:00

The balloons have landed!

2006-10-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

Our future Daugher-in-law already infected with balloonology!

2006-10-30T17:59:00.002-06:00

Men at work!

2006-10-30T17:59:00.001-06:00

Head gear!

2006-10-30T17:59:00.000-06:00

A happy pirate!

2006-10-30T17:58:00.001-06:00

Another happy pirate with parrot!

2006-10-30T17:58:00.000-06:00

Jason Pace - balloon master!

2006-10-30T17:57:00.002-06:00

I don't know what it is but it is cool!

2006-10-30T17:57:00.001-06:00

Sam with a happy customer!

2006-10-30T17:57:00.000-06:00

Twist Janice, twist!

2006-10-30T17:56:00.002-06:00

It should look like this!

2006-10-30T17:56:00.001-06:00

A balloon for every table!

2006-10-30T17:56:00.000-06:00

The end of a day of twisting!

Fall Begins!

2006-09-26T15:49:00.000-05:00

Well summer has come and gone and fall arrives swiftly! All of our fall ministries are beginning and I already feel behind! Here are some photos of the Triple "P" Puppet teams first meeting. We are building up our puppet muscles and getting ready for balloons around the world! This is the same event we participated in last year (see October 2005). We have several performances coming up and are looking forward to getting our act together! Kid's church has also started again and I will post some photos later. Our theme is The Drop Zone and includes lessons on Daniel complete with puppets, kites, parachutes and a lot of fun music and games! Stay tuned! And by the way, if you are a frequenter to our blog how about letting us know by leaving a comment! We want to make sure this blog is worth the time and effort! So leave a short note!

2006-09-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a puppet!

2006-09-26T15:43:00.000-05:00

Time to build those puppet muscles!

2006-09-26T15:27:00.000-05:00

Draw yer balloons pardner!

2006-09-26T15:16:00.000-05:00

Dog done! Give me a treat!

Stay Shaun, stay!

2006-09-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

You see your problem here is that your whatnot is twisted around your thingamagig....

2006-09-26T15:09:00.000-05:00

You want me to make what?

2006-09-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Doodle Bug Success

A Hot trip to a Windy city!

2006-08-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

After 5 weeks of camp we took a break to travel with our youth ministry team to Chicago where we helped conduct a week of Vacation Bible School and an evening park ministry. Our fellow missionary Ron Kooyman works in Chicago and is presently the interim pastor at Cicero Bible church. This is the church that founded the IFCA denomination. Presently there are about 175 people meeting in a church that seats about 1500. Ron is working hard to help the church reach out to the hispanic community that has grown up around it. We were there to help and had a great time. It was extremely hot (In the 100's) and the humidity was about 90%. God really blessed and the intercultural experience was invaluable for all! We want to thank all the churches who housed us and all who helped make the trip possible through hard work and financial support!

2006-08-21T17:24:00.001-05:00

The Puppet team arrives in Chicago - the windy city!

2006-08-21T17:24:00.000-05:00

Cicero Bible Church is where we ministered with Pastor Ron Kooyman in Chicago. Last year the church had a Vacation Bible School with only 16 kids. This year there were 120!

2006-08-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

Attacked at VBS by a booty stealing Pirate!