Board Meetings and Family Updates

Hello from Arizona.

Beverly and I traveled to Arizona to spend more time with Mother and Dad Landis.  As you know Mom was diagnosed with bone cancer, and we see value in making effort to spend more time with her.  She is 89 years old and is doing well. In fact, she looks much better here in the warm weather and lower elevation than when she left Wyoming.

Earlier in the year, after the AiG board retreat on Branson in January, we added a week to our trip and swung by Arizona before going home.  Then just last week, when we were informed that the AiG March board meeting was changed to a conference call meeting, we decided to come to Arizona and miss another Sunday at CBC.

Ken Ham, just last week, gave a presentation about the Ark Project along with a strong message about the condition of the country today. The presentation was a recorded webcast that was shown at CBC, along with a 13 minute video preface I taped down here, during Sunday morning’s service last week.

Well we were having a good time here with family—a big encouragement to Mom.  Four of my five brothers were able to be together for a short time with my brother Dean and his family coming down from Montana.  

After church on Sunday we all had lunch (picture below).

But on Saturday night of last week, Beverly alerted us to her concern. She noticed Dad’s breathing was labored, and while holding his hands she slyly took his pulse and was alarmed.  His heart rate was erratic and elevated, and she also noted he looked like he was in congestive heart failure.  Other family members had noticed he did not seem well this past month and had regularly asked him if he was feeling well.  Beverly was pretty sure his heart was beating with an irregular rhythm and she named it (it was medical terminology to me). The very next day, after attending church in Phoenix, we all had lunch together as a family. At the end of the meal I said to Dad: “How about we all drive back to the house where mother can take a nap, and we will go with you to the local emergi-care office”.  We did and the sequence of events unfolded: we went from the office to an ambulance and a local hospital ER and then to more tests.  

Beverly spent the night with him at Mountain Vista Hospital here in East Mesa. He lost 10 lbs of fluid overnight. He was looking pretty good but tired the following morning. His heart rhythm still was not right, but there were no blood clots in the lungs. He had to stay for another night due to pauses—when the heart stops for a short time and then starts again!

My brothers Dave and Doug were at the hospital Monday morning, and mother, Ellen, and Sue came in later, while Dean left for Texas the same morning.

I am very thankful the Lord had us here and that Beverly pressured us to follow through—she has a gift for noticing medical issues.

So last week we focused on visiting “Dad” instead of “Mom”!

My plans are still to leave here Friday to be back to preach on Sunday in Jackson.

Thanks for your prayers for both of my parents.

P.S.  I also met with my oncologist and received a good report from him.

Don

Back home in Jackson Hole.

A traditional "camp send off" by staff and students

We left Jackson Friday after teaching a two-week class on Church History at Jackson Hole Bible College.  There remains one week left of that course which will focus on the history of the church in America.

 Beverly and I made it to Branson, MO by Saturday night and attended services at First Baptist Church of Branson on Sunday morning.  Checking in at the beautiful Big Cedar Lodge that afternoon gave us a time to rest a bit before meeting with most of the board members and their wives for dinner.

We met Monday and Tuesday for a very special time of retreat to think about the ministry of AiG.  It was a very interesting time to pool our understanding to make some predictions on what the church, the country and the world will look like in 20 years.

We prioritized what we believe are our main goals and objectives for the next years and spent time on the Ark Encounter project. 

It was the first time all the wives attended, except one dear gal whose brother suddenly died just days before, and so the evening dinners were very special.  The women had their own study time and toured the area.  Beverly lead one the devotionals.

New Leaf Publishing Group

The retreat was over by Wednesday, then Beverly and I traveled to the headquarters of New Leaf Publishing to meet with Laura our editor. We said hi to folks we know there and passed our thanks again to the team at New Leaf for the incredible job they did on publishing the Genius of Ancient Man.  We discussed some possible new projects and were very encouraged by the response to the book.

We left Branson on Friday and arrived in Arizona by Saturday night.  We were going to head right back to Jackson but new health issue facing my mother, Gladys, moved us to take a bit of a detour to visit her and Dad (and two brothers and their wives, and a nephew and his new wife).  She seemed a bit better than when we left Jackson although it was a hard time for them as they have her on hospice now.

Break-in at the Oasis

The surprise came Saturday night as I opened the door to the Oasis in Arizona under a cold steady rain and was greeted by a dirty floor and an empty space where the washer and dryer should have been.  We were robbed!  Someone had broken into the home through the back porch patio doors and stolen a number of items including our mattress and box springs in the master bedroom as well as a lot of everyday items like vacuum, cooking utensils, decorations, etc.  So we were up till 1:30 am since the deputy from the Sheriffs office had to interview us and take fingerprints.

The last five days were a blur as we visited mom and dad three times, shopped for new items to replace some of what had been stolen, and spent time cleaning up.  It is no fun being the victims of a burglary.

We did have a couple of meetings with Ted and Norma Blaylock to discuss a possible new project with a focus on Legacy.  Also, plans were made for a meeting in Jackson over two weekends to do marriage counseling for Noah and Kaitlyn, who have wedding plans for April.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers these last two weeks!

Home Again.

Beverly's birthday with Doug and Sue

Beverly at her High School Reunion (front row - left)

Beverly had a wonderful time at her 

50^th High School reunion.  She

renewed acquaintances with a high 

point being a time of renewed 

friendship with a Jewish classmate 

and his bride.  It was very meaningful 

for both families. There was a reception, 

a tour of the new high school and a 

more formal dinner at a country club.

Beverly with family

She also had the opportunity several
times to get together with family 
members, spending a lot of time with 
her siblings.  Just before we arrived 
there was a funeral service for Dick 

Laudenslager, father of Sue Landis 
our sister-in-law. So it was a very 
important time for us to spend time 
with Doug and Sue and even got 
to visit Sue’s family home in 
Quakertown where she grew up.

Dennis and Jason working on a new building at The Loft

Our visit to Allentown allowed me again to visit with my brother Dennis and to see the progress on their new Bible study room at the “Loft” Christian camp in upstate PA.  Saw Jason his son-in-law again and what an encouragement it was to be there again.  

Don catches a bass at the pond at The Loft Camp

I spent about an hour fishing at the camp and caught a couple of bass, one over 17 inches long!  (left books for the family)


Sunday was a busy day too.  We spoke to the youth group at Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church.  This is the home church of Sarah, Leah and Rachel Klase. We spent time with their parents and met again some of their siblings.  Their Grandfather Ron Mahurin came in just as I began to speak and really complimented the Bible College to the students.  This family is a strong support for the college and we are blessed to have them all as friends.  Almost 70 kids were in attendance and we had a number who responded that they would like to attend the college.  Jon the youth pastor could not have more inviting and I thanked him for the opportunity to speak.  Thanks Joyce for arranging this special event.  

Lance and Karen at the new church

In the afternoon along with Joyce and Herbie, Beverly’s sister and brother we visited her cousins in Harleysville for their birthdays and they asked to buy books too!

In the evening we traveled to Morgantown, Pa to speak to the new church where Lance Eisele is the new pastor. It was a time of blessing seeing Karen too and their daughter Trish.  The church was pretty full.  I spoke for about an hour but like the morning never really got to the Ancient Man part of what I had prepared so quite a few stayed and we went after a brief break for another hour!

Sold lots of book at these events.

Monday was for some rest and we left Tuesday, taking a day side trip and visited Niagara Falls, staying in Canada!  It was rainy and misty but it just added to the time there, sort of like Brigadoon.  We rode the Maid of the Mist into the center of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and it was like being in a washing machine, took a long time to dry out.

                                 

                                          Ready to ride the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls

Praise the Lord for our safe return last Saturday!

Our thanks to Scott who preached at CBC, finishing the second part of the message "Demolishing Strongholds" this past Sunday.

Pastor Don

Hello from Allentown, PA

The Answers in Genesis board meeting is now history. Emphasis this meeting was vision casting with reports from all the departments of ministry.  The first morning Ken introduced to the board and staff the theme for the next two years and I am really excited about it.  Our emphasis will be on the ministry to and for children.  We will hear much more from AiG on the “rescuing” of children. 

AiG has been under attack (along with all of us who teach creationism) that we are abusing children!

Here is a pic of Ken and myself and a 25th year anniversary reprint of
his book the Lie, which really shows the heart of the message of AiG.

The new book, “Genius of Ancient Man” was displayed three different places in the museum bookstore.  It was thrilling to see the response from the board, staff and the folks who attended the special evening Bible study set up by the Hanson family in South Carolina!  It was one of the top sellers on the web site too!

The Genius of Ancient Man on sale in the Creation Museum bookstore.

Thanks again to the Hanson family for the opportunity to speak and for all their work in setting up a wonderful evening with a great meal and fellowship.

A new display outside the museum shows the size of a one-story bay of the Ark.  It gives some insight into the incredible amount of space Noah had to use.  Included below is a picture of the board in front of the bay.  It is one story while he had three floors and he had the equivalent of hundreds of these spaces.

We had a really thrilling opportunity to have lunch with and to meet Dr. Damadian while at the AiG offices.  Dr. Damadian invented the MRI machine and is a devout believer and young earth creationist.  We sat in just on an evening session where he told his story of the invention of MRI!  What a remarkable story, this medical tool has benefited thousands and thousands of people.

Beverly will be meeting with friends at her 50^th High School reunion this weekend.  She is really looking forward to this time.

I speak twice on Sunday, in the morning to the youth group at Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship church in Allentown and in the evening at the church where Lance Eiesle has become the new pastor. 

Yesterday was my birthday and today is Beverly’s birthday!  What a delight in receiving all the greetings of happy birthday from so many friends.

News from home is that the JHBC trip to Mt. St. Helens was a safe and successful trip.  This week Dr. Dave Janssen is teaching on Old Testament Prophets.

Last Sunday Dr. Don Saylak spoke at CBC for the morning service and this coming Sunday Scott Austin is giving the message.

So far over 3500 miles on the trip, thanks for your prayers.

Pastor Don

Hello from Branson, MO

We had a good trip leaving from CBC after church on Sunday and stayed in Sidney, Nebraska that night, lodging in Springfield, Missouri the following night.

Monday afternoon we spent time with Tim Dudley at the publishing office of Master Books.  What an exciting time to meet with some of the people who are woking on promoting the book!  It was humbling and awesome.  Pray with us that the Lord will use the message of The Genius of Ancient Man for His glory.

Monday evening we had the opportunity to go to the Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson, Missouri for the Joseph presentation.  What a wonderful message of forgiveness!

We picked up more of the books today and hope to travel a little further than Little Rock by Wednesday night so it is not so long a day on Thursday to arrive in South Carolina.  Our friends the Hansens have lined up a Bible study for Friday night and we have been informed that approximately 40 people are coming.

Also another opportunity is for us to speak at the Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship church youth group class on Sunday morning October 21st in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  That same evening we are to be at a church in PA where Lance Eiesle is the new Pastor.

The AiG board meeting begins Sunday night, October 14th.


Thanks for your prayers.
Don and Beverly

Exciting Days in Jackson Hole

On Saturday the valley folks began a few exciting but serious days with a wild fire starting south of town and as of tonight has grown to over 2700 acres.  The fire has made its way to Cache Creek Canyon and so the residents of the east side of town are under alert to be ready to evacuate!

I include a photo of the fire soon after it started on Saturday and a second photo from town looking Southeast.

And today a very very exciting event for us here at the camp, a copy of the book, The Genius of Ancient Man arrived!    What a job Tim Dudley's crew did at New Leaf Press.  We are very grateful for Tim opening the door of this opportunity and as we all gathered around the book had a prayer that the Lord would use it for His glory.

It will be a few weeks till the shipment of the book arrives but to hold in your hands the effort made over a period of three years is a real thrill. My thanks also to all the college students and others who worked on this project.
It can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

Dan Saylak and AiG Board Meetings

Dear Friends,

A good friend of ours, Dan Saylak died Sunday night. Dan battled cancer for 7 years and after a long, painful struggle he went home to be with the Lord. Dan and Amy Saylak made numerous visits to Jackson Hole over the years and we have had the privilege to be in their home in Texas. Amy helped with decorations for Annie and Jared's wedding and their daughters were good friends of Annie and of several in our church family. Dan was well known doctor who had a wonderful practice and was president of a doctor’s association.

Dan’s dad, Don Saylak, has taught for many years at JHBC bringing scientific support for a literal text of Genesis. Don and Nancy are dear friends who attend CBC in the summers while in Jackson. 

We ask that you would be praying for the entire Saylak family. Especially be praying for their daughter, Susie, who is getting married on June 30^th in just a few weeks.  The wedding will be a very emotional time for all.

We hope to see Amy when she comes to Jackson to visit in the future.

The Board meeting for AiG went well.  There was much to do and so little time.  Ken was on a debate on TBN and asked me to lead a staff chapel to talk about the debate and the issues covered.  I spoke on Friday morning to the staff and that message was put on mp3 and is on the Internet for the public to listen to.  I hope you might have time to listen to it as well. Here is the link to Ken’s blog which has a copy of the chapel message: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2012/06/09/millions-of-years—an-attack-on-the-cross/

After the meeting we traveled to upstate Michigan and stayed for two nights with the Manthei family.  Dan and Kathy live near Petoskey, Michigan and Dan has been a board member of AiG from the initial formation of the ministry.  Their son, Micah, graduated from JHBC in 2010.  Dan opened the door for me to speak to a small group at his church following the morning worship time and that went well. I spoke on the state of our times and how the ministry of JHBC and AiG is working to instruct folks and present the good news of Jesus.

While with the Manthei family we went out on the Lake at their home and Beverly got to go ride a jet ski.  She was not driving but the jet ski went up to 58 miles per hour. 

This morning we left and took our time making our way across the third

longest suspension bridge, which goes across the strait where Lake 

Michigan meets Lake Huron.  We have had a great time relaxing along the way and tonight we left the humidity and heat in the east and now the weather is cool in Ironwood, Michigan, just on the border with Wisconsin.

We are looking forward to being back with you all this weekend. Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Pastor Don