Dear Support Team, Family, and Friends:
It’s been quite awhile since we’ve written here on the ICF blog. Thanks be to God, we’re alive and well!
How we thank our Lord for all you who stand behind us with prayer, financial support, and encouragement as we seek His strength to fulfill His unique calling for us to Montana and beyond!
The late-summer/fall season came rushing upon us, with duties and privileges like:
- A couple of “celebrations of life”
- A joyful mountain-creek baptism service
- Assisting with a couple of church “situations”
- Youth groups
- Men’s Leadership Breakfast and Fellowship at our Great Falls residence
- The privilege of being in attendance at the August 14 wedding in Alaska of our grand-nephew Taylor Davis
At that wedding popular “Aunt Karen” as usual took time for special activities with several younger children in the vicinity. Incidentally, our pilot nephew-in-law Jeremy Davis—in true Alaska style—landed Taylor’s bride, Linnaea by helicopter right on the lawn near the wedding site!
And speaking of unusual entrances of a bride: who could forget Watson Snyder and Naomi Roghair’s Utica, Montana wedding on July 29, when lovely Naomi in her wedding dress rode in on horseback at full gallop?!
It’s said a picture is worth a thousand words; so we hope y’all can imagine full descriptions for the following somewhat random photographs. Enjoy a glimpse into some of what’s been going on recently in our ministries and relationships.
Introductory lines of Helen Palagi’s published obituaries read as follows:
“Helen Louise Palagi’s deepest desire was fulfilled on July 17 2023, when she met her Savior face to face. From the moment she came to know Jesus decades ago, she loved Him with all of her heart and lived her life in service to Him.”
Oh, and how honored Karen and I felt when her family members asked us to minister in word and song at Helen’s August 26 Great Falls Memorial Service and Sand Coulee Graveside Service! It would take a book to begin attempting to relate just some of how Helen helped and encouraged us and countless others as she shared and lived the Gospel and love of Christ.
We received an uplifting early August letter from one of our leading Highwood young women, 18-years-old Sarah Davison, who was preparing for her September 2 departure for university. I think Sarah would be ok about my quoting an excerpt from her letter:
“I want to give everything to God, my every waking minute, and I do not want to wait another second debating whether or not I should do this: I would be grateful if you could baptize me.”
The group pic with barefoot Sarah shows a few of the people (including Karen and me) who gathered that memorable afternoon for the baptism and Montana-style barbecue.
With love in Christ and deep gratitude,
Grahame, for Karen and me
