asseln william joan 1963 usa indian

8/13/2019 Asseln William Joan 1963 USA Indian

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T

Summer, 19^3

D e a r C h r i s t ia n F r i e n d s :.Vhen you hear th e term missionary do you think of such far-off places as Southern Rhodesia, Brazil, Japan, or India? Thesenames have a romantic sound , V/e can thank God t h a t m i s s i o n a r i e s

from New Testament churches a re winning many s o u l s i n t h e s e la n d sto the glory of God. But do we sometimes forget t hat there aremission f i e l d s and m i s s i o n a r i e s r i g h t here i n our own United S t a t e s ?One of the most forgotten evangelistic fi el ds in the vjorld i s

t h a t o f t h e American I n d i a n A s t o r y i s t o l d o f how many y e a r s ag oa t r i b e of I n d i a n s i n th e P a c i f i c Northwest heard o f a g r e a t booko f th e white man t h a t ha d w o n de r fu l p o we rs t he Book o f Heaven.Two young braves were chosen to Journey to the cities of the whiteman to get this book fo r th e I nd ia n p eo pl e. They t ra vel ed for manymoons over rugged country until t he y r ea ch ed Washington, D. C,, wherethey told their story and asked for the great book. They were welcomed and shown th e s i g h t s o f th e c a p i t a l They were given manygifts to take back to their people, but no one gave them a copy ofth e Book o f Heaven. So they ha d to make th e lo n g j our ney back t ot e l l t h e i r people t h a t they had fai l ed in th e ir mission. Becauseof the story the se In dia n braves to ld , two brave missionariesMarcusand Warcissa Vhitmandid e v e n t u a l l y go to the Oregon T e r r i t o r y . Butfar too many of the white people have worried more about the p hy si ca lne e ds o f th e I n d ia n r a t h e r t h a n th e s p i r i t u a l n e e d s .

Some 12 or 13 years ag o a Yakima Indian preacher named Ray Zacks t a r t e d a work among the Indian people i n the Tacoma, iVashington area.These were Indian people who had moved from the reservation and theywere finding l i f e among th e white people bewildering in -iiany respects.Because of the ef f or ts of Ray and two young women missionaries (oneof whom l a t e r became Mrs. Ray Zack an Indian church v/as s t a r t e d inTacoma. Today the Tacoma work is the nerve center of a mission workthat i s touching many parts of /Jestern V/ashington. I n a dd it io n, inthe summer time open a ir caiap meetings are held in berry and hopfi el ds to reach the many migratory Indian workers who come each yearfrom Vancouver Island an d other areas of Canada for the Vashingtonharvest. Many of these are being won fo r th e Lord and i t is hopedt h at soon v/e w i l l have a man to send to Canada to work with, these new hristians

The present Director of th e Puget Sound Christian Indian Missionis Donald Augenstine who had 10 years of experience in working withth e McKinley Indian Mission in Eastern VJashington before taking thispost in January 1962. and his family now live in Tacoma but hetravels extensively, reaching Indian people in a l l of t he s ur ro un di ng re s


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In February 1959 Bi l l Asseln , then a s tuden t a t the Puge t SoundCollege of The Bible became in te re ste d i n working with Indian peoplei n Se a t t l e . La t e r he worked wi th th e Ind i an church Ray Zack had s t a r t e di n Tacoma a s a youth d i r e c to r and t eache r in the Sunday Schoo l . -Vhen hebecame acquain ted with t h i s work he r ea l i zed t ha t it would take grea tpat ience and many years of l abo r . He decided to serve the Lord amongth e Amer ican I nd i ans , even tho ugh he knew t h a t he might see little o fthe results of hi s wo r k in hi s lifetime

Vhile working h is way th rough b ib l e co l l ege a t whate ver jo b hecou ld f ind to fit h is s ch o ol s ch ed u le , B i l l made use o f every pos s i b l emoment to work with th e Puge t Sound Chr i s t i a n I nd i an Miss i on . Hel abo r ed first wi th Jim Smi th i n S e at t l e , th en w ith Ray Zack in Tacomaand f i n a l l y with th e p r e s e n t Di r ec t o r o f th e Miss ion , Don Augens t i n e .

In the summer of 19^0 Joan Bisse l l began teaching children a tthe Miss ion and he lp ing B i l l with h is youth a c t i v i t i e s , and in December o f t ^ a t year t j iey were i ;i ar ri ed> Both of them cont inued workingfo r t h e i r suppor t and Bill s schoo l i hg expenses and he lp i ng in t h e i rspa re t ime a t th e M iss io n. Joan worked as a l e g a l s e c r e t a r y , while B i ll worked at wha t e v e r he cou l d f i n d t o fit h i s s c h o o l s c h e d u l e .

Bi l l graduated in June of 19^3 and was ordained to the Christianministry on July 21 19^3 by the Elders of the 10th M Church ofChr is t in Anacortes iVashington. At the presen t t ime Bi l l i s working^8 hours a week as a t ax icab dr iver because t h i s job enables him touse par t of h is a fte rn oo ns as well as h is evenings fo r cal l ing ando the r miss ion work . While Joan has helped pay deb ts i ncu r r ed dur ingB i l l s school ing , she i s no l onger able to help in th i s way because ofthe ch i l d she i s expec t ing t h i s win te r .

Because th e Asse ln s have spen t so much o f t h e i r t ime ea rn ingmoney fo r t he i r l iv ing expenses they have had to i gnore many opport un i t i e s fo r expanding th e work among the In d ia n p eo ple . There s implyhas no t been enough t ime to do all t h a t needs to be done. For t h i sre aso n th ey a re fo r th e f i r s t t ime ask ing - th ei r C h ris tia n f r ie nd s tohelp them in the mission work among th e Ind ians .

The o p p or tu n it ie s a r e many. In the Sta te of . / ashington a lonet h e i r a re numerous r e s e r va t i on s and thousands o f I nd i an s l i v i ng ou t s id eo f th e r e s e r va t i on s . On Vancouver I s l and and i n o the r pa r t s o f Canadathere a re a l so many r e se rva t ions and thousands of Ind ians . From t imeto t ime doors a re opened fo r us to en t e r these a r e a s , bu t because o fl ack of t ime and funds we have been preven ted from t ak ing advantage o fthese oppor tun i t i e s . \7e need your prayers and your help .

J o a n an d Bill As s e l n


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PERSONAL F ILE

D a t e 15 1 9 o 3MN am e in full . Villia m H en ry AsselnComplete address on field I IO East .Jri;;ht StreetT a c o m a , ,Vashin.p;tonComplete forwarding address 7^1 ^ * 7^thSea t t l e . Wa s hi ngt on 9 ^ 1 0 3Name and address of Livinglink church or churches; See Additional Information sheet)

\ 10th MChurch of ChristStreet, 10th M St ree t s Street.City -Anacortes . 7nnP ./ashinr.top.^ty 2one StateNa me s and a d d r e s s e s of other sponsoring o r endorsing churches:Un iv e r s i t y St Church o f Ch r i s t Cou r t St Ch r i s t i a n Church

RfrAAt 2880 Un i v e r s i t y S t r e e t Cour t 17 t h StreetsCAty Eup:ene Zone State^Ore^on^ City. Salem zone RtatP. Oregon .Please send along with this form copies of recommendations f ro m c hu rc he s which w i ll e n co u ra g eother churches to s up po rt y ou r missionary work. There are churches which will n ot a ll ow avisiting missionary to s pe a k u n le s s a church re c omme nda tion can be shown. Since i t i s impossible for an y on e person to know a ll Christians in t he w o rl d, this recommendation by a responsible Ne w Testament church is a vital h elp in persuading others of y o ur w o r th i ne s s an d th e valueof your mission. Mission Services s ta nd s r e ad y to help you inform HORIZONS readers aboutyour church recommendations. Since t he c hu rc h is sending you to th e mission field Acts 13:1-3)an d w il l h el p provide th e necessary needs on th e field, naturally th e church should share th ecredit in your missionary ministry. One of th e ways that the c hu rc h c an do this is to share theirconviction regarding your missionary ministry with others. Certainly, their words w il l h el pconvince o t he r s r e ga r di ng th e worthiness of your work. Please help MKSION SERVICES tospread your news through HORIZONS, Packets a nd S li de library by s ending your church recommendations as soon as p os si bl e. T ha nk s. Send w ha t yo u h av e now, an d th e others later.Recommendations by Christian Leaders: List names and addresses here and enclose a copy ofe a c h l e t t e r , t h a n k s . )NAMK

Rtrpp t S t r e e t

r ify Zone State_


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Name and address of hometown npwgpflpftr Anacortes i^mericanAnaco r t e s . W a s h i n g t o n

N am e an d address of o th er p ap er s which might c a rry stories of your work:

S tree t. S tree tT l nnp S t f l t p 7 .nn ^ tata

Place of TtTRTTT AlaskaDay of hirfh ^9 MonthjIiilL V^nr. ^938Where baptised? 10th M Ghriatian Church Dat^. /JAo

Pity Anacorbes RtatP .. ashin-rtonOn an extra page please describe an y details regarding conversion w hi ch y ou might c a r e tomen t i on .

MARITAL S T A T U S ;MflrnVH X RingrTp D i V 0 r c e d ^ _ _ WidnwftdDate of ma iagrp December 29. I960 Where married? Eugene OregonWho solemnized your wedding? . Leo A. .Voodruff

iList children by f ul l n am e giving place day month an d year of birth: If your children have been adopted, please indicate. InformationName Place of t hei r birth day month an d year


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Please list places of previous Christian service and what service you did. iv approximate dates:P lace Service Dates

^onney Lake Community Church Youth V/orker J a n u a r y 1 9 5 8 - J a n u a r y 1959Sea t t l e I nd i an C h u r c h P u g e t Sound Ghr. I ndi an Mission) Pr eacher Feb. 1959 - S e p t . 1959 Puget Sound Chr. I ndian Mission)Tacoma I n d i a n C hurch Youth L e a de r Feb . I96 0 - Present

SCHOOLING (high school an d later):Name of school Location Number of years Degrees and date granted

Anacortes High School Wn. 4Puge t S o u n d Col le ge o . . of the, Bible .^eat^le; i?n. 1957 - 1965 B.R.E. (June I963)

What things influenced you to become a missionary? What is your purpose? What do you hopeto accomplish on th e m i ssi o n f ie ld ? Your own story in some detail might be influential in leadingothers into fulltime service Us e an extra s he et i f yo u need more space):T h r o u g h th e t each ing I r e c e ived i n Anaco r t e s a n d th rough th e i n f l uence o fo t h e r Chr i s t i a n s I came to r e a l i z e t h a t th e th in g s o f Go d a re th e on lyt h i ngs e t e rn a l . If h e a v e n is so w o n d e r f u l t h a t we can t even i m a g i n e w h a ti t i s l i k e there an d i t is the only r eason C h ri s t i a n s have fo r remainingo n e a r t h is t h a t t h e r e a r e o the r s no t ready fo r heaven . Vhen I b e c a m eacqua in ted wi th the work among the I nd i ans I f e l t t h a t was my ca l l i ngb e c a u s e my pe r sona l i ty s e e m s to fit t h a t f i e ld a n d b e c a u s e o f the grea tn e e d I saw there

D e s c r ib e b r i e fl y in outline form t he n at ur e of your daily duties on th e field:Preach ingTeach ingCal l i ngCounse l i ngH e l p i n g to organize churches among th e In dia nsPu t t i ng ou t Chr i s t i a n pub l i c a t i on s fo r I nd i an s

W hi ch o f the following te r m s m o s t nearly d es cr ib es your missionary s tatu s ?X Bible College TpflnVip-r. Public School Teacher^

H o m e m a k e r _ _ ^ octor_ ^ Nurse__ S o c i a l worker_^ M u s i c t eacher .Ra di o m i n i s t r y . Ra di o fo l lowup^_^_^Chr i s t i an Service f gynp L in g u istics.Maintenance of mission equipment^-^S_ Ben e vo l e n c eO f f i c e work^_^^ Name other:S u n d a y s c hoo l t e a c h Counse l o r

Y o u th v /o rk e r


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P A R E N T S :Father s name and home William Assein Living^JL Deceased

20^ Street__55th nif^r Anacortes ^one StateHis nnnTipatinn E le c tr ic ia n Tr he a Christian? yes. nn. ^What positions of l eadershi p has he held in th e local church?

W h a t Chr is t ian serv ice d o e s h e n o w d o ?Mother s full maiden name Thelma McComas LivingJS .Deceased.St rPfit 903 35th Hifv Anacortes RtatP .WashingtonIs she a Christ ian? Yes_iL .No. Her occupation if employed outside the hnmp HomemakerWhat leadership positions o r Christian service h as she rendered to the local nhnrnh??. O hoir

Di r e c t o r S u n d a y Schoo l Teache r .Voiuen s G r o u p s

FORWARDING AGENT: See A d d i t i o n a l I n f o r m a t i o n sheet

Zone. State. Telephone:Whe r e a t t end fihiirrTi?. S f r ^ A tCity. Zone. Rtat^ _What duties are performed by th e forwardingDoes the forwarding agent receive a salary?,.Should money be s en t to t he f or wa rd in g agen t o nly ?,In w h a t fo rm s h o u l d f u n d s b eIf funds are to be sent d i re ct ly t o th e missionary on t he f ie ld , please explain t he d et ai ls of how todo it, so we ca n give your explanation to HORIZONS readers and others who ma y inquire.Us e th e remainder of t his s he et or an additional s he et t o supply other information which you thinkmight be h el pf ul to th e s taf f of MISSION SERVICES in preparing news stories about your ministry:


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P E R S O N A L FILE

Date Auimst l.*?, 1965N am e in fu-ll Joan H a rie A ss elnComplete address on field 1610 East ,. ri-jht StreetTacou i a a s h i n g t o nComplete forwarding address 74i n. 7St.hSeat t le^ ;ashin.?ton QSiO ^Name and address of Livingliuk church or churches: (See Addit iona l Info rma tion sheet)

St ree t S t ree t

City TlnnA. 7.r>nft. RiMo.Names and addresses of other sponsoring or endorsing churches:U n i v e r s i t y S t Church o f C h r i s t Cni.trt . Chr-i pin Chnrnh ,

i=;t rppt_ 2880 Univers i ty S t Rtrpot Cmirt \7th .qhrppt.?^r.ity Eucrene 7.nnP RffltP Qreg-on Pity. 3alet. i 7nnP. . StatP OrA^nnPlease send along with this form copies of recommendations from churches which will encourageother churches to suppor t your missionary work. There are churches which will not a llow avisiting missionary to speak unless a church recommendat ion can be shown. Since it is impossible fo r any one person to know all Christians in the world , this recommendation by a responsible New Testament church is a vital help in persuading others of your worthiness and th e valu eof your mission. Mission Services s tands ready to help you inform HORIZONS readers aboutyour church recommendations. Since the church is sending you to the mission field Acts 13:1-3)and wil l he lp provide the necessary needs on th e field, naturally th e church should share th ecredit in your missionary ministry. One of the ways that the church can do this is to share theirconviction regarding your missionary ministry with others. Certainly, their words will helpconvince others regarding the worthiness of your work. Please help MISSION SERVICES tospread your news through HORIZONS, Packets and Slide library by sending your church recommendations as soon as possible. Thanks. Send what you have now, and the others later.Recommendations by Christian Leaders: List n ames and addresses here and enclose a copy ofeach letter , thanks.)NAM-P N a m e

s tT-ppt S t r e e tr.ii-y Z o n e _ State.^^^ ^^ ^y Zone State.


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Name and address ofhometown np-nrapapRr Bup;ene Register L-uardEur :ene Oregon

Name and address of other papers which might carry stories of your work:Anacortes Ame r i c a n

Stree t St ree tHity Anacortes 7:nnp Statef^ity v nwf^ statp.Place of T^TRTTT Su.n:ene, OregonDay of hirtti 18 Mnnf-h Sent. Vpar. 1938 ^Where haptigpH?First Christian Church faster 19^8

Pity Eugene Rtat^ OregonOn an extra page please describe any deta il s regarding conversion which you might care toment ion

MARITAL STATUS:M ar r i ft d X r>i vnrnpH WidnwftH

Date of TnQT t iagg December 29 I96O Where married? Eug:ene QreeionWho solemnized your wedding? Leo A. .JoodruffList children by full name giving place day month and year of birth:If your children have been adopted please indicate. See Additional Informations h e e tName Place of thei r b ir th day month and year


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P A R E N T S :Father s name and home aHHrPfia M Ri.qsell Living^JL^ Deceased.

LUs RtrftPt.McClure Lane Hity. Sugene :one RtatP Oregon ilro d

Hi s nnfiiipaHon. /nrkpr Tc he a Christian? yesUC_.no.What positions of leadership has he held in th e local church? Decicon. i lder Board Me:nber

Wha t C h r i s t i a n se rvice d o es he now d o ? . E l d e r Miss ions C o r m a i t t e eMother s full maiden name: Vina Daisy Phelns Living^JL_Deceased.Rfrppf 10^ McClure Lane C i t y _ S i _ _ ^ Zone State_2SIs sh e a Christian? YesJS .No. He r occupation if employed outside th e HomemakerWhat leadership positions or Christian service has sh e rendered to th e local churchi?.

D e a c o n n e s s

FORWARDING AGENT: See Additional Information sh e e t )

C itv- z nnft Rtatft. Telephone:,W h e re a tt en d n h u r n h ? R t r A o tCi t y , y.nnf . StatAWhat duties a re performed by the forwarding .Does t he f orw a r di ng agent receive a salary?^^Should m on ey b e s en t t o th e f orw a rdi ng a gent only?,In w h a t f o r m shou l d f u n d s b eI f f un ds a r e to be s en t d ir ec tl y t o the missionary on the field, please explain the details of ho w todo it, so we ca n give your explanation to HORIZONS readers an d others who m a y i n qu i re .Use th e remainder of this sheet or an additional sheet to supply ot her i nfor ma ti on which yo u thinkmight be helpful to th e staff of MISSION SERVICES in preparing news stories about y o ur m i ni st ry :


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f 'v^*-t, ,

PUGET SOUND CHRISTIAN INDIA? MISSION t /-1610 EAST V/RIGHTTACOriA, V/ASHIDfGXOK: 984o4

-PBOFXT; CHG-.

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h t s s i o n Seru i cQSSox. SGd J o l i e t , Illinois

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..It i s . dif f ioul t to te l l you of a ll txie

.wonderful people we know, -Uie many nm- f r i ends we have m et and th e t r u l y v


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JQAW S JGTTIN SThe Lord blesses us msjiy v;ays and v/e

t h ank Him.Bill ia putting in 48 hours a ifeekoab-driving and the mission vfork continues to grow I raust t ke care of everydetail I to free B ill for his callingand preaching. Although I an nov/ into nry^th month of pregnancy, the Lord continues to give Eie th e h ea lth to eerve Him,I v^as even able to travel almost 1,500niles in mission vxork th is past month.Don and Pat have jus t come back fromthei r month s tour of the llidwost. Bil land I and. Noralee managed to keep thingsgoing a t the Indian Chris t ian Church inTacoma. In spite of the extra meetingsinvolved, v/e managed to do call ing inSeat t le , s t a r t our f a i l youth ac t iv i t i e s ,and arrange fo r a move to Alderton.Sometimes the Lord asks a great deal ofus, but He supplies the means to do Hiswill

V/e enjoyed our v i s i t to my homechurch (University St. Church of Christ)in Eugene on September 22nd. VJe presented s l id es and a t a l k on th e work. Thefolk responded v/ith a generous offeringand many expressions of i n t e r e s t .This v/eekcnd (October 27) vfillp r e s en t th e work in Hoses Lake in th emorning and Thorp in the- evening. We arpgra tefu l fo r these opporti. initos to acquaint Christ icm f r i ends , vrith the needfor evangelism among the Indians.

Joan As s e l n -

., r V/E SEEK YOUR FELLOV/SHIP, In Acts 2:44-47 v;e read: And a ll

tha t believed v;ere together, and had a l lthings common; And sold their possessionsand goods, and parted them to a l l men, asevery man htid need. And they, continuingdaily vrith one accord in the temple, andbreaking bread from house to house, didoat thei r meat vdth g ladnes s and singleness of hear t , pra is ing God, and havingfavor vrith a ll the people. And the Lorda.dded to the church daily such as shouldbe saved ,

This unity ^/as deeper than just^charing material things, they had a unityof heart . They v;ere concerned about oneanother c nd a l l did everyth ing they couldV help present Chr is t to the v/orld.

Joan and I v/ich t o have su ch a f o l -i-fjV/nhip \;ith you. We are not just con-ccrnod about ge t t ing support fo r our vrorkemong tho Indiri,ns. V/e are not jus t con-coriiod abovit seeing our v/ork araong theIndians go forv/ard. But vre have a concern for the progress of the Gospelev^ryv;horo. V/on t you \-irite us an'd lo tus ioiovf how the Lord is vrorking in theheartn of those in your community so tha tour fellovjship might grovr closor. V/cvfich to hear from i nd iv idua l s as vfell ascongregations tViat we might p ray togetherfor the gl jry of God, -Bi],l Asseln-

A 1-IE17 OF FAITHAs I have l ived in Christ , therehave been big decixjione to nuike mich af?:

Should I go to bib le college? Hovr much should I give to the church? Hov; muchshould I back miss i ons? V/hero should Iserve? Many t imes af te r spend ing t ime inprayer seeking the Lord s guidance, theobvious decis ion seems impossible becauseo f ou r s i t u a t i on at th o t im e. Yet everytime v;o go out on fa i th for the Lord, Hesees tha t v/e come through. V/e had such a-dec i s i on to make t h i s last month .

Not f a r f rom Tacoma i s a little com-mimity , callod Alderton, a f aming area.Everj stimmer hundreds , of Indians, come tov/ork through tho harves t .season in . T lr 3'ber r ies , hops, etc . After seeinghopeless l ives tha t most of these Ir.dj. -c:;sl ive , the people of the community i .to do something about the problem. -buil t a building .vdtl. donated l5.bor /-v^ 5r -matcricU-s. This bui ld ing i s us r i ar acenter to give medical cere , I cg i lvico , rec rea t ion , clct-hing a t lov.' pric>-: j,and r e l ig ious in s t ruc t ion .I am par t icu la r ly interested int he i r program for re l ig ious ins t ruc t ion ,s ince a combined e f fo r t of people fromd i f f e r en t denominat ions usua l ly moanst ha t a watered-do\m Gospel is prcached toavoid conf l i c t . For tu na te ly , t he peopleof th e community have l o f t th e r e l ig iouspart in the hands of tv/e people, one ofvfhioh i s an I nd i an , These tv;o be l i ev et h a t in s tead of avoiding sub jec t s onv;hich v/e dif fe r or arguing over them t ha tv/e ought to study the scriptures together,in love, gett ing a l l the scriptural inf o rma t i on fo r us a s v/ e s e a r c h f o r th otruth ^

V/hilo mos t o f th e I n d i a n s have leftth e a r e a nov/ that t h e h ar v es t s ea son isover, some l ive neai by the year around.For t h i s reason they are cont inuing to ,hold meetings during the vrinter . Theauditoriur.\ i s the only part of the build-,ing t ha t they ^fil.l use. during tho v/inter.They have asked Joan and me to l ive inthe building and help vrith thei r v/ork.This presented us v/ith a difficul^^dec i s i on to make. Some o f th o Ind iansl iving in the area ehov/ quali t ies ofleadership i f properly taught. I t v/ould-be a chance to present rlew TestamentChris t iani ty, but there v/ere problems involved. Since I jus t , graduated fronPuget Sound College of the Bible la. ;^Spring, I am receiving very l i t t l e sui>-por t for the mission v/ork. I have bc^n Iv/orking 6 days a week, Tho v/ork I havobeen doing for tho Lord, ha s to be donearound t ho se activities I f e e l t h a t Imust cont inue v/ith th e v/ork I am doingv/i th th e Ind ians in Sea t t l e . My t ime i scompletely taken up nov/. Hov/ can I thinkof doing more v/hen I only got about.- 6hours of s leep a n igh t nov/?

Joan and . I have spent much t ime inprayer, seeking the Lord s guidance. Viehave dcc.ided t h a t v/e must go on v/ith the ,v/ork in Seat t le , but \-to v/ill also move to ..Alderton, t ru s t ing th a t the Lord v/ i l lv/erk things out so tha t I can reduce myworking hours and do the v/ork of , theLo r d ,

At a t ime l ike t h i s , prayer i s vory-iiDportant. PLEASE Join us in prayer.Bill As s e l h - -

asseln william joan 1963 usa indian

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