Dick & Carolyn Ardron's updates

A warm greeting to each of you at KCC! We are home and rested from our incredible time in Taiwan. Anticipating next year already! I always stand amazed at what the Lord does through “earthen vessels” – especially ‘well seasoned ones.’ (That’s a politically correct way of saying ‘old vessels’)

Below are some of the areas of ministry we were involved in while in Taiwan:

Walk For Life, Ray of Hope 10 Year Anniversary Celebration, ROH Staff Retreat, Many Teaching Opportunities, Dick’s Workshop, “Men Talking To Men”, Preaching in Churches and Chapels, WWF Presentations in Church Youth Events & University Fellowship, YWAM connections, Counseling, Encouraging staff, Dick doing repairs and general “Man Friday”, Tour Guides, etc, etc…

It was such a privilege to be involved in the Walk For Life, sponsored by the Ray of Hope ministry. At least 800 people participated in the Walk. After all expenses were covered we cleared $7,600 CN for the ministry. WOW! That was pretty incredible for Taiwan. I am very proud of the current staff and how they worked together and did such an excellent job in every aspect of the Walk.

From 3 - 6 P.M., the day after the Walk For Life, the 10 year Anniversary Celebration took place. For Dick and I, it was such a special event. When I consider our very meager beginnings 10 years ago, with only 3 of us missionary ladies and no income or facility or experience, and on and on… I am so filled with praise to the Lord for what He has done over these years. God has touched so many lives through the Ray of Hope ministry and saved a lot of babies from losing theirs.

We saw PowerPoint’s of history of the various ministries within Ray of Hope, heard testimonies from previous staff and clients as to how the ministry has impacted their lives over these years. Dick and I both shared briefly words of appreciation, encouragement and a challenge for the future. There was a sad aspect to the celebration though, in that neither Beverly Bedwell nor Susan Thompson was able to be there to celebrate with us. Beverly is still in a serious battle against cancer and Susan’s father was terminal at the time, and has since gone to be with the Lord, as well as her brother, recently. Lord willing, we can all be at next year’s Walk For Life together in March. Of course, a celebration wouldn’t be complete without a banquet and so we ate together and had great fellowship.

Being able to spend 3 days with the Ray of Hope staff at a retreat was a highlight for me too. It was so fun being with these Chinese gals, playing & laughing together and learning & praying together. I taught for the 3 days. Originally I thought I was only to share in one session, but it ended up that I was the main teacher – which I loved.  Dick shared a bit about the importance of having men involved in the ministry as well and what being involved has meant to him. Over all, it was a great time.

When we are in Taiwan, God always orchestrates things in such a way that we connect with those on His heart. How humbling it is to be a vessel in His hand to bring hope and healing to those in need.

Dick had a wonderful opportunity to hold a 3-hour workshop for men. He called it Men Talking To Men. It was chiefly aimed at addressing the affects pornography has on the life of an individual, on the family and on society. He was especially blessed to have one of our grandsons, Jared Mosher, with him who shared his battle and victory in this area. There were 24 men from 18 – 40+ in the workshop. We have had excellent feedback from that time. Praise God for this!

We were especially excited about having 2 of our grandchildren and their spouses join us in Taiwan. What a joy and honor it was sharing ministry times with them and just showing them what had been “our world” for so many years. We delight in how God has allowed us to have an influence in their lives even though we were away from them for many years. We have been involved in the ministry our grandson, Jared, began which was called the Sinai Summit in the past. However, since he is now married he and his wife, Breanne, have been given a broader vision for the ministry and have named it Road Trip Ministries. The focus is still on deeper love for Jesus and intimacy with God.

Our granddaughter Rachelle and her husband Joshua came with our great-grandson, Peter. They have a heart for seeing Christian Youth rising up and standing firmly in the faith. Over all it was really special to have each of them with us for a couple of weeks.

We want to again thank each of you for your love in lifting us up in prayer, your involvement in the work in Taiwan, and your generous support. Thank you so much and may God bless you richly.

Love, Dick and Carolyn Ardron

First of all, we want to say a great big THANK YOU to all of you at KCC for your generous offering on behalf of our missions trip to Taiwan. We are so grateful for your support in every way!

Dick and I arrived safely in Taiwan and have been here about 11 days now. It seems like we hit the ground running here. The Walk For Life was very successful and the Ray of Hope (ROH) 10th anniversary celebration was really special. We had one day off after the full weekend and then we were off for a 3 day Staff Retreat. As it turned out, Dick and I did all of the teaching for those 3 days. It was such a joy to be able to encourage the staff and share more with them about our ROH beginnings. We praise the Lord for the excellent staff He has brought to the ministry and we anticipate great things for the next 10 years!

At the Walk For Lide we got incredible news coverage all over the island and just a day after our Walk, we got 5 new unwed mothers who need a home - our Mother's home can only accommodate 4, so we'll do some juggling and see how we can work it out. Once in the past I had a girl sleep in my office for a short time - at least she was off of the street!

I'll close for now. May the Lord continue to pour out His Holy Spirit upon each one of you and may you always be ready to give account of the hope that is within you.

Love to all,
Dick and Carolyn Ardron

KCC Family

AMAZING!! 2008 is nearly over! Yes, we are still around – and very thankful for our health and love for life! The question many of you may ask is, “yes, but where are you anyway?” That’s a very valid question since it has been 2 years since we have sent out a formal Christmas Newsletter. We are sorry for being such poor correspondents. Disclaimer: Life just seems to keep moving and we’re not moving fast enough to keep everyone informed? I know, ‘nice try’. Since some of you have seen us or heard from us during our ‘quiet years,’ and we’re not sure who all that covers, we’ll just assume none of you have heard from us and go from there.

What we’ve been up to since… 
Since mid May of 2007 until now, we have been in North America. I would say home, but we have traveled a fair amount and touched base with many people who have been faithful to pray for us and support us in many ways over our 22 years of service in YWAM.  Officially we are still in YWAM; we’re considered traveling teachers, and mission consultants (for lack of a better description). I guess we’d say that we are semi-retired, not having all the responsibility that comes with directing a work and training people as in the past. This past year and a half we have come alongside different individuals to encourage them in their walk with the Lord, and have had the privilege of coaching some couples in their marriage relationships.  

It has been good to be involved in our grandchildren’s lives as well. One fun event was a formal Tea Party with our 5 youngest granddaughters. We dressed up, made hats and bracelets, and ate special dainties & they each got a special cup and saucer to take home!

One other special event for Dick and I was the Pioneer party we had in November. Threeof Mike’s and four of Alison’s children joined us. We all dressed up as pioneers and made butter (shaking the jar), bannock andapplesauce. Dick made covered wagons with Noah and Cameron and I helped the girls make purses. After our projects were completed we packedour bannock, butter, applesauce and punch into an ‘uncovered’ wagon and hauled it over to our land where Dick and Cameron had pitched a simple tarp tent among the trees and cleared an area for our campfire – where we cooked our  bannock on stick and roasted Farmer sausages, ate our  butterand apple-sauce. We had a great time. Although it got darkbefore we were finished and it started to snow lightly and the wind was pretty chilly, it was fun making memories. All part of the Pioneer experience! 
We’ve also been able to be involved in two Sinai Summits that our grandson, Jared, has run. More about those in the next story…    

SINAI SUMMIT
One of the biggest joys we’ve had in the past 2 years has been our involvement in 2 spiritual journeys called the Sinai Summit (Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to meet with God). One of these journeys was in October of 2007 and the second this past July. What an honor for Dick and I to have been able to minister together with our grandson, Jared Mosher. And to be involved as he launched out into a new area of trusting God in leading him to put this journey together. The focus was to create an environment of love and acceptance where each one could open their hearts more fully to the Lord’s working in their lives. In so doing we were able to help those who attended seek a deeper intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. Each Summit had 10 young adults in attendance. It was a serious time and very precious. Dick and I taught the Worth Waiting For material (we helped develop in Taiwan) and the Walls of My Heart, by Dr. Brice Thompson. Jared taught a number of sessions during the 10 days as well, which was his first “big assignment”. There was plenty of time for personal reflection, times to walk in the forest or sit on a log, or walk in the fields, or just find a quiet place to be alone with God. We were absolutely delighted to see how God revealed His love and character to each one in such a personal way. Dropping off “baggage” and entering into a greater freedom in Jesus Christ was the testimony of many.

In the second Sinai Summit, held last July, Pastor Ken Pierpont was able to join us and lead 2 full days of special devotional and reflection times as we took our group to the Rocky Mountains for the 2 days - talk about “mountain top experiences”. It was very, very special as God revealed His majesty and splendor through His creation and His word. 

Looking ahead… 
What’s ahead for the Ardrons? We have our tickets (e-type) for a trip to Taiwan in February. We were looking at being away about 3 months again, however when I booked the tickets I could only book ahead to April 6th. We’ll see how things work out. We’ll be participating in the 10 year anniversary of the Ray of Hope ministry we helped establish; attending the 2nd annual Walk For Life, in Tainan City, organized by our Ray of Hope staff; sharing at a 3 day retreat as well as encouraging those we’ve helped train and worked with-in that ministry. 
We will also be involved with our YWAM Taiwan family while there.
One of our special events will be when 2 of our grandchildren and their spouses join us in Taiwan for a couple of weeks. We anticipate a great time of having them share in some of the work we’ve been involved in, in the past, as well as showing them around the island! Both Rachelle and Jared have been there with us when they were single, so bringing their spouses this time will really be a treat.   
Another possible event for us is being involved in 2 more Sinai Summits with Jared & Breanne.  One is being planned for Spring in Israel, the other for Canada in the fall. We’d appreciate your prayer for this summit in Israel. If it’s what the Lord has on His heart for us then all the “pieces” will come together. By the way, if any of you or your friends would like to attend one of these, please let us know. Jared will be putting up a website for this soon. 
Another thing we’re praying about is competing in the Master’s Games next year in Australia. Many of you know that Dick and I love to play badminton. We’re not great, but we have fun. The Master’s Games have a category for recreational sports competition and you are matched according to age categories. We watched them compete here in Edmonton 3 years ago and said that we’d aim toward going and competing if possible. So, we’re aiming!
Well that’s all for now. I believe it should bring you up to date on our lives. So thank you so much for your many emails, letters and prayers. We so appreciate all of you and the influence you have had in our lives.
May this Christmas be the one where Jesus is the central focus. May his peace and love fill your hearts and may his Holy Spirit guide you in the coming year. God’s blessings!

Have a wonderful year!

Love, Dick and Carolyn