Midterm Update

This was final exam week for my first two condensed, 8 week courses. Reflecting on the classes, I’m blessed to see what God can teach in such little time, and I praise Him for the ability to not fail massively on the tests and papers! Now that Survey of Theology 1 and Romans are finished, I get a week break before  Cultural Anthropology and Survey of Theology 2 begin.

In my spare time I’ve still been heading up to Lake Lundgren and it’s been a blast serving with other strong Christians through the off-season there. I already can’t wait for the summer programs to start next year!

In other news, I noticed a lump under my left jaw. My father is self-employed so our insurance deductible is  very high, so when doctors suggested a CT scan we were shocked to find the cost was nearly $2200. After much prayer from my LLBC friends and supporters, and a whole bunch of phone calls by my awesome mom, God provided a CT place in Milwaukee that would do the scan for $265, which was a super huge blessing!

This past week I had a follow up appointment with my doctor where we reviewed the scan results. The lump is a cyst off my salivary gland and will need to be removed. The surgery is scheduled for November 14.

Naturally, the cost of surgery is going to be crazy, but I’m currently in the process of applying to a Christian medical bill share program known as Medicare. I would ask that you remember me in your prayers, that the application process would go smoothly so we can afford the surgery; and of course, that God would keep me safe and give the doctor the ability to work as he has been trained while in the operation room.

On a more positive note, I just had a great conversation with my dad about theology. It was a reminder how blessed we are to be able to be open about our beliefs here, and God reminded me how awesome my family is that my dad and I can stay up until 1:30 talking about God. He finally needed to go to bed because he has a 7:30 Bible study to go to. I thank God for the wonderful role model he has given our family!

I thank you for your continual prayer support. God bless you, and enjoy the beautiful fall colors He has provided!

In His name,
~Nick Flatoff

Believe it or not, this Friday renders the first 1/4th of the semester completed! I am enjoying time at home with family and a more relaxed study schedule, but Spokane beckons and I can’t wait to get my hands dirty when aircraft maintenance training starts this Spring.

This is only the second year Moody has had Airframe and Powerplant  (A&P) training in-house. Previously, the maintenance portion of the program took place through a community college, but due to instructor swapping and other big changes going on there Moody decided to take over the maintenance portion as well. Though this will make the training more specialized for mission application, Moody is still making adjustments and decisions regarding much of the program layout. Please be in prayer for those sorting out all the crazy stuff involved with running the program.

Though I still have a full school schedule, the flexibility of online schooling has allowed me to continue working at Lake Lundgren as a weekend volunteer. This weekend a fellow SST member, Kristine Blum, and myself are running the kitchen so our awesome kitchen coordinator, Troy, can take a much-deserved vacation with his family (he often puts in 80 hour weeks during the summer and early fall). Please pray that our coordination abilities don’t result in total disaster!

Thank you for your prayers, and I hope you have a magnificent fall!

In His name,
~Nicholas Flatoff

The power of prayer

Dear friends and family, this has been a week of answered prayer so blatant I can’t help but share it with you! Between healing campers, curing homesickness, answering questions and bringing young men to Christ, God has orchestrated His plan in a very visual way. As a form of encouragement, listed below are all the direct answers of prayer just over the past ten days:

• Two campers cured after a whole day in the infirmary with flu-like symptoms
• One camper who struggles with clinical migraines made it through the week with little incident despite not having his normal medication
• One camper with severe homesickness was able to finally focus on camp and had a blast!
• Two campers having deep questions about salvation were able to ask and understand atonement
• Two more accepted Christ as their savior!

Additionally, God has made some changes in my plans for the fall. After changing some things around, all but one class would be online. God has allowed me to stay home and save some money before heading back to Spokane this spring. Here are all the things God worked in to let this happen:

• Find an online substitute for my last class from a Christian college
• Make sure Moody would accept it
• Transfer one additional class to Moody online
• Apply, get accepted, and register for classes on Liberty online
• Find someone to fill my housing contract
• Find a place to live in the spring
• Work out the details with Moody of not being a full time, on-campus student

Amazingly, God took care of all of that–plus the little details in between–in only a week with little internet and phone access. This is just an awesome display of the power of prayer as well as the work of God! He is sovereign and has a full plan for our lives. How great it is to follow a God who is just, merciful, loving, omnipotent, and omniscient!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:4-10

Summer Update #2

Hey friends, it’s that time for another camp update! This summer is going quite well so far. After my first week in the kitchen, I spent a week counseling some very mature and God-loving 4th-6th grade guys that were just a wonderful blessing to watch connect in the cabin and in great Christian fellowship grow even closer to their Lord! Through Joe and Kristi, missionaries to Brazil, and Joe the Bible speaker, God really spoke the importance of His Word and glorifying actions that our faith results in.

Yesterday a new group of campers came in, and I’m counseling again. These 3rd-5th graders are energetic and excited, but I hope they take away more than just a fun week from camp! We have a fantastic missionary and Bible speaker this week, both from the Geissler family who has been involved with camp for 18 years! Their son is also on Summer Staff and a gifted counselor to the campers here

It is always exciting to see God work. Through the hearts of the campers here and the community and dedication of the staff, God has been doing great things here at camp. Additionally, I just got a support update and just over half of my support has come in since my update on June 5th! I thank all of you who supported me for your great generosity and the answered prayer for that support!

As always, there are a number of praises and prayer requests for those involved here at camp:

• Praise for the high number of campers coming to camp this week
• Praise that the three new camp programs ran smoothly
• Praise for the excellent degree of understanding for this age of campers
• Praise for God’s work in the hearts of the campers
• Prayer for the campers who have left, that they would find strong spiritual disciplers in their home church
• Prayer for safety and health, some staff members have been getting sick with strep throat and colds
• Prayer for the rest of the support to come in (I’m at 55% and some other staff members still need support)
• Prayer for God’s continual strengthening and work through the campers and staff alike

I thank you deeply for your continual prayer! We need that the most and your dedication makes a world of difference in the ministry of Lake Lundgren.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

-Philippians 2:1-11

Support and prayer update

Hey there! I hope the beginnings of your summer are going well! Here at Lake Lundgren staff training is well on the way. God is using fellowship and the fantastic teachers here to prepare us for the campers arriving next week!

However, I have just received my current support level, and my support is only 23%. This means that I still need $925 before hitting the financial minimums.

If you would, I ask that you prayerfully consider sponsoring me for this summer of work. To those who already supported me, I deeply thank you!

Also, please keep both my finances and the rest of the SST fundraising in your prayers!

God bless,
-Nick Flatoff

Summer Update #1

Hey friends!
     This is my first update on how things are going this summer. I finished up classes Wednesday, and tomorrow (Saturday) morning I leave to fly back to Wisconsin. After a few days with my family there, I’m headed up to Lake Lundgren Bible Camp. The summer training starts Tuesday, and our first batch of campers arrive on the following Monday. Wow, the last few weeks have flown by!

     I also have a new address, so the address on my support letter is no longer current. When I return in the fall, my new Spokane address will be:

          7620 E. Liberty Avenue
          Spokane, WA

But remember, during the summer I’m at LLBC!

Prayer requests:
     -Safety for all the staff members traveling to Lake Lundgren
     -That staff training would help get us ready for the incoming campers
     -That the rest of the finances for the staff members would be provided

Praises:
     -School is done!
     -Another summer of God’s amazing work through camp lays straight ahead
     -For God’s amazing provision as all the pieces fall into place in Lake Lundgren’s planning

Thank you for your prayers!

     ”But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
          my glory, and the lifter of my head.
     I cried aloud to the LORD,
          and he answered me from his holy hill.”
               -Psalm 3:3-4 ESV

First post… Ever…

Hey friends and family members! I’m assuming you’ve gotten to this blog from either a link on Facebook or from my support letter.

First I’d like to thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! I hope to keep this regularly updated with prayer requests and praises, as well as updates on what’s going on at Lake Lundgren and Moody.

In addition to this blog, I will be sending out periodic paper letters (I’m not sure if it will be quarterly or monthly). If you do not receive one of my support letters in the mail and would like to be on my mailing list, send me an email at nick.flatoff@gmail.com or contact me through one of the other methods listed on my Contact Page. Additionally, if you would rather not receive the quarterly/monthly letter or would prefer to receive it via email, let me know as well.

I hope to grow with you through this plan God has prepared for us!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18