CHAPARRAL family

BEING THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN OUR COMMUNITY

the

From The Ground

Frank Shirvinski

Whats inside...
New Bible Study...pg. 2 Armes Note...pg. 2 JFA Camp...pg. 3 UCYC Kids...pg. 3 Tapestry Benefit...pg. 4 Cres in Haiti...pg. 5 All In...pg. 6 UCYC Sr. High...pg. 6 Preschool News...pg. 7 Thank You...pg. 7

Everything looks different under the light of a full moon. During the day, the ruins of Palmyra look like any other ancient city. The theatre is magnicent, sections of great columns litter the ground, the Cardo Maximus (Main Street) bears deep ruts cut by the rush of chariot wheels and the foundations of homes, shops and temples expand outward from the center of the City. Centuries ago, these streets were lled with caravans crossing between the Roman and Parthian empires, wagons and horses, sellers and buyers hustling under great arches of carved stone. Today, amid an ancient ghost town, they have been replaced by a handful of children selling stacks of postcards or handmade jewelry. But, in the silent shadows of the night, the limestone ruins yearn to speak. Most of the buildings where ancients raised families, built business and shared life now rise only a few inches from the ground. As I stepped over a foundation wall and sat in a home built centuries ago, I wondered about the people who once called these stones their home. How would they have spent a similar spring evening? My view had changed. I gazed down at the same piece of earth they did and wondered if the centuries had really changed us as much as we believe. A few days ago, I was looking at the earth just outside of my home as I walked to my truck. My thoughts were lled with the day ahead rather than my immediate steps. Then, in front of me, I saw something out of the ordinary lying on the ground. It was a round gray disk, with a slot in the center, about the size of a key. I briey wondered where it belonged. I wondered only briey, because, as soon as I opened the door to my truck, I saw that the gray disk was a casualty from a failed car theft.

At rst, I was annoyed and a bit concerned that this had taken place in my driveway. I then wondered about the thieves themselves. Who were they? Was it one person, two, a team? Just curious thoughts Then, my view changed. Over the next few hours, Stacy began the list of phone calls that had to be made to the police, our insurer, a towing company, a repair facility, and nally a rental company. That day, we spoke with or met at least ve or six new people who helped us get moving again. I guess you could say that helping us was part of their job. However, spending their days helping others and having a positive affect on their community was a choice they made. For that choice, I am thankful. I am quite sure that the streets of Palmyra felt their share of the steps of those who helped and those who hurt, those who built and those who destroyed. But, looking at the ground in the moonlight, it is impossible to see the impression that their feet left. Thankfully, we leave behind more than footprints in the sand, or a stone outline carved into the ground where our home stood. We leave our true impression on the lives of those we share the ground with today. And, we leave our lasting impression upon each generation that follows after us with the hope that the next generation will be the greatest generation.
***

As Travis and Adrienne Armes continue their ministry on a cooler, yet more humid side of our country, we thank them for the lasting impressions that they leave with us and the strong foundations they have constructed among us. The future generations of Chaparral will be better because of their ministry with us! Thank you, Travis and Adrienne!

The One True God

New Study with Artie Eaves

10 a.m. Report
Sundays 10 a.m., Choir Room
I am so honored to be joining the 10 a.m. Report Bible Study. On July 8, we will be starting a new study called The One True God, a study of the attributes of God. It is a topic that I am very excited to explore with you. Often we gauge the depth of our relationships by how much we know about another person. For instance, if you know that I am the big guy who can often be seen hanging around in the lobby on Sunday mornings, you might be an acquaintance of mine. If you know my name, that I am an attorney, that I am a husband, and that I am the father of three young kids, you are probably a friend. However, there are deeper truths about me that only those who are closest to me know. Using your knowledge of God as a gauge, how deep is your relationship with Him? If I asked you to write down every one of God's attributes that you could think of, how long would your list be? Would it include some of His most important attributes like immutability? Would you be able to explain the key difference between God's holiness and His righteousness? Would you know which of His attributes are emphasized in the Bible over others? If someone who did not profess to know God asked you about Him, would your description reect a personal and intimate understanding of God's person? Finally, would you be able to point to God's own word to support your beliefs about Him? As Christians, our highest privilege and calling is to know God more intimately every day. "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me . . .'" Jeremiah 9:23,24. God works mightily in our lives when we strive to know Him better. I think this will be a powerful study for all involved. In this study, we will look at numerous attributes of God and study the scriptural basis for those attributes. It will be challenging and it will likely last through the summer. We will have an excellent workbook and, yes, those who really want to get the maximum benet from the study will need to do a little homework. At times, what you will learn may really surprise you. However, at the end of the study, you will know God better than you ever have before. You will also have created a wonderful resource (the workbook) which contains the scriptural foundation for understanding God and knowing Him better. I feel condent that this will be a very rewarding study. I'm really looking forward to it and I hope you are, too. I hope to see you in the 10 a.m. Report on Sunday, July 8th, at, you guessed it, 10 a.m. Hope to see you there, Artie Eaves

A Note from Travis & Adrienne

It's hard to believe we have been serving here for almost six years, and in a few short weeks we will move back East. While it is so important that we live closer to our families, we are so sad to leave this wonderful family. We have countless wonderful memories from our time here, and are so grateful to all of you for your friendship. Thankfully, in this world of technology we are only a call or a click away. It seems like only a few months have passed since we arrived in Arizona and were met by people who would become our closest friends. We were so tired from our trip but immediately felt welcomed and at home by all of you. Our daughter, Madeleine, was only five-months-old when we moved to Phoenix, and our son, Ben, was born here in the heat of the summer one year ago. We are so thankful for the role that Chaparral has played in their lives as well. We don't want to consider our departure a goodbye, and we anticipate returning for visits. Perhaps when the winter winds chill our desert acclimated bones we will think more fondly of 100-degree days. We appreciate the many kind words, the prayers, the understanding, and the encouragement you all have provided since we announced our resignation. We will dearly miss Chaparral, but look forward to future visits. Thank you to all of you for welcoming us in, and we can't wait to see you again!

Travis and Adrienne Armes

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Jr Fine Arts Day Camp 2012

Volunteer Staff: 40 Campers: 70 (35 NOT CCC kids) Thank You to All of our Wonderful Volunteers!

Classes Offered: Art Masterpiece, Cake Decorating, Choir Chimes, Conducting, Cooking, Crayon Creations, Crocheting, Dance, Drama, Duct Tape Creations, Guitar, Jewelry Making, Movement, Psalm Chant, Science Art, Set Design, Watercolor Techniques

UCYC Kids Camp 2012

Join us for an evening of music!

Sunday, July 8, 2012 Tapestry is hosting a concert for Sarah White, a member of Chaparral.
Sarahs Story, as told by Cindy, Sarahs mother
Sarah was never a very healthy child. She had heart surgery when she was 22, the first of nine surgeries in her 20's. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2010, she had to have several physicians approve her for the chemo. She was so upbeat that the rest of us tried to remain the same. When I first saw her with her beautiful hair gone, I had to look away. It was Mother's Day 2010. It broke my heart. She had a double mastectomy in August 2010. She then had six weeks of radiation. I went with her once and after they got her settled below this huge machine that is in the basement, the staff and I walked out and they started to close this door that was about 2 feet thick. Regardless of her age, she is still my child and I wanted to run back in and be with her.

An Interview with Sarah

What is your involvement with Chaparral? Rose and Ken Johnson are family friends and in 2007 Sarah and her sister, Shawna, started attending Chaparral. After her first battle with cancer, she took her sisters advice and began attending the Roots young adult group. It was like meeting 15 brand new best friends in one night! It was wonderful! I currently attend The Well every Sunday that I am physically able to. I love the messages, I love the diversity, I love the ministers and the music is wonderful. One of my favorite memories here at Chaparral is being Snow White at the princess ball. It was some of the most fun I have ever had. How has the church affected your life? I never realized that there was a void in my life until I became part of the Chaparral community. How has your faith affected your life and your journey with

Then in July 2011 she had two procedures in one surgery which Mayo is really good about. Several doctors will work together so the patient only has to be under anesthesia once. Sarah was recovering nicely at Shawna's, Sarahs sister, and two weeks after surgery, she got dizzy at lunch and was having trouble breathing. By the time I drove from downtown to Shawna's, she'd already been told to go to the emergency room. Luckily, it is about two miles from Shawna's. That's when they discovered that her breast cancer had metastasized to her lungs and several, large tumors were present. I looked over at Sarah and for the first time, I saw tears in her eyes. Fortunately, the scans showed the tumors were only in her lungs and her oncologist at Mayo put her on one of the strongest chemo drugs available. Her oncologist wanted to see her do six treatments of this drug, although most people don't survive the toxicity. She did all six. In December, her oncologist told her that the tumors were still there. Sarah declined more chemo and the oncologist told her that once the cancer cells spread and her organs started to fail, she would have only a few weeks to live. Sarah decided that a life of chemo is no life at all. Sarah was already seeing a naturopathic doctor for Vitamin C infusions and he told her about a plant-based cancer drug from Europe called Ukrain. Sarah has had two rounds of the drug. Her father wanted a second opinion so Virginia Piper did the pet scan that revealed the cancer has not spread and the tumors are so small, they can't even be biopsied. God sent this drug to us. God bless, Cindy White, Sarahs Mom

cancer? In a single word, acceptance. I have never been healthy. I have always been sick as long as I can remember, and I have always unfortunately had the realization that I am not going to live a long, happy, healthy life. I can be happy but I am certainly not going to be a healthy individual. Because of my faith and my acceptance of that, that has made some of the things that have happened to me over recent years a lot easier to handle. I know that when God is ready to have me up in heaven, I will leave. I have peace in knowing that it wont be a minute sooner. So up until then, I hope to live life to the fullest. That is what makes it all ok, in knowing that heaven is a place with no sickness and with people that I have missed. And that gives me very much peace.

A potent psychological shift occurs when the possibility of giving up disintegrates into ashes.

All In
Theres a story that circulates through military and business culture about Alexander the Great. Its the kind of story legends are made of. When he and his infantry disembarked on Asian shores, he set his entire Naval eet ablaze. Every boat, ship, and carrier, all of them, set on re. This meant that the only way home meant ghting through the enemy and marching home on dry ground. A potent psychological shift occurs when the possibility of giving up disintegrates into ashes. Now, youre all in. When Jesus said to the disciples, Come follow me, and I will make you shers of men, I am not quite convinced that they fully understood the journey they were about to begin. Were you, when Jesus called you? This makes me think of John. There must have been a point in (the disciple) Johns life where he made the choice to be the one disciple not to leave Jesus when he was on the cross. He essentially became the only disciple at that point who went all in. He burned his bail out plans; he set his getaway car ablaze. John went all in, no matter the cost, and it was clear, the life he was choosing was costly. Make no mistake, being a disciple is costly, which is exactly why it is so tempting to keep your other options open. When youre doing business in the boardroom, or with a particular group of friends, or on your own during the day, its easy to board your getaway car and ee the shores of battle for places of worldly comfort. We do it all the time. We have so many choices other than Jesus, and we often choose them over Him. Please. Be like John. Burn your getaway car. Throw away your escape plans. Make the Jesus Way your only way. Eliminate the rocks that cause you to stumble. Remove the things that block your vision of Jesus. Go all in, because Jesus is trustworthy, because God is faithful, because there are others around you doing the same thing who can support you.

Now, youre all in.

Go all in.

Nick Stavlund

UCYC Sr. High Camp 2012

Cres Worthington
Ad ven t ure s I n Ha i t i
By M ichael P. Murphy
At least twice a year Dr. Del Worthington, an orthopedic surgeon, travels from his comfortable home in Scottsdale, Arizona to St. Louis du Nord, in the ravaged Caribbean country, Haiti, where he works with other physician volunteers to provide much-needed medical attention to patients at the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. His brother, Wayne, often joins him, and his two eldest daughters have each gone once. In the spring of 2011 his 18-year-old son, Cres, joined his dad on a week-long mission. In that time Cres learned a thing or two about Ephesians 2:8-10. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Gods grace in Haiti. What? No Super-Glue? Cres takes his Christian faith quite seriously. There is a video of him giving a testimony during a 30-hour famine where he becomes so emotional about what Christ has done for him that he has to walk off camera. A talented bass guitarist, Cres has performed in Church praise bands and has enjoyed the hard labor involved when both his church and school have sponsored mission trips to Mexico and the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. Haiti would be a different experience. The flight there was his first clue. When we were flying over Haiti it looks very disorganized and it seems a lot dirtier than anywhere else Ive been, very barren, too, Cres observes. Since the earthquake a lot of people have been living in tents, so there are giant colonies of tents on the outskirts or in random parts of Port-au-Prince. Thats what caught me off guard, because I didnt think people were living like that. From Port-au-Prince they boarded a small shuttle flight to St. Louis du Nord. That, in itself, was an adventure.We walk on the runway and I look at our plane and this guys duct-taping the wings! Cres says, laughing. So Im thinking, This is how they do it in Haiti. Its a very rickety flight, and I look at my dad and say, I really hope that duct tape holds up. The plane lands on this nice, dirt-gravel runway and I look out the window and theres some guy walking his ox down the side of the runway! It was a short bus ride along the coast to the mission, and Cres couldnt believe the disorganization he saw along the way. Closely-built ramshackle houses, honking cars and motorcycles driving wildly, an unusual number of barber shops, and a free-for-all of street vendors selling some of the most random merchandise ever, from car stereos to fruit and fish. They passed a harbor with rusted, broken-down boats. Unclothed children ran alongside sickly-looking dogs. It was just very chaotic, Cres observes. There was just so much going on that I didnt think I could take in enough at once. How can Gods grace fit in such a place? The Northwest Christian Haiti Mission works to fill that need. It is the largest Christian mission in the area. The essence of Christian charity, they provide food, education, medical attention and so much more to the many in need. It would be Cres home base for the week. Bad Voodoo Of all the things I saw, the Voodoo cult hit me the most, Cres says. Despite Haiti being hailed as a Christian country, there is an underlying Voodoo worship that dominates the island. On his first night two rival rah-rah gangs crossed paths in a violent machete and stick fight. In an ironic example of giving Gods grace, Dr. Worthington and other Christian mission doctors worked overtime to surgically repair the wounds of these men who worshiped Voodoo. Another afternoon Cres and his uncle Wayne and other mission volunteers helped build a playground at an orphanage for kids with mental disabilities. Cres was amused at the kids who watched them work. The kids are standing there and they just didnt get it, he says. They were thinking, What is this? What are they doing? They did not know what a playground was.

On the way back to the mission their truck was blocked by a rah-rah gang wielding machetes. Earlier in the week another mission group had been harassed by such a gang that actually attacked their truck, beating on it with their machetes but not physically harming anyone. The group Cres was with wondered if they were in for the same fate, but it seemed that all this gang wanted to do was beat on drums, dance and intimidate as they blocked the road. After five minutes of this we realized they werent doing anything. Cres recalls. So our guide got out of the truck and ordered them to leave. They did, but as we started to leave we popped a tire. It didnt help that the truck didnt carry a jack. They raised it using bricks and muscle, pulled off the tire and returned to the mission without incident.

The grace that we need here in America is different from the grace they need in Haiti, he says. It just shows the wide range of grace thats needed.
The Joy of Gods Grace I got to watch my dad do surgery for the first time, Cres says, grinning. Ive seen him work like that before, except it was on pumpkins at Halloween time! Cres job at the mission was to clean the surgical tools at each days end. To prevent acquiring a disease he was required to wear gloves, scrubs, face mask, and face shield while he did this work. He cleaned the tools using a bleach cleaning solution, then dried and wrapped the tools and set them in an autoclave, which sterilized them using pressure and heat. It was important work, but there was plenty to do outside of the mission, too. One afternoon he and other mission volunteers made peanut butter sandwiches and set out on fishing boats to the nearby island of Tortuga, where they led a Bible study for kids in a large, and uncomfortably warm, military tent that usually served as their school. These kids didnt have much, but for this day they had peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and the mission volunteers to play games with. And playing is a good thing when you live in a place with seemingly no hope. Here hope and play is a good combination. On his last day in Haiti, Cres took great pleasure in watching children enjoy the orphanage playground he had helped build. It had been a week of prayer and personal spiritual growth. He felt he had been a part of Gods grace by being on this mission trip, making an impact for Christ. The grace that we need here in America is different from the grace they need in Haiti, he says. It just shows the wide range of grace thats needed. Gods grace, freely given by Cres Worthington in Haiti. Gods workmanship. Not a bad way to spend a week.
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CCPK News: Accreditation

After an intensive process, Chaparral Christian Preschool and Kindergarten was accredited by ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) in the spring of 2007. Every five years the school must go through the accreditation process again with a thorough self-study, ACSI team visit and interviews and finally an official report. We completed the reaccreditation process in May and received a glowing report just two weeks ago. The ACSI Committee gave CCPK multiple commendations with them culminating in three major commendations: (1) Creating a preschool culture that reflects and embraces the outreach mission of the sponsoring Church to provide excellent, child-focused care and instruction to any family seeking a faith-based environment. The natural presentation of content along with biblical truth coupled with a compassionate and extremely capable staff have resulted in a preschool that is deeply appreciated by its stakeholders and whose reputation among the community it serves is one of excellence that honors Christ. (2) Engaging a highly qualified teaching staff that combine their excellence in teaching with an understanding of the needs of young children, who interact with each other and with children in a Christ-honoring way, and who work together in an obviously collaborative manner, resulting in a learning environment that values young children while providing for their individual needs in every modality of development. (3) Developing and maintaining facilities and grounds that are welcoming to children, engaging in their development, attractive and functional for young children, and reflect the Church and schools commitment to excellence. The use of outdoor spaces as learning environments, the flexibility of the classrooms, and the generous nature of the entire learning space is exceptional and honoring to the schools mission. The preschool staff is proud of the hard work, prayer and faith that was dedicated to the school over the past five years that has led to such an amazing final report. We recognize that we still have lots of room for improvement and look forward to seeing where the Lord leads us in the next five years through continued school improvement.

Playground Update:
The new equipment has arrived and construction has begun on the playground. The next step is working on all of the details. We are making sure it fully meets Consumer Product Safety Commission and American Society for Testing and Materials guidelines. We also have new ground covering, too. Additionally, we are adding some new materials to the preschool playground as well such as a quiet area, a water play sink, new bikes and scooters, crawl-through tubes among other fun new items that will enrich the childrens outdoor experiences.

Our Preschool is Amazing!

A Rose by Any Other Name...

The beautiful roses we see outside the south window of the sanctuary are a vivid reminder of God's artistry. God doesn't do it alone. He has had a partner for eight years. Harold Wright has tended these magnicent owers almost single-handedly for eight years. He planted, nurtured, pruned, and yes, admired God's handiwork in each bloom. Thousands of people have been enriched by his labor of love. We have called him the "Shepherd of the Roses." Harold has informed us that he is no longer physically able to continue this demanding work, and at the end of June he is turning the job over to others. Marty Rozelle is the new "Shepherdess of the Roses," and will be assisted by about ve helpers. In recognition of Harold's generous gift of time and talent for these eight years, the Church presented him with a magnicent porcelain rose, created by Boehm, one of the premier creators of porcelain sculptures in the world. Pictured is the pink celebration rose, being presented to Mr. Wright by Dr. Larry Hostetler, who thanked Harold on behalf of the Church, noting that it takes a half-dozen people to replace him. Harold is a skilled and dedicated gardner who in a sense buried his talents so they could spring forth to God's glory and the wonder of us all. Harold will continue as Shepherd Advisor! Thank you, Harold.

CHAPARRAL
6451 E. Shea Blvd Scottsdale, AZ 85254

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CHAPARRAL family

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