THE FERNDALE CHRISTIAN FAMILY RETREAT CENTER
A Ministry of Murk Family Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 341, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 (715) 967-4091
December 2003
Dear Loved Ones and Friends through the years, ( A summary of the year’s blessings in all of our families.)

Jim’s Ph.D.
After granddaughter Jewel’s wedding last Christmas, our Trio traveled and ministered from South Florida to New Orleans arriving back at Ferndale in early April. In May Jim was awarded his Ph.D. from Louisiana Baptist University in Shreveport, Louisiana. His original course of study had been postponed by 40 years of traveling and ministry. Most of his original work was accomplished at the University of Chicago. All his credits and exams transferred, and he wrote a definitive dissertation of 435 pages on “The United States, Islam, and the Last Days.” Portions of it may be published in three books beginning this year with A Guide to Understanding Islam and Terrorism. He has been teaching in this area for two years in seminars, churches, and conferences.

Major Celebrations
We had three surprise celebrations this year! (1) Beverly arranged for scores of old friends to send special greetings to Jim and Donna for their 50th wedding anniversary. Greetings and gifts filled a large celebratory book, which will be a beautiful keepsake for years to come. (2) Friends in St. Paul, many from his home church, sprang a surprise celebration for Jim’s 75th birthday party and his earning the Ph.D. It was planned by Beverly. her cousin Kim, and Jim’s sister Joanne. Barby even flew up from Nashville. There was some playful roasting of the guest and many warm reunions. (3) Finally Barbi, Terry, Bill and Jeanine planned a surprise birthday party for Beverly’s 50th in Oct/Nov. It was an open house at Bill’s home in St. Charles IL with dear friends Beverly had not seen in years. Biggest surprises were that our former trumpet and bass player Steve Mullins flew in from California and Becky came all the way from south Florida.

A Week’s Conference Ministry in June
In June we had a week of meetings at Strawberry Lakes Christian Retreat Center near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. We presented both music and message. Jim spoke 10 times for an hour to an hour and a half. His teaching was in the area mentioned above. It was well received by his audience and the conference leadership. We have been invited back for a similar ministry the last week of June in 2004.

Beverly Completes Her Violin Solo CD
Beverly completed her violin CD called “Morning by Morning.” It is an inspired work with extraordinarily skilled acoustic guitar background. The person who mastered the recording said that he broke down and wept listening to the beauty of the music and remembering the words to the familiar gospel songs and hymns. It is being played on radio stations in many parts of the world by means of HCJB World Radio and others. We deeply thank our board member Jack Fleming and his company Merchants Publishing for doing such a fabulous job on the printing. You may order one of these CD’s through our Web site or for a donation to the Murk Family Ministries, Inc. Beverly has begun two new projects. She is teaching some young violin students, and she will be ministering in music and teaching art in the women’s county jail in Chippewa Falls each week, remembering that Jesus said that we should visit those in prison. (Matthew 25:31-46)

A Surprise Prize and Donna’s Recovery
Donna’s georgeous afghan, three months in the knitting, won a first prize blue ribbon at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair. She has created six of these afghans for all of us. Donna’s health has held steady. The compressed vertebrate area in her back is still painful, but improving. We both have slowed down a bit in our older years. As one fisherman of 85 said to me, “I can do everything I used to do, but have to do it more slowly.” We invested in a small universal gym, which helps us both keep up our strength through resistance exercises.

Events at Ferndale--Summer and Fall Ministry
The three of us still minister together as a Trio. This year we are going to “brave” the winter in the north country instead of traveling south. Our Ferndale Retreat Center was busy all summer, and we hope to have some activity this winter as well. We provided space for a mission organization’s board meeting and had a
teenagers retreat. Every week saw individuals and couples staying here for spiritual refreshment, recreation, and blessing. There were over 100. This year we remodeled the breezeway, insulated the garage, winterized and further remodeled the cabin. We try to do some improvements each year. We are praying about another water well, a generator, and a fireplace insert to help with winter heat costs.

Bill, Jeanine, Brienne and Heather Murk
Bill and Heather have recovered as much as possible from their terrible accident. With Jeanine and Brienne their family is ministering again all over the country. Bill spent virtually the entire year producing three CD’s in their own studio. Their last recording was a close harmony family production called “Bridge.” Jeanine has been speaking for a number of women’s groups and has seen many come to the Lord.
Brienne, 19, runs the family ministry office and is writing a book on “Purity” for teens and young adults. It should be published by a major Christian publishing company sometime this year.
Heather, 16, teaches aerobics at her church. She excells in piano, and wrote many of the songs for “Bridge.”

David, Becky, Jessica, Jewel (and Jim), Joshua, Jamie, Joanna, Jeremy and Joy Gardner
David has been flying members of the Military Service and others for Miami Air. He has made trips all over --Hawaii, Iceland, Ireland, Rome, Moscow, Bosnia, Egypt and Kuwait. He also flew the Cubs and the Marlins around on his charter flights so it was difficult to know who to root for during the NL Baseball Championships.
Becky plays her violin for worship at the huge Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale (18,000 members). She is often featured as violin soloist with the choir and orchestra and can be seen on the church’s regular Internet program. She also teaches violin as well as continuing to homeschool her younger children.
Jessica, 24, is a missionary in Cameroon, Africa with Wycliffe, translating the Bible into the Kenyang language. We keep in touch regularly by e-mail. She would love to hear from you. ( jessica_gardner@sil.org )
Jewel, 22, is teaching language arts to 99 seventh graders while her 6’10’’ husband Jim Hanson finishes his senior year at Bryan University. He plans to continue as full time youth director at a church in Knoxville, TN.
Joshua, 20, is excelling as a student at Florida Atlantic University. He bought his own car with money earned as a waiter at a local restaurant. He is playing center field in the south Florida Federal League and hitting at a better than .400 average. His lightning speed also gives brilliance to his piano playing.
Jamie,17, is graduating from HS in May. She is representing her school for the “Silver Knight” award for her many musical and academic accomplishments. She is in the top 3% of her class. She visited Jessica last summer in Cameroon as part of her summer project with TEEN Missions.
Joanna, 14, has become a real artist on the piano, sings on the youth worship team, and along with Jamie is trying to learn the guitar.
Jeremy, 11, also plays the piano, sings on the kids worship team at church, and is the goalie on his soccer team. He is all boy who loves to tease his five year old sister Joy, 5, who lives up to her name. She is learning to read and is full of questions. She is a very social little girl always visiting and talking.

Bruce, Brenda, Brittany, Brent, Brook, and Bryson Jackson
The Jackson family of Dayton, Ohio safely and blessedly ministered this year in Harbin and Shenyang, north China where they experienced some opposition to communicating the Gospel. Nevertheless, they saw many Chinese accept the Lord. The family is working on a music video on the subject of abstinence, following up on Brittany and Brent’s duet “I Will Wait For You.” They are getting national attention and support.
Brittany, 19, while in college has served as secretary in a local church and is now the office manager for her family ministry. She took first place in her college wide speech contest. She wants to major in journalism.
Brent, 18, worked as a life guard at a local pool and saved enough money to buy his own car. He is in college and taking classes also on the Internet to facilitate the family travels.
Brook, 13, has become an “all star” in gymnastics. Some observers think she should train for the Olympics.
Bryson, 8, is very excited about history, reading every book he can find. This is dear to G’pa’s heart. He majored in history and taught it on the college level. Someday Bryson can “attack” G’pa’s library.

Terry, Barbi, Tyler and Travis Franklin
The Franklins ministered in Nicaragua this year and saw 3,500 come to the Lord. They are teaching family “Legacy,” and marriage seminars along with their concerts. Their family does many a cappella numbers in close harmony. Terry’s dad was the tenor for a famous barber shop quartet called the “Sun Tones,” who were featured on the Jackie Gleason Show. Terry joined other sons of the “Sun Tones” for a few numbers at a reunion of the old quartet in Washington D.C. Nostalgia!!! Besides their many concerts Barbi is busy teaching Bible studies, especially at their family ministry center which they built on their property near Nashville.
Tyler, 16, manages the sound set up and plays a superb guitar while leading worship for their programs.
Travis, 15, plays drums, manages their multimedia presentation, and supervises the product table. Both boys’ voices have changed to baritone and bass. This was quite an adjustment, but it completes the harmony.
We are prayerfully grateful that each of our families is serving the Lord. We wish you all God’s richest blessings for Christmas and the New Year.

Much love,

Jim, Donna, and Beverly Zephaniah 3:17--”He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Jessica Gardner - jessica_gardner@sil.org Mamfe, Cameroon (Africa)

Jim and Jewel (Gardner) Hanson - SlimJim228@aol.com Andersonvilleville, TN