Thanksgiving

We had an amazing time with Mike's parents over the Thanskgiving holiday. We did so many different things from shopping to playing Settlers, going down water slides to being lazy in the lazy river! Our time with Mike's family and our to come time with my family made me remember how blessed we truly are. There are so many families all around the world that are from broken homes, are fighting life threatening diseases or are thankful for merely a drink of water a day. Mike and I have two families that love and support us, they have raised us by the Word of God and have given us the tools to succeed. We have food in our kitchen, a bed with a warm blanket and a shower that cleans our already clean bodies. I am thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with, but there is a small part of me that wonders what my faith would look like if I didn't have all of these blessings. Would I trust the Lord more because I physically saw the Lord move by providing food when I didn't think I would have it, or would I have less faith because I haven't learned to trust the Lord in all situations? I suppose that right now those are merely questions that I ponder, but I do pray that I would learn to thank the Lord for each small blessing I receive; that I wouldn't have to stop and reflect only on Thanksgiving...but that I would be reflecting each new day. I pray that I would trust in the Lord and thank him always.

Update

Hello Family and Friends,
I do appologize for the length of time between my last post and now, I suppose I could make the excuse that it has been a busy month, but I won't. Let's see, fall and winter are slowly transitioning from one to the next. The leaves have fallen and spurts of snow have come and gone. In fact, we are expecting snow this weekend! Mike is in and out of classes almost on a daily basis and I go to the ones that, frankly, sound interesting. We went on a camp tour last week and visited 4 different camps. It was a great opportunity to see what God is doing in camping ministry throughout Wisconsin. I would say that in a lot of ways it even rejuvenated our passion to serve God in ministry, wherever that my be. This weekend and next is the couples retreat here at camp. The LTD students are responsible for organizing the retreat. Mike is heading up the decorating area and is doing quite well! If you think of it, please pray for him as it will be a busy two weeks for him. I am trying to keep myself busy. I have not received any calls for substituting; however, I have been able to work in the kitchen here at camp at least once a week! I have been doing a little reading but I feel that I need a new hobby...if you have a suggestion, please let me know.

In the next few months there are many things we are looking forward to. We will be traveling to Crystal Lake to visit Mike's family for Thanksgiving! This will be Mike's first time off of work for more than 2 days in a row! We will also be traveling to South Carolina for Christmas to visit my family! I am very excited to see them and I am very excited to travel to the Carolina's! If you think of it, please pray for our safety as we travel to and from all destinations. One last thing that Mike and I are looking forward to is learning how to ski! We will be taking lessons in the early part of December and will eventually be teaching lessons. We are excited to master this sport and to use it as a tool to minister to others!

Thank you for all your prayer and support, we couldn't do this year without you!

Fall

I think I have finally figured out how to load some pictures!!! These are pictures of beautiful fall in Wisconsin. The beauty out my front door is amazing and I am taking every minute I can to appreciate it before it becomes to cold for my blood.

God's Perfect Beauty

Today is the most beautiful day that I have ever experienced in Wisconsin. The sun sparkles through the trees and the breeze sweeps through my hair gently. The leaves are in full color from yellows to greens, oranges to reds, and everything in between. The air is a perfect 73 degrees and wraps around me as if winter has never existed. I tilt my head up and marvel at the perfectly cloudless sky that is proof that only God could paint such a picture. The smell of camp fire in the distance polishes off the perfect autumn day-and my soul is at peace with life and I am reminded of God's perfect beauty.




...how did God show his perfect beauty to you today?

God at work, despite us

September is here and classes have started! Yesterday was Mike's first day of classes. I sat in on a few of the classes and today Mike is off again to other classes. Assignments are being assigned, papers are being written and the smell of summer fun has evaporated. The crisp breeze of fall is in the air and leaves are beginning to turn into beautiful colors of orange, yellow and shades of red. In a few weeks fall will be in full bloom and God's beauty will be bright and alive in Westboro, Wisconsin.

In these past few weeks God has been doing some amazing remolding in my heart. Mike and I have been learning a lot about doing ministry; some days we are enthralled in ministry and there are other days that we find ourselves frustrated at humans ability to get in the way of God's work. At times I wonder why God even uses us sinful beings to "accomplish" His works, but then I was reminded that that is what makes ministry of testimony of His great glory. If we as Christians truly worked off of our own strength, we would never accomplish anything-it is only through Christ's power, grace and mercy that we are able to see God at work in human ministry. It is for this reason that we as Christ's workers should not allow church politics, frustration in ministry, or differing opinions to stop us from serving Christ. If we quit each time we are frustrated or hurt, we will never have the opportunity for Christ to be glorified in the ministry that God has called us to serve him through. The ultimate testimony of a great ministry is not how successful it is or how many people the ministry is serving, or even the budget, but rather, the testimony is that God works in that ministry despite us and uses us despite ourselves.

Is the summer coming to an end already?!

It has been a whirlwind of a summer! We just came off of a great few weeks exploring the river! Mike and I enjoyed leading a youth group from Wausau, Wisconsin on a week of canoeing. The trip included paddling over 40 miles of river, spotting many bald eagles, and enjoying fun rapids with only a few canoes tipping. We also really enjoyed seeing young students have a desire for God's word and God's creation. We praise God for the safety and spiritual growth that happened in the students lives as well as our own. Thank you for the many of you that have been praying for our safety on the river- God has certainly been our protector and provider.

We only have two weeks left of family camp and then we phase into fall. What does that look like for Mike and I? Well, classes start very quickly. Mike will begin learning more of the philosophy of ministry and he will also start writing a lot more papers. I will be tagging along to as many of the classes that I can; I am also looking into substituting however, I must get certified here in Wisconsin. We are praying that that process will not be a large headache.

Next week we are looking forward to seeing Mike's parents as they come and visit for family camp. We are also blessed to see the Carlson's and Aunt Ruth up here next week! We are hoping to teach them how to play the board game called Settlers! That has become a favorite form of entertainment for us at camp! We also hope to see many more of you up here before the end of the year!

Here are a few ways you can be praying for us:

1) Endurance to fight the good fight!
2) Wisdom as we sort through God's calling for our life (futuristic- next year).
3) Financial funds will not become a burden.

In these weeks ahead we are truly holding to these words of scripture:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

River Time

I have a busy but very fun next full week a head of me! I leave on Friday morning to lead a weekend river trip for the Big Sisters organization. I will be returning on Sunday afternoon. This trip will be unique because I will not be leading it with Mike, instead I will be leading it with another female. I am excited yet also nervous because when I lead with Mike, I know that he can compensate for my weaknesses. This trip I will be fully relying on God's strength to get me through- that is something I should be doing much more of; once again, another lesson from God.

Monday I will be leaving again for the river, but this time with Mike. This will be our first full week on the river together. I am very excited about this trip, but again nervous that my energy won't hold out.

Please pray for safety as we are traveling and on the river. Leading trips are such a great opportunity for Mike and I; however, there is much responsibility given to us as we care for not only our safety but the safety of the entire group.

We'll Keep you posted.

An Update

It has been a few weeks since I have been able to post any updates; needless to say that it has been a busy few weeks! The 4th of July weekend (my birthday) came up quickly and Mike's mom and dad came up to visit. It was a great weekend of fun and play. We even drove up to Bayfield, Wisconsin which is located right on Lake Superior. It was a beautiful day!

Since then, Mike has been very busy working with students as they learn how to rock climb. He has had great patience with the students and has even enjoyed being able to build a new part of the rock wall. I have enjoyed being able to learn more about rock climbing and I have even become a better climber!

This last weekend, Mike and I lead a canoe trip for the Big Brothers organization. We had a wonderful time working together as well as keeping everyone safe. We had beautiful weather, with the exception of one evening storm. I am proud to say that I did not have any major problems, in fact, I have grown to really enjoy life on the river. There is something very precious about being away from the chaos of the world. Mike had a great opportunity to talk with one of the leaders from Big Brother about Christ for the majority of the trip. God gave Mike great opportunities to answer questions as the leader was a religions major in college and since then has had many questions about Christian issues. Praise God that he gave Mike the wisdom and words to speak.

Please be praying that God would give Mike strength and confidence as Mike continues to be stretched emotionally, spiritually, and physically. As for me, right now I am visiting family in Omaha, Nebraska. Please pray that I would have safe travels back to camp next week!

Discomfort

Mike and I spent last Tuesday thru Thursday on the rocks at Interstate park in Minnesota. Mike had a blast getting back into the swing of climbing, which he used to do much more of before he moved to the flat state of Nebraska. It was another story for me however. Let's just say that rock climbing was completely out of my comfort zone.

The discomfort started bright and early on Wed. morning when we hauled our gear up the mountain to set the climbs. I was doing well at 4:30 in the morning but before I knew it, I began to tumble over the rocks. I believe it was the Lord that protected me from falling over the face of the cliff (literally just feet away). Instead, I landed face first in the rocks. It was a scary moment for both Mike and I as Mike was behind me and later told me that he felt helpless as I kept falling and he could do nothing. Later that morning I belayed Mike as he was climbing. When he fell, he kept falling until his feet hit the rock VERY hard. Now, those of you who aren't familiar with rock climbing, that is NOT supposed to happen. The belayer (which was me) should have caught him within a few feet of his fall. I had all the slack out of the rope, but the rope I was using had more give in it than I knew. Needless to say, the day started off with me feeling like I wanted to quite. With the help and encouragment of Mike and the specialist, Ryan, I continued on and in the end I enjoyed my time with the kids. Once again, it was only by God's strength that I managed to get through the trip...but I did...and I am alive to tell about it :-).

These next three weeks Mike and I will be leading a rock climbing unit here at camp. We will be working with campers daily as they learn to climb. Sometimes I laugh at God's humor....he keeps putting me in environments where I am NOT comfortable, where I can only rely on God and His strength...I think I am starting to see a theme in my life.

If you could, please continue to pray for safety for both Mike and I. As you can see, we certainly need it!

Another Week in the Wilderness

It was the rush of the river, the strength of the current, the cold rain and God's beautiful creation that Mike and I experienced this last week. It was week two of wilderness trip training; focusing on canoeing, swift water rescue training and backpacking. Needless to say that it was the following schedule that God used to keep me out of my comfort zone.

Day 1: We canoed a little over 20 miles of the Fambau river. The purpose of this was to see and experience the river. My arms felt like jelly by the end of the day and I was thankful that MIke was an experienced paddler!

Day 2: We woke up early and set up camp at a new base down river. We then proceeded to learn all that we could about swift water rescue. It was a very intense day as the river water was high due to a lot of rain!

Day 3: We woke up to rain, wind and a lot of cold air. We crowded around the fire as long as we could, but then came the dreaded words of "time to get in the water"! We played out a few rescue scenerios. We were thankful that they were only scenerios and not real kids needing help!

Day 4: We paddled down river to our pull out spot, climbed in the van and then continued on our way to the mountains where we set up camp again.

Day 5: Major storms hit while we slept in our tents early in the morning. We heard trees fall all around us as rain, lightning and strong winds tumbled through camp. Thankfully, the weather cleared up for our hike to Superior Lake.


I have learned so much about God using us in our weakest state- so often we think that God needs us for him to move, but I have been learning so much about how much we need him. It is through his strength that anything of value is achieved.

Wilderness Trips

Mike and I are leaving for our first wilderness training trip in 45 minutes. We will be learning to rock climb and kayak this week; next week we will be canoeing and hiking. While the training has been long and trying, it has also been a great strength builder for our relationship. Mike has done a wonderful job of teaching me and helping me to over come some fears of mine. Please pray for safe trips on the waters and in the mountains as well as while we are driving to our destinations. That is all we have time for now.

Packing...oh the joys!

Mike and I began packing this last weekend. We started by sorting through all our stuff; and let me tell you, we have some stuff. What's surprising is how much stuff two people can accumulate in just one year. I don't really remember buying a lot, but somehow we have more than we did when we moved in; funny how that happens. There are a lot of things that we will be donating to people who are in more need than us.

While the sorting is not much fun, the reminiscing down memory lane is quite fun. Oh how it seems like some of our favorite memories from childhood were just yesterday. For a moment it makes me want to travel back in time, yet there is still a sliver of curiosity that keeps me clinging to the future.

As the stack of boxes grow, the moving day is quickly approaching and our excitement for this new adventure continues to grow. While we are still unsure what this next year will look like, we are looking forward to learning all that God has to teach us. A few ways that you can be praying for us in the next two weeks would be:

1) That we would have strength to finish packing and wrap up things in Omaha.
2) That Mike and I would speak words of love and encouragement as we enter into a very stressful few weeks.
3) God would continue to bless us financially as we prepare for a year of little income.
4) That our hearts would grow sensitive to Gods early guidance in this new adventure.

We are very thankful for all of your prayer and support during this time.

Welcome to our lives.

Welcome to our blogspot! Mike and I are very excited to have this new venue to be able to share what is going on in our lives and how God is working in us. In case you don't know, Mike and I are moving to Wisconsin in just two and a half weeks! Yikes! It is this new adventure that inspired this blogspot. We are hoping that this will be a good way to keep family and friends up to date; perhaps it will also be a great way to "journal" about what is going on in life- funny how the times have changed and journaling is writing personal information for the entire world to read. Either way, we will do our best to keep this up to date for all that care to read.