Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Training Continues

Today the guides are training in Swift Water Rescue. Tomorrow will conclude guide training for 2012. Let the campers come!


High Ropes

"They call me T-Bird"

Climbing Day at Devil's Lake

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A Productive Day

John and several volunteers poured the third foundation today for the new cabins. Only 4 more to go. The other cabins will be sitting on existing foundations.



And here is a shot of the Guides on the Challenge Course. Tomorrow is High Ropes!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Canoeing and Caving

The Guides spent the night canoeing and sleeping on the sandbar last night. Got a little muddy caving today. Tomorrow Challenge Course





Guide Training

Sunday started our first day of Guide Training for the summer of 2012! We had a fun time of getting to know one another and playing some name games. Yesterday they spent the day on the river and they are doing the same today along with a little caving! Pray for unity, spiritual growth and safety. Here is a picture of our guides minus John and Hunter.





Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Destruction and Construction

Over the last few years, cabins have been torn down here and there to either get rid of irreparable structures or replace them with a usable cabin. Now with the donation of an old resort's 11 cabins, we need to make some more space. This was quaint and maybe a little scary craft cabin that is "on the list" for removal to make room for a new one and I don't think too many are sad about seeing it go. Ok, maybe a few of us :)




Friday, April 27, 2012

Feedback

John and I are trying to figure out the best way/s to communicate with you about this ministry and we would like to know how many people actually end up reading this blog. So I was wondering if you could just leave a comment below, or email me and tell me how you read this blog?
Do you follow?
Do you get an email when there is a new post?
Do you just check it once in a while?
Does the post get emailed directly to you?
Thanks for taking a minute to do this!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

A Day of Prayer

Today, our camp staff took the day off from our typical duties and spent the day praying together. How awesome is that! I was able to go out and take part this morning. The rest of the staff should be wrapping up about now but I am asking you to start now. As you are reading this would you pick one thing off the list and spend a minute praying about it. If you want to pick several items and spend an hour, please do, but anything would be appreciated! He is the list of things we spent the day praying for:

Our Full Time Staff and Their Families

Our Summer Staff

The Students Attending Camp

The Hearts and Growth of Both Staff and Campers

Safety of Both Staff and Campers

The Vision, Funding and Logistics of Moving the Donated Cabins

The Nordic Pines and the Ministry that takes place there

Camp's Finances

The Camp's Board Members and their Families

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Ops Center

This was the big project of 2011 at Expeditions, an Operations Center. Up to this point, all the tools and supplies were stored in various trailers and cabins. God blessed Expeditions with this building that allows everything to be stored in one place. It also provides a warm shop to work in during the winter months.


John and Ethan examining the bobcat

Monday, April 23, 2012

Climbing Wall Addition

Recently, Expeditions added on to the climbing wall. We have been using it more and more, including opening it up to the community on Tuesday nights. Here are a few pictures of the construction and one picture of it in use during one of the community nights.




Ethan checking it all out!


Finished climbing wall during a Tuesday night. Ethan and John are the two on the far right side.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Thanks for your prayers

John's Epidural Steroid Shot was today and the procedure went well. It was not nearly as painful as the last time he had one in 2009, and we are thankful for that. The rest of day proved to be uncomfortable, but this evening, he seems to be doing a little bit better. Please pray that this steroid will relieve some of his pain. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Youth Worker Retreat

We love it when we get to serve the youth pastors and workers that bring their groups to camp! Here are few pictures from the retreat we hosted Monday and Tuesday this week.








Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Climbing Day at the Lake

Great Day Climbing with Silver Birch Ranch and their NBI Crew


A Shot in the Back

A while back I asked you to pray for John when he received Nerve Root Injections in two nerves. Thank you for praying. The procedure went well, however, the results were not what we had hoped for. We were supposed to see relief within a couple days to a few weeks. As far as he can tell, he still hasn't seen any improvement. He did start physical therapy in the time since and continues to take a couple different pain killers to try and eliminate some of the pain. While he does have some days of relief, he isn't seeing an increased improvement. This Friday, the 20th, John will get another Epidural Steroid shot in his spinal canal. PLEASE pray for relief and encouragement for John. He is pretty discouraged about the whole situation.

I was listening to a Nancy Leigh Demoss radio show the other day and she was talking about trials in life and the one thing that really stuck with me was this quote, "Anything that makes me need God, is a blessing". I have to admit, it is downright difficult to see John's degenerative discs as a blessing, but in the end, if it draws us into a more intimate relationship with him, it IS a blessing. Then my mind went back to a conversation I had with John where he shared a song that had been an encouragement to him and guess what the name of the song was? Blessings! I pray that we can see all of this as a blessing, no matter how hard it is! Listen to it here or read the lyrics below.

Laura Story: Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

A Day at the Museum

Easter weekend, John was given 5 days off and we were determined to spend some time together as a family, NOT doing projects around the house. A supporter of our family knew of this and made it possible for us to spend a day in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry. This was such a treat and I am pretty sure this is a trip Ethan won't forget. You see, he has been a long time fan of the science show, Mythbusters, and for a limited time, MSI has a Mythbusters exhibit. He was able to see show memorabilia and try to bust a few myths himself! I thought I would post a few pictures and send out a huge "Thank You" to the one who made it possible!

Checking out the U 505



The Wright men checking out The Wright Brothers Exhibit

Ethan was a little nervous here, ha!


He's one bright kid!

FINALLY! We reached the Mythbusters exhibit and the Duct Tape boat.

Trying to find out if you get wetter running in the rain or walking.

The black light showed the water drops on your clothing



Ethan trying to pull a table cloth out from under the dishes.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bunk Beds

I mentioned in our newsletter that John and the crew were building some new bunkbeds and I have few pictures to share with you of that process!