California Camping

Yes, California has snow! I'm up in the mountains of Big Bear Lake. If you've been following the
story, you'll know I am working to help staff a winter camp program for a camp here in Big Bear called Pine Summit! Well I hung out at the camp facility this week with a few other members, and now we've begun the next Winter camp weekend. Tonight was our first meeting and Tribal time. All day tomorrow we've got meals with the kids, meetings, worship services, Tribal times, tribal games and all sorts of fun camp stuff. I am supposed to speak at Saturday nights rally. Please pray for me to have passion that the campers can catch, that God speaks through me and that I will be clear and focused! I am to give the final HooRah speach. I am nervous, because I don't want myself to get in the way of what God would have me say. I want Him to speak to these kids through me. He did it last week, mightily. I pray that He will honor me again and use me.
I did get to ski on Thursday, thanks Mom! What great snow and they called it "packed powder"! They have no idea what "packed" powder is unless they've seen New England "packed powder"! The mountains here are so beautiful! The big Ponderosa pines still amaze me. We had a few snow storms this week as well.
I had some really nice slow days, that I could do lots of quiet time and had a particularly special prayer time with a gal who stayed this week too. We went hiking on Monday and that's the first picture of me and the "bear"! Can you see the ski resort in the background?
There has been some talk about me possibly moving to California instead of Texas. We've got some figuring out to do. The cost of living in CA is much higher, but the interest among youth ministries is greatly increasing, due to this camp program the last 6 weeks. You could pray for me that I would know Gods best in this situation and that He would also guide my boss Mike, to help make the decision about where I should go first.
Lots of exciting stuff happening in missions. I am more and more excited about the priviledge to serve with this organization! Wow! What a commission God has placed on the back of them. I can see how God has led me here and what a good fit I'll be here.

A bit of the Pine Summit Weekend Camp

I want you to meet the staff that have been running the program here at Pine Summit Camp. What a great group of missionaries! From Left to Right: Linda (recruiter and lady who shaved her head to donater her hair to "Locks of Love"), Michelle (little Philippino lady who lived and taught in the Philippines for 3 years), in back and with beard, Paul Smith (recruiter and lived in Surinam), next Paul Smith with hat on and wife Karen (pilot in Brazil) mustache fellow is Norm (head of recruitment for the Southwest region), next with hat Ron ("SoCalRon" a NextGen coworker) and finally Joyce (wife of bearded one , recruiter in Orlando). I have had such a great time, learning about this organization, speaking on behalf of them to teens and their leaders and hanging out with teens. I feel even more sure of my calling to this organization and even more impressed with what they are doing worldwide!
Here is an example of the crazy things that JrHighers will do to earn a "button"!! Really! She drank the combined leftovers of all of our breakfasts simply to earn a button!
The next shot is of me in one of our "tribal Times". These sessions were times where the kids learned about a newly reached tribe. Our tribe was the Moskona, a tribe in Indonesia. We learned what their culture is like and what the challenges were in translating the scriptures into the Moskona's heart language. We had great interaction and participation and I learned a great deal about how this organization works! I was absolutely honored to also speak to the assembly during our evening meeting last night, on how I was called to missions and about how they can too. God was pleased to speak through me and I was so amazed at how He did it. I am so excited that God has chosen to use me this way. I see my new job forming right before my eyes and it's scary and exciting! It may be that I will be working in San Diego, because of the response that they are having here! That will present some problems for my support level, but if God determines it He will also provide!