Lakeview Day 2

On Tuesday we had VBS to do in the morning and the Middle School Event in the evening. Very good to be busy and feel productive. One of the boys summed it up really well when he heard what was being served for meals this day: "Corn dogs and pizza in the same day!?! It doesn't get any better!" Doesn't take much to motivate us!

The point today was "God listens to you!" with the verse from Psalm 139:4:
"Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it all." The kids all enjoyed the Bible story today and VBS went so smoothly, it was unreal. I literally had NOTHING to do this morning, our teens worked so efficiently and were such great leaders. They did it all!

Such a comfort to remember that God listens to us, always and anywhere. Our Senior team member taught the lesson for the Middle School Night based on Matthew 5:13-16 to encourage the local teens to become involved, and not allow their "light" to be hidden but to start making a difference in their community. It was such a strong lesson, especially coming from a boy who I see as having one of the greatest servant's heart I have ever seen.

Another "God Stop" this night was the worship time the teens planned for the middle schoolers. Our high schooler that led worship wanted to clearly help the kids see that to God- they were perfect and acceptable because of Jesus. So the team prepared some wonderful songs, and a special solo that hopefully helped them feel the love of God...Who will love you "for you" every single minute. Here's a little clip:

Thank you, Lord, for the way you love us. And thank you for speaking to my heart through the mouths of your children...please help every single one of our teens know and understand how wonderfully perfect they are to you...that Jesus died and rose again so they could live in that freedom.

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you." Psalm 139:16-18

Lakeview Day 1

YES! What an awesome time we had in Lakeview, OR this year! Putting on a Vacation Bible School, night events for the local teens, and building amazing friendships amongst our Christian brothers and sisters. Oh, Lord- you are good!!

The theme for VBS this year was "God is WILD about you!" with a focus on Psalm 139. I so hope our teens saw that God is wild about them, just the way they are.

Day 1 was specifically "God Made You." with the bible point from Psalm 139:14. One of our favorites, yes?
"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

The road trip down was smooth and filled with hilarious road trip music, debates about the virtues of country verses rap, and by Monday we were all ready to start working!

More than anything, I prayed that our teens would connect as a team- we had kind of a random group, with lots of freshman, 1 sophomore, a few juniors and one senior. We even had a high school graduate working with us. God did His thing, and I couldn't believe how well everyone got along and how quickly they all realized how much they had in common. New friendships were formed and the feeling of family was there from the very first day.

Played some Righteous Ball, explored the local mountain and praised God for His faithful provision. How wonderful is it that he always knows exactly what we need, before we even ask it? He put together this group of teens from the beginning...and it was good.

Lakeview 2010- Day 5

Our final day in Lakeview! So sad, no matter how excited we were to get to San Francisco. I don't think there was a single one of us that really wanted to leave. VBS was wonderful, and meeting the kids parents and families at the hot dog lunch was really special. If we are blessed to go again next year, a lot of these kids will have grown so much we won't recognize them! Father, grow them like crazy and keep them close to You all the days of their lives. Our Bible Point the last day was "God's Word is for EVERYONE" and that couldn't be more true. Psalm 119:90 says "Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth You created." As we helped the children memorize that verse, I am praying that our teens hid it in their hearts as well. May their lives always reflect the faithfulness of God.

We survived! We conquered! And we were rewarded! San Francisco, here we come!

Such a beautiful drive through the Vineyards in Napa Valley. It truly was breathtaking. We were able to visit with a dear family in Christ who let all 17 of us stay at their house. We played some more mafia, laughed until our sides hurt, and got to spend a day traipsing around San Fran, eating food, seeing sites, and even took a boat ride and tour of Alcatraz. We did lose one kid, but we got her back, so it's all good! (It truly was one of the most terrifying moments of my life- long story- but God was good and protected her, and someday I will be able to forgive myself and look her mother in the eye again. Thank God it was only for a few minutes, or else I might have gone ahead of you to live with Jesus- death by panic attack!)

Never making a mistake would be so nice, but not even close to realistic. The best thing about this trip was being able to be real with one another. Nerves got frayed, frustrations flared, but not once did we forget to be gracious to one another. Not once did we take for granted the opportunity to love someone else. It was awesome. Too often I think that living like the Heroes of Faith- Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Rahab, Mary, even Paul- is totally unattainable. That somehow, they had the hookup and could do it "right" because God gave them an extra dose of "spirituality". Or maybe they just were less of a sinner than I am. But God reminded me that "special super powers" wasn't the key. We all want to come to God perfect- all fixed up and never sinning, so that He will hear and answer our prayers. But at the end of James 5 we are told to pray with passion- and BELIEF, just the way we are. To confess our junk and believe that God would do great things, and expect it because it is all for His glory. I know that with my head, but when it comes to praying that way sometimes I chicken out. If I am honest, I know I don't really think God will answer my prayers because I am too "bad".
Here is the awesome thing that James 5 told us: "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." James 5:17-18
Read that again! Elijah, prophet of God and the BOMB DIGGITY as far as Heroes of Faith- and God calls him "a man just like us"! I so pray that gives you hope tonight! No matter what, God loves you and wants to answer your prayers! It might not look the way you expect it too, but I can guarantee you, His gifts are not ever going to be something you want to return! A long week of sleeping on a couch surrounded by teenagers, a strange small town in the middle of nowhere, Cup of Noodle lunches and sleep deprivation sounds like a bummer. But when I think of all God did in Lakeview in our hearts and through our labors- I KNOW He was answering prayers and blessing me like crazy. I so hope you let Him do that for you too. I love you. God bless you!

Lakeview 2010- Day 4

"God's Word is life-changing!" This day of VBS we have the honor of sharing the gospel. Robin taught the lesson and I was so blessed to help her. The story was of the cripple that is healed in Acts 3:1-4:12. Such a beautiful statement of every Christian- if we remember it. "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you..." That's all God asks of us. That we share our stories. We share our lives and His love with everyone around us. What a privilege.

During the lesson this day we got to have the kids take the gauze bandages we had put on them, the wounds that represent the sin, or "bad things" we had done, and place those bandages over the cross. As they took off their "sin" and laid it on the cross representing Jesus's death for us- they said the words "Jesus, change my life." Nothing magical about the words. Nothing powerful about the piece of wood we held up. But, the presence of the Holy Spirit was so there! It was wonderful to see. Sure, there were kids who were goofy, or thought the exercise was goofy. But there were also kids, and adult helpers, that meant what they said. And it brought tears of joy to my eyes. Robin did a fantastic job of guiding the lesson, and letting God do the work in our hearts.
How happy it is to be forgiven and free, yes?

This day was also one of quotes for me. Let me share two of them. One was so cool, and the other just funny. The cool one was a little girl, remember the first grader I told you about the first day who said I almost made her pee thanks to my amazing acting skills? I didn't tell you the best part! She had truly been scared Roman soldiers were coming to get us, but then by Thursday she pulled me aside and said, "You scared me so much- I almost peed my pants! BUT...(she even paused for emphasis) God's Word is comforting! Let's Go!" What a comfort He is! Not only did he answer my prayer that the little children wouldn't be permanently damaged from my lesson, but He was obviously using each day's bible point to teach these little hearts! Wow!


And the funny one came from our 6'3" high schooler who was lounging around, as usual, and put into words how we were all feeling- exhausted. Everyone wanted him to play some more Righteous Ball, and as he yawned and rolled around on someone's sleeping bag, he answered : "I'm busy getting tall." Enough said. What a week we had! By Thursday we all were more than ready for "quiet time" after lunch!

Lakeview 2010- Day 3

Bad blogger. Bad blogger. Every morning I say I will sit down and finish up the Lakeview posts, and every day something else catches my attention. So tonight- nothing will deter me! :)

This day of Lakeview was by far the most amazing, the most funny, and my most memorable. But it had nothing whatsoever to do with VBS! Is that terrible? Don't get me wrong VBS was wonderful and a great time. The kids really start getting comfortable with all the "strangers" by the middle of the week, and we have worked out most of the kinks. The theme was "God's Word is surprising" and our verse came from Psalm 119 again- "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." Psalm 119:18 Great times watching kids panic as Drew pretended a snake was gnawing his arm off as he acted out Paul's role in Acts 28:1-10. Loved having quiet time when Emily actually FELL ASLEEP.

But by far, the highlight of my week came after dark. Felida's No Talent Talent Show. Oh, have I ever laughed so hard? I can't even begin to tell you the fun we had. The theme is...well, what can we plan in 2 hours that will be hilarious and show absolutely no talent? Such fun! The girls ended up doing a skit of "Top 10 Reasons Mustaches are NOT COOL." and a dance to Men In Black. Hilarious. The boys outdid themselves with several numbers. They opened the show with a jazz band, where Drew rocked a 10 minute drum solo that the other musicians had no idea was coming. It was gut busting! Then Taylor Swift came alive for us, in Ryan's body of course, as they did the number "Love Song". I can't even explain it- just watch it below. (Don't forget to pause the music on the right!)



So good! As you can see, we have it made when it comes to boys that like to wear dresses! Bahahaha! But there is MORE! We were treated to 2 more amazing songs- Double Rainbow AND Bedroom Intruder. Look them up on Youtube, and then picture my son and his buddies singing them a capella or with a lone guitar. NICE.

And then, the grand finale. Ryan said it best when he got on stage and said, "We've got the skills to pay the bills." Before watching this video, please have all small children leave the room. I would hate for them to think this is NORMAL behavior. But man! I love our youth group! :) In their defense, the girls did put them up to doing a Beyonce song. Although we never thought they would enjoy it quite so much!



Thank you, Lord! For laughter and fun and friends. What a great day!

Lakeview 2010- Day 2

So behind in my blogging, and so very sorry. Summer is calling me...and with so few days left of it, I must answer. The computer just can't hold my attention during this time of year. :)


Yet another day of fun and adventure for Lakeview OR! Any town that would let us visit is fearless.

Started out the day with another fantastic VBS program, with our slogan being "God's Word is comforting!" The bible story was from Acts 27- check it out and picture our crazy antics as we tried to explain it. :) This day was truly a sweet one, filled with kids who were nervous the first day now running to say hello!
(Ryan played the part of "Extreme Steve" in Human Clue terrifyingly well!)
My favorite part of the day was the Middle School Youth Event that evening though. Our teens organized a game of Human Clue- sooooo hilarious! And two of our Juniors shared their testimonies. What I loved was that both of the kids didn't have these horrible, tragical stories to tell. They are Christian kids, raised in Christian homes, loving Jesus. And their testimonies are just as powerful.

(Caitlyn made a fantastic "Kung Fu Karl".)
Our male student brought me to tears as I watched him share his story. I've know this little guy, who happens to stand 6'3" now, since he was 5, and to see the confidence and grace God has given him was such a blessing. It was awesome to see how God knew exactly which persons needed to speak, to relate to a room full of churched, "good" kids. Our guy showed them so clearly that God is just as real, relevant and ACTIVE in his life today as He was in the heroes of the Bible thousands of years ago. Very cool!
(This was Jordan as "Rockin' Ralph" during Clue!)
We finished the night off with some fun in the MAD house, and my favorite quote of the day was "PINCH IT OFF, JORDAN!!!" Needless to say, the girls didn't want anyone stinking up the bathroom and were not afraid to harass any potential perpetrators.

God blessed us during this trip with opportunity after opportunity to grow closer together, and hear Him more clearly. The verse we taught the VBS kids was another to put in your memory cards-
"Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles." Psalm 119:50 Oh, thank you for that Lord. Our promise that YOU have a good, and perfect plan for our eternity.

Lakeview 2010

"God's Word is TRUE!" What a first day of VBS in Lakeview, OR last Monday! That was our slogan for Day 1- and the adults and kids alike could use the reminder! Most of our memory verses for the week were from Psalm 119, and Monday was one of my favorites. "But You are near, Lord, and all your commands are true." Psalm 119:151 As we loaded up and prayed for God's protection and growth, I couldn't help but think about the command of the Lord to go forth and share His Word- and it brought such joy to know we were teaching our young people exactly how to do that in America! So cool!

We took 13 of our youth group teens, with 4 adults, to the town of Lakeview- the tallest town in Oregon with an elevation of 4800 feet and a population around 2000. Our mission- to give them assistance in putting on a fantastic Vacation Bible School as well as offering some summer night activities for the middle and high school students. And boy, did we!

The minute we got there I saw our kids jump up and get to work. The ones who had been there last year took time to orient the newbies, we got beds made on floors, food packed away, lessons reviewed for the next day and even some time for fun and games that night!
Lakeview Baptist Church, our partner in this adventure, has a house for the girls- the MAD house (Making A Difference) and the boys got to stay in the church. Lots of good places to play Sardines! We got to see the nearness of God as we adventured through a rigorous VBS schedule unlike the one we used, dealt with large crew groups and often times unruly boys. We felt His presence that Monday as we adjusted to life as a family, and 17 people using one shower. :) Oh, good times! And God poured out His grace and mercy for each of us, as we practice compassion and patience to each person we came in contact with.

I had the joy of teaching the Bible Story on Day 1, and it is the story of Peter's miraculous release from prison in Acts 12. Check it out, and I so hope it blesses you as much as it did me. I played Rhoda, the servant who answered the door for Peter. I think my acting skills have improved over the years, because I must have scared more than half of the kids to death as I pretended to be afraid of the Roman soldiers looking for Peter. The preschoolers cried, and one of the 1st graders told me "I was so scared I almost peed my pants!" Nice, right? Needless to say, I am still praying that I didn't permanently damage any of those wee ones, and they walked away seeing that God is powerful and His Word is TRUE! "Let's Go!"
One of my favorite things about these trips, as much as I miss my husband and my daughter, is that I get to spend time with my TAG girls. They crack me up every day, and I get to see a little piece of their hearts as they share their week with me. It is wonderful, and helps me to know how to pray for them in a different and more specific way. Oh, Lord- may we all see how true your stories are, and that we would all have a joyful moment like Peter- as the chains fall off our hands and feet and we run for the pure pleasure of tasting the freedom you give!
All in all, a fantastic mission trip. I will try to post more each day this week so you can enjoy the moments with me, and maybe God will give us both new insight into what ways we can serve the rest of the year. Jesus be close to you tonight!

The Grand Finale! Friday in Lakeview...

Last day in Lakeview. We woke up with mixed feelings. As I had my quiet time that Friday morning, I couldn't help but cry over all that God had accomplished through our teens that week. We saw friendships strengthened, unity in the body of Christ increased, and preached the Good News to so many sweet little hearts. I watched our kids lead like I didn't think they could, show a different way to worship to the teens of Lakeview- using their creativity and God-given talents. It was so awesome to watch, and even more exciting to be a part of. Seriously, all day I was embarrassing myself with tears of joy. You know how well that goes over with high schoolers...they probably thought I was a creepy freak. :)

We said goodbye to Lakeview and all that was wonderful about it, and packed up our Expeditions to head to Redding. That definitely cheered me up, because where there is Redding- there is In-N-Out. Yes.

We ate burgers, stayed in a terrifying house, played stress filled rounds of Mafia into the wee hours, and found that no matter where we were, Felida Youth can have fun and love God like nobody's business! It was a great week. I know that God changed my perspective on teens in a million ways, and I fell totally in love with Felida's youth staff.

The question now is- how do we translate all that new found talent and leadership into our home church? Where can we make room for our teens to be God's mouth piece, be His hands, and be His heart for the community around us? It was so interesting to me that as I talked with my son about all that had transpired that week, he had such a heart for what God had done, and excitement over the way things had happened. But as the distractions of life came back into play, the Spirit of God got quieter in my son's mouth. I think that happens to all of us- I know it did me. I spent the entire week of Lakeview getting up with no house to clean, no garden to tend, no nursing job, no husband to care for- just me, a house full of sleeping girls, and my Bible. I felt like I was on a retreat with Jesus, feeling Him hold my hand and smile at me as He watched me be in awe of Him. Of course that kind of undivided attention on God and His Word would be rewarded with a passionate spirit and joy. Once we get back in the "real world", where there are distractions and crises, how do we keep our focus? It's like the Lighthouse Skit in real life- minus the creepy things.

Oh, God- keep being huge for me and Felida's Youth. Help us to get up every morning with you on our minds, and go to be every night with God Sightings on our lips. Convict our hearts to make YOU a priority, and bless us with Your very real presence in our day to day lives. I can't wait to see what you are going to do next, Lord. As school starts and our teen accountability groups meet again- help Lakeview not become a fun memory, but a memorial for all that You want to do through us.

"And now...what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands... for your own good?" Deut 10:12-13

VBS Day 4!

What an insane week. I had good intentions to be intentional, and look what happened. We are now on another Monday, with one of my sweets heading to the beach for too many days, and the other starting band camp for too many hours. Rewind, please.:)

I was thinking about Day 4 of VBS, and Lakeview- and realized that this was the very best day of the whole week. The key point was "God gives us life", and as I sat around this morning whining about how much I will miss my kiddos, I realized how totally thankful I am that God has given us life, and breath, and everything else. I can be joyful for the adventures my kids go through, peaceful that they're days have been pre-designed by a loving Creator, and that no matter what happens- because they both have accepted Jesus into their heart, we will never have to say a real goodbye. What a promise, and what a pick me up. Thank you, God!

(This is our fearless leader singing Disney Princess songs to us during quiet time. Gotta love it!)

On Thursday in Lakeview we had another fantastic day with the crews, and that night the teens put on a High School Youth Event. Again, it was so awesome to see them literally JUMPING out of their comfort zones and doing things that were not normal. It is normal for teenagers to be cliquish and want to sit with their friends, yet here were 15-18 year olds spreading themselves out between tables of complete strangers at dinner, engaging these new people with questions, conversations, and laughter. It is natural for teens to be self conscious and aware of their appearances, yet here were high school girls throwing themselves with abandon into crazy "get to know you" games that involved violence, trash cans and the Great American Rip Off (it was terrifying to watch, but they had a blast and when it was over, not a single hair was in place- and they didn't CARE!).

God was so good in keeping everyone safe and bringing common ground for the Felida and Lakeview Youth. It was so cool to see that no matter where you come from, how you live or what you look like- when you love Jesus, you have instant family where ever you go.

VBS Day 3- Lakeview Style!

Ahhh, we have now arrived at Wednesday- mid way through our Rural Mission Trip week, and more than half way to In and Out Burger! Woohoo!

We had another fun-filled VBS day, learning about Moses and the people of Israel. The bible point for this day was actually one of my favorites, because it reminds me of my Believing God study- "God does what He says He will do". How often do any of us really take God at His word? He has said that He will provide for us even more abundantly than the birds of the air (and there is one FAT robin that hangs out on my patio every morning), that He will never leave us or forsake us, and ALL THAT WE NEED can be found in Him...how often do I really function in that place- of believing God to "do what He says He will do"? Not enough, Father, not enough.

Well- in Lakeview, we were all relying on God's might and strength and He showed up! The Zombie Apocalypse was trying to take us out- one kid after another was succumbing to sore throats, congestion and headaches...but you would never know it! They were singing and dancing with the VBS'ers, laughing with each other, then crashing during quiet time! It was awesome to see God give them the strength and energy they needed to make it through each morning.

Wednesday we were blessed with a beautiful hike through Crane Creek. One of the church members is a local Forest Service Engineer, so it was a blast listening to him explain the ins and outs of conservation, land erosion, and the proactive interventions they had put into the creek to keep the road from destroying it. Almost all the obstacles of trees and brush you see in the pictures, Shawn (Forest Service Man) and his crews had placed there intentionally to provide for fish habitat, bank support, etc.

Afterwards, the same cool people hooked us up with dinner and some fun water games at their house. Apparently for fun, they also hit apples out into the field behind their house- which entertained us for quite awhile.


It was a great time to visit and just hang out with each other. The Lakeview folks were so hospitable and generous with us, I can't tell you how amazing they were. I really enjoyed Jennifer (church-go-to-gal) and Jill (a sweet Jesus lover) and the conversations we had about our children and the way God was working in our lives and our futures. Oh, I wish I had had more time to get to know Jill, but I know someday we will have all eternity to laugh and talk together.

We then went swimming this night at the local pool. I didn't really want to considering how stinkin' cold it was, but after I got over the initial shock, I loved it! There is a hilarious video of our synchronized swimming on my facebook for those who are considering youth work. You won't regret investing in the next generation- if for no other reason but you get to learn how to synchronize swim!

We had also been introduced to "Woof", the most disturbing children's book series ever, and laughed our way from breakfast to dinner thinking about poor Woof and his misadventures.


Yeah, the pictures say it all.

The girls got to have a little "AUDOC" competition after lights out, praise Jesus together, and learn more about how uniquely God had made each of us, but we function best when we are connected. All in all, a very eventful day and a great end to what could have been a average Wednesday.

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." Romans 12:4-6a

VBS Day 2!

I realized I failed to mention our Felida Spontaneity adventure on Monday night. We went to take pictures at the Lakeview sign, but we also drove up Black Cap (correct me if I am wrong about the name) mountain and got the most beautiful view of the town and surrounding area. You could even see the lake. God's timing was so perfect, after we scared the life out of the girls driving the Expedition backwards down a very steep and narrow cliff, we arrived at the view point right at dusk, and got to see the sun set. Ahhhh. Thank you, Father, for that little extra bonus.

Tuesday was the start of another fantastic VBS day. Again, the "Felidian's" were faithful to help out where ever they were needed, and lead specific rotations, taught lessons or did the extremely tasking job of being a crew leader. Megan had a GREAT time corraling the preschoolers into an older elementary style VBS, and she and John had to get really creative to find ways to engage these little ones during games. They couldn't even track with basic relays. Needless to say, there was a lot of "Follow the Leader" going on for the rest of the week!

What was really cool about Tuesday was that we got to put on our first night event- a fun night for the Junior High Students of Lakeview. Our kids planned and prepped for the whole thing, with get-to-know-you games, food, more games, the Lifehouse Skit, a message about keeping the distractions in life from pulling us away from Jesus, and a creative worship time.


During the Creative Worship- the students were put in small groups and given paper and markers. They were to draw something that helped them refocus on Jesus- and then the papers were taped up on the wall. It came out very cool, and I really hope it showed the kids that worship is about more than just standing up in church and singing hymns. Worship can and should be done any where and at any time. God is just that cool.












All in all, another fantabulous day- and a time of recharging I think for everyone. It was so cool to sit around during the debrief session with our kids and watch God light that fire in their eyes for what He can do. Working for Him is so amazing, I don't know why we ever forget it. We were DESIGNED for this- living and breathing Jesus. No wonder we all went to bed smiling- there is nothing like knowing God is smiling at YOU.

"The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands." Deut 28:12a