Mount Washington!!!!!

I absolutely loved our week at Mount Washington! I woke up at four in the morning on Monday and realized the power was out! So then I was afraid to go back to sleep because my alarm wouldn't go off. So I listened to the wind and watched the lightening and it was absolutely gorgeous! I reminded of God's power. So my roommates and I got ready in the dark with headlights at four thirty in the morning on Sunday! It was actually a lot of fun, then we went to breakfast in the dark and packed the vans in the dark. Before we left we sang "How Great Is Our God" together in the lobby here and prayed for the week of head. We prayed for safety, fun, learning, and growing. We prayed for God to go ahead of us to Mount Washington to keep us safe and watch over us. we got there around eight on Monday and got our rentals - then hit the slopes, it was absolutely gorgeous. I have never been in the mountains in the winter before and it was stunning! There was lots of fresh powder too, so conditions were favorable. At lunch we all ventured to the Lodge that we were staying in - this lodge was absolutely gorgeous! It was a great big log lodge and had lots of room for everyone. Laura (our cook) and Dave came along to cook for us and the food was delectable all week. Tuesday we did more snowboarding and Wednesday we went snowshoeing. Snowshoeing was way more fun than I expected! We traveled up the mountain on the chair lift and then snoeshoed down in the back country. The snow was gorgeous and it was so much fun to walk through it. We stopped around noon to make snow caves, this was an awesome time too. Unfortunately our Student Life Leader injured her shoulder at this time - so pray for a quick recovery for her. She was taken down the mountain by a ski doo. Wednesday night we went tubing and that was amazing! Thursday and Friday we snowboarded again. Friday was crystal clear and you could see all around from the top of the mountain. I loved basking in God's creation! Each evening we spent time together in "chapel" times. These times were incredible, we sang worship songs and one night we named everyone in our group. Kaleo gave me the name "radiant" - this is a name for me to grow into. we also talked about the ways that we see Jesus in one another - this was a really sweet bonding exercise too. I love that we kept the focus of this trip on Jesus and on the work that he is accomplishing in our group more than anything else. There were even hot tubs in the lodge - this was greatly appreciated as it didn't take me long to be sore from boarding! All in all - God was so good during this week and I am incredibly thankful for that experience. I felt like it changed the dynamic of our group somehow - for the better. This next week we are continuing the Camp Ministry Class with Jim Badke - lots more to learn!

Camp Ministry Begins!

This week we started the Camp Ministry Class! I have been involved in the camp ministry since I was young - and have a heart for this mission of God's. I love the joy that comes along with the good news at camp as the excited campers move into their cabins where God has been things planned! I have experienced many difficult staff situations and found it helpful to hear Jay talk about how to avoid conflict within a staff team. Unity is such a huge part of having a staff team! I enjoyed diving into the dynamics of camp with Jimbad. We did tons of group work which made the days of class really fun. We've also got tons of homework on the go - so that's been busy. I told my testimony on Friday morning. Everyone in Kaleo shares their testimonies so that we can understand and know each other better. I was kind of nervous to do this, but found it incredible to share my life with these amazing 26 friends that God has blessed me with. At Cobbel Hill we are now doing the Bridge, which is an evening service done by the youth of Cobble Hill. It was awesome to dive into that and enjoy hanging out with the youth there. I am excited to see that continue throughout the year! Sunday night was busy with packing for Mount Washington - here we come snowboarding!!

It feels good to be settling back into the Kaleo community here on the Island! last week we started the second semester with a class called "The Theology of Mission", taught by Professor Tim Stabell. He was a wonderful professor who had tons of experience in the mission field so he brought SO MUCH to the class and to this place. I was reminded of the importance of the Great Commission and how each of us, as followers of Christ are called to bring others into the wonderful light of Jesus. The class explored the call of Mission from Genesis all the way to Revelation. I loved this class! We then proceeded to Missions Fest which was in Vancouver on Friday. The sessions were amazing and I loved the worship! We got there Friday evening and heard Will Graham speak, who had some great things to say once he got into his bible. We then drove to a small church in Vancouver where we slept! It was such a blessing to have such a nice place to stay! It was really fun hanging out with the girls there too! I love our sleepovers like that. We went to sessions all day on Saturday and went to downtown Vancouver for lunch, I'd never been there before. It was beautiful! I loved it. The sky train was fun! On Sunday morning some of us led worship in the church we had been staying in. This was such an amazing opportunity and true blessing! It was fun to fellowship and worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in this Baptist church in Vancouver. Good to meet people and talk about our big God! Unfortunately on the ferry ride on the way home from Vancouver, there was a medical emergency so we had to turn the ferry around and the ride ended up being very long, but I enjoyed being with everyone, it was lots of fun! I loved the prayer times and good talks that I was blessed with throughout the weekend! THis next week, we are starting the camp ministry class with Jim Badke! I am looking forward to all God has for us to learn during this class!