A Shifting of Gears

Grady samples one of our greenhouse cucumbers and declares it good! This picture was supposed to appear lower down but after accidentally deleting it, my ineptitude for all things technology only allowed me to stick it back up at the top. Computer 1, me 0. :)

Summer camp season has concluded and we are shifting into conference season here at Victory. It seems like the summer has passed by at lightning speed but I guess time flies when you're having fun! We had family visit a couple of times over the summer...here are Norah and Max playing pirate ship in the yard!

Grady checks my potato plants for me. I have tried my hand at greenhouse gardening for the first time and the outcome has been...um...not spectacular. I have realized that this is an in-depth science/art, and also realized that I don't have the time at the moment to devote to the plants if I want to have a great crop. But we have had a few veggies pop out and it's been fun experimenting!

We are fortunate to be in a house with an enormous front yard that's big enough for all the summer staff to play flag football in! Most of the staff have gone home now, with just a few sticking around to help with the guest groups for the month of August and a few planning to return for a year of Victory's internship program. I was so blessed to be included in a prayer group this year and to get to talk with several precious summer staff girls about their weeks of camp and what God has done in the lives of the campers they've had. It was awesome seeing the "Unsinkable" board, to go along with our theme, and the tiny paper sailboats that kids had the opportunity to use to write what God had done in their life during their week of camp, and stick them on the board. I saw many "salvation" ones, many "rededicated my life to God" ones, and countless notes about answered prayer. It is so refreshing to see this, as it reminds me why we live and work where we do! The power of God is amazing!

This boy LOVES his watermelon! He is fast approaching his 1st birthday. His birthday present will likely be a frisbee, since he spent the summer trying to run off with every frisbee he could find that may have been left unattended. He's working on his throw.

We got to watch my sister Jessie in the rodeo that completed her week of Ranch Camp. My sister Annie was her counselor and spent the summer counseling at Ranch. It has been neat to see some of the thoughts that the staff have shared about their summer after reflecting on their time here. I wanted to share a couple from two of the girls in my prayer group:"Boarding my plane home and feeling overwhelmed in how much God blessed me this summer; letting me play a small part in His plan for these campers' lives, and spending two months serving, surrounded by His beautiful creation every single day."

"What a blessed summer. A third year of Victory still just as full of memories, lessons, surprises, blessings, joy, and the humbling honor of being a part of forwarding God's Kingdom in the lives of our future. If i've learned anything, it's this: 

"As for God, His way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection." ~Psalm 18:30"

We got a few hot days in July! Perfect for squeezing into the wading pool together!

Couldn't resist including the naked baby picture. Is it obvious that this boy doesn't miss a single meal?

We got the joy of being around Justin's cousin Megan for the summer as she was here being a SALT counselor. She was my baby whisperer, always appearing to take Grady off my hands at just the right time, and returning with him sound asleep! It was fabulous!

We spent some days at the waterfront digging in the sand. All's well until somebody small with red hair tries to sprint out into the water and drown himself....giving mommy and child a scare. :)

The girls play outside in a rain shower. It is so wonderful to see them and the things they come up with to play. They are best friends and depend on each other. I love listening in on their conversations too, so many of them book-worthy!

When Daddy is in charge of bath time, little girls get bubble beards. 

One of Grady's latest tricks, along with headbutting me when I'm not expecting it, and stabbing me with silverware, is tearing all my dishtowels off the rack in the kitchen and playing peek-a-boo with them.

Berry picking on a sunny Alaskan summer day...does it get any better than that?!

Grady charges around looking for blueberries...and trouble.

90% of the berries end up in their mouth, and 10% end up on the ground. They have returned to the car with empty containers every time we go out to pick...but they love it! My favorite quote from Norah: "Mom, can you put some of your berries in my bowl? I ate all mine."

Here Norah shows off what we DID return home with. 



We hope your summer has been wonderful! Ours has not been without struggles but God has been teaching me through the tough moments. It's sometimes hard to surrender time with my husband even when I know his job is so demanding and busy in the summer. My best way to support him is to be understanding of that! As we shift into conference season, we look forward to seeing more of Justin at home and for a change of pace in the hustle and bustle of camp.


Here are some ways you can be praying right now:
-Our Guest Services director has moved on to what God has next for him in his career. We are excited for him but sad to lose a beloved camp family. Also this leaves a big gap as we kick off our guest services season! The staff are pulling together and splitting up the responsibilities collectively, but it is a challenge! Pray that communication is good and permanent staff are patient with each other and work for the common goal of showing Jesus to the folks who come here for retreats and conferences.

-The work on water lines around camp continues. We are privileged to have some work teams here to help. Pray that the job goes smoothly and that it is done well so that we have less issues with freezing and bursting pipes in winter time.

-Pray that the work that God did in the hearts of campers and staff here this summer would continue after they go home! Many children will go home to unthinkably tough family lives, in a spiritual desert with no connection for anyone to mentor or encourage them in their faith. Some kids are brand-new believers in God who need to be able to stay strong in the hope that comes from Him...pray for these children! Pray that their faith will spread to their families and friends and not sputter and die. Pray that they can keep contact with their counselors to stay encouraged, and to find a church home where they can learn more.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We hope you know that by praying and giving you are a part of this ministry too!

July 8th Update

We have reached the midway point of the summer! Over the 4th of July weekend
all the summer staff went to Anchorage for some rest and relaxation, and some shopping, movies, and hiking. Hopefully everyone was refreshed and got well rested because we're back in a new week of camp now! We also have my family visiting from Kenai as they have 4 campers attending over the next 2 weeks. Here Evie and Logan show their moves in dance partnering.

We have yet another new critter around the house, our kitten Mushu's brother Rascal that we are watching for our friends until the end of the summer. It's fun to watch them bounce around the house together.

We did the color run 5K as a family (almost; Justin wasn't able to come) and it was a fun experience! Norah did not appreciate being covered with powder, but she enjoyed the rest of the trip. Grady and Evie thought it was the best! 

I've been volunteering in the gift shop twice a week making espresso. Grady likes to "help" and Evie and Norah usually make themselves happy with sidewalk chalk or coloring while mommy works.

Summer means lots of walks! It's been a cool summer with a lot more rain than last year, but it makes things very green!

An evening walk to ranch camp to take in the view

Norah likes to watch the horses eat

Grady is fascinated by horses but he's a little afraid of them too...it's the same with dogs!

Evie gets to join in games around camp from time to time

Using her muscles to help put away a bale of hay


God has definitely been at work this summer! On Saturdays when campers leave the summer staff join together for prayer & praise and I get to pray with a group. It's so exciting to see counselors relating stories of kids' lives being changed by God! Justin wrote some specific stories in his latest update (if you don't receive them in the mail, sign up! email him at i_love_jesus7777@hotmail.com).

Some ways you can be praying right now:-For the staff to keep their energy up and not get sick.
-For unity as a staff and for us to maintain the bond of a common faith despite differences. When you work elbow to elbow with someone for 8 weeks you get to know them well and it's sometimes hard to overlook faults as God asks us to!
-For Daniel, one of our activities staff, who sprained his ankle this week. It's hard to lead games with a sprained ankle! Pray for quick healing!
-For the men on the maintenance crew and the workteams that are here helping; They're redoing lots of water lines and it means long hours. We are thankful for their hard work! Pray for safety and good communication and jobs well done.
-This week of camp we have our most campers yet, this means many more bodies for meals and games, etc. We also have a Christian hockey camp running this week at our facilities, so pray for good communication throughout all the levels of staff and for safety with all the kids.

Let the Summer Begin!

We have just finished orientation week here at Victory and campers come tomorrow!! I am excited and I know the summer staff are beyond excited. Praise God, we got everyone we needed to fill the staff roles that were wanting. Of course we weren't surprised because God is so good like that. :) Today was the final day of the classes, certifications, and activities to help the staff get comfortable in their summer roles. This morning they had a time of prayer at each individual camp (Alpine, Ranch, Frontier, SALT, and Adventure Camp) as everyone surrounded the staff specific to that camp and prayed for them and their work this summer. I always love this part of kicking off the summer because it reminds everyone that without God, anything we tried to do to help or encourage the kids that attend here would fail.

We are still in process of raising funds to go to Ireland! This is a room at Drewstown House which gives an example of the type of work that needs done there. We are eager to go and help!

The outside view. How can you not be in awe of a 200-year old manor house?!

There are lots of outside repairs that need done as well

We visited Kenai once more before the camp season kicked off. We celebrated our 7th anniversary while we were there. I made Justin reenact his proposal to me. See what good actors we are?  ;)

In the middle of orientation here at camp we woke up one morning to SNOW! 6-8 inches, and it stuck around for a whole day in some spots! Our poor cat was probably wondering what we did with the summertime. YUCK.

Many trees fell in the woods in this area because of the weight of the snow plus all the summer leaves. Others just bent in half like this one.

Dressed in warm jammies because we had multiple power outages along with the snow!

We hiked down to Hicks Creek with the counselors and other staff to do a campout and also to help get the wall tents set up and campsite cleaned and refreshed for summer. Hicks Creek is where Ranch Camp goes to camp out once a week.

Evie decided it would be funny to throw creek mud in her own face. Strangely enough her mother didn't agree.

Evie attended her first VBS/Music Camp this week. While big siblings were away a friend decided the younger girls should have a tea party! Here is Norah with all her friends.
Evie's musical will be tomorrow morning at church. We are super excited to see her sing and do the choreography she's learned this week!


Some ways you can be praying right now:

-Pray for safety, health, and fun as campers come in tomorrow for the first week of camp!

-The first week is always a learning week for new counselors. Pray that camp will run smoothly, that they will feel comfortable leading cabin devotions (for many this is their first time teaching to a group), and that they will make connections with their campers

-Pray for Jacob, our food service director. He will be on his own running the kitchen for the next couple of weeks and it is a HUGE job!

-We are also short handed at the front desk/reception this summer. Pray that God will either provide someone who can fill in, or that the job will go smoothly and not be overwhelming for our registrar, Elaine

May Update

Summer is kicking off and I'm sure you are busier than ever! Thanks for taking the time to read about how things are at Victory & with our family.
Norah got very sick at the beginning of the month. We never found out what it was, but it resulted in a trip to the emergency room because she had stopped eating or drinking and was becoming dehydrated. Her recovery was slow but she is better now and we're thankful! I just wish we knew what she had. This mother doesn't like the feeling of not knowing!

This is how we take our walks around camp! We have had amazing spring weather and we are thankful for the 2+ weeks of sunshine we had this month before it ever really rained. Evie is officially done with school this week. She had a great school year and learned a lot! Our curriculum for next year is ordered and she is excited to watch the books arrive. Now, I just have to re-organize our schoolroom for next year...thank goodness I have all summer to procrastinate about that. :)

We took a couple of hikes with friends to the top of Teepee Ridge, our favorite family-friendly hike here at camp. The girls bounce to the top and then Norah usually wants carried down. Grady is a champ in the hiking backpack. We are excited for summer here at camp to officially begin. The counselors start coming in this weekend and orientation starts on the 31st. This summer will be a little different with some program changes and we are excited to see how it all plays out!

We took a trip to the Imaginarium with friends in Anchorage on Family Free Day! The girls loved the bubble center. I definitely remember playing there myself as a child. Somehow it's very fulfilling as a parent to watch your children enjoying the very same things you did as a kid.

Grady thought the sticky toys there were awesome.  Or maybe he just loved our reaction when we stuck them on him! He is a very mellow, easygoing little boy with lots of energy to move around. He has been playing around with trying to stand on his own. He hasn't gotten very far with that yet but he is very content to crawl everywhere and walk around furniture! He'll be 9 months old on the 25th.

Norah is our thinker and observer for sure. As she grows we are constantly finding out new things about her personality and I am realizing she is already a very complex person. She is an intellectual and usually keeps her thoughts to herself- but when she shares them they are awfully deep for a 3-year old! We are still struggling to parent her at times as she is incredibly determined and that can cause lots of clashes of will!

One of the interns and our friend here at camp has a cat who had a litter of kittens. We took in the runt of the litter because the mother had rejected him. I hand-fed him for a few days and he was doing well, but the mommy must have known something we didn't because he soon got very sick and died. It was a sad lesson for the girls to see that sometimes life is fragile. But it was definitely exciting while he was with us and the girls didn't seem to take it too hard when he was gone.

This is the view of Victory Peak out the living room window of our house, before the buds on the trees opened all the way. I love being able to see the mountains, and morning time especially is my favorite time of day. I've heard people say that the mountains here look a little bit different every day and I really think it's true! It's so easy to worship God when His amazing creation is right there!

Mercedes is a happiest when she is hiking with us.

Sometimes there is a little too much love going around. (See Grady's face? :) )

The kids at the top of Inspiration Point

 

 

 

Evie was in her last dance recital of the year and she did a great job! She actually "performed", as opposed to going through the motions, which is what she usually does because of stage fright! :) We were pretty proud of her.

We have been seeing God work this month at Victory. We've had a big need for just a few more summer staff and it seemed like nothing was happening. But slowly the holes have started to be filled and we know God is doing some awesome stuff already this summer! It is just so cool to me to watch God answer prayers right before my eyes.
We are so excited for campers to get here and have their lives changed by the One who loves them most!!

Some ways you can be praying right now:

-For the last few summer staff needs to be filled. We are especially in need of front desk & gift shop help.

- For safety during orientation and for the summer staff to learn (and remember!) everything that they will need to know for the summer.

-Just for the opening and softening of hearts. God can't work in someone's life until they realize a need for him. Pray that the staff will learn and grow tremendously during their time here and for seeds to be planted in many, many kids' hearts as a result of being here.

-Some praises! Sergei, the intern who was badly burned in an accident, has returned to camp and is recovering well. God is good!

-We have a new couple here on permanent staff to be Operations Director and head of Housekeeping for guest housing. We are excited to have the Cotes here!
-Outdoor education groups got to enjoy some beautiful weather and hiking trails that were clear of snow (something they didn't get last year!). We are beyond thankful for an early spring!

Exciting Update!

Exciting news! As you may have seen me mention on Facebook recently, Justin and I have an opportunity to go to Ireland this fall as part of a mission crew.
Drewstown House is a 19th-century manor house in County Meath, Ireland. It functioned as an orphanage and school until the late 1980s, when it became a Christian camp and retreat center. Justin and I have a chance to join a team that is traveling there in September to help with repairs and maintenance of the grounds. As you can imagine, an estate that was built in the 1800s is going to need some upkeep from time to time! Justin and I don't specialize in any area of maintenance, but we are both willing and eager to help in any way needed. We would leave our girls in Kenai with Grammie and Papa for about a week and take Grady with us. He will be just over 1 year old at that time.
Each team member is responsible to raise their own funds, which brings me to the reason for this post. :) Rather than bore you with several paragraphs explaining our need to raise money, I'll make you a list:

1. Justin's work schedule during this busiest time of year will not allow us to go out and raise funds for this trip. We will have to use the internet and communication as our main tool.

2. Yet through about a month of thinking and praying, we still feel like God is telling us to GO!

3. We have signed up for this trip completely trusting that if God wants us to go, He will provide the amount we need.

4. The amount we need is $4000 total for Justin and I. This includes airfare, a week's worth of room and board as we serve, and passport and additional costs.


May I share some of my heart with you? It's exciting to think about going, but it pains me to ask for one-time funds on top of the regular funds we already live on as our full-time missions support. I'm still not entirely sure what God is teaching me through this but one thing is already clear to me: All the money and resources in the world are God's, and He will use them however He wishes.
Thanks for taking the time to read and be interested in this opportunity we have! If God lays it on your heart, you can send funds to us at:

Glacier View Bible Church
35455 W. Glenn Hwy
Sutton, AK 99674

Please make checks to Glacier View but put our name in the memo. Gifts are tax deductible.