Thanksgiving break and more

How was your Thanksgiving? Our was great! My family was partially out of town for hockey games, so we had our own little Thanksgiving with my remaining siblings, my brother and his wife, and our sweet friend Lindy. Thanksgiving break for us included a Thanksgiving morning football-in-the-snow game for Justin, skyping with Justin's parents Steve and Brenda, a hockey game for me, a youth group event of Mission Impossible which was super fun, and a couple of long naps for Justin which I think were much needed! :)
We met with our Pastor, Phil Reemtsma, on Saturday, and talked about our support raising timeframe, and brainstormed some ideas. We also printed our support letter, which is also our thank-you for the summer (I know. So late... so bad.) only to have Evie get ahold of it and draw her own "letter" on the master copy. So that will need to be re-printed and copied to mail out. Simple things, it seems like, but they seem to take monumental effort these days!
Norah took her first steps yesterday! She has been drawing up her courage, I think, over the last couple of weeks. Yesterday she started striking out on her own and she is now attempting little trips all over the house. They usually only last 3 or 4 steps but she's getting there! If you're a parent you know that this is pretty exciting stuff!

Here are some ways you could pray for our family right now:
-For us to know the right churches and people to contact about joining our support base; overall discernment and wisdom, as we truthfully don't always know what we're doing!
-Peace about the future (this one comes from Lynsey) :)
-That even though we've got several areas of work & ministry right now, we could give 100% to them all

A Week in the Life - And an Update!

Oh dear. I see that it's been about a month and a half since our last entry. In the effort of an excuse let me tell you what's been happening with the Hostetters. (And how busy we are!)
Here is a typical week in our life lately:

Sunday- Lynsey goes either to hockey practice or to church early for worship team practice and stays for both morning services. In the evening Evie goes to Cubbies, Justin and Lynsey and Norah go to direct Youth Group at church.
Monday- Justin leaves the house at 7:15 to make an early morning visit to the chiropractor before work (last night he noticed that one of his ribs is sticking out further than it should, which is a little disturbing.) Lynsey goes grocery shopping, takes Evie to play at Grammie's house, and comes home to compose this blog. Justin goes to wrestling practice. In the evening we go to our awesome friends the Titus's house for Monday night football and hanging out with friends. Most weeks Lynsey has hockey practice this evening so Justin watches the girls while at Monday night football.
Tuesday- This is our quiet day. Laundry day for Lynsey, so she gets to be home all day. Justin has wrestling practice. Most Tuesday evenings we have a few friends over to play Dominion (if you don't know this game, you should! We love it!).
Wednesday- Lynsey goes to Solid Rock Bible Camp to do childcare for a ladies' luncheon. That evening Lynsey goes to worship team practice, Justin goes to wrestling practice, and church in the evening.
Thursday- Lynsey goes to College Heights Baptist Church to do childcare for a Bible study/quilting day. (Doesn't this woman have her own kids already?) Justin goes to wrestling practice, Lynsey and Norah go to a baby shower, Evie goes to be babysat at church.
Friday- Lynsey takes the girls to a mom's group at the Kenai Rec center. Justin goes to Nikiski high school to coach at the wrestling meet.
Saturday- The second day of the wrestling meet. Weigh-ins are at 7am. (Nikiski High is 40 minutes away from our house.) Poor Justin goes, and Lynsey and the girls sleep in and join him at the meet later. :)
And that, dear friends, is what a week in our life looks like currently! Add to that all of life's miscellaneous details and we are busy, busy. But I'll bet you also know what that's like.
Here is the exciting news!!
We were able to meet with Joel Ruisch, the director of Victory Bible camp, and talk and set our goal for what we'll need to raise monthly to live at Victory. Our estimated living expenses when we move to Victory Bible camp will be $3330 per month. This seems like a lot to raise every month, and while we have not much faith in ourselves, we have complete faith in God!
To be honest, raising support has been a bit of a foreign concept for me. Justin, who grew up around the idea, has found it simple to accept that to work as missionaries, this has to be part of our life. Maybe it was the good old Western American values that I was raised on, perhaps it is that I have issues with pride- but I've always felt that asking folks for money was the ultimate taboo. You just don't do it! That was several years ago. Through the past few years and an experience of trying to raise support to do a 6-month internship at Victory in 2007 (in which the support raising did not go well), I have learned a lot and begun to have a change of heart towards the concept. I believe that sending us to Victory was part of God's plan to do a huge work in my heart- a work of trust and belief in a God who provides, as well as many other things.

Justin and I have been reading through a book called Funding Your Ministry which we've found to be very valuable already. We like the author's down to earth viewpoint, and we are drinking in all that God's word has to say on the subject of money and missionary support-and it says a lot! It's becoming clear to us that raising support can be a ministry in itself. Giving money is an exercise in showing God's grace and a heart of generosity, and I know that personally I love being able to help people in this way. As Justin wisely explained to me, we're giving friends an opportunity to show Jesus to us so that we can do the same for others.
Justin and I have been learning so much and God is continuing a work in our hearts and lives. We're so thankful for that!

A September update

It has been a month since our last blog post! I have been slacking! Or we have just been very busy. Perhaps a little of both. :)
We moved into our new rental house and I immediately entrenched myself in the project of painting everything, which I am now seeing will take much longer than I thought since I have no more than a 2-hour window in the day to paint while both girls are napping. :)
Last weekend we went to Wasilla to pick up our new Trailblazer (well, new to us anyways). We were in need of a bigger vehicle that has 4-wheel drive and God blessed us with the right one at the right time and we are thankful!
We are settling into what will be the routine of our daily lives this winter. Justin has started teaching Title 1 at Redoubt Elementary and has been asked to coach Kenai High School's wrestling team this winter. The season will start in October and it's an exciting opportunity for Justin to continue to be a part of a sport that he loves. I have been getting into sports as well by joining a women's hockey league. It's mostly played for fun and I know I will enjoy it immensely.
Evie started her first dance classes last week and sat in the corner with a frown on her face the entire time. It was a little dismaying but I know she just takes a while to warm up to new people and new places (as some of you may already know), so I'm not too worried and plan to let her enjoy dance as soon as she feels comfortable.
Norah is crawling and trying to pull up on things, as well as quietly exploring corners of the house and making messes with whatever she can get her hands on. She is keeping mommy on her toes as she scours the floor for anything small enough to choke on! We were in the ER on Sunday night/early Monday morning with Norah with a scary sickness. We weren't able to determine the cause and it resolved itself on its own, but it shook Justin and I up and we don't care to repeat the experience! Pray for Norah to stay well.
Youth Group starts on Sunday, as does AWANA for our church and Cubbies for Evie. We are going to try some new things with the Youth Group this year and we're excited to start up!
While we are enjoying our lives and ministry here in Kenai, we are are always looking ahead to Victory Bible Camp and our ministry there. We are waiting to begin raising full-time support, trying to get our feet under us and a budget/goal set. We are really just new to the process and we're praying for clarity and direction from God. Today I'll write follow up letters/thank yous to our supporters from the summer.
Ways you can pray for the Hostetters and Victory Ministries right now:
-For our support raising to have a solid start; for us to trust in God rather than ourselves during this phase
-For youth group & AWANA of Calvary Baptist Church to have an impact on Kenai's youth this winter
-For Victory Bible Camp to continue to grow through its numerous recent changes, to build meaningful relationships with churches and people, and to be a blessing to everyone who attends a conference or retreat or is on staff this winter.

An ending and a beginning!

Wow, it's been a while since our last post! The last couple of weeks have been crazy in a good way.
Family camp went really well and I think the families that came really enjoyed themselves. Justin and I had never experienced family camp before and I can now say that if I wasn't already at camp, I would want to come to family camp! The families got to make their own schedules and choose to participate in whichever camp activities they wanted. Victory offered boating and swimming, horse rides, glacier tours, a bonfire at the river, rock wall climbing, a video scavenger hunt, and lots of other family friendly games and activities. It was definitely a more laid back week for the staff which was a welcome rest from the busyness of regular camp!
On August 7th we headed back to Kenai and had a very smooth 5-hour drive home. Then the day got crazy as we took everything we own out of storage and moved it to our house in one day!
Our rental house needs a little TLC. The last renters apparently didn't take good care of the house so it needs a little help, but I think it'll be great for us and we'll enjoy spending a year there.

This summer at Victory was wonderful and God used it to confirm for us what we were already thinking about. We've decided to apply as full time staff at Victory and move there permanently. This is exactly where our passion is at and it's become evident to us over this summer that this is where God has been leading us to. Justin would be Program Director, and be responsible for overseeing many varied aspects of the Victory summer programs and staff; throughout the winter he would recruit summer staff, help with retreats and conferences, and work in any other way needed around camp. We love camp, we love Glacier View (the community that camp is located in) and we are so excited to be able watch God set this next phase of our ministry in place.
The next big thing will be raising support to get there! Victory Ministries requires its full time staff to raise missionary support to live on. Our goal would be to leave next May to go to camp and move there permanently. We will spend the fall, winter & spring setting up a support system among churches and friends. We're not exactly sure what all this entails or how to go about it, but we've got lots of resources and plans to meet with Victory Ministries' directors and talk about it. It is a huge leap of faith for both Justin and I but we feel that God's timing is perfect, and His timing is now! We'll keep updates on this blog about our lives over this winter, the support raising process, and what God is doing!
We are so thankful for all the support that came in over the summer. God provided exactly the right amount and I don't know why we were surprised! :)
School inservices start on Monday, so Justin will be going back to work. It's been wonderful to get back to our home church, Calvary Baptist, and see all the dear familiar faces there.
Keep reading! We're excited to see what happens!

Goodbye Campers!

VBC's summer camps are officially finished! We waved off the last busload of campers leaving just a few minutes ago and now the staff are gathering for a last meeting all together. Most of the counselors will leave tonight or tomorrow to go back home to many different states.
A few staff, including our family, will stay here for family camp and wilderness camp, which will both take place next week.
This week was full of excitement! We had several injuries around camp, thankfully none life-threatening. On Wednesday, 3 of the 4 camps participated in the Monumental Scamper (VBC's version of the Amazing Race!) and spent several hours racing around camp and participating in wild team challenges. On Thursday we went to the Alpine campout to discover that a bear had again broken into the things left out there and helped itself to a can of non-stick cooking spray. I was also able to share part of my testimony of my time in the village with the campers during our around-the-fire chapel.
Justin got to be the wrap-up speaker after chapel every evening this week, and we taught our final life session on Thursday. It's been cool this summer to see how God can teach you through what you are teaching to others!
We are ready for a bit of a slower, more laid back week during family camp. Justin's job will be to help organize and schedule various staff into the activities they're helping with- the week will be pretty unstructured, with activities available to families who can choose whatever they'd like to do during the day.
Wilderness camp will be a trial run on a first-ever week of this type of camp. High schoolers will hike, cook and sleep outdoors, and learn more about God's creation.
We are so thankful to God for the lives He changed and the seeds that were planted this week. Several campers stood up last night at campfire and talked about rough home lives and what a blessing it is to come to camp and be refreshed and loved by their counselors. Please be in prayer for them, that their growing in their walk with Christ won't stop after camp!
Other ways you can pray for Victory this week:
-Several staff members who are debating about staying on staff for the winter; pray for direction and discernment as they make a choice about how to spend this next year.
-For a fun and safe week of family and wilderness camps.
-Praise to God for an amazing summer, and for His work to continue! We are so thankful to be used by Him.

(Photos: The Victory staff gathered for a last meeting; high school campers building 'fortresses' to protect eggs from destruction; the sun breaks through on a rainy evening in front of Miracle Lodge)

Week 7

This is the last official week of camp! It is a soggy, foggy, rainy, sorry day, but it hasn't dampened spirits around here. The counselors and other staff are gathered outside waiting for the buses to arrive, dancing with umbrellas and sweatshirt hoods up. :)
Last week finished wonderfully, with lots of decisions made for Christ and 2 full busloads leaving on Saturday morning. The testimonies of counselors seemed to fit into each chapel perfectly and I know that God wanted those kids to hear what the staff had to say.
Campfire on Friday night was also a time of testimonies from campers. The staff turned the time over to the campers, to hear how God has been working in their lives through their week of camp. It was especially powerful to hear one girl, who had a tragic death in the family just weeks ago, stand up and say how God has strengthened her, and to give spiritual and emotional encouragement to the other campers. She urged them to look for God through trials, and let Him pull them through.
We weren't able to get a speaker lined up for this week, so the testimonies will continue. One Alpine counselor said this morning, "I've been praying about this (giving my testimony) all summer." I think that God is going to continue to work through people telling how they have come to know their personal identities in Christ.
I have to say that I've never seen such an energetic, joyful staff. Most summers, the last couple of weeks are full of understandably tired counselors, lagging enthusiasm, and people falling asleep in chapel. This summer's staff seems just of full of happy energy as they were the very first week. As Justin said in his 'speech' during staff appreciation, "I think I saw more deep relationships formed this last week, with 86 campers, than I've seen in weeks that we only had 30 campers."
Staff Appreciation at Victory is an evening meal provided by the permanent staff that gives each camp a time to relax, enjoy themselves, and play some crazy games. The directors of each camp each said a few words about their staff and the hard work that everyone put in this summer. It was a time of thankfulness and credit to God for an amazing summer and lots of hearts and lived changed, and seeds planted. Each camp got to dress up in a theme to make the evening exciting. The theme this summer was games. Frontier Camp chose Mario Kart, Ranch chose roller derby, and Alpine chose medieval jousting. It was hilarious to see everyone dressed up--we had a dragon and a dragon slayer, a couple of damsels in distress, a jester and a minstrel, several knights and horses, and Justin and I were king and queen. It was a great evening.
This week is our high school week at Alpine. Justin and his assistant decided to make this week out of the ordinary, changing around the schedule, planning epic ongoing games throughout the week, making it an awesome, crazy way to finish the summer. We are excited for week 7!!

(Photos: Campers gather outside Spruce Lodge before chapel; Justin gives the wrap-up message after a testimony; the Alpine medieval troupe at staff appreciation)

Mud and Many Chairs

We have started week 6 out with lots of rain! The roads are very muddy, but today the sun is out and shining and I for one hope that it continues. :)
We have this week, we are pretty sure, the most campers ever attending Alpine camp in the history of Victory! Yesterday we played a game of 'I have never' and it was amazing to see so many chairs around the edge of the top story of Alpine Lodge. Even more amazing that those 100 and some odd chairs were filled!
There has been a need for lots of creativity in planning games, activities, trail rides, etc., for so many campers, and we have had to borrow a few counselors from other camp areas, but the staff have been up to the challenge and are doing a beautiful job! It is also very much a blessing that we have an awesome group of kids this week, with great attitudes and great listening skills.
The speaker for chapel this week had to cancel at the last minute, leaving Victory in what could have been a tight spot, but I believe it was God's plan. The ministry team decided to have counselors share their testimonies for the regular speaker's spot in chapel, and it has been just incredible to see God work through this. There is just something so real about someone getting up in front of so many people and sharing their personal story and journey to Christ, and I think that it especially hits home with the kids since our theme this summer is Identity. It's perfect that these staff members can share their identity in Christ and that the campers can relate to that.

Some ways you can pray for Victory this week:
-There is currently no speaker lined up for next week either, and it's coming up fast! Pray for God to fill this spot with another something great.
-For the camps to continue to run smoothly despite the many campers and therefore many issues that can arise
-For continued rest & good health among the staff- I have never seen a summer with so few people sick!


(Photos: More great sidewalk chalk art :), Alpine counselor Chomper with the Alpine sign for new arrivals; we will have put hundreds of miles on the stroller by summer's end; Justin cliff jumping into hidden lake; the campers gathered in Alpine lodge to hear rules for the week)