June 30, 2011

Church Camp was AWESOME!

Here is a pic of some of the kids at camp.

Camp was a huge success and I did not die from a lack of showering. The scenery was beautiful. We camped up in the woods in Arizona surrounded by trees and just over a canyon. We had adult and children's classes everyday focused on "A Closer Walk with God." We spent a lot of time singing and spending time with churches from all over the reservation (5 churches total). We got to meet a lot of new people. There was also a lot of time for games and competition. Our church won the volleyball tournament. We played horse shoes, bean bag toss and ping pong. The weather was beautiful and it only rained the last day which was much needed. I really enjoyed camping and actually hated to leave the camp site. It's amazing what less than a week of being in nature, studying the Bible and spending time with other Christians can do for a person. Six people, aside from us, from Kayenta attended and they are already talking about next year. The best part for me was that Josh and Divine made the trip out with the kids. It was so good to catch up with them. Nick is the camp director for next year and we already have a bunch of ideas!

Now we are back in Kayenta and Nick's good friend, Ben is staying with us for a couple of weeks to do some work.

June 24, 2011

Church Camp


I thought I should put in a recent picture of our dogs!

Church camp is next week and I should be excited but I am agonizing a little bit about the interesting conditions I will be in for 4 nights and 5 days. I have only been tent camping a few times in my life, but all of those experiences involved running water and real showers. This time, forget ever feeling clean, we are really roughing it. Now, I am not trying to sound like one of those prissy girls who has to have a hair dryer and make up everyday. However, I do value cleanliness. Well, regardless of the conditions, it will be an uplifting time full of Bible Studies, camp fires, singing, and activities. Nick has spent a lot of time this week preparing for the classes and luckily finding porta-potties!

In other news, we have a connection to the local high school to get leftover food from the cafeteria. Yesterday was the last day of summer school so they called us to come and get some milk. Nick and Cory picked it up and were able to distribute it to most of our church members along with several others. It's a great way we are able to provide.

In case you don't know, I am getting my masters degree in Marriage and Family therapy online. I am really enjoying all my classes, but it does take up most of my time these days and limits my ability to work with the church. At this rate, I think I will be done with my classes by the end of 2012 and then be looking for a place to do my practicum.

June 22, 2011

Summer is HERE!

Forgive me for not staying on top of this blog. Instead of trying to catch you up to date on everything that has happened, I will let you know what is going on right now. Summer comes with lots of events, visitors and fun!

Two weeks ago, Nick's grandfather passed away. He was battling cancer, but still came as a shock, because his condition was progressing. This was a big blow to Nick and me as well, because his grandpa was a very strong Christian and our biggest fan in the work out here. He was very supportive and excited about our ministry. We flew back to Ohio a couple days after learning of his passing and spent a week with family and friends. The memorial service was beautiful and Nick gave a great "speech" about his very influential grandfather. We saw and heard a lot about his service to God, the country and his family. His legend makes me want to be a better person. It was a sad week, but a great opportunity to see everyone. I have been pretty homesick so it was good to go home for a little bit. We spent significant time with both of our families as well as our friends.

It was good to be home but the work in Kayenta never stops. If you haven't heard, we have a summer intern, which we were especially grateful for when we had to take the trip back to Ohio. He was able to cover for us while we were gone.

More updates to come about events and happenings!