3CA Convention

At the end of November I went to Phildelphia for a Christian Camping and Confrence Association (3CA) Convention. Rick, Pat, and Nanci Jo were also there from Echo Ranch. Nanci Jo and I shared a room in the nice Marriott Hotel. It was a great time to learn about camping, see the city of Philly-including the Liberty Bell, and just reconnecting with friends.

The Liberty Bell

Julian's First Birthday!

My nephew Julian just turned one this past weekend. There was a big party for him with a football theme. He received a lot of gifts and had fun opening them. I love spending as much time as I can with my little nephew. He is such a blessing. You may recall that Julian was born with a heart condition. He is doing great right now. He just has to go for check ups. We praise the Lord for that. Auntie Bonnie and Julian

Flying with Steve

My brother Steve took Caleb (my other brother) and myself up in a small aircraft. It was fun to fly over Valpraiso, Indiana. He even let me steer the plane for a short time. It was fun to be in the wide open sky. Now, he and Amy just need to fly up to Alaska!! That would be a long trip.

Deep Deep Snow!!

Snow...that is what hit Juneau. Just a few days ago we were living in a very normal fall. You know rain...lots of rain and cloudy weather. Then in the last 3 days we have been hit hard. You can see there is way more than a foot on the railing of my deck.

Perspective....me on my deck. Notice the snow covered mountains in the background. Soon I will be traveling to Seattle and then onto Chicago and then...eventually to Ohio....where, at this moment, there is no snow.


This is my roommate, LeAnn, and our neighbor digging out the neighbor's car. It has 3 days of snow on it! Crazy amounts of SNOW!!

High School Youth Group

At youth group this past week...on Halloween...we still had youth group. We all had the opportunity to reach deep in the the pumpkin brains to discover a treat. Above Richard and Daniel anticipate their turn to dig deep.


Youth leaders are no exception. You can see the "joy" on my face!

FTO!

What is FTO you ask? Well the high school students asked the same question. It is the "Frozen Turkey Olympics!" What else. The Auke Bay Youth Group put this activity on for the students in October. First we had to "decorate our turkeys." Each team was a different color. We see the Green Team was very creative. Daniel, Gavin, and Nick show off their sweet decorating skills.

Above Andrea is shot putting a Frozen Turkey!

Here we see the infamous Turkey Bowling...what a sport!

Here I am giving instructions on how to play Ultimate Turkey. Every heard of Ultimate Frisbee..well it is basically the same thing-except with a frozen turkey. Watch out for a turkey to the face...that will draw blood!

Ultimate Turkey will also do strange things to the frozen bird. Notice that we wore gloves as we played.

Another favortie activity was the Turkey Triathlelone. First the teens "wheelbarrowed the turkey down the runway and then two more teens skipped with it between their backs and finally they last two teens took it in a shopping cart! Above Jessica is stablizing the cart as Alexis pushes Kaitilyn down the hill with the turkey. It was a great time and a sweet way to share the Gospel message!

Senioritis

Andrea, Alexis, Katlin, Ellen, Katilyn, Annesha

These are some of the amazing senior girls I have the honor of working with. Many of these girls I have know since they were middle schoolers and soon, very soon they will be heading to college. How sad. I am glad that I get to co-lead a Bible Study with Amy, Katilyn's older sister, for these girls one last time.

Trashin Fashin Show!

The Juneau Douglas High School had and intersting idea for a fund raiser for the school publication called "The Ego." It was the "Trashin Fashin Show!" Students were encouraged to create fashin out of duct tape and trash bags. It was simply amazing to see what the teens came up with. Above is Rachel modeling her "gown" out of just trash bags and duct tape. Below is

Ellen, Rachel's older sister, the designer of this beautiful "gown." It was a fun Saturday evening filled with some amazing designs. The great thing about youth ministry is that it is never dull!

Roommate in a Bookbag!!

Here is LeAnn. She is one of my roommates in Juneau. Her younger sister Annette was here working at Allen Marine, a whale watching tourist company, for the summer. As Annette was preparing to leave she bought this rather large duffel bag. LeAnn, sad to see her sister leave, quite litterally crawled into the bag. Maybe the agents at Alaska Air won't notice. Fat chance since LeAnn works at Alaska Air!

2 Minute Shopping Spree

Amazing friends of Echo Ranch, the Nash Family, donated a 2 min. shopping spree that they won at the A& P Grocery Store to Echo Ranch. So we had Michele Rhein map out the store. Since it was the end of our season...we had to think this through....what could we get that would last through the winter. So we checked with the cook, Pat, and got ideas like vegestable oil, speciality teas, charcoal, and canned goods. So Michele mapped it out. Asiles 4, 6, and 9 were the first stops. Then was had our own personal TV camera man to film the event. He ran behind Michele during the whole 2 minutes. I think he got a little tired of running after her. Michele almost mowed him over. But he was a great sport about it. Here is Michele with her one empty cart to begin the spree, but as you can see, she filled it up and another cart besides. The people at the grocery store said this was the first time anyone ever filled up 2 carts. As camp checked out our bill would have come to $349.56, but it was FREE. Then the Nash family gave us $200 worth in a gift certificate there. What a blessing they are. Echo Ranch is now stocked up in the food department for the season of 2007. God continues to provide in amazing ways for Echo Ranch Bible Camp.

ERBC Staff Kids

Look at these cute cowboys and cowgirls. The camp kids all sang us a few songs while we dinned on some crab and steak during a farwell dinner. It was a great time for all. On September 18 the
Echo Ranch Staff will begin to close down camp and then we will all move to our winter communities.

Hog Butcherin' Day

Today is "Hog Butcherin' Day!" All of the food and slop that the campers don't eat throughout the summer is fed to the pigs. They seem to enjoy the leftovers. Then in the fall it is time to butch the pigs. The staff gets involved in the butchering process. Here you can see Lee, Matt, Leah, and Bill at the begining of the process. Soon all of the staff will have some delicious dinners all winter long.

Amy in Alaska

Amy Basinger came to visit me in Alaska this past week. We had a great time here at camp. She was able to help out in the kitchen during one of our biggest retreat weekends with 111 people here. We were able to do some fun things here at camp like hike out to horse camp in
the muddy sludge on the trail. It was fun. Then we talked Mio into taking us on a horse ride where we were able to see a bald eagle up close. That is always a cool experience, even for us "seasoned Alaskans." Then Amy and I went into town where we checked out the Mendenhall Glacier, looked at the fish ladder at DIPAC (the fish hatchery), went to the Alaskan State Museum, and even did a bit of shopping. Of course we had to top off our time with a basket of tempra halibbit. Tasty!! We had a great time and it was nice to have a friend from Ohio come and visit even in the rain.

Cleaning the Incinerator!!

This afternoon Brynden, Ray, and I cleaned out the Echo Ranch Incinerator. What a dirty job!!! We had the joy of wearing face masks so that we could breath proberly as grey ash flew around us. Our hair and eyebrows turned a nice grey color as we shoveled out loads of ash and other non-burnable items....like number 10 cans, glass bottles, and even parts of a car!!! I did discover a cool little brown bottle that survived the fire. Which I am going to use to decorate my apartment. The incinerator is now "clean" and can be used to burn more items. It is an endless cyle of fun!!

Cowgirl Mishele

My friend Mishele is very awesome. Check out her sweet cowgirl gear. She is also my accountability partner. I can always count on her to be honest and truthful with me. Together we keep each other in line. The last time we met we went on a horse ride. This works nicely since her and her husband, Mio, are in charge of the Horse Program here at Echo Ranch. We were able to sneak upon a deer drinking water. As we were riding home a curious porcupine almost came nose to nose with the horse. This would have been a bit painful the the horse. It is always amazing to see the creatures God made in God's awesome creation.

Today I will get to go on yet another horse ride. But this time it will be with my parents and my brother. It would be amazing to see a nice bear!! It should be a great ride since it is not RAINING. This summer has been very, very rainy. Sunshine on your face is an amazing experience. Today is not what I could call sunny, but it is not raining, which is highly unusual! I'll take whatever weather I can get that has the absence of rain. But living in a rain forest, I should expect it to rain.

Dad & Mom are HERE!

My parents are up visiting from Ohio. So we have had a bit of fun here and there. My dad has been helping with various maintenance projects....including checking my car over. He has also spent some time woring on tractors. My mom has kept busy in the kitchen making yummy food for all of us to enjoy. Tasty. Today she made some chocolate cake. My mom has also been helping me make some sweet pillows for decoration. Way cool. Check out the picture of my mom & me. Some say I look like my Mom, while others say I look like my Dad. What do you think.

Dad and Mom are flying home with Caleb to the land of Ohio. We hope to get into the big town of Juneau and hike Perseverance Trail, check out the Mendenhall Glacier and just chill out together. It should be good fun exploring the state capital of Alaska.

The Challenge Course

One of my favorite things I have had the opportunity to do this summer is lead cabin groups through team building elements. For both the Sr. High and Maverick (middle school) campers I have been leading counselors and their campers through various activities. Such as the "TP Shuffle" (pictured above). The cabin needs to get in a specific order without touching the ground. At the end of each activity we circle up and talk. Was the cabin was successful or not? If not, why not? If they were successful, why were they successful? Then I ask my favorite question: Is there any symbolism in this activity that reminds you of the Lord or your walk with Him? One of my favorite answers for the "TP Shuffel" is that the log they have to balance on is like the Christian Life. It is a narrow path and you can't stray very far or you will fall off and you might even get hurt. If you don't get hurt, you will at least have to start over and make up what you have already done. Wow, out of the mouth of babes, I am taught to be faithful to the Lord.

This week was a Maverick week. I lead kids as they did the "Tire Traverse", where they have to swing on 5 diffrent tires and get to the other side without touching the ground. Another favorite is the "Meat Grinder". The whole cabin has to get over the giant spool (which is 6 feet off the ground) to get to the other side. I have seen campers become a "roll of tape" to get succed! This week one girl, Kate, had to face her fears of height. It was awesome to see her overcome this through the help of her cabinmates. I also had another girl, Clara, learn how to put her trust in others as they lifted her up so she was a Flying carpet. In another cabin, we spent quite a bit of time discussing how you sometimes have to put yourself out there so that others know who Christ is. That is a scary thing to do, especially when many of your friends don't believe in God. We also discussed how we have the amazing gift of Jesus Christ and how we need to share it with others so they can also enjoy the blessing of knowing the Lord personally. God continues to bless me as I work on the program staff at Echo Ranch Bible Camp.

The Crud War & Hillbilly Hoe Down All in ONE Day!

This past week was our Sr. High camp. We had 32 amazing teens from Southeast Alaska. Most were from Juneau, but we had 3 kids from Haines, one from Dutch Harbor, and two from Ketchikan. Our theme was "Hillbilly Hoe Down" and so we "Hillbillied Up" and had a sweet Hay Maze and played some serious Mission Impossible. Then to top off our week of fun we ended with the Crud War with consisted of getting wet in our "swimming pool" made out of visqueen and a dump truck. Then we busted out the flour, shaving cream and eggs. Oh to be wet and covered in flour with a touch of shaving cream and an egg or two....what a feeling. I will let you use your imagination.

We had a sweet Hillbilly Hoe Down in the Dining Hall. Complete with sawdust on the floor, peanuts in buckets and cowboy boots on the tables. It was a good time. Then the Zahasky Family played some amazing folk music for us to dine to. A good time was had by all!!

When we weren't running around playing games and being silly the campers enjoyed chapel. An old camp friend, Pete Bargas came to speak to us. He preached the Word from the Old Testiment (which I of course enjoyed a lot since I am a big OT fan). Pete challenged the kids in their lifestyles and their choices. I have talked to a couple of kids who said that they have left camp this week with a stronger relationship with the Lord. Their faith has come alive to them and they are begining to understand why it is so important to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a program staff person, I am constantly amazed how the Lord chooses to work in the lives of the campers. Please remember the campers in your prayers as they head back into the real world where they are no longer in the "Christian Bubble" that camp can provide. Pray that they would be bold witnesses for Christ in their homes, at school, and where they work. God can use these kids to have an amazing impact on their communities.

Middle Earth Crud Wars

This week camp was filled with high energy as 12-14 year old campers ran around camp playing crazy games that I got to help prepare. This week our theme was "Middle Earth" as in "Lord of the Rings." We had Hobbits, Elves, Dwarfs, and Men battling eachother all week long. The campers favorite game we played was the "Crude Wars." One day we had our Hobbit campers, Elf cameprs, Dwarf campers, and our Men campers create some amazing forts. The next day each fort was stocked with water, flour, shaving cream, and oats. Suddenly battles were erupting everywhere as campers...and counselors were covering everyone with "crud." We were also able to play the camp favorite, Mission Impossible. There were even rangers on horses helping to patrol the borders. One night black riders rode around camp as the campers scrambled into their cabins. It was an amzing week. Jon-Michael, the camp speaker and a long term Echo Ranch Staff person, really grabbed the kids attention in chapel. It was amazing to see the Holy Spirit move in the hearts of middle school campers. The kids heard the TRUTH and had a great time.

Stealing the Bacon

Stealing the Bacon was a favorite game the Bronco campers (10-12 year olds) loved playing. I took these photos of some of the campers enjoying the game. This is Caleb's cabin. Khan is the one with the hot dog in his mouth. He was quite an entertaining camper.

Another cool camper was Tamera. We hung out at the begining of the week because she came early. She is from a local community. She had an awesome time at camp and didn't want to go home. She had to stay an extra day in order to catch her plane to her town. While she was hanging out with her counselor, she accepted Christ as her personal Savior. It is so cool to see how God is working in the lives of these kids. Right before she left for home she told me of her decision to follow Jesus for the rest of her life!! Isn't God so awesome!!!

Our theme for this bronco camp was "Under the Big Top." We had a real circus with cotton candy, popcorn, a bounce house, and even a clown. Our speaker, Mookie, was from Arizona. He brought a team of high school students with him. They were Junior Counselors, or they worked on work staff. They were and excellent group and I know God worked in their lives in amazing ways. One of the high school girls said that she was able to see how she could help others for the first time. She was able to see beyond her own selfish desires because she had to help take care of the campers. God continues to work in the lives of the campers, work team members, and the staff. God is Good.