Go Huskers!

We had a wonderful time in Omaha last week for the Thanksgiving holiday with both of our families.  It was a huge treat to be able to watch the Husker game with fellow fans and see a sweet victorious outcome over Colorado!

Check out the sweet crowd of family and friends…

We (and in ‘we’ I guess I really mean Sam!), also spent lots of time geo-caching (check out http://www.geocaching.com for an explanation), and we even took my sister Nichole, niece Allison, and nephew Caleb out geo-caching on Thanksgiving Day.  It was a hit and the kids even got to take a little trinket out of one of the containers we found.

They’re pretty much geo-caching pros now!

Signs of the Times

The reality is, winter is here.  Maybe not by calendar technicalities, but the signs are all here.  They’ve put up the “Skier-Crossing” signs on Rustic Road (the main road toward camp), small animals are finding their way into buildings at camp, (I’ll let Sam post about that one), and the plows had their share of work on Friday, as we were dumped with 7 inches of snow!  The snow seems like it will be sticking around too.  And I guess accumulated snow entices more snow to fall because we woke up to another inch or two this morning.  It’s beautiful though– that’s for sure!  Just check out the pictures we posted in the photo gallery to see snow scenes around camp.

This weekend was the Camp Forest Springs Board Retreat.  It was a meaningful time of meeting the board members and their wives, who so faithfully give counsel, leadership, and service to help the ministry at CFS.  Saturday evening was a banquet highlighting the ministry that has taken place and the lives that have been impacted here over the last several months.  Several of the staff were also acknowledged and praise to God was given for their faithfulness in serving at camp for 5, 20, 25, 35, and 40 years!  It was such a blessing to see how God is moving through camp ministry, and how He has used the faithfulness of staff families throughout the years here at Camp Forest Springs.  It definitely gave us a picture of commitment and what it means to leave a legacy that honors God alone in all that you do.  It left us so blessed, honored and humbled to be serving where God has placed us. 

Couples Retreat

This last week has been filled with some incredible stuff at camp. Last weekend was a Couples’ Retreat put on by the LTD (Leadership Training and Development) class. Sam and I both enjoyed being servers at the banquet meal for the couples.

Following was a Pastor’s Retreat Sunday-Tuesday. Each year during Pastor’s Retreat the staff attend the sessions to learn and be encouraged. This year, Dr. Richard Swenson shared with us the need, as limited human beings, to build margin into our lives. He encouraged us to, in essence, live simpler for the purpose of building time and space into our lives to do the things that God has designed us to do. This has been good stuff to process together. It’s good to listen to and think about, but it takes more intention to actually put it into reality.

This weekend will bring another Couples Retreat. We are looking forward to seeing our friend Ben, from our LTD year, who will be coming with his wife.

Visitors

So we haven’t really even highlighted yet that we were just recently treated to a visit from Sam’s parents, Randy & Bonnie. They were here for four days and were able to help out in the kitchen at camp…

...and see lots of sights around camp, including both Bogs…

...and we even did a little Geocaching with them, (if you don’t know what this is just ask Sam!). One cache adventure took us on a trip just 25 minutes West to Big Falls County Park as seen below.

It was great to have them here to visit, to get a taste of what ministry is like at camp, and also to see what our lives are like here in the northwoods. Now don’t you all want to come up and visit? You are ALL welcome!

It’s Snowing!!!

That is…it has been for the last three days, and until this morning there had been no accumulation. However when I looked out the window this morning I saw at least an inch of snow (if not more..I’m so bad at deciphering measurements and distances), gathered on the ground and on our cars! So, out the snow scrapers and Colombia jackets came. It’s not as if snow is any new adventure living here in the northwoods - but it is a little crazy getting snow accumulation in early October

Oh well…let the seasons change!