The Story of The Rock!

For the past four years we have been very blessed to be able to help out at a camp in Ontario, Canada for a week. I teach Bible and speak at the campfire one or two nights, Sarah works in the kitchen and helps me with Bible, Jacob attends camp with the help of John Allen, and Joshua helps the support staff when needed. We love the camp, Mill Stream Bible Camp and Conference Center, we love the staff, and we love the kids that attend. We also love Canada in general. The camp has graciously allowed us to stay on for a few days after our week of camp to allow us to do some tourist stuff.

One great place that we found the first year we were there was the Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough, Ontario. It is a fantastic little zoo with a huge playground and a splash pad and it is all completely free. We fell in love with it and have gone back every year since.

One part of the playground is the climbing rocks. They aren’t huge, but they are fun. The first year there I took a picture of the three boys in front of and on top of one of the rocks and we have continued to recreate the picture every year. We try to take the picture on the same rock every year, but, as you can see if you look closely, in 2014 we messed up and took it on the smaller rock. It really doesn’t matter, I think it is neat that we basically have the same picture every year.

I wanted to create a picture collage of all four years and share it on the blog. Prayerfully we will have another picture to have again next year.

Until Then,

Tim

Six Ways to Teach Your Kids About Giving This Holiday Season!–A Throwback Thursday Post

Last year I blogged about six great ways to teach your kids about giving at Christmas and not just getting at Christmas. I thought I would revisit that post and publish it again not only for my new readers but to remind me as well!

I am by nature a very selfish person. I’ll tell you that right up front. I won’t deny it. Often times I catch myself thinking about myself and what I can get out of situation. There are many times that my selfishness steals the joy that could be had by unselfishly giving to others.
Have you ever heard the old saying that the negative actions of others that most bother you are usually the exact negative things that you don’t like about yourself? Well, I realized that some of the things that I don’t like about my kids is the attitude of want, want, want that they have especially during the holiday season.
As I thought about it, I thought about how many people there are that are less fortunate than we are in our town, country and world, and I know parents often have a difficult time combating the “give me” culture that we live in. So I thought of six ways that I could get my kids to start thinking about giving and not about getting and I wanted to share those things with you all.

Ways to Share Abroad

 

Compassion International
When I was in college, I remember a young man named Kees Boer speaking in chapel about sponsoring children from Compassion International. I remember picking up a couple of packets and looking them over and longing to perhaps sponsor some of the kids but knowing that I couldn’t afford it at that time. Years later I reconnected with Kees on Facebook. He was still working with Compassion International and was looking for a sponsor for a young boy from Bolivia named Marcelo. After a little prayer and talking it over with my family, we decided to sponsor Marcelo. Marcelo has changed our life and blessed us in so many more ways than you can imagine. Now, that young boy is in college and we are still sponsoring him. We love Marcelo just as we love the other seven . . . yes I said seven . . . other children that we have sponsored or do sponsor in one way or another through Compassion. My children have been blessed and have learned so much through their correspondence with their brothers and sisters from around the world. Trust me, it will be an investment that will change your life as well. Just click on one of the links above to find out more. If you would rather sponsor through another organization there are many more great ones out there. Compassion International is the one we know the most about and trust them completely.

Give a Goat!
Can’t afford to monthly sponsor a child? Give a goat instead! Or a cow, or a pig, or . . . the list goes on and on. Compassion International publishes a Christmas Catalogue every year where you can help a child in many different ways from providing a Bible to a child for $10 to providing a goat to provide milk for an entire family for $100. Check out the catalogue by clicking on the highlighted link above to see the different options and watch the video below for more information on this great program.

When you give a gift through Compassion's Gift Catalog... from Compassion International on Vimeo.
 

Fair Trade Friday and Mercy House
I remember when Kristen Welch went on a blogging trip to Kenya with Compassion International. It was a life changing trip. I remember reading her post about meeting her Kenyan Compassion child. I remember her heart wrenching posts about the impoverished living environments that these children and their families live in. Then, I remember her recalling that when she came home she wondered how she could live in a big home with all of the stuff when most families in Kenya were living in areas that were about the size of her garage. She longed to do something more and sought the Lord’s guidance. Soon, her family started a non-profit organization and Mercy House was born to help women and girls around the world. Fair Trade Friday is ministry of Mercy House. Here is what Fair Trade Friday’s website says about their ministry. “FTF exists as an avenue for women to empower women.  We are tackling poverty through job opportunity and empowerment rather than enablement. 100% of the proceeds support the artisans, more than 500 women and their children from all over the world. FTF is a ministry of Mercy House Kenya, a non-profit organization.” Check out their great program by clicking on any of the highlighted links above. It is a wonderful opportunity to buy gifts in a very unselfish way.

Bead for Life
Bead for Life is another inspiring story of how three woman walking through the slums of Uganda met a woman sitting in front of her home and making bead necklaces. That chance encounter, with God’s help, turned into Bead For Life. I learned about this program through, yes, Compassion International and bought some of the jewelry for my wife. She absolutely loves it. Shhh . . . I’m going to buy more as a Christmas gift for her again this year. Check them out by clicking on one of the highlighted links above.

Ways to Share At Home

Volunteer at a local food bank, shelter, or soup kitchen
I once shared about Compassion International on Facebook and lost a friend. Before he deleted me from his Facebook account he wrote a scathing note to me about how we need to be taking care of the children and families living in poverty in the United States before we help those abroad.
Perhaps some of you feel the same way. I get it! I really do! You see, my family and I are full time missionaries who direct a ministry to low income folks in the town that we live in. We give out food, serve meals, do Bible Studies, and help the people to help themselves through things such as cooking classes and the CanDo Bazaar (I CAN DO all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13) where folks can sell craft items or baked goods to help make a little extra money for the holidays.
So, we do understand the need to help those at home as well.
I’m sure there are many opportunities to give in your area. Ask around about local food banks or soup kitchens where you can volunteer. Perhaps a church is serving a meal to low income folks and you can volunteer for it. Some civic organizations such as the Jaycees put on annual toy drives for kids. The Salvation Army is always looking for bell ringers during the holiday season. Here is a website of locations that are currently looking for ringers – Ringbells.org. There are lots and lots of ways that you and your kids can be involved. Perhaps your local Chamber of Commerce can help you find a place as well.

Send a kid to camp
I remember going to camp as a kid and what a blessing it was to me. In fact, it was such a blessing and I enjoyed it so much that I have spent the last 30+ summers working at camps or directing my own camps. Camps are near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, there are many families that can’t afford to send their kids to camp. Why not sponsor a kid to go to camp next summer? What a thrill that would be if a child opened up a card that contained an invitation to go to camp for free this next year! If you know of a local camp, why not call them up and find out how to sponsor a child (or two or three). If you don’t know of a local camp, the mission organization that we are with, BCM International, has camps in the United States and all around the world that are looking for people to donate to their camp scholarship programs. Just click here (click on the “designation” box and you’ll see the Camp Scholarship choice) or on the highlighted link above to find out more information.
Well, I pray that I have given you some food for thought and some good choices on how to teach your kids to give and not just get this Christmas. Perhaps none of the suggestions above work for you but your interest has been sparked and you have another way to serve this holiday season. Whatever you do, if you do something, leave me a comment below and tell me what you did and how it went. It would bless my heart to know that this blog post helped some other people. Thank you ahead of time!

Proverbs 19:17 New International Version

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.

It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over!

So, why haven't I been blogging lately? Well, first my computer crashed and hasn't been able to be repaired but I was able to buy another computer. However, I wasn't able to buy it until right before we left for our annual ministry trip to Canada where I teach Bible for one week in the summer and Sarah helps in the kitchen at beautiful Mill Stream Bible Camp and Conference Center. In fact, as I write this we aren't even home yet. We usually visit my sister in New Jersey right after our week in Canada and we that is where we are right now. We are leaving tomorrow and should be home on Wednesday but, until then I wanted to leave you with something that will whet your appetite for the posts to come that I will be writing about our trip. Just check out pictures of the friendly otter below that were taken at the Peterborough Zoo during one of our days off. The second shot perfectly exemplifies all of the things God has been doing in our lives. I can't wait to tell you about everything. Stay tuned! 

6 Ways to Teach Your Family About Giving and Not Just Getting During This Holiday Season

I am by nature a very selfish person. I’ll tell you that right up front. I won’t deny it. Often times I catch myself thinking about myself and what I can get out of situation. There are many times that my selfishness steals the joy that could be had by unselfishly giving to others.
Have you ever heard the old saying that the negative actions of others that most bother you are usually the exact negative things that you don’t like about yourself? Well, I realized that some of the things that I don’t like about my kids is the attitude of want, want, want that they have especially during the holiday season.
As I thought about it, I thought about how many people there are that are less fortunate than we are in our town, country and world, and I know parents often have a difficult time combatting the “give me” culture that we live in. So I thought of six ways that I could get my kids to start thinking about giving and not about getting and I wanted to share those things with you all.

Ways to Share Abroad

 

Compassion International
When I was in college, I remember a young man named Kees Boer speaking in chapel about sponsoring children from Compassion International. I remember picking up a couple of packets and looking them over and longing to perhaps sponsor some of the kids but knowing that I couldn’t afford it at that time. Years later I reconnected with Kees on Facebook. He was still working with Compassion International and was looking for a sponsor for a young boy from Bolivia named Marcelo. After a little prayer and talking it over with my family, we decided to sponsor Marcelo. Marcelo has changed our life and blessed us in so many more ways than you can imagine. Now, that young boy is in college and we are still sponsoring him. We love Marcelo just as we love the other seven . . . yes I said seven . . . other children that we have sponsored or do sponsor in one way or another through Compassion. My children have been blessed and have learned so much through their correspondence with their brothers and sisters from around the world. Trust me, it will be an investment that will change your life as well. Just click on one of the links above to find out more. If you would rather sponsor through another organization there are many more great ones out there. Compassion International is the one we know the most about and trust them completely.

Give a Goat!
Can’t afford to monthly sponsor a child? Give a goat instead! Or a cow, or a pig, or . . . the list goes on and on. Compassion International publishes a Christmas Catalogue every year where you can help a child in many different ways from providing a Bible to a child for $10 to providing a goat to provide milk for an entire family for $100. Check out the catalogue by clicking on the highlighted link above to see the different options and watch the video below for more information on this great program.

When you give a gift through Compassion's Gift Catalog... from Compassion International on Vimeo.
 

Fair Trade Friday and Mercy House
I remember when Kristen Welch went on a blogging trip to Kenya with Compassion International. It was a life changing trip. I remember reading her post about meeting her Kenyan Compassion child. I remember her heart wrenching posts about the impoverished living environments that these children and their families live in. Then, I remember her recalling that when she came home she wondered how she could live in a big home with all of the stuff when most families in Kenya were living in areas that were about the size of her garage. She longed to do something more and sought the Lord’s guidance. Soon, her family started a non-profit organization and Mercy House was born to help women and girls around the world. Fair Trade Friday is ministry of Mercy House. Here is what Fair Trade Friday’s website says about their ministry. “FTF exists as an avenue for women to empower women.  We are tackling poverty through job opportunity and empowerment rather than enablement. 100% of the proceeds support the artisans, more than 500 women and their children from all over the world. FTF is a ministry of Mercy House Kenya, a non-profit organization.” Check out their great program by clicking on any of the highlighted links above. It is a wonderful opportunity to buy gifts in a very unselfish way.

Bead for Life
Bead for Life is another inspiring story of how three woman walking through the slums of Uganda met a woman sitting in front of her home and making bead necklaces. That chance encounter, with God’s help, turned into Bead For Life. I learned about this program through, yes, Compassion International and bought some of the jewelry for my wife. She absolutely loves it. Shhh . . . I’m going to buy more as a Christmas gift for her again this year. Check them out by clicking on one of the highlighted links above.

Ways to Share At Home

Volunteer at a local food bank, shelter, or soup kitchen
I once shared about Compassion International on Facebook and lost a friend. Before he deleted me from his Facebook account he wrote a scathing note to me about how we need to be taking care of the children and families living in poverty in the United States before we help those abroad.
Perhaps some of you feel the same way. I get it! I really do! You see, my family and I are full time missionaries who direct a ministry to low income folks in the town that we live in. We give out food, serve meals, do Bible Studies, and help the people to help themselves through things such as cooking classes and our annual CanDo Bazaar (I CAN DO all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13) where folks can sell craft items or baked goods to help make a little extra money for the holidays.
So, we do understand the need to help those at home as well. If you happen to live close enough to us, then please come and visit this year’s Cando Bazaar next Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12, on the square in Livingston, TN in the storefront that is right beside Everything Sports.
If you don’t live close to Livingston, I’m sure there are many opportunities to give in your area. Ask around about local food banks or soup kitchens where you can volunteer. Perhaps a church is serving a meal to low income folks and you can volunteer for it. Some civic organizations such as the Jaycees put on annual toy drives for kids. The Salvation Army is always looking for bell ringers during the holiday season. Here is a website of locations that are currently looking for ringers – Ringbells.org. There are lots and lots of ways that you and your kids can be involved. Perhaps your local Chamber of Commerce can help you find a place as well.

Send a kid to camp
I remember going to camp as a kid and what a blessing it was to me. In fact, it was such a blessing and I enjoyed it so much that I have spent the last 30+ summers working at camps or directing my own camps. Camps are near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, there are many families that can’t afford to send their kids to camp. Why not sponsor a kid to go to camp next summer? What a thrill that would be if a child opened up a card that contained an invitation to go to camp for free this next year! If you know of a local camp, why not call them up and find out how to sponsor a child (or two or three). If you don’t know of a local camp, the mission organization that we are with, BCM International, has camps in the United States and all around the world that are looking for people to donate to their camp scholarship programs. Just click here (click on the “designation” box and you’ll see the Camp Scholarship choice) or on the highlighted link above to find out more information.
Well, I pray that I have given you some food for thought and some good choices on how to teach your kids to give and not just get this Christmas. Perhaps none of the suggestions above work for you but your interest has been sparked and you have another way to serve this holiday season. Whatever you do, if you do something, leave me a comment below and tell me what you did and how it went. It would bless my heart to know that this blog post helped some other people. Thank you ahead of time!

Proverbs 19:17 New International Version

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.

Time’s Fun When You Are Having Flies!

 

Times Fun When You’re Having Flies!

I mean. . .Time Flies When You’re Having Fun. Well, we do have flies but that wasn’t what I meant to say. I mean, flies are bad this summer but what I really meant was. . .

Oh for Pete’s sake I need to get on with it!

Anyway, I was lamenting that it has been a whole week since I posted anything on my blog! This has been a super busy summer with day camps and part-time job and ministry and a little homeschool and a little of just plain fun and I let time get away with me and forgot to post anything on my blog!

It really has been a very busy summer. We just finished our third week of day camp. It has been different since we no longer have our own ministry building to use. A local church has graciously allowed us to use their youth ministry center. It is a fantastic facility with a huge game room, a café, an auditorium and a car that looks like it is going through the side of the building!

Our day camps are designed for low income kids so most of our day campers are from the projects or other low income areas such as trailer parks etc. These are kids that don’t normally see stuff like this so it has  been a lot of fun watching them.

For the first three weeks of day camp we used curriculum from our umbrella mission organization BCM International. BCM has a great series called “Footsteps of Faith” that was originally developed for missionaries to use when conducting children’s Bible Clubs but is also used in homeschools, Sunday schools and more. Click here or on the highlighted link above to get to BCM International’s online store to peruse all of the great material that they have.

This summer we used their New Testament Volume 1 Lessons called “Who Is Jesus Christ”. Below is a picture of the kids taken with the finished review chart. They loved being able to name off all of the lesson themes and symbols. Many of them could do it by themselves without any help.

Our big fun craft project was homemade sidewalk chalk. It is super easy to make. Just one part corn starch to one part water and add food coloring. You may need to adjust it a little. Some folks like it thicker so they add more corn starch. Some folks like it thinner so they add more water. Some folks add liquid watercolor paint for the color instead of food coloring. Below are some pictures of our finished product and just a little of the artwork. More pictures to come!

It was a great week of camp. One more week of camp to go! We will be using one of BCM International’s summer camping curriculum, “Our God is Able” – a five day study on the life of David.

Please continue to pray for our day camps. So far this summer nine children who have attended our day camps have trusted the Lord! We are very excited. Please pray as we follow up on these kids after summer is over as well. We have a completely converted minibus that was donated to us so that we can hold Bible Clubs this fall. So far we are planning to hold Bible Clubs in the two locations where most of the kids live. The kids that live outside of one of those areas we will pick up and bring to one of the two clubs.

Pray also for our finances. Both the finances for our ministry and our personal finances. Right now I am working at a part time job where my schedule changes every week. In order to conduct Bible Clubs on a weekly basis, I would need to have at least two days off on a consistent basis. We really need to have an increase in support of about $1000 a month but are praying for an increase of $500 by the end of summer.

Thank you for all of your prayers for our ministry and for us. It is greatly appreciated.

A Heart Broke Last Week

 

We should have known we were going to have trouble with “R” when we went out visiting and passing out flyers for our summer day camps. The trailer park where he lives is full of run down, dilapidated, falling apart mobile homes and the kids who live there, through no fault of their own, look much the same. I had done a Bible Club there many years ago but had to stop because of no help and, really, no place to have it. Now that we have “The Bible Club Place” bus and a volunteer base, I thought that this fall would be a good time to begin a  new Bible Club and our summer day camps would be a wonderful way to introduce us to the kids and the kids to us.

Hardly anyone drives through this trailer park unless they have to, so as soon as we pulled in R came outside to see who the strangers were. We knew many of the people from helping them at various times so as soon as he saw that we were friendly R was all over us and the vehicle that we came in. Literally! He was on the back bumper. He was on the front bumper. He was hanging in the open windows. He would have gotten on the hood and eventually onto the roof if we wouldn’t have put a stop to it.

In my many years of working with children I have learned that a child hanging all over you usually means they are craving for attention. However, I have also learned that when they become defiant and won’t follow your kind requests to get off and move away from the vehicle they are usually looking for all of the wrong attention.

That was R. We soon found out that for whatever reason, this 11 year old boy who lived with his grandmother was doing all that he could, good or bad, to seek some attention. Unfortunately it was almost always bad. If we told him to sit in a certain place, he would sit in another. If we told him to come here, he would go there. He got into arguments and fights often and had to be constantly talked to and constantly watched.

There was, however, one time of the day when he didn’t have to be watched. That was during Bible time. Oh, we had the usual scuffle when he wanted to sit in one place and someone else was sitting there and it would take him a bit to finally settle down, but, once the Bible lesson began, he was all ears and listened intently.

Day after day R faithfully came to day camp. Through the first week and into the second week. We had the constant struggles with him, but he was always attentive during Bible class. It was as if wheels were turning inside his head. As if he were thinking and contemplating. What was going on inside?

This summer’s lessons are about the life of Jesus and after each lesson was over, whether the story called for it or not, I gave the plan of salvation and invited any child that wanted to stay after my lesson to talk with me if they weren’t sure they were going to Heaven. Midway through last week, while the rest of the children were leaving to go for game time, R lingered behind. When everyone else was gone he came up to me and said that he didn’t know Jesus and wanted to know Him. I asked him if he could explain how to know for sure the he was saved and he gave a very clear plan of salvation. After he assured me that he did, indeed believe that he was a sinner and the only way to have a relationship with God was to believe that Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins and that he was trusting Jesus to be his Savior, I asked if he wanted to tell Jesus that. I told him that he could tell Jesus what he just told me and that Jesus would love hearing from him.

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7

After bowing our heads R prayed one of the most sincere prayers I think I have ever heard. He said something like this:

Dear Jesus,

I know that I am a sinner and can’t get to Heaven on my own. I believe that you died on the cross for me to take away my sins. Please take away my sins so that I can go to Heaven.

And, Sir, please help me to stop being a jerk. Help me to stop being mean and getting mad and fighting with kids. Help me to obey my grandmother and others.

And, Sir, please help my mother to believe in you like I am and do what’s right after she get’s out of jail.

Amen

I often become emotional when a child trusts the Lord, but by the end of R’s prayer I was a basket case. All I could do was just hug him as I was sobbing.

Times aren’t going to be easy for R.  Satan’s not going to let them be easy. The next day there were signs of the old R but there were also signs of a new R that God was beginning to form. Please pray for R in the days, weeks and months to come. Pray that he will continue to come to day camp and come to the Bible Clubs that we plan to start in the fall. Pray that he won’t resist the changes that God is making in his life. Pray also for R’s mom. I have no idea why she is in jail. For that matter, I didn’t even know she was in jail before hearing his prayer.

You may think that the title of this post refers to R but you would be wrong. The title refers to me. You see, it was my heart that was broken this past week. My heart was broken thinking of R and the kids that live in that trailer park and of the kids that live in the other low income sections of our town and county. My heart was broken when I thought of how many churches and Christians will go out of there way to reach those outside of their town but refuse to look at what is in their own back yard. My heart was broken thinking about the churches that do want to do something but don’t have the resources, volunteers, or funds to really help. My heart was broken thinking about the churches who have reached out, but aren’t able to really form the deep relationships that these people so sorely need. And, lest you think that I am only ranting about churches, my heart was broken thinking about ME, the one who calls himself a missionary to the poor in our area but who has neglected so many opportunities.

Please, as well as praying for R, pray for and with ME.

Lord,

Please forgive me for not doing all that I can to reach those that you have called me to reach. There are so many times that I am so self-centered and think only of myself and the circumstances that I am in and I forget all that you have given me and I forget others who are much more needy physically but especially spiritually.

Help me schedule my time wisely and to get my act together financially. Help me to reach out to churches and individuals who may be able to support us and our ministry both financially and prayerfully. Help me to be faithful no matter what circumstances bring and to keep on serving you.

Thank you Lord for all that you have done and are going to do.

Amen

8 Great Summer Activities for Kids–All found on Pinterest!



I was doing some research for our summer day camps when I came across these fantastic ideas for summer activities to use with your kids – all found on Pinterest. I hadn’t even thought about searching on Pinterest until today. They looked so cool (pun intended) that I wanted to share them with you all. I can’t wait to try them. Just click on the titles to find out more about each one. Leave a comment letting me know what you think!

1. Water Balloon Target Practice

We love water days and this activity will fit right in!

2. The Water Blob

A friend of mine sent the link to this one a few weeks ago. This is going to be a hit at day camp!

3.  Homemade 2 Liter Bottle Sprinkler

Why buy a sprinkler for you kids when you can make one yourself? If it breaks just get another 2 liter bottle!

4. Human Bubble Maker

I have seen this in various places but never tried it. It looks like a lot of fun.

5. Homemade Moon Sand

This is a really easy recipe to make Moon Sand for hours of fun!

6. Noodle and Duct Tape Target Game

A few years I remember creating something like this for the camp I was the program director for. It was loads of fun.

7. Hula Hoop and Balloon Ring Toss

What could go wrong with hula hoops and balloons filled with helium?

8. Water Bag Piñata

Now this is my kind of game!

Bonus – Erupting Sidewalk Chalk Paint

I couldn’t resist this one so I had to add it. The “erupting” is what caught my attention!

There you have it. Don’t forget to click on the names of each activity to get more information. A summer full of fun already and this is just the beginning of what I found. Part two may be coming soon!

Have a happy summer!

Determination! Never Give Up on Your Goals and Dreams!

Just one, small, part of the huge Riverview Park

and Zoo playground in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

 



We are a joking family. We have to be. Having two children on the autism spectrum can be very challenging but that is for another post. Anyway, one of my favorite ways to joke, often accompanied with much rolling of eyes and moaning, is to refer to my children as different animals. Jacob has often been called "our little monkey". I don't know why. He has never been overly inclined to climbing or swinging from vines. I guess it's because he reminds us of a cute, cuddly, chimpanzee.

Recently, however, he did display some monkeyness (is that a word?) and some amazing and inspiring determination as well. After a fun day filled with animal watching and train riding at the wonderful Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, we decided to tackle their huge playground area. Riverview Park and Zoo is a small, free, zoo that is totally owned and operated by the town of Peterborough. It is really half park and half zoo. I guess that's why they named it the Riverview Park and Zoo. As well as the small zoo, they have many picnic areas throughout and the playground is amazing.

Sarah had gone back to the car to rest and enjoy some air conditioning since it was a very hot day. John Allen and I were running back and forth watching and exploring with Joshua and Jacob as well as enjoying some big kid stuff as well, when I noticed that Jacob was spending a lot of time in one particular area. He had found a set of monkey bars. You know, the kind that are horizontal from the ground and you have to swing from bar to bar to get across? He was determined that he was going to conquer the bars and cross over without falling.

What amazed me was his resolve. He was absolutely resolute. He was not going to leave those bars (pictured above, they are are the yellow ones toward the back on the right), until he did what he had never done before...crossed a set of monkey bars. I stood and watched, amazed at the unflinching look on his face as he fell, picked himself up, and tried again only to fall once more. Soon I was cheering him on and was followed closely by Joshua and John Allen. We didn't assist in any way. Jacob would have none of that. We just cheered and encouraged as he got closer and closer to the end before the inevitable fall. Sometimes he would stop to rest his aching hands, but only for a minute and then he was back in the fight.

There was a rope net that he was to grab hold of  at the end. Once, he got so far that his feet touched the net before he fell. Being the overprotective father that I can sometimes be, I cheered and told him that he had made it. Nope! That was not enough! He was going to totally reach the net and grab hold of it with both his hands and his feet. Finally, after about 45 minutes of trying, he accomplished his goal. He crossed all the way over, grabbed hold of the net with both hands and feet, and climbed down. He had conquered the monkey bars! After much cheering, high-fiving and hugging, a triumphant, albeit sweaty and tired, young eight year old boy marched off to tell mom of his accomplishment. My heart filled with pride.

 

The Tinks at Riverview Park and Zoo



That event made me think once again about how determined I am to reach my goals and to make my dreams come true. I have been thinking a lot about that the past couple of years. I realized that even though I was still enjoying ministry, I had gotten into the "missionaries and anyone that is in the ministry is poor and they are always supposed to be poor" mindset. I had forgotten how to dream. I had let my dreams go by the wayside and decided that I was never going to reach them so why even bother. Then, through an amazing series of events, I began to dream again. It hasn't been easy. I began to understand that in order to realize my dreams I had to work on myself and allow God to work on me and become a confident person again. Being a Christian worker is hard. You get beaten down and knocked around a lot. It is a lot like Jacob's situation above. When things knock you down and you lose your grip and fall, you just need to pick yourself back up and try again to reach your dreams and goals.

I've also had to think about what my dreams really were. We have had a lot of family discussion about this and some of the things that we have talked and dreamed about have already been accomplished. We have been very blessed to be able to go on an amazing ministry trip each of the past two years. You can read a little about what we did on our most recent trip by clicking here.

Dreaming for us is an interesting process. First and foremost, as Christians, we always want our dreams to be in line with what God wants for us. This has led to a lot of praying and soul searching. What does God really want for us? Although we have had a tremendous amount of fun so far on our ministry journey, are we allowed to think outside of the box?

John Allen and I have been inspired by two amazing families that have done some amazing things together. One family, the Vogels, took a year off and biked 9000 miles around the United States with their two young, twin, sons. Then, just a year or so later, they embarked on a three year 17,000 mile bike trip from northern Alaska to the southern tip of South America.

Another, the Kallin Family, just completed an over 2000 mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail with their eight year old son and nine year old daughter.



Although she, like the rest of us, loves the outdoors, Sarah isn't the bicycling, backpacking, kind. We have done a lot of "roughing it" in the past, but she would rather the "roughing it" be at a camp where she is working in the kitchen or teaching Bible. A dream of hers would be to travel around in a motor home or pulling a trailer and tour the United States and Canada to help at camps along the way.



I tend to have the same dream of traveling and camping in an RV, but I still dream of trying something big and adventurous with our family. But how do you include two autistic kids in that dream? How do you include the whole family in an adventure when some of them aren't quite as adventurous as the others? How do we involve ministry in the adventure? Is the adventure something that God really wants us to go on in the first place?

Those are questions that are still to be answered. I know that in the months to come there is going to be a lot of praying and discussing. I also know, though, that I am not going to give up on my dreams. Those dreams may change somewhat as time goes by, but I am going to keep on dreaming and setting goals.

What are your goals? Do you still have dreams? Do you think God wants us to accomplish our dreams? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.



It's Camp Time!

Cedar Lake Camp Counselor Training -

Late 1980's or early 1990's

Well, at least it was camp time.

Summers are always exciting for us because that means it's time for our summer ministries and a little bit of a change of pace. I just realized today that since the age of 8 or 9 there have only been about four or five summers where I have not either gone to camp or worked at a camp in some way or another. Summer camp has always been a big part of my life.

Sarah and I met when I was the program director and she was a counselor at Cedar Lake Camp in Livingston, TN. We got married at camp; had our first child, John Allen at camp (well in the hospital in Livingston not right at camp); and lived and worked at the camp full time for a few years. Yes, that is me in the above picture during counselor training week in the early days.

Good News Mission Day Camp - 2014

 



Now, we run day camps of our own at Good News Mission and, for the last two summers, have had the great pleasure of traveling during the month of August and ministering at a two wonderful BCM International camps in upstate New York and Ontario, Canada.

Cortland Bible Club Camp

 

Cortland Bible Club Camp is in picturesque Pitcher, New York. Although we have known about the camp since we first joined our mission organization, BCM International in 1997, we only had the pleasure of first seeing it last summer in 2013. We met Dan and Jeanette Rhoda a few years ago at BCM's annual North American Missionary Conference.  The Rhodas had recently become the director's of the camp and had just joined BCM. John Allen and their son Tyler fast became friends. Last summer, John Allen felt God calling him to work at the camp, applied, and was accepted. When the camp needed a vesper's speaker for a week, they asked me to come and speak. They must have been desperate again this year because they invited us back. We love helping out at Cortland not only because of the scenery, but because of the wonderful staff and great kids that attend each summer. We can't wait until next summer!

 

 

Mill Stream Bible Camp

 

Way back in he early 1980's, when I was working at Disney World, one of my favorite pavilions at EPCOT was the Canadian Pavilion. Canada seemed like a wonderful and beautiful place to visit. When we first began dating and I took Sarah for the the first time, the Canadian Pavilion became one of her favorite stops as well. For years we dreamed of someday visiting Canada and were elated when a few years ago the directors, Larry and Cindy Chupa, invited us to teach Bible and help in the kitchen (Sarah not me) for a week at Mill Stream Bible Camp. It was everything that we had hoped for a more. Canada is a beautiful country and the people are equally as beautiful. We absolutely loved our week there and even stayed on afterward for a few days to do a little bit of "the tourist thing". We were very thrilled when we were asked back again this year and had another very special week. This time I helped Sarah teach Bible to the girls and she helped me as I taught Bible to the guys. We're looking forward to returning next summer.

 

We have been really blessed! We love working at camps.Thank you Lord for the many years that you have enabled us to serve you in the camping ministry. Lord willing, we are looking forward to many more years to come!