Towler Tribune

Christmas Up North 2012

2012-01-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Some Great Family Time Together at Christmas !

CHECK IT OUT!

2011-09-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Charlie is now in soccer. His team is called the Hurricanes! He is number 6. Saturday they played their first real game with uniforms and all. The played against the Green Galaxy team. Not to be too proud, but the final score was 13 to 0. Yes, the Hurricanes won!!! But who is keeping score anyway. Here are some shots from his first big game!

Yes We Did!

2011-09-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome the newest members of the Towler Family, Dora & Diego. They joined our family on Tuesday, September 6. They are both lab mixes, are brother and sister from the same litter, and are just about 3 months old. Dora is the lighter one and Diego has more red in his fur. Charlie & Gracie are mostly enjoying the puppies. They have really sharp teeth and nails that they don't play with them much yet. They are really crazy and easily scratch us all. We will have to fix that real soon! They are a lot of fun!

Family Fun!

2011-09-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend some time with family for Labor day weekend. We were blessed with a trip to Knott's Berry Farm and had a fun family BBQ and home made water park. Check out the great pictures!

School

2011-08-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Charlie & Gracie both started school on Monday, August 22, 2011. Charlie is in first grade at Idyllwild School. Gracie started the preschool program. So far, they are enjoying being in school. It is an adjustment to the new routine, and transition from camp life. Here are some pictures from the first day of school!

They both got their backpacks on and are eager to go!

This is Gracie's classroom. It is full of great toys, learning centers and activities. Each day the children sit around this rug, each on their own bee, and sing songs, hear stories and much more.

This is just outside the preschool classroom. There is a jungle gym with slides and swings. Here, Gracie is playing in the sandbox with her friends.

Here is Charlie with his best buddy, Levi. They were both so excited to discover that they were in the same class again.

Not shy at all! Charlie just jumped right in and began playing with friends and activities. Before mom and dad had even left the room, these guys had build a change of blocks about 7 feet long!

Camper Comments!

2011-08-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

What is the most special thing about Camp Alandale to you?

· Having Doug as my counselor! And getting to be on the Red team! J

· The Pine Cone Ceremony because it is a way to let stuff go and a safe place to cry and let your feelings out and let them go. It’s just safe.

· Testimony and have more friends and seeing the Lord in every person @ camp J THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

· The most special thing that I admire was that I got to see and admire God’s creation. I also loved that everyone was super close because of God and everybody is similar in their lives. Doug and Cheri were awesome!!!

· Testimony time I’ve never shared all of my story to people who aren’t close to me so that was big for me!

· Relationships

· I have learned a lot. I love the Lord. I plan to give my life to him. I hope to come back as a JC and help kids. I have experienced a lot. I love to help. I am truly blessed by coming this year J

· The people !! They all shine Jesus through them and I love it and reminds me I’m still loved. Thank you. LOVE YOU.

· If the earth was the size of a golf ball!

· Friend, family you did the best this year

· One-on-one

· Being with the other campers is just a special experience. I vastly enjoy watching and helping the growth of others whether it be by being a friend or explaining my story.

· Helping me grow more in God and help me to decipher what verses mean

· People that care about me and the friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. I trust Camp Alandale about sharing my story.

· Meeting/getting to know all the people here. Learning more about God. It taught me to just let things go and be more truthful.

· Learning about God and all the armor of God. I would love to become a JC because I love camp and I love everyone here. Everyone makes me feel so special.

· I loved the way that I shared my testimony. Also that everybody was there to support me and be there to share my life. I love the way that everyone is supporting to me.

· The fact that everyone here has strong faith and are understanding and helpful. When I come to camp I feel special. THANK YOU!

· The Pine Cone Ceremony and when other campers share their testimony and when we sing and worship GOD!

· Just being able to meet people that care about you and know how to help us get closer to God

· Everything from the grass to the majestic stars and skies to God! Everything! Accepting Jesus Christ into my heart 4 eternity!!!!! (drawing of him kneeling before God with Bible at his feet and rays coming down from clouds)

Pictures from Summer Camp 2011

2011-08-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

The theme this summer was the Chronicles of Victory: The Armor of God. Eddie & Lucy journeyed through Battles Galore collecting all the pieces of the Armor of God. They fought many battles and got the victory because of God!

This was quite a skit about Joseph and Potiphar's Wife. Mike & Lisa played the roles one day. It was sure a sight! The point was that temptations come, but we can stand up under them when we have God's armor on!

Here is the mighty red team during Bible study. Each day the campers met with their counselor to review the daily memory verse and study God's word regarding each piece of armor. The campers really seemed to dive into God's word and get a lot out of their time together.

Here in the amphitheater are Jonathan & Barry leading a worship time with the campers. These times were often sweet and encouraging. The campers enjoyed singing crazy kid songs and getting serious during worship times.

Mike and Lisa again, in normal clothing, teaching a Bible lesson. This summer we shared the stories of Joseph & Potiphar's Wife, Moses & The Red Sea, Noah's Ark, Daniel & The Lion's Den, and David & Goliath.

While the campers have Bible study with their counselors, the Junior Counselors (JC) also have Bible study. Here they are in the living room at camp with the JC Coordinator, Lacey.

Charlie & Gracie enjoyed pool time a lot this summer. Normally, it takes them all summer to get over being afraid of the water. This time, they were eager to jump in. Charlie ventured to the deep end and even jumped off the trampoline. Gracie was a bit more reserved. She preferred to swim with the campers over mom or dad. They both had a blast!

Camp Week August 1-6

2011-08-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

This week at camp, August 1-6, was the first high school group. We are often super excited for the high school aged campers to come to camp. Most of them have been to camp before, and we have already established good relationships with them. They know about camp and even about God and are looking for discipleship and encouragement. The biggest difference with this group was that 11 out of 16 campers were boys. We wondered how that might play out over the course of our week together!?!?

As the week began we noticed that the red team was bonding so much so that at the end of each meal time, when most everyone else was cleaned up and playing in the yard, they still had a messy table and were all enjoying each other’s company. This is always a great sight to see. They needed a lot of encouragement to get moving to the next activity. But these times proved so beneficial. As the red team sat at their table, the sights and sounds were just over the top. Multiple Bibles were open and pages were flipping. Questions were flying about God’s love and what His son did to make a way for us to be near Him. The answer to one question led to more and more questions, and not just from one camper but from the whole team. God’s word and love were being shared, and it was penetrating the hearts of those who have been so hurt.

One of the young men on this team was so eager to hear and learn more and more about Christ, he ultimately surrendered his whole heart to Jesus. He asked his counselor to pray with him to ask Jesus to come into his heart and to forgive him of his sins. What a huge praise and answer to the prayers of the red team counselors and all involved! The questioning and learning did not stop there. He continued seeking all week long. We believe he truly grasped God’s love and healing touch last week at camp. Please pray that he can take all this great information and his new found relationship with God home and live for Jesus on a daily basis.

We did see a little bit of an effect because we had so many boys at camp. Our testimony times were pretty short. Only 7 campers shared all week. There was some concern that the feelings and pain that the campers deal with were not being expressed and released. But, then again, most of them were boys. The benefit of our counselor prayer time is hearing that the boys really opened up to their counselors at one-on-one time. They shared their deep hurts and really let go of so much. Praise God for this time of genuine pain being surrendered!

Summer Camp 2011

2011-06-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Summer camp sessions have begun here at Camp Alandale, and we are amazed at the incredible work God is doing. The first week started very smoothly. We had overwhelming peace as we headed into the week, and the peace continued throughout the week. There were only a few little things that we had forgotten to prepare or hadn't gotten to before the campers came, so our week was full of fun and love. The group was sweet. They enjoyed each others company and played well together. And played we did! It was a blast.
We wondered if the campers were seeing and feeling the love of Christ, and then we saw it. One camper shared that she was not sure about Christ. She had heard about talking to God through Angels, but not directly to him. Then, pretty early in the week, she turned to her counselor and said, "I think I want to give Jesus a chance and start fresh with him. Will you pray with me to ask him into my heart?" Her counselor was quite surprised and overjoyed! They prayed together and then had the rest of week to learn more about Jesus.
At the last campfire on Thursday night, the campers really bonded. We had our Pine Cone Ceremony, where we give the campers the opportunity to throw a pine cone into the fire, symbolizing giving their cares and hurts to Jesus. It was incredibly powerful watching each camper come up, throw their pine cone into the fire and then walk away. After, we sang "The Family Song" where we all hugged and swayed back and forth together. The love of Christ was evident in the hugs and tears. God is good. He touched each one just as they needed and lives were changed. What an amazing work He has done and will do!
Thank you for your prayers, we surely felt them. Please continue to pray for each camper's heart, that they will hold on to Jesus in all that they do. Please pray for more counselors for camp, as we are still short for many of the weeks ahead. Please pray for our family as we get used to our summer schedule, for safety and wisdom in leading camp and in our family time.

Race Day

2011-03-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

Mike and Some Friends went to Phoenix International Raceway on February 27th to watch the Nascar Subway Freshfit 500. Mike's favorite Driver Jeff Gordon won! Here are some photos from their trip.

The Snow!

2011-02-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

We haven't had this much snow in a long time!

Daddy & Gracie are throwing snow balls!

Check it out!

Gracie is 3!

2011-02-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great little Strawberry Shortcake party with family and friends. It was a lot of fun.

Just a ham!

With her new bike!

A tutu bathing suit from Grandma Ellen

Happy Birthday to Me!

Gracie, how old are you?

Towler Christmas Reflections

2011-02-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas season with family and friends. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our time together!

Charlie's 5th Birthday!

2010-11-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

Charlie is 5! Where has the time gone? I have images of him being a baby. Wasn’t that just yesterday? We had a nice celebration with some friends on the hill. Cars was the theme. We pulled out everything from his room that is from the movies cars to decorate for the party. After that his room looked bare! We had lunch, played some fun Cars games, ate a most fabulous Cars cake (made by Mike), and enjoyed being together for a very special celebration. It was quite a day! Thank you God for Charlie and thanks to all who love him!

Fall Festival

2010-11-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

We were grateful to be able to participate in a safe and fun Fall Festival put on by one of the local churches on the hill. The kids got dressed up. They ate food, played games, and got loaded up on sugar! We also found out that a tire swing is a ton of fun!

Camper Picnic

2010-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great turn out for our Camper Picnic on October 23. We had received about 60 rsvp’s and had planned for that much food and fun. Then the weather happened… But as we are always reminded, God is bigger than the weather! It was raining just about everywhere in Orange County the morning of the picnic, and the park for the picnic was in Orange County. But right where we were, it was not raining. We received a few calls that morning to see if we had cancelled due to rain. People were amazed that it wasn’t raining at the park. Thank you God! We had 60 people come and we all had a great time. All the campers participated in the games and seemed to enjoy being together. We encouraged the campers to continue to be “Transformed” by God and to live for Him in all they do. We were blessed by a great turnout and a great day of weather, all provide by God!

Fall Festivities

2010-10-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

We joined some friends at Riley Farms for apple picking. It was a great time. Charlie & Gracie are still so excited every time they eat one of the apples they picked from the trees.

The kids also enjoyed carving pumpkins. Really they weren't too sure about the insides, but they had fun with dad.

We have a Kindergartener!!!

2010-08-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it! Charlie started school August 23, 2010. He has been so excited, even counting down the days until he would go to school. Now it is finally here. There are 25 children in his class and his teacher's name is Mrs. Gray. So far so good!

Kids at Camp

2010-08-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here is Gracie attempting to be in a skit. When the time came to perform, she got stage fright!

This butterfly was attracted to many campers because they had just gotten wet in a fun water game. I love Charlie's face!

Sad News

2010-08-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

It was finally time! Sierra, one of our dogs, needed to be put down on August 23, 2010. She had been growing increasingly sick over the summer months. It was so sad to watch her. She seemingly had a tumor above her left eye. It was growing bigger and pressing in on her eye, so much so that she was unable to see clearly. She was not eating and had lost a lot of weight. We were trying to hold off as long as possible with the hope that she would just get better. But the time came and we knew what needed to be done. We have enjoyed Sierra's love and sneakiness for the last ten years. She was a great dog and is greatly missed!

From July 19-23

2010-08-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

This last week of camp was quite a blessing! We were short a few counselors and staff too. Of course, God took care of everything. The campers He brought for this week were just super sweet. Overall, they wanted to participate in all the activities, they asked great and deep questions about the Lord, and were a real joy to spend time with. However, personally, I felt disconnected from the campers to a degree because I was in the house often doing a lot of behind the scenes jobs. Honestly, I was getting grumpy because I wasn’t able to engage with the campers as much. I was feeling selfish and the whole “oh, woe is me” attitude set in. I was ready to eat a worm when God reminded me what camp is all about…HIM! It was Thursday night, the last night at camp; we had just sent all the campers off to bed, when Carrie came in the house with her counselor, Melissa. Melissa told me that Carrie wanted to pray to receive Christ into her heart, and she wanted me to pray with her!!! Was I ever blown away! What a blessing to be a part of this great moment. The three of us went out front to a bench and sat down together. I asked Carrie if she knew what she was doing and if she understood it all. She replied with a great big yes, with a great big smile on her face. So we prayed something like this… Dear Jesus, Thank you for loving me so much. Thank you that you died on the cross for me. Please forgive me of my sins. Please come into my life make me a new creation. Help me to grow in you and to live for you for all of my days. Amen. Melissa and I both grabbed Carrie and gave her the biggest hug. Carrie was excited. She believed that God has an amazing plan for her life and she wants to live for him and share him with others. Thank you God for this opportunity! Thank you for helping me take my eyes off of me and see you and your wonderful works!

Some Recent Pictures!

2010-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Oh, The Kids Are Growing!

2010-05-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

The other morning I went into Charlie's room to get him up. He was already awake, but he was pretending to be snoring under the covers. It was quite a sight and sound! I sat down on the bed and gave him a little tickle. He came out of the covers with the biggest smile on his face, and boy, he can make it from ear to ear! I grabbed him and cuddled him in my arms, which is pretty difficult now that he is as big as he is. I asked him if he knew that there was a time when he was only 10 pounds, when he couldn't walk or talk, or even go potty on the potty? Of course, missing the point, he reminded me, that he used to go potty back then, it was just into a diaper! I kind of got teary eyed thinking about how much he has grown, that he is a big boy now and he is only going to get bigger! And Grace is a whole other story. This girl, let me tell you, is becoming a little girl! She was so tiny for so long and really she still is. She is thin and petite and just so cute. But all of a sudden her legs look longer and she seems taller. Really it's her big personality that stands out so much. She has a joy about her that fills a room in seconds. And she is a smart cookie. Just about the time I think I can stump her, she comes up with the most brilliant answers. Lately, it has been, "I'm just kidding!", "Are you sure?" and "God made me!" She's good! It is a blessing to be a parent, to watch the milestones, and to see the ah ha moments. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to be a parent and to have so much joy because of the children!

Celebrating Easter!

2010-04-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

What a great time we all had remebering and celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection! It doesn't look like it, but both Charlie & Gracie had been sick with ear infections, high fever and lots of grumpiness! Despite, we had a fun day together. They enjoyed finding eggs, figuring out how to open them, eating as many jelly beans at one time, and talking about how much Jesus loves them! Thank you Jesus for your love!

Another Answered Prayer!

2010-03-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Would you believe it? Charlie started praying that we could go to Disneyland. We told him to pray hard and often because Disneyland is sure expensive! We are getting a strong feeling that God hears Charlie's prayers! Some wonderful friends of ours blessed us with the opportunity to go and we all had a blast. How many words is a picture worth? Well, here are a few pictures to give you an idea of how much fun we had!

One Snap Shot of Winter Camp

2010-03-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Camp seems to have become a second family for Paula. It is sweet when she comes to camp, as we get to catch up and see where she is with the Lord. This time was no different. She got off the bus and fell right in to my arms. I got the biggest squeeze ever! Over the course of the weekend, I saw Paula’s participation in all of our discussions. It was as if she was looking for some answers without being too obvious about it. Later, she asked two pretty heavy questions…How can you stand up for Christ when no one else around you is a Christian or even seems to care, and How can you be a Christian but struggle with messed up thoughts about sexual identity? Her heart was aching and broken. Her family said they were Christians but really didn’t live it out. Any time she tried to tell them more about Christ and His ways, she got shut down. And, her past abuse left her confused about her sexuality. She knows what the bible says and she believes it to be true, but her mind is telling her lies. As tough of questions as these were, we both saw God’s word and love giving her encouragement and comfort throughout the weekend. Our winter camp theme was My Heart, Christ’s Home based on the book by Robert Munger, and our memory verse was Ephesians 3:17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. It was God’s perfect timing for Paula to be at camp when she was, and it was God’s perfect plan that this was our theme. It was a gentle reminder for her to trust in Him all the more and that He will keep her strong.

God Answered Prayer!

2010-03-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

We made our first trip to pre-school today! Charlie has been praying that he would be able to go for quite a while. And today it happened. The pictures tell the story from being at home to the time in the car and getting to school. As you can see, he is not at all excited or happy!!! The first thing he said to the teachers was that he was too shy to say hi. The next thing we knew he was playing and making new friends. A few times while we were there he came running over to us and explained what he was learning about, and this was while they were having free play time. "Hey Dad, look, I'm learning about blocks!" "Mom, look, I'm learning how to drive!" (as he drove a car around a track) He was not even bothered when we left. He barely even took the time to say good-bye. As for mom and dad, well, it was harder to leave. Our boy is growing up! Thank you God for answering prayer!

Happy 2nd Birthday Gracie!

2010-02-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Everything is Minnie Mouse and pink as we celebrate Gracie's 2nd Birthday! We started the day by singing Happy Birthday to her as we went in to get her out of bed. She was excited! As you can see, we gave her a Minnie Mouse dress up outfit which she was more than ready to put on and play in. Grace received some real nice gifts. The Mickey Park Playhut was from Susie. The pots, pans and play birthday cake was from grandma. Aunt Shelley and family sent a cute summer dress. An apron and chef's hat helped in keeping her clean as she made her birthday cupcakes! We had a great day resting after a fabulous winter camp weekend, celebrating Grace and the gift we have in her, and praising God for the many blessings we have!

Snow Play!

2010-02-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

We finally got enough snow to have a play day! Getting ready was a chore. Gracie had so many clothes on, I am not sure her arms could go down!!! Dad played with the kids outside for a while. It only took about 10 minutes before Grace was cold and wet and tired of the snow. Charlie and Dad made a snow man, went sledding and took a small hike to find our run away dog, Sierra. The snow is nice, it sure is beautiful, but when it is all said and done, we enjoy going inside and getting dry clothes on and warming up by the fire!

The Holidays

2010-01-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

We had the most wonderful time being with family for the Christmas season. With Grandmas Ellen and Auntie Robyn we made Christmas chocolate chip cookies and had Grandma's famous turkeuy soup for Christmas Eve. We were at Grandma Sue's house for Christmas morning. Charlie and Gracie enjoyed opening presents and playing with all their new toys. Charlie and Gracie helped Grandma Sue make pies for our family Christmas celebration on New Year's Day. This year we ventured out to Pasadena to see the Rose Parade floats in person. We were in awe of all the flowers and work that goes in to making that parade a hit! We had our last High School camp just after the holidays. Last weekend we had the biggest junior counselor training weekend ever. We had 27 potential junior counselor. It has been a wirlwind, but such a joy. We now have a little down time to recuperate and get ready for the rest of the winter camp season. We look forward to it!

Winter Camp

2009-12-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

With much planning and finalizing of Winter camp details still to do, we had to quickly put our trip up north behind us. The week between

Thanksgiving and the first weekend in Decemeber was pretty hectic. It included unpaking and doing laundry, inventory at camp, cleaning, shopping, repacking, organizing, ordering, calling, emailing, calling and emailing again, fixing, reorganizing, reordering, and finally actually getting everone to camp. It was a lot. It seemed impossible and out of control, but God had everything all worked out!

The Winter Camp theme is based on the book by Robert Munger, My Heart, Christ's Home. It is about taking inventory of the rooms in our heart, making it a home for Christ and allowing Him to run it. The analogy is of each room in a house representing different areas of our life that need or should be surrendered to Christ. We are only able to cover some of the rooms over the course of a weekend. The book is great if you are looking for a good read. We were somewhat concerned that the material might be too deep for the campers, and to a degree it is. We saw the counselors bring it to the level that the campers could understand. It seemed to work well. Those who wanted to go deep could and others chose to not go deep at all. The topics reached different campers at different places. To wrap up the weekend, the campers could sign the Title Deed of their heart over to Christ if they wanted to. We saw some actually take it seriously and surrender their lives and hearts to Christ. Please pray that they would want to have Christ be the center of all they do, on or off the mountain.

The snow was an added bonus for the weekend. We didn't have a lot of it but enough to make snow-sculptures and have a few sledding times. We hope to get more snow for future camps.

We are excited for the holidays and being with family and friends again. We hope and pray your Christmas season is blessed and full of Christ's love.

Thanksgiving with Family

2009-12-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Our trip up north was nice. The kids slept most of the drive as planned. When they were awake, they were easily able to enterain themselves.

We enjoyed a nice trip to Tilden Park on Sunday. It is an amazing park, almost similar to Irvine Park, but on a hillside. It was super cold and overcast. It seemed as if the sky would open any second and pour down buckets of rain on us, but it didn't.We road the train and visited the farm. The kids had a blast!

We had a family bowling outting! That was fun! John was the ultimate winner, but we all had a good time. Even Charlie and Gracie gave it a try.

Thanksgving was a special time of traditions. We enjoyed preparing the foods, setting a beautiful table, had a little family walk and a fun movie together! As you can see, Gracie was the master chef for our meal!

We played cards until the wee hours many nights, had fun playing with the kids and tried to get some family pictures.

Thank you to all who prayed for our trip. We traveled well, no one got hurt or real sick. We were glad to come home and we were pleasantly surprised to come home to snow. It has been freezing here, but I guess that is what winter is all about! Winter camp has started and we are enjoying being with the campers again. We will get some updates for you about that soon. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!

2009-11-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY TO CHARLIE! So now you will all just have to deal with some super cute pictures! I hope you don't mind. The day began with waking Charlie up to the birthday song. As you can see, he was not happy at all! (that was sarcastic!) Charlie then took a very big sniff in and said, "I don't smell cake!" He was right, I was not making a cake at 7:30 in the morning! Actually, we didn't have cake, we had cereal... for breakfast. Again, he's not happy at all!

Later in the day, Charlie and Gracie were singing and dancing in the living room. I should have taken video, but this is what I got! Notice the cool new clothes from Grandma Sue. In the afternoon, we took a trip off the hill. Charlie was excited to play (work, as he calls it) on his new Cars Laptop. He looks so official here! We went to Toys R Us where Charlie used a special gift card and some money from Grandpa Blaine to buy a Cowboy outfit. For some reason, Charlie has been talking about dressing up and playing cowboys for about two months. I am not even sure where he got that idea from. But, as seems to be the norm lately, we got the outfit and Charlie is afraid of it! This picture was taken just before the tears started. We enjoyed a nice dinner at Red Robin. Charlie got an ice cream sundae and a loud happy birthday song from the waitresses, which he hid from. Overall it was a great day! The only exception would be that we should have had the ice cream for breakfast, maybe then the sugar high would have worn off before going to bed!!!

Just Got These Photos

2009-11-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hey look! Another family photo. We just got this picture from Scott. It was taken on our vacation in September. Also, this is just a great picture of Charlie and Gracie. They were giving each other love in the middle of amphitheater time at camp. Just wanted to share!

October/November

2009-11-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is the same picture that was on our newsletter, but it is a rare occasion that we actually get a family photo, so I will put it everywhere I can! I believe Van took about 100 pictures of us this day and this was the best one! Hopefully it will get easier as the kids get bigger!

It has been a busier season than usual. We spent a lot of time in OC for camp events. It was busy but good! We really enjoyed going to our home church while we were down there. It is always nice to reconnect with friends and family there.

We are looking forward to a few weeks at home with some regular routine. It sure is beautiful here. The fall colors have come and they just glow in the sunlight. Just when we think it is getting cold and might snow, the weather shifts again. Soon we will be going to my sister's house for Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to being together, playing cards, cooking, eating, laughing, Christmas shopping and more. Charlie and Gracie have not been before. Hopefully the drive up there won't ruin the entire time! We'll see. We'd love to hear from you. Please write or call. Maybe we can get together???

Fall Season

2009-10-26T10:21:00.001-07:00

First of all forgive me for the lack of posts. I had great intentions of writing about every summer camp week. This obviously didn't happen. Needless to say, summer was awsome and we are blessed to be in our Fall season. We have plans to have Lisa take over the blog postings and me handling the Facebook side. I'm excited about this because it means that you will all get to hear from her. She has such amazing insights and perspectives. Not only that but she is the one raising our kids primarily and that means that all you people who don't read the blog you just want pictures of our kids, this will be the place.
All in all this season has been an amazing time of growing, learning, and preparing for the next year that God has for us. I am praying that as we learn how to use these cool new mediums of communication that we will all feel more connected as we serve Christ together. Looking forward to postings from Lisa!

Session 5 - All things New & Junior High

2009-08-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Session 5 was our last Junior High camp. It was well lets say a Junior High Camp. There is a special thing about Junior Highers and that is that they are Junior Highers. That amazingly awkward yet awesome age where reason and logic are being tested by social skills and peer pressure. Someone once said that if you live through your Junior High years then you may actually grow up to be something someday. Again I'm not sure who said it, but I did right now. We had a full group of Junior highers. We had what is called the perfect ratio, 24 campers, 12 counselors. We were amazed at how God worked out the numbers. The only thing that I was worried about was the fact that 8 out of our 12 counselors were brand new. Brand new to Camp ALandale, and some brand new to the idea of ministering to abused children through a mountain camping program. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a verse that is common when it comes to new believers and the new life that God has given us. It was the verse that really was the tone of the week as well. It reads,

"What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!"

We had quite a few veteran campers coming to camp this week so I was anticipating not many issues related to campers acting out or really trying to test our faith and our love for them. For the most part that is what happened. We had a few campers that were needing a little extra love and attention. Most of the ministry this week was the healing of so many wounds. What blessed us the most this week was watching God open our campers up and clean out the wounds. Seeing them open up and Give their hurt to God was so amazingly powerful. The Lord Really blessed this week of New. For many of our campers it really was that 2 Cor. 5:17 became their verse of the week as they accepted God's forgiveness and God started the healing work in their lives. Praise to God for his amazing work!!

Gideon's Mighty Men - Session 3

2009-08-15T22:25:00.001-07:00

Session 3 – Gideon’s mighty Men
This week was an amazing reminder of the power and work that is only God’s at Camp Alandale. The week started off with 3 of our 12 counselors that were signed up canceling on us, for various reasons that none of us could control. Romans 8:28 comes in real handy during times like these. We were definitely holding on to it’s promise. We ended up with once again a full camp and were wondering how it was going to go. Let’s just say that God made those 9 counselors seem like 12. He showed us how just like Gideon it’s all about having the people that God calls more than some number or a ratio that seems to make sense. Sometimes we make plans that seem to make sense because we’ve prayed over them and all the numbers sound like they will work. Then God throws a curve ball to remind us who’ really in control.
JH Camp. 7-9th graders. It was our first taste of JH camp this summer. What was nice was that we had about more than half of the campers were veterans, meaning they have been to camp before. That mix of veterans more than helped the situation. It was a camp that surprised us in so many ways. It was also the first camp that we got to do campfire talks. They are family style talks at the end of the night where we share like parents would to their kids about God’s thoughts through His word on hot topics that teens deal with today. The last talk we do for the week is called the “freestyle talk”. At the beginning of the week we ask the campers what subjects they would like us to talk about. Their suggestions are amazing and always great discussions. From Sexual identity, to questions about God, it is always so amazing to share God’s truth with hungry and thirsty souls in need of spiritual Truth.
We did have the typical Junior High relationship stuff. You know Girls giggly and flirty with the guys and some of the guys wanting it to much and others oblivious. The great thing though was that it seemed like for the most part they took our encouragements to not get caught up in a summer camp romance and to enjoy the week with everybody.
I wish there was more that I remembered. I admit that I waited too long to really do all that God did justice in these notes. I hope your hearts are as encouraged as ours are at the amazing things that God will do when we give Him are all.
Lord Bless, and can’t wait for session 5.

Summer Camp Week 1

2009-07-08T22:49:00.001-07:00

This summer started big. Litterally. 28 campers, 13 counselors, 8 Jc's. Our numbers in previous years have been dismal, especially on the first camp of the summer. It was as if God opened the floodgates of heaven and rained Foster children down from heaven on us. We had enough kids on a waiting list for the first two sessions to fill a third 4-6th grade camp! Enough about numbers, because each one of those 28 campers has a name, face, life, personality and is just that a person. Due again to protection issues I can't post real names and pictures of campers, but I can tell you amazing stories of what God did in a few of those campers. One camper we had we'll call her Sherry, she had never heard about Christ or all that He had done for her. Her counselor was so excited to share with her about God's Love and how He loved her some much. She was amazed all week at the truth from the bible she was learning. There was a glow of joy and excitement about her all week because of it. It is amazing to think that a girl in Southern California can grow up and never hear the gospel. It's true, and she wasn't the first that we have ever run across. I think it's amazing that the Church in Southern California doesn't do more to reach kids in the system and kids in the poorer, drug ridden neighborhoods where hurting people are. The interesting thing about hurting people is they are just that, and they hurt others in the process, namely their kids alot of times. Those are the people that Jesus is reaching with or without the Christian Church. I am preaching instead of telling you all the amazing things that God did at camp the first week. Sorry. Back to the Glory of God.

Another example of God's amazing Grace at work at camp was a boy we'll call Tim. Tim comes from one of those neighborhoods we mentioned and his life even though he is only in 4th grade consists of fighting and crude jokes he learned from others where he lives. He had a hard time at camp, no joke. The Love of God hits hard and can freak kids out sometimes. He was one of those that got freaked out by it. I can tell you though, God's love is also like it says in the Bible, Kind. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. Through the kindness of God Tim gave his heart to Jesus later on in the week. Tim went home at the end of that week to that neighborhood with Jesus in his heart!!

There is no way for me to tell all the amazing stories, because I didn't even see them all. In fact the week seemed like a blurr of people. This was the largest camp that we have ever done at Camp Alandale. We try to keep it small for a reason and this camp although amazing was too big. I know that sounds wierd, but again we keep it small for the campers sake, for the individualized attention sake, for supervision sake. The best thing about a big camp is we serve a big God who reached each and every heart, including ours that camp. Thank You Jesus for your amazing Love and work in our lives!

Summer Staff Training Week Reflections

2009-07-04T23:01:00.001-07:00

I know this is coming a little late now that we are coming on Week 3 of the Summer, but I thought I would just let those of you who were praying know that our summer staff training was amazing. We bonded really well with our staff and there seemed to be a real spirit of unity. It was a lot of information for everyone to swallow and take in. That part of it we need to work on making better. It was amazing to hear everyones testimonies and how God brought them to camp for the summer. We even have one all the way from North Carolina. God is amazing and has shown us more of that balance of doing as much as we can and giving it all to Him. Ultimately there is always too much work, but we aren't trusting this summer to the hard work that we get to do, but to the God that never slumbers nor sleeps and is always keeping us in His arms. The first picture here is a picture of Jonathan and I mounting a cross behind our amphitheater. Also here is a picture of our Family at the Training week and a picture of our summer staff team. Please keep us all in your prayers as the Lord does His work in and through us at Camp Alandale.

Tired Energy

2009-06-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

There is a moment in time when you know your past the point of exhaustion and heading toward the second wind. The only thing you wonder is how long can I go on. How long can I feel like no matter how much work I do, it never seems to get done. Thus is the plight of ministry. Ministry is just that. A monster that tries to eat you and your family alive. A monster that does it's best to roar so loud you can't hear the still small voice that you so desperately need. The thing that keeps us going is the thought of Billy the camper coming to know his savior. Christ in us, the hope of glory!!. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us during this tumultuous time. Thank you for your work at work days and your voices to share the Love of Christ by speaking about what God is doing at Camp Alandale. Exciting things are happening. Out of 9 sessions 7 are completely full with waiting lists. Because of the response I can pretty confidently say that by the first day of Summer Camp our registrations will be full!!! thanks for your prayers for that and we are so blessed by all of you partnering with us...

In Two Short Weeks

2009-06-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

In two short weeks counselors will be arriving for the very first camp of summer 2009. In two short weeks campers will be loading a bus bound for Camp Alandale. In two short weeks the months of preparation and training will traslate into action and lives changed. In two short weeks Charlie and Gracie will have to share mommy and daddy with 24 other kids. In two short weeks the new season will officially start. In two short weeks Christ will be glorified in the campers lives at Camp Alandale!

Thanks for all your prayers heading into this busy season. Please keep them up. We are really excited and tired. Pray for our children as we transition into the busiest season of our year. Pray Pray Pray.

The Reason I asked Why

2009-05-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

Some of you may already know, but my previous post was because of the sad news and finalizing of Tony and Tina Massa Leaving Camp Alandale. They were the San Diego Directors, and had been with camp for 10 years full time and 14 years total counting the years they volunteered before that. Again everybody asks why, but seriously only God knows totally. There are lots of things that God is doing through it all. The saddest part is the fact that sometimes things happen so that God can show us He is God and that we submit to His will and what He wants. In Idyllwild at the OC Camp Alandale it has bonded us closer then we have been ever i think. Praise God for that. The ashes in San Diego are still smoldering and only God knows what the future will be for our San Diego ministry. The great part is that God is still God and he still wants to reach kids for Christ in OC and San Diego and the world! So we submit to God's leading and direction and plan even if it makes me ask the question why. I just need to remember who to direct it to!

The Question Why?

2009-05-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Recently there have been some events that have happened that have lead me to ask the question why. It is a great word. It begs and demands an answer that would seem to somehow bring some kind of resolution or justification. The only problem is the facing the special kind of why that has no resolution, justification or even common sense. The why that leaves Calvinists and Armenianists on common ground. The why that brings Baptists and Penecostals to a potluck of ideas together. The why that leaves us with only one place to go. The place of course that we should have gone long before our aching and worrying and sleepless nights seemed to take us. The place where peace and contentment leave us with the only question left to ask. Why didn't I go to God with this in the first place!

A new era of communication

2009-04-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well we are taking the plunge. The head first bellyflop into the world of blog and facebook. It is no surprise that we would need to someday, but after so many encouragements and some friends that have gone before us we knew that this medium could be used as a powerful tool to keep us all connected. My hesitation was that if we took the plunge it seems like something else to add to my list to maintain. Then it dawned on me that a few minutes a week posting a picture and sharing some praise reports would be worth it. From what I understand though those few minutes will quickly become the goal to keep me from staying to long on it.

Thanks for your patience and prayers. Please let us know if this is something you want to keep in contact with us. Post more soon!