July 2008

New House

We returned to Michigan without a house. Two days later we had an agreement to buy a new house! We will move in the first week of August. This house is nicer than the one we had originally placed an offer on, is a little closer to campus, and it was not even on the market until July 1. If we had gotten the first house earlier we would not have known about this one. God has worked the timing out perfectly and given us a great house! Please pray we would get moved in and settled enough  in order to be able to hit the ground running when we begin preparing for the fall semester starting mid-August.

Northwoods Project

What happens when you wake 25 men up at 4 a.m. for  a two mile run down and up a steep hill or put the same guys through a “fighting” exercise in which physical limits are pushed and shirts are torn off? What happens when you throw a 45 pound backpack into a lake, make a guy fish it out, load it with large rocks and make him carry it for the next 3 hours. You find out a lot about a guy’s walk with God!

In normal ministry settings it can be easy for men to put on a front and make it appear to everyone that they are doing well in walking consistently with God. When men are pushed physically and placed in uncomfortable and difficult situations, a lot of sin comes to the surface—especially anger and pride.  This allows a man to see what is really going on in his life  and begin to take significant steps toward learning to trust God in every circumstance.

We saw men take amazing steps in their walks with God! Many of them began personal study of Scripture and Scripture memory for the first time in their lives. They did evangelism so much in five weeks that they return to their campuses with the ability to walk into any setting on campus and be able to communicate their faith. Men who came in with pride, anger, or passivity came out understanding their position in Christ, how to deal with their anger and how to take steps of faith to overcome their passive tendencies.

It was an amazing summer! I enjoyed being on a large summer project again and getting to pour into a few men throughout the summer. I was pushed emotionally, spiritually and physically as well.

The project was also great for Shelly and the kids. Shelly enjoyed getting to know the other wives. They were able to interact a lot with the students, and those men learned a lot by talking with and observing the families on project. Our kids loved being around the students! Andrew got to go on the first camping trip with me and loved being with the guys. The girls had two guys in particular that took interest in them and became their favorite friends among the students. Caleb, our most outgoing child, made friends whenever he could.

The men get ready to canoe on Lake Temagami on the second camping trip

Nate meeting with one of his guys

Kids' Column

I got to fish for the first time this summer. I caught two fish and Daddy only caught one! It was so much fun to hang out with the college students. The black flies liked me a lot more than I liked them. I still have some bites that haven’t healed all the way.

The “guys” this summer were so much fun! Mr. Justin and Mr. Curtis liked to swing us around and have grass thrown on them. I made a new friend who lives in Columbus, so we might get to see her on one of our trips to Ohio. Mommy discovered that I really like playing in dirt while we were in Canada. I think she spent a lot of extra time scrubbing my clothes to get them clean.

It was so much fun to play with so many other kids my age while we were in Canada. I even got to invite them and the guys, mainly Mr. Justin and Mr. Curtis, to my half-birthday party. We played games and had cake and ice cream and it was so much fun! That was my first birthday party for friends. I am 4 1/2 now!

Mommy and Daddy are surprised to hear me starting to talk in sentences. They don’t know that I am learning a lot from Andrew, Lauren and Lindsey. Canada was fun—there was a circle path outside our apartments and one of the other 2 year-olds, Eleanor, and I pushed strollers around it a lot.

 Caleb

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