Tomorrow morning we leave for our camping trip!!! I have been running around like crazy today trying to get every last detail finished and yet I still have that feeling I am forgetting something. Oh well, I’ll tell you what I forgot when I get back (that’s just the way it goes. You don’t know what you forgot until you need it!).
We have 6 kids coming and 3 staff so it should be a great opportunity to spend time with kids in a smaller group. Please pray for me, Marie, and Marcus as we talk to the kids each evening, pray with them, try to dig deeper into their lives, and ultimately give them an opportunity to know Christ as their Savior on our trip. I am doing the “salvation message/talk” on Thursday night so pray that I am able to communicate it in a way that reaches them where they are. Thanks!!!
Also pray for Maggie, the new baby, and Ruby as they spend the week together back at home. It’s hard to leave when Maggie could have the baby any day! I am driving my own car up there in case I get “the call” so as long as Maggie can keep the baby in for 3 and a half hours I should make it back before all the excitement begins!
Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, and support! I rely on you all greatly and your prayers are not in vain!! Thanks!
Dan
Last night I talked with the kids here about not giving up when things get tough in life. I also talked about how we often make decisions that lead us away from a place of God’s presence in our lives. It went very well and kids responded well to the challenge I gave them at the end. I am going to post the lesson/talk here so you can check it out if you want.
Please pray for our trip next week. Things are coming together very well. I have been getting all the necessary supplies and camping stuff we need. Because of your generous scholarship support I am able to have several kids come that were not able to afford the full price. THANKS!!!! It is truly a blessing to have you all behind me.
Also, pray for Maggie and the new baby. Pray that the baby will not come until AFTER I get back from the trip. I will be in sub-par cell phone service areas while camping so if things happen to progress quickly I may not be able to answer my phone right away and find out what’s going on. I am planning on driving my own car up there so I can have the flexibility to leave right away if I get “the call”.
Thanks again for all your prayers, scholarships, and support. I would not be here without you all. “Fight the fight. Keep the faith. Finish the race.”
Dan
Word Doc. for Don’t Give Up!!!
Everything is shaping up GREAT for the middle school camping trip!!! I was able to spend a lot of time in April and May planning, calling, and preparing for the trip. That prep is coming in handy now because it allows me to still spend a lot of time pursuing kids for one on one’s and even going after kids I want to come on the trip. So far we have 6 kids that want to go and are planning on attending. That is awesome because most kids have a hard time committing to anything 2 weeks in advance.
Our teaching topic for the trip is “Child of the King”. We are going to talk about how how people view us, how we view ourselves, who people think we are, and what a child of God looks like. On the last night I am going to give a short salvation message and give the kids an opportunity to become an Child of the King or to recommit their lives to Him.
Part of that evening involves giving them something they can tangibly take home with them. I have ordered 21 rubber bracelets with “Child of the King” printed on the outside to help them remember who they TRULY are in Christ. The cost for the bracelets is $51.45. I am putting this here because I want to give you an opportunity to step alongside these kids and give them this gift by paying for the bracelets. I don’t want it to sound like I am always asking for money from you all because I am SOOOO thankful for all you have done to support me, TreeHouse, and sponsor kids this summer. Chaska TreeHouse has had more scholarship money come in this summer than in any past summer!! Thank you SOOO much for that blessing.
Having said that, I know there is someone who has a heart for kids who is willing to step forward and donate these bracelets to the 12-15 of us going on the trip. I could use the money from my scholarship fund to pay for them but I want to be able to use that money to scholarship as many kids as possible. If this is something you are interested in doing just let me by posting a comment to this update. I’ll be in contact with you via email after that to work it all out.
On another note, please pray for Maggie and the new baby. We are getting closer to the due date (Aug. 13th) and it’s getting more uncomfortable. To make things even more fun our central air conditioning has broken! Last weekend it hit 98 degrees here which is pretty hot for Minnesota. The forecast for next week is upper 80′s and a couple days in the 90′s again. We do not have the money to fix the central air now so we bought a window unit to help take the edge off when it gets really hot. Pray that Maggie stays cool over the next few weeks as we get closer and it gets hotter! Thanks! We love our house and having a pool this summer has been a lifesaver.
Have a great weekend and I’ll update you again with specific prayer requests as we get closer to the trip. Just leave a comment here if you are willing to give the bracelets to the kids on our trip (and yes, you will get a bracelet too). Thanks!!!
