I have made a quick PP of our trip. There are only about 20 pics so it won’t take long to look at them. I hope you get a sense of how much fun we had and how much we were all able to grow closer to God. Being in nature really helps me reconnect with God.  Thanks for all you did to make the trip possible! I am going to add some video clips to the show sometime so I’ll let you know when it is done.

Have a great day!

Dan

Lewis and Clark Pictures

What an awesome trip! We had so much fun! I experienced things that I had never experienced before on a camping trip. A majority of our kids who attended the trip had NEVER been camping before! It was fun teaching and showing them how to do the little things around a campsite that need to be done. Things  like getting water, keeping ALL the food inside the van so the animals don’t eat it, and why it is important to take your shoes off BEFORE you enter your tent.

One of my highlights was sitting on a kayak on a wilderness lake approximately 50 yards from a moose!! It was standing in the water, drinking and eating along the tall grass in the water. I was able to share that moment with one of the boys on the trip and I know it is a experience we were able to both bond over. It has helped us grow in our relationship together because for guys, bonding typically comes while DOING something together (a shared experience).

We also had some other really exciting things going on at the wilderness lake. This particular lake was crawling (or swimming) with leaches!!!! They were just waiting for you to step into the water near the edge so they could grab on to you! One kid had (and I am not exaggerating this amount!) 15-20 leaches on his feet and lower legs from standing in the water for less than 2 minutes!!! I had to grab them with my finger nails and pull them off his feet!! That was pretty gross.

We spent a bunch of time swimming in Gooseberry Falls, jumping into Lake Superior, and hanging out at our campground playing games. (I will attach our schedule if anyone wants to check out in detail what we did during the week and what time we did it!) It only rained one afternoon while we were there but I was able to rig up a tarp over our table so we were still able to stay outside and play games in the rain.

Our evening talks went very well! The kids were able to connect very well with our topic and added a lot of good conversation during the group discussion times. They also LOVED the “Child of the King” bracelets I had made for them. On the final night I gave an invitation for any of the kids who had not become a Child of the King to take that free gift. From talking with the other staff afterwards I do not think any of the kids accepted Christ for the first time that night but I do know that a few of them were encouraged and challenged to pursue a deeper relationship with God. Many of them had never thought about all the blessings they inherit as a Child of the King. It is always rewarding to help open their eyes to something new about God and their position in Him.

I will find out if I am able to post some pictures from our trip because I want to show you more about our trip. I am soooo thankful for all of you who sent summer scholarship money in because we only had ONE kid on the trip who was able to pay for the whole trip cost. One kid was not even able to pay the minimum $20 deposit. We were able to take these kids because of your generous giving. It is an experience they will never forget! Thank you so much. I am also in the process of making a short DVD of the trip so if anyone has video editing skills down so well they could do it in their sleep and wants to help me out with our DVD let me know!

Have a great week and I will update you all again soon! Obviously Maggie did not have the baby yet so we are still waiting for that to come. I’ll let you know, don’t worry!

Dan

Detailed Schedule of Lewis and Clark Camping Trip with TH

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!!!