Can I just start by explaining this year in a nutshell? January was half over by the time we started. February was over by the time it started, March never happened and what’s April? Jokes aside, this year has gone by very quickly. At the end of this month, I will have graduated from the Ministry Bound program that I have done the last 2 years. To sum up my time in Ministry Bound at Ironwood one of the biggest lessons I have learned is God’s grace is sufficient in my weakness! It may be simple, but such an important lesson to remember.
So, what are the happenings here at Ironwood? I am glad you asked. Since January, we have had wide variety of retreats from youth retreats to family camps to adult retreats. Many decisions have been made with at least one known salvation! We also had serval mission teams come and help in January and February. They were able to make great progress with the 3 staff homes being built, our barn remodel project (this will be a new meeting room/activity center), and many other maintenance projects.
What has stood out to me over the last 4 months?
In January, my family helped me move cross country (huge thanks to them for the help!) and I had the opportunity to help host our Women Counseling Women Retreat.
February was very busy in the business office. Due to recent changes in leadership plus updating the entire bookkeeping processes, I have spent much time developing processes for flow and maintenance before I am to transition to the Sequoia Meadow team in May. But even amid the business, a group of us took the time to go skiing!
In March, I had the opportunity to attend Tweakage. Wait, what is Tweakage? It is a retreat for people in camp ministry to be able to connect with others in camp ministry, share ideas, and be refreshed.
This past year over 50 different camps were represented and over 200 people attended. During Easter weekend, with the help of my brother, I was able to fly home for a surprise visit which was a huge success! Finally, in April I had the opportunity to host a women’s retreat that I had worked on coordinating over the previous 2 months. To finish out the month, Ministry Crew hosted a carnival style event for all the staff where the slip n’ slide was the biggest hit.
Now looking forward to the next couple of months. Sequoia Meadow Christian Camp will open at the start of May. That means I will be moving up there and starting another part of my ministry. While there are many details in place, please continue to pray for wisdom as we must put the different puzzle pieces together.
We will have a break week at the end of May and then our summer Staff (3 so far) will arrive June 1 and summer camp will begin. As we look to the summer season, please pray for safety during the various maintenance projects, clarity in our communication, and spiritual growth and refreshment for the campers attending this season.
So, there you have it, 3 almost 4 months in a nutshell. Thank you for your prayers and support so far and I look forward to seeing how the Lord will continue to work in the next couple of months with the many changes.
“But he said to me, ‘My Grace is sufficient for your, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
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