We asked the children who went to camp at Youth Haven Ranch to write thank you notes to the camp. Here is what a few of them had to say:
I liked the champel [chapel] and the gim [gym]. And also I liked talking about Jesus and God.
Thank you for camp so we can visit you guy[s] and we had a lot of fun. My firet [favorite] thing is the peting [petting] farm. I love You Jesus. I love you camp.
To Desert School. Thank for that week we had together. I will come bakc [back] on 2015.
The camp is in the middle of the desert, but I've never heard a child refer to it as "Desert School" until now. Some of the campers brought back certificates highlighting an important decision they had made -- choosing to accept Jesus as their Savior!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
Loyal and Sacrificial
Penelope Burk, philanthropy expert and president of Cignus Applied Research, recently noted:
"One of the interesting differences between actively religious donors and all others is that even in an economic downturn, they tend to stay loyal to causes. They take down their purchases to support their philanthropy. They volunteer more, and volunteer more in positions of high-level responsibility, such as sitting on boards of directors.”
Did you get that?
"[The actively religious] stay loyal to causes. They take down their purchases to support their philanthropy."
There was no blimp in the sky announcing that He would be observing donations that day. But there He was--deliberately seated in full view of the offering box--people watching. The people came, with their gifts. Large gifts. In fact, many people with many large gifts. It was a great day for fundraising.
But the many with their large gifts didn't catch His attention. It was a woman who gave next to nothing that led Him to say:
"...this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
It's a fact that money helps pay the bills around here. It's a fact that donations typically drop during the summertime. It's a fact that it was disheartening to have to cancel a fundraiser that was to be held tomorrow.
But God knows our needs, and He knows the hearts of those who give to His work. He knows that the woman who lives alone on a fixed income and sends a check for $5.00 every few months is giving as sacrificially as she can. And that young family? The one who could be saving for a college fund or a rainy day fund or a nice vacation? They're giving just as sacrificially when they write a check for several thousand dollars.
You might say that they took down their purchases to support their philanthropy.
He dropped out of school at the age of 14. He took jobs as a welder, wood cutter, farm hand, miner, and carpenter. He eventually got into the earthmoving business, building a company that engineered and manufactured earthmoving equipment, using designs and technology that was far beyond its era. He held hundreds of patents. Today he's considered to be the world's greatest inventor of earth moving heavy equipment.
He considered himself to be "God's businessman," and it's surmised that when he sold his company as a multi-millionaire in 1953, he gave away 90% of the proceeds and lived on the remaining 10%. This man--R.G. LeTourneau--said, “I shovel it out and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel.”
You might say that he took down his purchases to support his philanthropy.
We can't all give the same amount, but Scripture is clear: Jesus applauds the one who gives sacrificially. LeTourneau had this perspective: “The question is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.”
"One of the interesting differences between actively religious donors and all others is that even in an economic downturn, they tend to stay loyal to causes. They take down their purchases to support their philanthropy. They volunteer more, and volunteer more in positions of high-level responsibility, such as sitting on boards of directors.”
Did you get that?
"[The actively religious] stay loyal to causes. They take down their purchases to support their philanthropy."
There was no blimp in the sky announcing that He would be observing donations that day. But there He was--deliberately seated in full view of the offering box--people watching. The people came, with their gifts. Large gifts. In fact, many people with many large gifts. It was a great day for fundraising.
But the many with their large gifts didn't catch His attention. It was a woman who gave next to nothing that led Him to say:
"...this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
It's a fact that money helps pay the bills around here. It's a fact that donations typically drop during the summertime. It's a fact that it was disheartening to have to cancel a fundraiser that was to be held tomorrow.
But God knows our needs, and He knows the hearts of those who give to His work. He knows that the woman who lives alone on a fixed income and sends a check for $5.00 every few months is giving as sacrificially as she can. And that young family? The one who could be saving for a college fund or a rainy day fund or a nice vacation? They're giving just as sacrificially when they write a check for several thousand dollars.
You might say that they took down their purchases to support their philanthropy.
He dropped out of school at the age of 14. He took jobs as a welder, wood cutter, farm hand, miner, and carpenter. He eventually got into the earthmoving business, building a company that engineered and manufactured earthmoving equipment, using designs and technology that was far beyond its era. He held hundreds of patents. Today he's considered to be the world's greatest inventor of earth moving heavy equipment.
He considered himself to be "God's businessman," and it's surmised that when he sold his company as a multi-millionaire in 1953, he gave away 90% of the proceeds and lived on the remaining 10%. This man--R.G. LeTourneau--said, “I shovel it out and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel.”
You might say that he took down his purchases to support his philanthropy.
We can't all give the same amount, but Scripture is clear: Jesus applauds the one who gives sacrificially. LeTourneau had this perspective: “The question is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.”
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
The Ranchers
This is a group of campers at the end of the week (last Friday):
And this is a group of campers at the start of the week (yesterday):
Please pray for the 7 campers above; none of them have ever been to Youth Haven before and so were a little nervous when they arrived at camp on Monday. Last night I got a call from a family wanting to know how to reach their child at camp; mom is apparently nervous, too!
Friday, June 20, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Youth Haven and What $5 Can Do
This morning our interns took 8 campers to Youth Haven Ranch for some summer fun. I still find myself occasionally thinking of it as "Youth Heaven," as one little guy who went to camp there used to refer to it. It's not heaven, but it's a great place on earth for kids to begin a relationship with Christ and grow in His truth.
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Aim Right was recently the recipient of an office collection. It's such a cool idea that I thought I'd share it here. Apparently, the dress code is loosened on one day of the week, and employees may wear denim. There's a catch, though. If you wear denim, you must pay $5, with the funds pooled and sent to a different charity each week.
-------------------
Aim Right was recently the recipient of an office collection. It's such a cool idea that I thought I'd share it here. Apparently, the dress code is loosened on one day of the week, and employees may wear denim. There's a catch, though. If you wear denim, you must pay $5, with the funds pooled and sent to a different charity each week.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Friday Thoughts
Aim Right's fleet is minus one as of today. Our 1992 bus had reached the point of being quite pricey to keep in running order, and God provided a local buyer for it. If buses could talk, though, I'm sure this one would have some stories to tell -- of long treks to Colorado for Teen Camp, of multiple taggings and beatings, of the many kids that once were tiny and now are gangly teenagers.
Happy Father's Day to the dads out there who are present in their kids' lives and making the everyday sacrifices required to love and nurture them. Here's a light-hearted salute to you!
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No matter what side of the political fence you're on, this crisis is worth making a matter of prayer. Estimates are that 90,000 undocumented children will illegally cross our borders by the end of this year.
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I made a quick list of children and teens I know who are currently growing up fatherless or have grown up with a disengaged father. My list totaled 29 names. I'm sure there are more, but I don't know the family dynamics of all the children that come through our doors. The extent of fatherlessness in the U.S. is such that over 24 million children live in a home without a father.Happy Father's Day to the dads out there who are present in their kids' lives and making the everyday sacrifices required to love and nurture them. Here's a light-hearted salute to you!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Wrapping up VBS
At some point during the course of Vacation Bible School preparations, someone felt compelled to tape this outside my office door:
The pace of VBS is such that I know why we don't keep it up all summer long, but I must confess that now that's over, I miss....
- the kids (From the brand-new faces to the ones we've known for years, they are each unique in their own way.)
- the staff (God bless them for their energy and enthusiasm, their love for the kids, their willingness to run and play and sit cross-legged on the floor, and their endurance of less-than-cool van and bus rides. Thanks, Kansans and locals!!)
- the decorations (I kind of miss the ranch look around here.)
I can think back to some Vacation Bible Schools where we really focused on recruiting new children and canvassed several streets or apartment complexes with invitations. While we did some of that this year, most of our new children came through existing contacts; a neighbor or friend said, "Why don't you come to this?"
Through some conversations with the Kansans, I found out that many from the Word of Life group regularly volunteer with a kids ministry at their church that reaches out to around 100 children on Tuesday evenings. They have 40 staff, with a goal of eventually having a 1:1 staff to child ratio.
Most ministries and churches would probably dream of having even a 1 to 2.5 ratio like they already have, but I applaud their desire and vision to not be content with that. There is always the temptation to have large numbers attending an event or program, but bigger does not necessarily mean better. Yes, Jesus preached to the masses, but He also deeply invested in a select few -- the 12 disciples as a group and then Peter, James, and John.
Here's the final VBS video Colby put together for us. Enjoy!
Friday, June 6, 2014
VBS - Thursday evening
Colby put together a video of Day #1 of VBS. Visit our Facebook page for more photos and updates. (Actually, if you're inclined to view both the left and right sides of this video, visit Facebook or youtube. I realized the right side isn't showing, and I'm not sure how to correct that at the moment).
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
And this is June....
"This is our winter."
I overheard someone trying to explain to an out-of-stater how we view the hot summers here. In other words, this is our yucky weather time. You need a pot holder to touch your steering wheel, and a "break in the heat" is a 104 degree day versus a 112 degree day. But the bright side is that:
"It's a dry heat."
Welcome to June!
---------------------------
Since Sunday, we have been taking a group of children to "the church by the mountains" [Paradise Valley Mennonite] for their Mega Sports Camp VBS. They have had a blast, and I've heard them singing in the van on the way home, "I will follow, I will follow You...."
We have also been preparing for our own VBS, Circle of Friends Ranch, and will begin on Thursday evening. Traveling to assist us with VBS is a group from Word of Life Mennonite in Hutchinson, KS.
While out visiting kids and inviting them to VBS, I dropped by an apartment where a very sick little girl lives. I wasn't even sure if she would be home or in the hospital, but she was surprisingly sitting outside with a friend. She has been undergoing chemotherapy, and her once long, thick hair is now a short bob, with large patches of hair missing. While previously on strict contact precautions and basically confined to her house, she happily reported, "I can go places now, but I probably can't be around a lot of kids yet."
Pray for this 10-year-old girl as she goes through treatment for leukemia.
-------------------------
These quotes are from Caleb at the final Teen Night of the semester:
"Without completely trusting and accepting God and allowing Him to have complete rule over our life, we will never reach who God has created us to be."
"If we don't align our lives with who God is and what He wants to do for us, we are going to miss out on a lot."
-------------------------
A group from Grace Mennonite (Berlin, OH) is in town to lead the Mega Sports Camp VBS and spent several hours yesterday and today cleaning at both Aim Right locations and organizing yard sale items for us. Thank you, Grace team!
I overheard someone trying to explain to an out-of-stater how we view the hot summers here. In other words, this is our yucky weather time. You need a pot holder to touch your steering wheel, and a "break in the heat" is a 104 degree day versus a 112 degree day. But the bright side is that:
"It's a dry heat."
Welcome to June!
---------------------------
Since Sunday, we have been taking a group of children to "the church by the mountains" [Paradise Valley Mennonite] for their Mega Sports Camp VBS. They have had a blast, and I've heard them singing in the van on the way home, "I will follow, I will follow You...."
We have also been preparing for our own VBS, Circle of Friends Ranch, and will begin on Thursday evening. Traveling to assist us with VBS is a group from Word of Life Mennonite in Hutchinson, KS.
While out visiting kids and inviting them to VBS, I dropped by an apartment where a very sick little girl lives. I wasn't even sure if she would be home or in the hospital, but she was surprisingly sitting outside with a friend. She has been undergoing chemotherapy, and her once long, thick hair is now a short bob, with large patches of hair missing. While previously on strict contact precautions and basically confined to her house, she happily reported, "I can go places now, but I probably can't be around a lot of kids yet."
Pray for this 10-year-old girl as she goes through treatment for leukemia.
-------------------------
These quotes are from Caleb at the final Teen Night of the semester:
"Without completely trusting and accepting God and allowing Him to have complete rule over our life, we will never reach who God has created us to be."
"If we don't align our lives with who God is and what He wants to do for us, we are going to miss out on a lot."
-------------------------
A group from Grace Mennonite (Berlin, OH) is in town to lead the Mega Sports Camp VBS and spent several hours yesterday and today cleaning at both Aim Right locations and organizing yard sale items for us. Thank you, Grace team!
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