Intentional Thanksgiving 3

I haven't been able to post because I have been without Internet the past few days, and I only have it now for just a bit. However, I have been keeping up with my list of things I am thankful for. Here is my list from the past few days...

Tuesday...

16. I'm thankful for my Texas roots :)

17. I'm thankful also that God brought me to Iowa and made it feel like home.

18. I'm also thankful for Target, which may seem silly but I just love that store and I know I'll miss it in NZ.

19. I'm thankful that the Lord's loving kindness never ceases!

20. I'm thankful for my best friend Mindi and that no matter how far apart we are, we are able to pick up where we left off.

On Wednesday I was thankful for...

21. Big comfy sweatshirts.

22. Movie nights with Andy.

23. Our small group at church- they are some of our closest friends!

24. Having 2 amazing sisters who I love so much!

25. Having a wonderful brother that I love and am so thankful for!

On Thursday I was thankful for...

26. Delicious Thanksgiving food!

27. Fun and laughter with family.

28. Black Friday shopping (mostly for the memories).

29. For family nearby to celebrate the holidays with.

30. I am also thankful that God has given me so much to be thankful for, both now and for eternity!

Intentional Thanksgiving 2

"I WILL MAGNIFY HIM WITH THANKSGIVING"

Psalm 69:30b

From Sunday...

6.  I'm thankful for our prayer and financial partners that have generously and selflessly supported us over the years and through this time of transition.

7. I am thankful for the amazing woman that God has put into my life to invest in at Iowa State.

8. I love a good book and I am so thankful for them!  I'm especially thankful for my current favorite book, We Would See Jesus, and the impact it has had on my life over the years. 

9. I'm thankful for coffee shops and the inevitable good conversations that happen there.

10. I am so thankful for my family, both the ones that have known me since birth and the family I married into.  I love them so much and am thankful for all the ways they have loved and cared for Andy and I.

Today...

11. I am so thankful for Duane and Danelle Jensen and for how they have selflessly opened up their home to us and let us be a part of their family.

12. I'm thankful that God's timing is perfect, and that nothing catches Him by surprise.

13. I'm thankful for fun friends that I can spend the whole day with shopping, doing crafts, or any other kind of excuse we can come up with to hang out!

14. I'm thankful for rest and the occasional nap!

15. I am thankful for our church family at Grand Avenue Baptist.  I'm am so blessed by all the ways they have loved us, supported us, and have helped us to grow in our walks with God. 

Magnify Him With Thanksgiving

Yesterday I was meeting with a young woman named Lauren who is a student at Iowa State and is a precious friend.  We talked about Thanksgiving coming up and how easy it is to be ungrateful and miss out on all the wonderful blessings we have in Christ.  We committed to be intentionally thankful this Thanksgiving, so we are keeping a list of 5 new things every day to thank God for.  My hope is that we all will not merely feast on food during this holiday, but on the sweet blessings of our Savior. I've decided I want to share my list with you that you might rejoice and magnify Him with me and give thanks of your own.

Sometimes it can be really hard for me to be thankful.  Even in the midst of wonderful things going on around me, I have the terrible impulse to zero-in on what's going "wrong", i.e. what's not going "my way".  There are times when I think I have been patient enough and thankful enough for long enough and I finally have a right to be ungrateful.

The truth is, I never have that right.  Even in the midst of pain, despair, loss, hurt, grief, disappointment .. God's calls me to rejoice, to be thankful.  And the beautiful thing is that God loves me and cares about my joys AND my griefs, and He wants to give me the eternal perspective to be able to face both with courage and hope.  

I was impacted recently by an excerpt from A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent.  He says "The more absorbed I am in the gospel, the more grateful I become in the midst of my circumstances, whatever they may be... The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath.  This is the cup that would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day.  With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude   If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me.  That God, in fact, has given me a cup that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ," and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy..."

Only with my eyes turned toward God and what He has done, what He has saved me from and saved me into, am I at last enabled to be continually thankful.

"... I WILL MAGNIFY HIM WITH THANKSGIVING" 
Psalm 69:30b

1. Thinking on what Milton Vincent said, I am thankful that God's cup runs over with spiritual blessings on my life.  He shows me love and grace and forgiveness and eternal life though His Son.

2. I'm thankful today that I am spared from the wrath that I deserve.

3. I am thankful for my husband Andy who loves God and myself deeply.  I know Andy would give his life for me and I can't think of a better picture of God's great love for me.

4. I'm thankful for all the laughter in my life because of the people that are in it.

5. I'm thankful that our NZ Immigration Officer acted on our visa application quickly.  And even though we aren't approved yet, she let us know exactly what she is looking for.  I am most thankful about this because it reminds me that God is the one in control and He wants to help us learn to trust in Him more and more.

Visa Applications Submitted!

After around 20 hours of work, ten passport-sized photos, two trips to the doctor's office, thirty international emails, three phone calls to the consulate office, and countless details sorted, Kathryn and I have submitted our visa applications to work and live in New Zealand!

All in all, I'm guessing it was around 100 pieces of paper!

Between the people in New Zealand that we know and the information we have found online, it appears that approval for visas will take between two weeks to three months! We are praying that it is much closer to the former than the latter- please pray with us!

Depending on when we get these back, we hope to move to NZ in early to mid January! This would give us time to get settled a bit before students arrive on campus in early March!

We have enjoyed learning more and more about the people and culture that we are moving to; we have especially enjoyed their unique sense of humor. The following video is a great example of that, we hope to watch it on the plane soon!

Decisions, Decisions...

Around three weeks ago we heard back from our international leaders in response to our time in the South Pacific (see previous post). In light of the ongoing situation in Fiji, they asked Kathryn and I to prayerfully consider taking over the leadership of one of the other strategic needs in the region, namely, the campus work at the University of Auckland. This university has incredible need and is an incredible opportunity! We will post more about the role and the specifics of the campus but I first want to share how we made this decision.

We had asked many to be praying for us as we made this decision because we didn't want to do it on our own. When I think of making decisions invariably one of the first verses that comes to my mind is Isaiah 50:10, 11 which says (ESV) "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment." These are strong verses displaying our overwhelming tendency to try and go it alone instead of depending on the Lord. Thankfully, God has used these verses in my life to help me be more cautious before jumping into decisions. I try to insure that I'm not just running off by the light of my own torches (which I've done all too often!). 

As I was spending time with the Lord over this decision, I kept thinking of Acts 16:6-10 which we had looked at during our study of Philippians this past summer. 

"And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." - Acts 16:6-10

I am fascinated by this passage. The author, Luke, actually says that they were forbidden to do ministry in certain places by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus. I wonder how they knew that? Maybe one day I will get to ask that question! I was also struck by the word "concluding". How did they conclude? Is it possible to conclude without a vision? 

According to my concordance, the Greek word translated "concluding" here is the same word that is translated as "held together" in Ephesians 4:16, "knit together" in Colossians 2:2, 19, "instruct" in 1 Corinthians 2:16, and "proving" in Acts 9:22. These last two translations I found very interesting and helpful. Acts 9:22 says "But [Paul] increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ." As we read through the rest of Acts and Paul's letters we can get a feel for what his "proving" would have been like. The way that he taught, especially when his audience was of Jewish background, depended highly on reasoning from the rest of Scripture and the facts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. I think on some level or another their concluding in Acts 16 wasn't based solely on the vision from the man of Macedonia, but also had to do with the situation at hand and the surrounding circumstances. They used reason as well as the vision they had seen.

So I thought "maybe we can do the same" and as I prayed I began to list out our circumstances and the process we have been in to see if we also could conclude that God was calling us to Auckland. Here is a snapshot of what I had written:

1. God has used us in the lives of people and called us into ministry.

2. We sought to go into Fiji because of a sense of the need for laborers there.

3. Over time it began to be unclear as to whether the door into Fiji was open or closed.

4. Many of our leaders began to mention other options (beginning in June), several mentioning Auckland to us* though their stance was "let's continue waiting".

5. We traveled to Fiji, door seemed even more closed; felt like our hearts were beginning to distance from it.

6. Our leaders stances seemed to be shifting from "wait" to "let's look elsewhere".

7. They encouraged us to talk with the New Zealand staff.

8. We saw a clear need for laborers at the University of Auckland.

9. Mutual excitement about the possibility with the NZ staff and us.

10. Leadership released us from the team to Fiji and encouraged us to move forward in pursuing Auckland.

11. Kathryn and I sensed a great deal of freedom and peace in regards to ministering in Auckland, and we were excited about the possibility.

12. As we asked questions and continued to move forward it became readily apparent that this really is an incredible need and opportunity that we'd enjoy being a part of!

I concluded from that time that if NZ was to offer us a formal invitation, I would feel sure enough to conclude that God was indeed calling us there (just like Paul and his team did in Acts 16:10)! About a week ago, we received a formal invitation from the Navigators of NZ to come and work with University students in Auckland. A few days after that we prayerfully and excitedly said yes and accepted the role! 

Just as Paul and his team then "immediately sought to go on into Macedonia" so Kathryn and I are now beginning a new visa process! 

I thought this short study on Acts 16 may be very helpful to others as it was helpful to me. As we've worked with University students over the years it has become readily apparent that the question "how do I discern God's will and make decisions?" is very prominent and relevant! My guess is that it remains that way through many stages of life.

* Really, until our leaders began talking to us about the need in Auckland, we had no idea there was even a need there. For us, the whole process seems to go toe to toe with Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." We had planned on going to Fiji and out of the blue God directs us to Auckland. I'm not sure we would have known about Auckland at all if we hadn't been in the process to Fiji already!

Time in Tonga and Fiji

Malo e lelei! Bula Vinaka! and Kia Ora!

That is a very warm greeting from Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand! Kathryn and I returned from an 11-day trip there around a week ago. We had a great time and were able to have many of the important conversations about the remaining process of beginning ministry at the University of the South Pacific! Here are some pictures and stories from our time.

The on-board flight route on the longest leg of our trip from LA to Auckland, 13 hours

Pacific Island Conference in Tonga

The first stop on our trip was in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. We were there for five days for the Pacific Island Navigators Conference. There were about 200 attendees from Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands, as well as Tongans who are reaching out to Islanders in New Zealand. It was so great to get to interact with the different islanders and to learn about each one of their countries and people.

Throughout the conference there were different student-aged groups that came to lead worship! We had a great time getting to fellowship with God's people on the other side of the world. 

The first night of the conference they gave each of the guests a flowered necklace to welcome and thank us all for coming. Kathryn and I sought to do things the island way while there, so you can notice that just like the Tongan and Fijian men, I'm wearing a skirt (or Tupenu in Tongan) to dress up for the conference.

The Non-Tongans at the conference on our way for a tour of the island!

We ate lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood; most of it was really good!

Part of the fresh market. 

Drinking the water straight from the coconut is a common beverage in the Pacific Islands

Suckling pig is considered the finest food in the Kingdom of Tonga! 

As you can see Tonga is a very beautiful place! This view was just down the street from where we spent the first two nights.

Though we were there only five days, it was a great opportunity to learn about their culture and how they live and relate with one another.

On to Fiji and USP

Our time in Tonga went very fast. The next part of our trip was in Suva, Fiji where we went to visit the University of the South Pacific and interact with the Navs there who are working to secure our visas. 

Students walking on campus.

We spent a few hours one day walking the campus, watching students interact with one another, and getting a feel for USP. We also traveled into downtown Suva to get to know the city as well.

A new prominent building in downtown Suva.

Though we saw many things one of our main goals for the time was learning more about the details of the visa process. We were especially trying to get a feel for the length of time remaining before we would be cleared to enter the country and begin ministry there.

These are the wives of the Nav group in Fiji.

We were thankful to have met these women at the conference in Tonga. They helped us to navigate the city and get around more efficiently than we would have on our own! Their husbands were out of town on business, but we were able to interact with them about the visa situation. The Navs there are trying to make a couple of changes to their board before they feel it would be a good idea to submit our applications. They were unsure as to how long this would take but hoped to be able to do so in the next month or so. Because of this continued uncertainty, our international leadership is processing whether it would be better to recommend to Kathryn and I that we move to one of the other strategic needs in the Asia/Pacific Region.

The Top Ten Reasons not to mess with a Fijian (aka old tribal weapons and tools)!

One of the main options is in Auckland, New Zealand and we were able to layover for a day when we flew through New Zealand back to the US.  

A Brief Look at Auckland, New Zealand

While we were in Tonga, our leadership connected us with some of the leaders in Auckland to talk more specifically about the opportunities and needs there. So our small day trip turned into a day of meetings and significant conversations. We had a great time meeting the staff there and getting to see the city and campus! This is still very much just an idea until we have more clarity and a for sure closed door with Fiji, but we want to be prepared if this is the case.

Here are a few pictures from our time there!

View of the city from the plane. Auckland is the home to over 1 million people.

The University of Auckland is in the middle of downtown. These are students walking from one part of campus to another for class.

One of the older buildings on campus.

Auckland is between two harbors on the North Island of NZ and, at one of the staff's recommendations, we hopped on a ferry to see a different part of the city!

We are very thankful to have been able to make this trip and, though we don't yet have any concrete decisions or timelines, all of the right conversations are happening. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will know more about the whole situation. Please pray for God's continued guidance and clear leading for us and our leaders in this time.

Stay tuned, more to come!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

We are currently in route to the Island nation of Tonga to attend The Navigators Pacific Island Conference! We will be about 6500 miles from home and will be gone for about 14 days! We left at 1:30pm from Chicago on Monday to get to LA. We left LA last night, the 3rd, and arrived in Auckland this morning, the 5th. We lost the 4th so hopefully nothing too important happened. :) We have a 9 hr layover in Auckland right now and we can see the ocean outside the airport window. Wish we could go outside but I'm not too worried about it because I know we will have a day here on our way back. And this is such a nice and comfortable airport to be stuck in!

We leave for Tonga at 3pm today and we will be there 5 days for the conference. We can't wait to meet and interact with Navigator staff from all over the Pacific Islands! And Mike Treneer, the international president of The Navigators, is the conference speaker which is always a treat.

After Tonga we will head to Fiji for 3 days to see campus, meet people, look at housing, etc. We are excited for this leg of the trip!

Our hope and prayer during this time is that God would bring more clarity to our situation with the visa complications, etc. Even more than that we hope to begin to build deep relationships with staff in the region and to further our heart and vision for the South Pacific.

Stay tuned for a detailed update when we get back!

Reflections of a Summer with the Nations

In some ways it is sad that the Global Student Program has ended, especially since we don't know when we might be able to see our new friends again.  But in many ways, it is a joy to reflect on all that God did this summer and that we got to be a part of it.  I am having a really hard time deciding what to write or what story to share that will best capture the summer, our experiences, what we did, what we learned, and how all of us are walking away different in some way.  I think that the best I can do for now is share some pictures and a few stories and hope that in some way this will give a glimpse of what this summer was like for us.  Get ready for several pics!

We spent most of this summer in the book of Philippians- studying, memorizing and applying it.  I was really impacted by this study, and I know that I wasn't alone in that.  Constantly I heard students and staff referring to the things they were learning and how they were growing through their study. I can definitely relate to Paul when he says in Philippians "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you..."  I am so thankful for these people that we got to work with this summer!

We learned so much this summer from some amazing speakers.  Pictured above is us with Jim Downing, the oldest living Navigator and definitely one of the most wise.  One of the goals of the summer was to train and develop staff and students in heart, vision, and skill so they could go back to their home countries more equipped to labor.  

Of course, we did lots of fun stuff together.  One of my favorite things to do is to host people in our home.  One night I had all the ladies over to have some quality girl time and it was so much fun!  I had plans for swimming and games but of course we just ended up talking and sharing life the whole time.  I grew to love these women so much this summer!  Pictured above is Naitu (Kenya), Tisa (Canada), Kavee (Kenya), Lindsay (Colorado), me, Mary (Colorado) and Zhetu (South Africa).

By far one of the best fun days was our trip to see the Colorado Sky Sox.  I've never had more fun at a baseball game in my life!  (Now remember, this was most of GSP's first time to go to a baseball game ever).  To start, we all got free baseball gloves.  Since it was Navigator Night at the stadium, we also had a box we could go up and watch from and get free drinks.  Plus it was 50 cent hot dog day!  All that was good, but the best part was that for some reason our group singled out Charlie Blackmon as their favorite and cheered for him the whole game.  Now, when I say cheer I don't just mean a little "Go Charlie" here and there.  I mean loud, continuous hollering and African chanting like baseball has never seen before.  I couldn't tell if Charlie liked it or not, but at the end he scored the winning run and had us all on the field to celebrate and get signed baseballs and take pictures.  

Pictured above, looking at the camera and holding our free baseball gloves- me, Tisa (Canada), Lydia (Alabama), Jemimah (Kenya).  These women are amazing and I loved every moment that I got to spend with them this summer!

You know who we are!

I love this picture!  Pictured above is Xiaosong (China), Lazzy (South Africa), and Winda (Indonesia).  

Pictured above is Princess (Ghana) and me with Sox the Fox!  Princess and I spent a lot of time together this summer and she is a joy to be with.  Her name is a perfect fit for her too!

 This is Andy and Ben (Scotland).  They spent a ton of time together this summer and grew very close.  I think we were able to be a blessing in Ben's life over the summer and he definitely was in ours.  

 

And here we are with the famous Charlie!!

Another highlight this summer was international dinners where each country represented had an opportunity to share food, culture, and ministry stories.  We learned so much about each other and grew in our understanding and awe of what God is doing all over the world.  It is so easy to forget that He is bigger than what is going on in our individual lives.  Pictured above is some of the women from Africa Night, Kedi (South Africa), Thato (South Africa), Jemimah (Kenya), Mercy (Kenya) - aren't they beautiful?!

Luke (Australia) and Andy.  These guys played a ton of chess this summer!  Not only that, but they connected deeply on a spiritual level and grew very close.  Luke starts University soon and we can't wait to visit him when we get to the South Pacific, and we are excited to see how God uses his life!

Nii Ayi (Ghana), Efrian (Mexico) and Lazzy (South Africa) on the way to the top of Pikes Peak.  Such cool guys who grew so much this summer!

Sami (Jordan), Ben (Scotland), Sam (Wisconsin), Andy, Pete (Colorado), and Xiaosong (China).  

Andy and Lazzy (South Africa), who Andy so enjoyed spending time with this summer and driving all around Colorado Springs!

Rebeca (Mexico) and me.  I love this girl!  She is beautiful inside and out and God did some huge things in her life this summer and she will never be the same!  It was a joy to be a part of her life. 

Yep, that's us again :)

Winda (Indonesia), Mary (Colorado), Zhetu (South Africa), and me.  Each of these women hold a special place in my heart!

Below, our final banquet... tears...

Us with Mike and Chris Treneer.  Mike, the international president of The Navigators, shared with us at our final banquet about our calling to make disciples of all nations.  It was an amazing way for us to be sent back home, inspired and enabled by what God has called us to do.  One of mine and Andy's highlights this summer was that we got to live with the Treneers for 5 days- what an amazing couple!  We feel like we learned so much from them just observing how they lived life and loved each other. We wouldn't trade that time for anything.

And that's all for now.  Thanks for taking the time to learn a little more about our summer!  

Standing on the Promises

Throughout our time here at GSP we have been incredibly blessed by the various input that we've received. Shortly after the students arrived we heard briefly from our International President, Mike Treneer. I've been really blessed by his teaching and input over the years, and this was no exception. He shared how very often in these settings (conferences, summer training programs, etc.) people have "mountaintop" experiences where they feel like if they just would put out their hands they could touch God. However, he shared, very often after people leave these settings and return to "normal life" they can descend into the valley having the same struggles that they had before, and the mountain tops can make the valleys seem even deeper. This leads to a rollercoaster experience of the Christian life. Mike shared that this had been his experience, and it has been mine to. (I'll share personally, but the main thoughts and ideas here are Mike's).

I've had many "mountaintop" experiences in my Christian life thus far. I can remember many of them very vividly. I've also experienced many "valleys" and know the sting of defeat and the disillusionment that follows. Often on these mountaintops we make promises to God: "God, I'll never do this again" or "I promise to only live for you each and ever moment of the rest of my life" and on and on and on. All too often, in my own life and in the lives of friends that I know and love, these promises can become the standing of our faith. We can think well I know I'm growing in my walk with God because, well look at the promises I've made. Or I must be a committed follower look at all the promises I've made.

Then when we leave these peaks and resume our normal lives, we realize we can't keep these promises and we feel even worse. "Wow, I must really be horrible if I can't do this or continue doing that." And we experience the rollercoaster. As Mike shared about this he also shared the story where he really felt confronted by the Lord about this. He was in a place where a close friend of his had died and he felt he needed to pray and recommit himself (i.e. make a new promise to God). He felt like the Lord was saying to him, it's not about your promises, but about the promises I've given you! How amazing, that the basis of our life stands not on our promises to God but on His promises to us!!!

Mike shared that he still experiences highs and lows, but that in the midst of them he has learned to look not to his words to God, but on God's Word to him! I was so blessed and encouraged by this. I've found myself thinking on this again and again throughout the past weeks. I'm reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture: one that Kathryn and I had read at our wedding and one that I pray through and think on often.

"And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul." - Jeremiah 32:38-41

What strikes me about this passage is how all of the "they wills" (what God's people will do, their promises so to speak) flow from the "I wills" of the passage (what God is promising to do). I find myself standing on these promises often, preaching the gospel to myself from this passage (truly these promises find their fulfillment through the life, death, resurrection, exaltation and soon coming return of Christ)! This message from Mike has been a huge blessing to Kathryn and I this summer as we continue to wait for our visas and pour out our lives to these fantastic internationals here in Colorado! I hope it is a blessing to you as well.

Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs

It was just last Saturday afternoon (the 24th) when we noticed some billows of smoke in the distance.  Having lived in Iowa the past several years, we didn't think too much of it- probably just a little fire somewhere in the forest, right?

We then got news that the fire was in Waldo Canyon, which is really close to The Navigator Headquarters and Conference Center at Glen Eyrie (a beautiful historical monument in Colorado Springs- check out our earlier Blog Post "Getting Started" to see some pics of the Glen and it's castle). We also learned that the fire was a bigger deal than we realized, covering 300 acres on the first day.  The Global Student Program as well as all other Navigator staff were evacuated off of the Glen Eyrie property.

Not only was Glen Eyrie at risk, but so was Eagle Lake, our Navigator summer camp for kids.  Pictured above is a view of the fire from Eagle Lake. By Tuesday morning, the fire covered about 5,000 acres and by Tuesday evening it covered around 16,000 acres (it tripled in one day).  For several days, over 1200 firemen and women came from all over the US to fight the fire, which was deemed the highest priority fire in the US.

Pictured above is a helicopter dropping 400 gallons of water into the fire over and over again.  There were also C-130's dropping flame retardant into the worst areas.  The smoke got really really bad over the course of the week.  We have never experienced anything like it and several people were sent to the hospital because of it (none from our group).

Above is a picture from Tuesday, when the fire breached the ridge and raced down toward the city.  This was the scariest day by far.  The following pictures were taken in the midst of these neighborhoods being evacuated, many were scrambling to grab things and get out of the city.  Within an hour over 20,000 additional people were evacuated from their homes. 

Above is a picture of the smoke covering the sky and the sun (which at several points throughout the evening looked blood red). 

When the fire went over the ridge, people had only minutes to evacuate from their homes because the fire was moving so fast.  Pictured above are homes burning from about 10 miles away.  Around 350 homes were burned down in the fire, including the homes of 9 Navigator Staff (one being the US President of The Navigators).  Several businesses were also lost, including The Flying W Ranch.  

Miraculously, in the middle of thousands and thousands of acres of burning forest, Glen Eyrie and the main section of Eagle Lake remained untouched.  We are rejoicing over God's protection of our Navigator property, but are mourning with so many who have lost everything that they own.  We have been reminded and are thankful that in Christ we are storing up treasures in Heaven that moth, rust and fire cannot destroy.  Though we are definitely thankful that God protected our buildings, we feel so blessed to be a part of a ministry that isn't made up of buildings but rather is made up of people.

GSP in the Midst of the Fire

In the midst of everything, it was amazing to watch God provide for the GSP.  Just as a reminder, GSP is made up of Navigator staff and students from 12 countries around the world. Can you imagine being away from your home country only to find yourself in a foreign nation currently in the middle of it's #1 natural disaster at the time?  Students were scared, parents were concerned and our GSP director had a lot of big decisions to make.  However, the fellowship, spiritual conversations and unity that came about were amazing and truly a blessing.  

We found great comfort in Psalm 121 which says "I lift my eyes up to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber... The LORD will keep you from all evil, He will keep your life.  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."  As we looked to the hills and saw the fire, we had confidence and assurance in the promises of God.

We were displaced on Saturday and headed toward a church to stay for the night.  However, that church was then evacuated and we were sent to another church where GSP and Eagle Lake counselors spent the night.  The next day all of our staff and students were placed in different homes where they have all been until today (they finally got to move back onto the Glen today!).  

Throughout this week several businesses provided an abundance of food for us, and we were able to carry on with the program as normally as we could.  Below are some pictures of the food God provided for us, for free! We still heard from our regularly scheduled speakers including Jim Downing, Paul Stanley, Randy Raysbrook and so on.  Teams were still meeting in their host homes for Bible Studies, One on Ones, etc. A group of 12 of us even got to help Jerry and Jane Bridges clean their home after the smoke cleared out!  That was a treat!

Yesterday GSP began to clean up at the Glen.  It has been a lot of hard work getting the smoke out and getting the conference center ready for business, but our staff and students have been working hard to serve in whatever way we can.  Thanks for all your prayers for our safety, provision and protection- God has answered!

We are incredibly thankful for the firefighters, policemen, and other officials who risked their lives to protect us and so many!  We are also thankful for the businesses and families that sacrificed to graciously provide for us!