Friday, July 31, 2009

Reminder day

Today served as a reminder. As I approach the end of this internship, I begin to feel as though I am not fully here. I have experienced so much, and God has shown me and taught me so many things. But, I have been sort of "mentally checking out." Today sort of snapped me out of that. But, God also revealed himself in some neat ways.He showed me this amazingly beautiful rainbow! It was so crisp and clear. I was in total awe! It was right after the campers left too. I don't think that means anything, just an observation.This week's new believers "SAY SO" time was very good to listen to. It served as a reminder for why I am here as well. So many kids would say things like, "I finally found my father," or "I fell in love with Jesus," or "I joined the family." It is so good to hear someone who is completely broken, totally GET the message of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful feeling. This picture was taken while I was driving to an intern time at one of the property staff's house. There was good food, and awkyardness for me. I feel like the outsider with most of the interns. I get along with all of them, I would call them my family completely, BUT, that is about it. There are only a few who I can really TALK to. That is what it is too. I accept it, and it just is what it is.

So, when I left the internship party thingy (which was as quick as I could), I got back to camp and the work crew kids (high school volunteers) were having a pool party. I helped get them music and some other fun things, then got on my bathing suite and joined in with my ODC boys. We had a blast, and they are why I am here, and why I am to stay fully present. I get that, and accept it in a big way. It is funny, because I had, or maybe still have a critic to my BLOG that has said several times in the past, "you can only relate to kids, because you have not grown up yourself." Maybe that person is right, and maybe I just need to roll with that. I dunno, just thinking out loud. . . or should I say, "just thinking on BLOG."

I am so excited to see Janice. If everything goes as planned, She will be in my arms in 18 days! Please God, allow everything to work out so that Janice and I can spend time together before we both start school again. That is my prayer in a big way.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

slow morning, good day

This morning was very slow, mostly because it is Breakfast in bed day. That means that "almost" everyone in camp, including interns and summer staff sleep in till 9:45. Which is okay, they need to have days like that. BUT, from a work standpoint, it really puts a damper on getting the day off on a good foot.All the assignment team (people giving the talk, acting funny, in charge of discipline, etc.) work together with the A.M. kitchen people to prepare B-Fast in bed for the kiddies.

We worked on this and that, and the day was some what productive. I had a good day, but it is 7:17P.M. and I have yet to go take a shower and dive into the Word.

PRAYER REQUEST

My mom is having more foot problems. She had foot surgery on her right foot, and all the crap that has been going on with that for the past year. But, just recently (today) her left foot has been bothering her. She is set to go on vacation with my dad soon, and is getting very discouraged by all this foot stuff. I prayed with her, but could tell that her spirits are low. Please pray for healing, but also that she may be able to find peace and happiness even with a bum foot.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Rock hard encouragement

I thought I would start off this post with a picture of the ROCK WALL we (ODC crew) have been working on for the past several days. It is actually a retention wall. It is at the front of a parking lot. The parking lot is severely slanted, so in the winter time it becomes a skating rink. Cars get stuck and it gets very messy when everything thaws out. We are slowly allowing the grade of the ground to be leveled out, and eventually there will be a gravel parking lot. We work hard, and the cool thing about a project like this is, well in 10 years if any of us come back to visit, we will see why we put in all this hard work. It's a pretty cool concept.I love my part of this work. Ya see, I get to take the giant fork lift up the mountain with the dump truck. Me and two other guys pick out giant boulders and load um up. It is so totally fun, and hard work. That fork lift can lift like 8,500 lbs without the arm being extended. It has some serious power! The highlight of my day came once we finished working. It was life stories time, and it was Evans time to share. He told his story, and he has been impacted by a broken family, along with other things like many young people these days. But, all in all his story ended with him realizing that he wanted nothing more than to be a servant of Christ. He gets it, he really does, and his life shows it. He has Christ in his heart, and the Word in front of his eyes daily. It is just amazing to see what spiritual nourishment can do for an individual. Also, Evan told of his relationship with his girlfriend, and he is only 18 years old, fresh out of high school, but darn if I am not impressed how he loves God, then her. I was really encouraged by it, and excited to continue in being above reproach with Janice. Today was a great day!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

kilt time

Today we got more rocks, I will take a picture of the retention wall tomorrow. But, remember Evan, the kid I talked about in yesterday's post? Well, I told you he likes wearing kilts. I just wanted to share this awesome kilt! lol.

Today was super good, we got a lot of work done, and then God really spoke to me through the book of James. A very wonderful and easily applicable book. God is so VIBRANT and ACTIVE!!

G'Night!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Hey, check this out

First, I wanted to say that this BLOG post is my 901st post!! Is that not insane? I really love BLOGGING. I do, it is like the best release and accountability partner for me. It allows me to focus in on what I did during my day, and it helps me to remember where I have been, and where I want to be going.

Chickety check this out; Wisdom is a gift. Wisdom is pointless in MY LIFE, unless it is Spiritual wisdom given from above. Allow me to explain.Today, we were rock hunting. We are building a HUGE retaining wall for a parking lot that needs severely to be leveled out. Part of this job includes placing the rocks/boulders in their correct position. BUT, the other, and by my standards more exciting part is the actual rock hunting. This involves taking the Blue New Holland tractor and the big ole dump truck up the mountain, and digging out big old rocks and putting them in the dump truck. I had some of the guys placing the boulders, and I had Evan and Kahe with me up the mountain. Evan is really hard to see in the above picture, so I highlighted him with a RED ARROW. Evan is a really hard worker, and I knew this from day one. He also likes to wear kilts, which is funny, but he is actually pretty serious about it. Anyways, what I want to say has nothing to do with kilts. When the three of us were taking large rocks/boulders out of the ground, Evan asked me, "Mikey what do you do when you have a **** *** ****?" I am choosing no to announce the exact question on my BLOG, because just in case that person ever reads this BLOG I don't want him/her to be offended. But, it was a great moment. I had the opportunity to give sound advice. After I gave it, I knew it was from God. I could not give that kind of advice on my own, that's for sure. Evan thanked me, and I thanked God for allowing me to share, and for giving me the words to say.

Can wisdom only come from God? To that I would say absolutely not, but it is the only kind I ever want to have.

BIBLE TRIVIA: Who was the most wise man in all the world? Give up? It was King Solomon. 1 Kings 3:9 explains this.

Today was fantastic!!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

My Janice

So, there are all sorts of ways to battle the hardships associated with long distance relationships. I have found that Skype is one of them. Here are some pictures I want to share with the world about the lady I adore.

Pretty in green!Pretty in poney tails! And absolutely adorable lying down.
There is something about this girl, something that is different. I get excited when I find out I get to talk to her. I find myself running through circumstances with her in my head all day long. I am not pressured by the fact that we are long distance, if anything, it is drawing me closer to her. I am so excited for the fact that I get to introduce her to my family and friends. It is so good, Janice is so good. Thank you God, for giving me Janice!And you can't forget Janices roomy VICKY! Thanks for the shot Vicky. :o)

Saturday, July 25, 2009

day off

I took one of the 70's out today on a solo mission. It was amazing, and I found so much. I had an amazing day off, that's for darn sure.

-Grace&Peace

Friday, July 24, 2009

Honda 70's

Today was good through and through. I started off by finishing the field. Ya know, all that top dressing stuff. Then Ryan and I went to the local golf course to return the top dresser they were letting us use. As we drove there, I noticed how amazing the sky looked.I mean just look at that sky. The picture only gives slight insight as to how beautiful it really was.

The day went so good. BUT, I was the only intern working kinda late. All the other interns went to Sedona together. I didn't mind, but wanted to do something fun. SO, Ryan and I did just that. It all started with two little motor bikes. What an adventure we had! LOL.
So, it doesn't look too bad right? WRONG! Most of the terrain looked like this. And we went both ways on this mug. It was crazy fun though. And so amazingly beautiful.A lot of the journey looked like this. Beautiful tree's and it was so good. We found trains! I got my little beast up to 42 Miles Per Hour on the access road right next to that train. My goodness, I was in BLISS. Everything makes sense when I am doing something crazy fun like riding the heck out of a little motor bike out in the wilderness of Arizona.

On our journey, we found a small water hole. It appealed to me, so I decided it would be a good idea to jump in it.
It was so much fun, and I am quite happy with my decision to be completely random and awesome.

I could have go to Flagstaff with the interns, but instead I stayed back and I pretty much have the camp to myself. I took a shower, and was dancing and rocking out in the bathroom to one of the interns i-pod boom box thingy. Today was so killer!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

infusion day in Flagstaff

There has been much trouble in getting my TYSABRI (medication I am on for M/S) transferred down here. So much trouble that it has turned into something that I just had to give over to God. I needed to have my infusion on the 13th, but 10 days later (today) I got it, and everything just kind of worked out. So, I got the actual infusion this morning at 9:15, one of the guys I work with (Louise) let me borrow his car (Mazda III, 5 speed). Driving out here is so beautiful.It is amazingly different terrain. There are MOUNTAINS, and beautiful valley's, and massive amounts of pine tree's. It is so cool. And, for a guy who loves to drive (me), I really really like it when I have an opportunity to take in all the beauty while on the highway.

When I got to the infusion site, I sat down and started reading a book (unCHRISTIAN "What a new generation really thinks about Christianity...and why it matters By David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons) I have wanted to read since I got it. . . yesterday. And since I got an opportuinty today with 2 open ended hours, I figured I would read away. As I started reading, I met many awesome and caring women. Now, you have to understand that the place where I got my infusion was a Cancer Center. So, the majority of the people there were getting chemo or radiation. This is one of the ladies I met.Her name is Lori. And, when she walked into the room, it seemed to light up. She has had health problems all through her life. From small things to large ones. Along with having health related ailments in common, we also had Christ in common. She loves the Lord, and it shows in a big way. In how she loves people, in how she views life, and in the peace that surrounds her. She overheard me talking to one of the nurses about my faith, and about Young Life and what is going on here at Lost Canyon. SO, she just walked right up to me and shook my hand. She said, "Hi, my name is Lori, I don't think I have ever seen you in here before." I explained my situation, and we talked about the Lord, and how our faith tremendously helps us through our hardships, both physically and emotionally. AND, it just so happens that her husband works for a company called GORE, which is the same company that Billy Witort (guy who gave me a ride from Flagstaff airport to Phoenix airport on June 11th). She knew who Billy was, and we both laughed at how small of a world we live in.

I talked with George, and God is really challenging him and being super active and bright in his life. Today was just such a good day.

I have a few quotes to in the BLOG with today. These quotes were taken from a guy named Mike, a great guy I met today. One who God revealed much to me as a person, as well as speaking directly to my heart.

  • "There is a revolving wheel of life. At any one point there is a small portion on the ground. But, there is a whole lot up in the air. To think we are so substantial to that wheel, means our ego and sense of self is pretty big." -Mike "The first shall be last & the last shall be first." -Jesus
  • "If you wake up in the morning and you don't learn anything, why bother getting out of bed." -Mike
He gave me so much more, he really enlightened me. God spoke through him to me.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

a walk through landscaping @ Lost Canyon

Okay, today started early, and as I was walking to work, I thought to myself, "maybe today would be a good day to take my readers through A DAY IN LOST CANYON LANDSCAPING." Ya know, to give you an idea of the kinds of things I do here. Here is how it went.The day started early. I was walking out of my cabin at 6AM. Ryan (boss) was already on the main and largest field. He was turning on sprinkler heads so that we could mark them with little flags. Once I got out, I hopped on the tractor and started aerating the field. I punched so many holes in that field, you wouldn't even believe it!
Then, once I had gotten several swipes done on the field, Ryan started driving the Kubota, pulling. . . . the drag mat. The point of the drag matt is to break up all the little cylindrical pieces of sod that the aerator has dropped all over the place. And the whole reason we did this was so that we could prep the ground for. . . . . the top soil that we were going to throw on it. First, Ryan and I had to mix the soil. It was Arizona soil (which sucks compared to Indiana soil), old mulch (that helps retain water), and a little bit of sand. We mixed and mixed and mixed and put it into the. . . . top dresser machine. The top dresser machine evenly spreads the soil over the grass. We got a little bit of the soil dressed on the grass, but then it started pouring, so we had to stop the whole operation for the day. We went and heard 2 "life stories" from 2 of the ODC guys. It was a good good day.

It was a good day after I finished working. BUT, little did I know it was about to get a WHOLE LOT BETTER! Now, Janice had been telling me that she sent me a post card, so I was anxiously waiting to receive it. When I went to the summer office to see if it had come, I got a little note that said, "Mikey Riley, you have a package." The first thing that popped into my mind was, "well, my mom must have sent me another one." I thought that was kind of strange. So, I checked the package, and this is what I found.As I read her letter, and read through the album she made just for me. I was breathless. It seriously made my heart beat fast. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little teary eyed. It was so beautiful and well written. Janice is very artistic, and expresses herself very well in words. It was seriously so amazingly beautiful and well written. And, put God first, and gave him the credit for bringing us together, which he did in a BIG WAY!! Also, she sent me the shirt she said she would make for me which also BLOWS ME AWAY!! This is the front of the shirt, he he he, I love it so much. This is the back of the shirt. This is so funny/special because one night we were talking on the phone. She was telling me about the shirt she made for herself a couple of nights earlier, and she sent me some pictures of it. I was like, "wow, that is so sweet, you should totally make me one sometime." Now I said this never actually expecting her to do it. Little did I know, when Janice says she is going to do something, she does it! I love it so much.

God has truly blessed me with Janice. I am so amazingly glad she is in my life. It is so awesome too because she makes me want to be even stronger in Christ. My relationship with Janice has been completely and is constantly surrendered to God and his WILL. I am totally comfortable with that too.

DEATH IS COMING!!!

One last thing. My computer is dying. It took me so long just to turn it on. It keeps giving me the "black screen and words of death," that I have feared. It sucks, but it isn't like I have not seen this coming for a while now. I will try to save as much from my hard drive as I can, and hope for the best. :o)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Check out what I have to say.

If you could look closely at this picture (perhaps enlarge it by clicking it), you would see many many many young teenage mothers with babies all over. This week is called Young Lives week. The camp is compiled of many pregnant young teen aged girls as well as mothers with very young babies. This is an amazing opportunity for young ladies who have a lot on their hands to experience life in a very fun and safe atmosphere. For every baby that is brought, there is a caretaker. The girls are allowed to be girls. This is amazing to see play out. Many of these girls have encountered abuse through their very young to adult lives. They are from all over the United States, and many have never even left their home state until now. Many went through a lot of hardships just to get here. Boyfriends, mothers, and others are telling them no no no, but through prayer and the work of many loving women in their lives, THEY ARE HERE!! It is so awesome to see them having fun and not worrying about all the things that hold their minds captive at home. They are free to be teenagers, to laugh, to play, to get messy, to enjoy friendships, and to experience the love and story of Christ!This is my new group of ODC (Our Door Crew) boys. They are a good group of boys. In the picture above we are shown filling water balloons. Now, normally this activity could be tedious and possibly not that much fun. BUT, to a group of ODC boys, headed by the leadership of yours truly, this activity is filled with laughing and smiles. It is so good to be in a caring community of believers who really act on their faith. It is one thing to say you believe in Jesus Christ, it is another to LIVE IT! These boys do a great job of living it.Every morning, except on the day that they get breakfast in bed, we have a great time of studying the Bible and enjoying each other while in the Word. I have to say, that out of all the things we get to do. When I look back on days, weeks, and months of the summer and ask myself, "What was the most fun or impacting?" The answer would go to Bible Study with the boys for both. We have so much fun, learn so much, and enjoy the Bible study time so much. I love how it infects my life. Studying the Lords word is so VITAL. The importance of it to a Christian wanting to fully give themselves to the Lord is paramount. But, I have found that it is not something that can be explained. You cannot sit down with someone and explain to them how important being in the word is. In order to really "get it," one must find it on their own. You can talk and talk and talk and tell and tell and tell till you are blue in the face, it won't do a lick of good. You must just continue to live life devoted to God, and allow your actions to speak loudly. You must allow your love, happiness, and peace speak into the heart of the matter. God is good though. He will honor your obediance to yourself, as well as to the individuals you want so badly to understand. Never force, never overbear, never put together an idea of where you think someone should be. God is in control, and thinking you can do something to impact someone's Salvation is pure foolishness and frustration waiting to happen. :-) I am at peace with that.

In the immortal words ofPopeye the sailor man.

"I am what I am and that's all that I am."

Saturday, July 18, 2009

It has begun

To most, this would appear to be nothing more than a water tower. Old, slightly rusting from the outside, and not appearing very special or unique at all. For me though, I see the start of something beautiful. I see God's hand at work, uniting two individuals who were willing to do things right. To cast aside doubts and to live by the Holy Spirit. I see a place of vulnerability and of trust from two individuals not looking for relationships, but being placed together; not by circumstance, or irony, but by FATE. Strong words? I'd say so.

This is where Janice and I had an opportunity to break through fears held by years of cover up. I am so into this girl. It's crazy. I've had crushes and fling's, but this surpasses the short lived nothingness i've had in the past. IT IS OFFICIAL, I am in a relationship, a long distance relationship with Janice Hernandez. A lovely lady who lives in L.A., California. What am I crazy? To that I say no, I am just on for the ride, and feel 100% that this is right. Janice is right. We both agree that we will listen and seek God first. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and these things will be given to you as well." God placed Janice in my life for a big reason. A lot has already happened for both of us. It's no coincidence, and I am proud to ANNOUNCE TO THE WORLD, or at least to my BLOG readers that Janice and I are dating, and I couldn't be happier.

On a different note. Today I struggled with an ego and pride that would not let go. But, I did some things right. I realized what I was doing early. I was carrying around this attitude that kept looking down on others, and it derived this negativity that I found extremely unattractive. I was in serious prayer against it all through the day, but it kept coming back. When I got off work, I took a shower and headed right to my Bible. I looked in the Concordance under PRIDE and found these verses. They helped a lot, along with the surrounding words. Here is that list in case you are curious.
Proverbs 8:13
Proverbs 16:18
2 Corinthians 7:4
James 1:9

There were others, but those were some of which that really spoke to me. I am going to stop typing now. Bon Iver is great music to listen to while you BLOG. PEACE!!

Friday, July 17, 2009

My eyes are changing

Don't be alarmed, my physical eyes are not changing, and it is not my M/S acting up. This change is completely inward and Spiritual. Check this out.I was sitting in dinner the other night. And, well one of the interns brought the sky to my attention. As I gazed out the window of the dinning hall, I was just taken by the beauty of the sky. Now, Mikey of the past may have said, "ohh, that's pretty," or "that would make a good calendar picture," or even "hummm, I wonder what different colors can happen in the sky at dusk." But not so much anymore. As soon as I saw that sky, I knew I had to go outside and get a better look. So, that is exactly what I did. As I stared at that beautiful sky, I thought to myself, "God, you never cease to amaze me. You created this, you crafted this sky and you are allowing me to enjoy your splendor." I felt quite fortunate and blessed. My eyes are changing, my heart is changing too. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about those guests from Jordan that came to visit Lost Canyon. I have really been holding a lot of contempt in my heart. Not outwardly though. For instance, whenever we have had opportunities to talk about them, I always keep my mouth shut. Maybe it's because I think, "well, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." That cold and possibly confused part of me is learning a very valuable lesson. I have all these excuses in my heart, things like, "well, they are part of a very confused religion that denies the sanctity of Jesus Christ, and they only hurt the world. BUT, that is not how Christ would have approached it. Christ would have loved them no matter what they believed. I CAN NOT SAVE A SOUL! I must do my part, and that part is to love them in a way that will have them looking back thinking, "there was something different about him. The rest of the world will hassle them, I want to love them in a way that will infect them. Maybe that is the lesson I was supposed to learn from our Jordan guests. For that I am very thankful. A hard heart is not a heart of Christ. And that is what I want, it really is, more so than anything. I will slowly learn and transform. I want to be so driven by the Holy Spirit, that I never even have to rely on my own personal thoughts. Sounds scary? Not to me.Now, this blurry picture you see above was from today. Ya see, it was the last day today for the campers. They have an opportunity before they leave to go home to speak out about their week. Anyone can say whatever they want. Usually it goes like this. You give your name, where you are from, and share briefly what God did for you during the week. It all comes from Psalm 107:2. It is a powerful opportunity for the kids to take that first step out in faithfulness. To outwardly express what is going on inside. Similar to a baptism, but in a different way. It is very powerful for those watching such as myself.

I had such a good day today. I got to be really crazy with my ODC (out door crew) guys, and we got a lot of work done. Today was a really really good day. :0)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Good day

Every morning this month/session will start out in this room or a room/location similar. This is Bible study with my ODC work crew/summer staff. Right now we are going through Acts and learning about what it means to be in a Christian community. It's been really good so far, and filled with lots of great and honest questions about life and the Lord. That is the best kind of Bible study in my opinion.Sorry for the quality of this picture, it was really bright out and he was moving quickly. Anyways, this is Trevor and he loves the song Free Falling. I was finishing up with lunch, when one of his leaders motioned for me to come over. Of course I was happy to meet some new capernaum friends. So, I walked over and learned their names. Then Joe (was a Work Crew boss last session) had me lean over and said to me, "hey, go put on Free Falling through the speaker system, it will make your week." I did just that, and boy was he right. Trevor started dancing and singing like crazy. Every time the chorus came on he would somehow prop his leg behind his head, and fling it out with his arm and it was amazing. I am so blessed at the happiness capernaum kids have dispite their situations. I need to be able to find that joy. Actually, I have found that joy, I just need to continue to allow it to infect every part of my soul/body.

Today was a good day.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Another day @ LC

Today was one of those days that you can look back on and really feel like something got accomplished. Also, I had an opportunity to share my testimony with this new group of work crew and summer staff guys. It really surprised some of them. I heard several, "I would have never guessed!" And as far as work goes, we really got a lot done. We were doing weed and crap removal from a huge ditch. It smelled so bad, but the more weeds we removed, the more the water could actually start to move out. We got some rain today. They say this is just the start of rainy days. Monsoon season IS HERE!! I can't wait for some killer thunder. The day ended very beautifully.What a beautiful camp Lost Canyon is. I love it here. I am really starting to miss my guys from last session though. I miss the friendship, company, and work ethic of Andrew (summer staffer), and all the cheap laughs of Larz. I guess it is time to really pour into the new guys though. I could tell they were impacted by my testimony, and wow is that such a neat feeling. To know that God is making good of a lot of crappy experiences (crappy at the time, good now that I can chalk them up as experience and water under the bridge).

Janice sent me some pictures, I really want to share one of them. It is bright, but I really super like it.I love the laugh's, and I love the body language. It is a very funny picture to me. It seems super genuine. I sure am glad Janice came into my life. What a blessing she is.

Jordan guests

Today was a little different towards the end of the day. I fixed a broken pipe, and did some other things. . . . then we had some guests. Ya see, we had guests from Jordan (Middle East Jordan). Well, as you can see in the picture we were set up in a circle with guests, mostly which were Muslim. They wanted the Christians to believe that we hold a common belief and that we are not all that different. I kept thinking in my head, (I am right, you are wrong). That is how i'm built, it is so clear to me. I love every person in that room tonight. . . . But, Jesus Christ was our main difference. I believe that Jesus was/is the Son of God, and they do not. If anything, I was challenged on how I am suppose to view them and love them. It was a little bit frustrating, but in a good way I suppose. I need to process this information more though.

-Grace&Peace

Friday, July 10, 2009

skydiving

I stepped out of the plane. The wind was going by my leg at 80 miles per hour. It was difficult just getting my feet on the step outside of the plane. It was easily the most intense thing I have ever experienced.The next thing I knew, Karl (my tandem instructor) and I were falling towards the earth at 120 miles per hour!! It was such a thrill. If you look closely, you will see a huge wad of snot on my nose. I guess while I was screaming it cleared out my sinuses. LOL!! It was funny though.Next thing I knew was the parachute deploying. It was pretty intense. We went from 120MPH to around 15-20MPH. Talk about some serious deceleration! I had such an amazing time. I know this will not be the last time I go skydiving. Everyone who does not have a heart condition needs to try this. What made it especially amazing was that I went in Sedona. The ground and mountains all around were so beautiful!! Then there was the landing. It was very smooth. Karl has jumped over 4,000 times!! He is amazing, and really made all of us feel at home with his wife and husband skydiving place.

After skydiving was over, the day only got better. Ya see, we actually took off from a small town in the dessert called Cottonwood. Well, near Cottonwood, there is an old mining town called Jerome. It is referred to as the Ghost town. They told us it had a booming 15,000 population during the mid 1800's, but after the gold ran up, it dropped down to 400. Me and the Gal's stopped for food at the Haunted Hamburger in Jerome, then we explored the city for a bit.
The city was soo cool. It had many different levels, and you could climb up these neat stairs. There were closed off mine shafts with these super super old trucks right at the fronts of um. It was a really neat town.After we left Jerome. We went to the beautiful Sedona, home of the reddest rock you have ever seen. We laid out by a river and just had ourselves a good time.

When I got back to camp, the new summer staff and work crew people were there. I went to an all camp worship time, and then PASSED OUT!!

Today was a good day. :o)

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Janice

There of course is Janice. What a gift from God, getting to know her has been. God has given me this relationship, and God has been put first through it. So I had to say goodbye, but I know I will see her again. I'm not talking about Heaven. . . . although we will be there, i'm talking about seeing her again on Earth. When is my first break from school? ;o)

P.S. I AM GOING SKYDIVING TOMORROW!!!!! Can't wait to share that experience on here. :o)