Familiar Faces & Places

For the past few weeks (and this upcoming Cali week), I have been extremely spoiled with the amazing opportunity to connect with familiar faces. In Seattle, I was able to meet up with a home-town friend, Kevin Moore. Later that week, I found myself in the home of a wonderful high-school friend and running-mate, Jamie Nalos. (You have a beautiful family!) It was a lot of fun to catch up on the past and present.

In Oregon, I had the opportunity to reminisce about Okoboji (Risa Dotson), Wartburg (Joel Tuttle), and Youthworks! (Pastor John and the youth of Prince of Life). With these precious meetings, wonderful memories surfaced and still linger to this moment!

This upcoming week is the week I have been waiting for since we left Iowa! My return to San Diego! For those who don't know, this summer I was honored to be a resident of the amazing "So-Cal" city, San Diego. I can feel the city tug at my heart and call me home (my 2nd home of course - don't worry Mom and Dad!) I am also extremely excited to meet up with Youthworks! friends along the way!

God is gracious. He knows our heart... our deepest longings and desires...afterall, He created them. He knows every thought and every sorrow. He provides - He provides, even when we do not know what we truly need. During this leg of our journey, God is providing me with familiar faces and places...memories of the past that are carrying me into the future.

Stephanie

Strange ways to serve...

Tuesday was our second day working at the Oregon Food bank. It is always fun to go back to a place...good to get variety, but really good to know what you are getting into each day.

When we arrived, Star a second volunteer coordinator was busy getting supplies ready for a group of 20 high school students that were volunteering with us today. The warehouse guys started to bring in 33 HUGE crates of fresh apples from random orchards around the Portland area. Our task for the morning was to sort out rotten apples and put the good ones in bags to be distributed to local agencies. It was crazy, but good busy work.

At 11:00 a.m. we had to take off and head downtown to the Pioneer Place movie theater. The Oregon Food Bank was sponsoring an area food drive. If a person donated three non-perishable items to the food bank they could get into any movie for free. We got to collect cans at the "fancy mall" downtown. It was a slow afternoon, but fun to do something so different. Kelly, Stephanie and Jesse got to do something that I have wanted to do for 6 weeks...they saw a MOVIE! "Hero"...the reviews were mixed (e-mail for further details)

After our shift at the movie theater was over, we all split up and explored downtown Portland. I was so lucky to be able to spend the evening with a good family friend from Danish family camp. It was so wonderful to see her life and catch up. It was like seeing family! I was so blessed...the time just wasn't long enough.

I am learning so many things this week. Well...figuring so many things out! I have had blessed conversations with friends from Wartburg, my family, Latreia and strangers. God is teaching me (slowly, but surely) to tolerate early rising and breakfast. What an amazing adventure we are on, it seems that I am reminded of that every day.

Blessings,
Laura

Serendipity

We are working at the Oregon Food Bank this week and today we were put to work! It is great to feel really needed at an organization and they have plenty of work to be done!. The food bank is huge, supplying the entire state of Oregon plus Vancouver with food for local agencies. Oregon is #1 in the nation for the highest % of hungry people and has one of the highest unemployment rates.

This morning we got a tour of the amazing facilities (over 80 full-time people) and then bagged oats for a couple hours. In the afternoon we helped with Fresh Alliance, a program where local grocery stores bring in fresh produce every afternoon to be redistributed to the greater Portland area. Normally they have four volunteers who do this every afternoon and it takes them about 3 hours to sort, on average, 4,000 lbs of food. We were there today with another one-time volunteer so there were 9 volunteers instead. We worked for 2 hours and 45 minutes in order to get the food sorted and repackaged. After we were done, Amanda (a volunteer coordinator) told us how it was 'serendipity' that the 5 of us just happened to be there...she told us it was the second largest shipment of food in Fresh Alliance history--8,709 lbs we sorted and boxed! With the normal amount of volunteers they wouldn't have gotten it done... Perhaps it's 'serendipity,' but I'm more inclined to think that God has a much more detailed planner than we give him credit for.

Kelly

Jesse's Hike

Kelly was right, I did get to do some hiking this past weekend. I have friends that hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and recommended this area for great hiking. With a little research and a couple quick buys from the local REI I selected the Timberline Trail, a 40-43 mile stretch that circles Mt Hood.

We approached a haunting silhouette of Mt Hood early Friday morning. It is a tall slender mountain comprised of many glaciers that I would later find out dripped many wonderful mountain streams down all sides of the mountain. When we reached the trail head the girls and I hiked for a while before we said our goodbyes for the next couple days. After a tender group prayer, I was sent on my way.

I won't bore you with too many details but... the hike was great. The weather cooperated and provided amazing views of Mt Ranier, Mt Adams and Mt St Helens that Friday morning. The streams were cold and fast coming down from above. I saw only small game (no bears) and the landscape changed from thick green undergrowth and warm pines at low altitudes to desolate white rock and snow at higher altitudes (I had to fill my bottles with snow to drink while at 7000 feet). The landscape also tended to vary depending on which way the mountain was facing; wet on the west and dry on the east.

I will admit that it was more difficult to hike 20+ miles per day than I had originally thought. I said that I wanted blisters when I returned and my wish was granted, many times over. My overnight was on the sandy terrain of a creek bed on the north east side of the mountain. It was a great place to pitch a tent until the moon decided to be so bright that my tent glowed until 4 in the morning. This was my first hike outside of the woods behind my parents Iowa home and it will be memorable. Thanks for all of those that worried (my 5 moms) and those that prayed.

More than anything I learned to persevere. At the top of each climb and the bottom of each descent there was a pleasant reward waiting to be enjoyed... amazing.

Jesse

Hippy pizza and sleepless nights

Washington was a wonderful week but it was a struggle for me despite the amazing hospitality we enjoyed... Due to an accident I was involved in by myself last week I've had a lot on my mind. I found it really hard to not understand why certain things happen in life while still trying to maintain a complete trust that God has a purpose for everything. These doubts caused me to be homesick for a place I've known longer than a week and a space and time where I could process what had happened for more than an hour. Still, God heals all things and has been working diligently on my heart. This past week He led us to the Ramer's house where we experienced the most amazing hospitality. Cathy treated each of us as her own and always had a huge smile on her face while cooking us meals. I learned more about having a servant's heart from watching her this past week than from working at all four of the great organizations we worked with in Vancouver combined.

I was also blessed to get to visit family in Oregon on Friday. While Jesse was off hiking around Mt Hood we three girls jetted south to Eugene to stay with my cousin. We experienced the hippy capital of the world with a great host! We even ate pizza with corn on the cob, peaches, squash, and potatoes on top. Mmm... On Saturday we drove up the Oregon coast and I got to get my feet dirty on the beaches of the Pacific. We toured a lighthouse, shopped in a tiny coastal town, and watched the waves pound the sand. Since we couldn't be at Wartburg's homecoming to see all of our friends, seeing the coast was a pretty decent distraction.

I've already seen how God has used this trial to teach me more about Him. I learned that the power of prayer is amazing and I want to thank each one of you who made such a difference this past week by praying for those involved in the accident. Please continue to pray for James. I've also been reminded that good things do come out of bad and that it is neither in my power nor in my role to demand answers to unanswerable questions. Trusting in Him and His plan seems to be the only way to go...

Kelly

p.s. We did the best service work ever this past week...we got to make homemade paper and decorate greeting cards (one of my favorite hobbies) for a homeless shelter!

Lost the pencil...

OK, so this is late... I wrote this last Thursday, but am posting it this Sunday night... sorry!

A couple of points, quick, before I get into the rest of the blog...
Point 1: Washington is beautiful. The trip here from Idaho was a patient ride with a changing landscape, but when we hit Mt. Ranier... Wow. We moved in color from brown to khaki and olive where we finally landed in a rich green.
Point 2: I am getting shaggy. I wanted to explain the situation as the pictures are posted that I have 2 "deals" going. Deal 1: I told my younger brother that I would not cut my hair until I see him next. Deal 2: I made a deal with Stephanie that involves me not shaving... I will let her explain her end of the deal.

Have you ever "lost" the pencil behind your ear? This week I have felt a little disconnected from the service work we have been doing. It has been a little wierd and I was not sure why but I finally found that "pencil behing my ear." I have been looking for the connection to the work we have been doing and have found that the connection is not there because I have not been processing. For those that don't know, we here on the road have kept extensive journals all along the way. This week I have not written in my journal once. I had an awakening today and re-discovered the importance of processing and I am happy to have finally discovered what has been bothering me this week. I found the pencil behind my ear.

That's all I know for now... I am going hiking this weekend, so say your prayers for me.

Jesse

the true story....

(We know this is out of order...accounts of September 18th)

Here goes nothing!

This is the first tag-team entry....Laura and I thought we would switch it up a little…add a little spice to our studio audience.

Well, this is how it all began. Yesterday, a few minutes before we were going to start our LONG journey to Washington, we discussed amongst ourselves, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we took an eight hour detour to Seattle!” Then Jesse chimed in, “Only if we stop at Mt. Rainier on the way!” So we were off.

Yesterday involved an eight hour tour of wonderful Idaho, Eastern Oregon, and Washington…landing us in the spectacular land of Yakima (“Yakimo”, as translated by our Vinton native.) We dined in a Chinese restaurant....to our great surprise and enjoyment; we were the recipients of complimentary egg-drop soup. Yummy, Yummy in our tummy!

This morning we arose and were on our way by 7:00am. Just in time to get free coffee at the local hotel. Our first stop was Mt. Rainier. We had just enough time to drive through the park…to the top and right back down again. We made it through the rain, the snow, the sunshine and the sleet. (Just like the postman) We would like to remind you that this was all in Sedgwick (our van).


(Laura)
So everyone knows about peer pressure and although I had many times of peer pressure in my life, the funniest one I can remember has to do with my new favorite town, SEATTLE! When I was in 7th grade there were some super cool guys (Travis Poole and Potter) whose parents were at seminary with my dad. These two high school boys taught me how to TP houses, fork yards and LOVE the Seattle Supersonics. This love for the Supersonic’s diminished shortly after the boys left for college, but my love for Seattle has continued on.

So today a life long dream has been fulfilled! You may be laughing, but I am serious. The Space Needle, Pike’s Place Throwing Fish Market, the rain, free fruit samples and Seattle’s best coffee (including the first ever Starbucks). ALL OF IT! What a glorious city. I thought about staying…throwing Alaskan Halibut, or maybe handing out free apple samples to the busy folk passing by, but Kelly, the voice of reason talked me into sticking with Latreia, but only after buying Washington- homegrown- honey- crisp- apples that burn your mouth shortly after eating them.

The afternoon was started at an AMAZING Mexican café. We had great “stock-talk” with Microsoft gurus Eric and Kevin. Kevin Moore, you got it, the one from sweet home Milford, Iowa.

Never you fear, Stephanie and Laura WILL be back with a few more “crazy fun adventures”

Peace and Word!

Faith = R-I-S-K

For our first day of service in Vancouver, WA we started out at Valley Homestead, a family homeless shelter. This shelter is just one branch of the Share House which is an amazing organization that serves the homeless all throughout Clark County. (Later this week we are eating in their downtown soup kitchen for lunch) We prepared and served lunch for the residents and met with Lorenzo, the director of this shelter. He has great compassion for the families who walk through these doors and is extremely dedicated to serving the Lord through this “ministry”.
This afternoon we had the privilege of visiting “Friends of the Carpenter”. This is a ministry that reaches out to the homeless through the vehicle of woodworking. This organization was envisioned by a Presbyterian pastor named Duane who has a huge heart for the homeless in the Vancouver area. The basic purpose of this ministry is to form relationships through woodworking. The final wood-crafted object is just a by-product…it is not the goal…the goal is to share God’s love and to bring people to Christ.
As Duane was explaining the ministry, he paused and asked us, “How do you spell faith in four letters?” His reply was “R-I-S-K!” It is so true…Faith enables individuals, and Latreia, to venture beyond what one would consider safe, to step out on a limb of faith, to risk putting oneself beyond what he/she is able to control.

Stephanie

People in Idaho

“Only the Holy Spirit can create real fellowship between believers, but he cultivates it with the choices and commitments we make. Paul points out this dual responsibility when he says ‘You are joined together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way.’ It takes both God’s power and our effort to produce a loving Christian community.” Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life

This week has been such a testimony to what it is to have real fellowship. Everyone in Idaho has been so wonderful to us. We arrived Saturday evening and were invited into the City of Refuge director’s home for dinner and a campfire. Ron and Mary Youderian (directors) have been so kind by ensuring we have meals to eat, offering to take us to the movies, and taking us to the local Mormon temple (an interesting experience!). Brandon, the case worker here, took an hour out of his morning to sit down and ask questions about who we really are individually…and not just about Latreia.

Sunday we spoke at Alliance Covenant church where we had four different offers for lunch at people’s homes after the service. Another woman is bringing us food this week and yet another brought us a series of books to read while on the road. It is so encouraging to not only see the generosity of people but how they desire to truly know us through fellowship. This is such a vital component of the Christian faith and something I wasn’t sure Latreia would have with our traveling schedule. The awesome part is that it is the power of the Holy Spirit (not us) which has enabled us to make connections with these random people across the country…and it is refreshing to have been here three days and feel like we truly know people.

Another rewarding part of this week is the fellowship with the men who come to the mission. Every night we sit down to dinner with them and tonight we had Bible study with two men who are in the Christian recovery program. Over ice cream at the local dairy they shared their amazing testimonies with us. They both give full credit to God for giving them a new purpose for life and a future after having hit rock bottom. It is so encouraging to see how God can take a person’s life and completely lift them up out of despair. It reminds me that none of my problems or stresses is too big for God to handle…and that He won’t give me anything I can’t handle.

They say it is the people that make the place; Idaho Falls is a wonderful place…
Kelly

Freedom

It is late and I am tired, but tonight we had a great night. When at church this past Sunday we were encouraged to go to a youth rally called Freedom. It is a Tuesday night gathering of Christians excited for Christ. We walked in to the old theater that is now the site of the rally, took our place in one of the many sofas lining the aisle, watched a Christian musical performance and listened to a sermon given by the pastor (Nate) who spearheads this gathering.

I have to admit that I was bogged down today and hardly excited to go to a gathering... With a lot of work to do, I did not want to be around other people. Turns out that other people were exactly what I needed. I had the chance to visit with Nate and Davin (another member of the worship team) before the show started about what they did there.



It was energizing to be around excited people. It was also nice to turn give my mind away to worship for a couple hours and then return later to processing what is happening here in Idaho. Back at the house, now, I am on fire to write to loved ones, and so am staying up late to finish letters to friends and my 4 brothers.

An old lesson that never gets too old for me: "Do it anyway."

Please check out the Freedom Youth page at: Freedom If you are ever in the Idaho Falls area, I would recommend a Tuesday night with this fun bunch.

Jesse

Greetings from Idaho

Glacier Camp was great all around. Each of had his or her chance to face a personal challenge with the ropes course, a long day hike or making way to the dock in the middle of the night to sleep under the stars. We finished our week out as a team with a white water ride down the middle fork of the Flathead River. Our guide was not only a skilled oarsman but was also an Iowa native. After a cruise down the river our team grabbed lunch at a small cafe boasting the catch phrase: "Save room for pie." Here we sampled the huckleberry lemonade and a couple different flavors of their pie... Yummy.

I did not end my week with a visit to Glacier with the others as I opted to stay at the camp and finish the wall project we had started. The walls will help to transform the former dining hall into a home for the new assistant camp director and his family. It was satisfying to see the task to completion.

On Friday we left the glacier area and headed to Stephensville (the oldest town in Montana) where we stayed with family friends of the Henkle’s. They treated us to a homemade supper and a bed for everyone. Mike, Jo and the girls had also opened their home to accept mail for Team Latreia. After supper it was like Christmas with a flood of letters and packages carried out and presented to the travelers. Thank you to Mike, Jo, Shawna and Tanna for opening your home, for your hospitality and for your gift that will help support our mission.

Leaving Stephensville we headed south to Idaho Falls where, on the way, we stopped at Bannack. Bannack was the first capital of Montana but is now a ghost town and state park. It was interesting to get a glance at life that took place years ago.

I am now sitting on a park bench in Idaho Falls looking over the Snake River listening to the gulls and geese through headphones that have just expired the last song on my mini-disk player. I must admit that a piece of me is sad to be back in a city and away from the “outdoors.” On the other hand, I am ready to interact with people and continue with the Latreia mission. Peace, Prayer and Friendship… Jesse

Thursday, Sept 9

“The challenging thing becomes not to look for miracles, but to find where there isn’t one.” - unknown lyric

Over the past few days, this verse has come alive to me as we have been driving and hiking thoughout Glacier National Park. Everywhere I look is a constant reminder of our awesome Creator. Today Kelly and I hiked the Highliner trail. During this 12 mile journey through incredible terrain, everywhere I looked I saw a miracle that clearly testifies to a heavenly Creator. These miracles range from the rugged, cloud-covered mountains to the multi-colored wildflowers that dot the landscape; from the awesome grizzly to the timid white-tail deer; from the gigantic glacier caps to the ice-cold glacier fed waterfalls; from fire-scorched hillsides to wide-open meadows. Each and every creation points to a heavenly Creator – Each and every creation is a miracle of God that glorifies the Maker of heaven and earth!

As we were hiking, it was also neat to note the landscape changes. As we passed from one and into another, we felt like we were switching from movie set to movie set: Lord of the Rings, Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, Tuck Everlasting, David the Knome…and the most amazing scene of all was as we drew near to the “Chalet”. As we came around a bend in the trail, all of a sudden we found ourselves transported into a magical, fairytale setting. Up in front of us a few hundred feet stands a cobblestone castle that houses weary travelers. Surrounding us is a golden meadow that sparkles from the freshly fallen rain. In the distance, snow-capped mountains appear out of a cloud of mist. Wildflowers and spruce trees add color and personality to the terrain. The sunshine covers the land and causes even the shadows to come alive. As we pause to take it all in, Kelly and I agree that this must be an inkling of what heaven is going to look like!
Stephanie

Funny things that happen

Ok, so here we are sitting in a random parking lot in the middle of Montana checking our e-mail. It is too funny to drive around towns looking for wireless connections. That being said, life in Montana is good. It has been a hard week for me though. It is beautiful here and the people are amazing, but I have been struggling. I am not sure if it is finally hitting me that Wartburg starts tomorrow or that we are at a camp that is not Lakeside. I am not sure what it is. I have been lacking the peace that I had last week.

I continue to grow as I struggle. I am slowly getting over my fear of heights. For those of you who don't know, with the exception of sleeping next to open closet doors, facing tall heights is my biggest fear. This week alone I have been 30 feet in the air walking on ropes and have jumped off of a 15 foot platform into the lake. Even though it took getting way pumped about doing these things and some encouragement from the team, I am so glad I went through with them.

We spent today working on different things. Stephanie and I made over 40 beds and did some touch up paint work on some of the walls. Kelly and Jesse helped build a wall in the old kitchen area on camp. It was fun to be busy again. I kinda felt like J-Lo in the movie "Maid in Manhatten". No rich, hot guys single to fool though (well, except Jesse).

God continues to reveal His love and His divine purpose for us. It is so good to be constantly affirmed in our goals and mission. I am still excited to move to the next place...yet sad to leave the current place. This is me peacing out!

Laura (and a little help from Kelly)

Sat/Sun in Montana

We arrived at Glacier Lake camp Saturday about 3… We are staying in a quaint log cabin for the week with a front porch swing that overlooks Flathead Lake and the mountains behind. It is family camp this weekend and we have been invited to join in the festivities! We have also been asked to help with the dishes after every meal and some other general maintenance around the camp.

Highlights so far have included the campfire Saturday night when we got to share Latreia with everyone, worship overlooking the lake, sitting in on the adults’ discussion of faith in the workplace, canoeing around an island, and BLOB Olympics (bouncing people off of a huge inflatable contraption into the lake). It has been so fun to get to be a part of the family atmosphere…it reminds me of my own and makes me miss them! But everyone here has been so thoughtful and welcomed us so we are enjoying our time here and having entirely too much fun!

Probably the most exciting part of the day today was going through the high ropes course here on the camp. The director of the camp, Keith, is actually an expert in the field and is writing a book on the impact of ropes courses. This was my first one and it was exhilarating hanging from ropes and climbing over 30 feet off the ground! All four of us made it through (Jesse and Steph are natural monkeys), including the last element which was jumping off a high platform and swinging down from the trees! Talk about stretching your faith and trust in not only the ropes but the designer. It was a poignant and effective lesson that will not soon be forgotten.

I think the best part of this week for me has been the ability to have true quiet time to myself… From the front porch swing in the morning I can look out over waves and lose myself in the gentle stillness and amazing beauty. It is one of those rare opportunities when my mind is free from the daily clutter of life and all I can see, all I can think, all I can know is how great God’s love is for all of us. I pray that everyone can find a haven like this to retreat to...and that it be a bit more permanent than mine!
Kelly

Final thoughts from WY

Our week in Meeteetse has come to an end. We are heading to Yellowstone to camp for two nights before reporting to work at a camp on Flathead Lake in Glacier on Saturday.

The culture shock between working in downtown Denver to a rural ranch in Wyoming has finally worn off and I have become accustomed to the relaxed pace of western life. I have enjoyed the many different experiences this week. It’s not too often a person can say they’ve painted stick horses or polished horseshoes.

One of my favorite experiences from this week (which we all experienced) was watching a cowboy on the ranch train an unbroken horse. As he was training it, he compared breaking a horse to being broken as a person before becoming a Christian. At first the horse wasn’t responding to Eben because he didn’t want to be trained. Finally, after a great deal of coaxing and loving from Eben, the horse became submissive and welcomed Eben’s touch. Eben explained that he had finally gained the horses trust, just as it takes time for us to submit to the Lord and place our trust in Him. Soon, whenever Eben turned around, the horse would follow him faithfully, occasionally becoming distracted from following his master yet always turning back to him for guidance in the end. Eben is so patient as he waits for his horses to submit and become willing to follow him. It was an awesome reminder of how patient a God we have waiting and leading each of us.

I am going to miss the wide open expanses of land, the runs that seem to take you nowhere, and the smiles from beneath the cowboy hats around the ranch. This morning at breakfast we distracted the staff from morning chores and just sat around chiding each other and laughing for an hour. Hank informed us that this is okay because “sarcasm is the love language of cowboys.” I’m going to miss this peaceful place. I think we might be missed around here as well… Big John asked how much time he had to slash the van tires before we left! We told him we’d just take their horses instead…

It is a bittersweet goodbye...the staff here prayed around us and laid hands on us before we left. It is hard to leave this place but we are excited to see what God has in store next.
Kelly

Wednesday, Sept 1

Another day on the ranch……
This week has been different from last week in Denver. The service has been different, along with the individuals we have been serving. Here the people are not needy…but what is the definition of “needy”? Needy (according to me) is someone who would benefit from the help given by another. By this definition, are not we all needy? Couldn’t we all benefit from a helping hand?
Why then, when we (meaning “I”) think of service and serving others do we automatically think of the poverty-stricken, homeless, lower-class… those “below” us, those whom we have power over, those whom make us feel better about ourselves because we have made their day a bit brighter…

We have provided a need they were not able to satisfy on their own.

Wait….are we not back where we started? Isn’t there a need that all human kind is not able to nourish on his or her own? Isn’t there an everlasting love supply that we are all searching for?

We are all in need of a Savior, a Lord, a sacrificial Lamb….

The need Jesus Christ satisfies is far beyond that which any human can offer to another. It is the gift of salvation that is freely given to all who humbly admit that they are “needy”…needy for a personal savior who provides mercy, compassion, love, hope and ultimately, everlasting life.

Jesus serves all those in need…..He does not discriminate…..

So why should I?

Stephanie