Hello! I know I'm a little behind on blogging. Last week I was in Estes Park, CO with Fellowship Student Ministries. Every year, the high school students at Fellowship take to the mountains for a week of refreshing time with the Lord and good summer fun at Ravencrest. It was great to be able to spend some time with cell group girls and get to know them a little better! As always, Colorado was beautiful. I absolutely fell in love with gorgeous Estes Park and was reminded, once again, of the majesty of the Creator.
Monday (our first full day at camp) we had a little adventure that I was not prepared for. My 16 year old brother, Luke, went out caving with his group. He was the caboose of the group and, partway through the cave, got stuck in a place that required some tricky maneuvering. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal. People have gotten stuck there and are usually out within 30 minutes or so. This time, we weren't so lucky. They tried for several hours to get him free and eventually had to call emergency services and search and rescue to assist. After a looong afternoon and evening, Luke was out of the cave and down off the mountain at 8:30p after being stuck for 8 1/2 hours! You can't imagine my relief once he got down to the bottom. He was doing well, a little shaken up and strapped down with harnesses, IV's, oxygen and the works. We went to the ER that night and spent the next 24 hours in the hospital so that the doctors and nurses could keep a close eye on him.
Through all of this craziness, not surprisingly, the Lord showed Himself incredibly faithful and sovereign. There were many people praying and MANY prayers were answered very specifically. Just a few of our answered prayers:
1. A friend prayed that Luke would be out and down from the mountain by 8:30p (before it started to get dark and cold - low's in the 30's). We looked at the clock the moment his stretcher touched the pavement and it was 8:30 on the dot!
2. This may be kind of silly, but was a direct answer for me and showed me that God was there caring for the little details. I was having a moment of worry and was trying to form a prayer in my head. I said, "Lord, I just don't know what to do... I need a hug." At that exact moment, someone put their arms around me a gave me a huge hug without me saying a word to them. It's the little things...
3. Finances are taken care of. No worries on hospital bills, search and rescue etc. So thankful.
4. Luke's ok!!! The obvious answer to prayer. We were so blessed with incredibly skilled and KIND search and rescue workers, police officers, and hospital doctors and staff. They are awesome!
I won't go into all of the specific provisions and ways we saw the Lord at work, there are too many to count. I'll just say that it was incredible to experience Him in this real and personal way through answered prayers and His Word. It was good for me to be reminded that He is my strength, provider, and the ONLY thing that I need.
Thank you so much for your prayers for us last week and standing up on Luke's behalf. If you think about it, we would appreciate your continued prayers. Luke has some nerve damage in his right arm which is preventing him from being able to use his hand. The doctor said that it should return to normal, but may take a month or two. It's a little frustrating to him as he's right handed and not able to use it much at all for even the most basic tasks.
I'm excited to be back at the office this week working on some fun pictures and projects. Give me a call if I can do anything for you!
** On a side note, if you're interested in going to Bible school, you might look into Ravencrest. Ravencrest is one of 26 international Bible schools founded by Torchbearers International. They are the real deal for good solid teaching and instruction in the Word.
