Greetings!
It has been an exciting summer! Family Camps were full, so people were everywhere. Thankfully the weather was perfect the whole month of July, so a lot of us sat outside for meals in order to accommodate everyone.
We had an excellent volunteer summer staff that joined us, all of whom were hard working with a solid faith in Christ.
 |
|
Top L-R: Allegra, Teresa, Abigail Shaw Bottom L-R: Lila, Tahlia, Abigail Swayze
Not pictured (Corey Newland)
|
Some of the activities were archery, zip line, sandblasting and a painting class for two of the weeks. Also, Abigail Swayze, who headed up the summer 
staff, planned an International Day where we took a trip around the world as we stopped in various places to learn about different countries, which we prayed for. At Japan's stop we learned origami, in Israel we played a hat game, and in New Zealand we looked for sheep. Our chef, Peter Riegelmann, got in on the theme, too, with teriyaki chicken from Japan, creamed carrots from Ireland, an Israeli rice dish, a cucumber salad from South Africa, Bolivian cheese bread and a chocolate torte from France. Yummy!
We were also very encouraged in the Word through various speakers:
Phillip Telfer, who started the ministry Media Talk 101 and has a real pastoral heart, spoke on God's Kingdom being right here, right now as we submit to His authority in our lives and live as His subjects. I also enjoyed how he shared about all of us being shepherds of God's people and he posed the question "How are we leading and loving the sheep?" My take-away from this week is how much I need the Holy Spirit in order to lead how I believe God wants me to lead according to His word.
Luke Frechette is a ball-of-fire evangelist who pastors a church in Newport, Oregon. Hebrews 11 came alive as he spoke on the Bible Heroes in the Hall of
 |
| A baptism at CRC with Luke Frechette |
Faith. It revived in me the desire to see my own town of Silverton won for Christ. One insight from Luke that we all enjoyed was how Moses represents the law and that we cannot come into the Promised land through the law. We can only enter through Jesus, which is the same name as Joshua of the Old Testament, who took the Israelites into the Promised land. Wow! Also, this week several people got baptized!
Paul Hawkins has been coming to CRC for over twenty years and has spent much of his life speaking on prayer, intercession, and hearing the voice of God. What I love about Paul is that he gets our eyes onto the character of God. I especially enjoyed his quote, "Every need in your life can be met through a greater revelation of some aspect of who God is." I left this week encouraged to be praying more specifically, as a staff, for the needs in our own lives and for those God puts on our heart.
In the morning sessions, Bryan and Becky Rutschman spoke on tithing and seeing God's
 |
| Bryan and Becky |
provision this past year. They shared a couple of YouTube clips and lots of Bible verses and personal stories, which kept it real and personal. It never ceases to amaze me how God is in every detail of our lives. It makes me want to love Him more. Becky and Bryan are expecting their baby in the first part of November!
Tim and I also took one of the morning meetings each week and talked on the topic of there being a famine in the land for hearing the Word of the Lord like you find in
 |
| Tim and Julie |
the days of Hannah in 1 Samuel 3.The root cause for this rarity is from every man doing 'what is right in his own eyes' rather than in God's eyes, as it speaks about in the book of Judges. What was most gratifying for me was that I had several great talks with people after our meetings where I was able to give words of encouragement and Scripture to help equip people in their area of influence where they have felt discouraged and alone in their walk with God.
We've also kept busy this the summer having volunteers help with various projects. Dave Rabourn came and volunteered his time by putting carpet in the game room, downstairs Good Shepherd Lodge. What a difference! Then, Phil Kepler came in and helped Tim finish the cabinet and counter top in that room. Thank you!
Also, during the week in between family camp, our summer staff helped get us started filling the wood sheds for the winter. We have 15 cords so far. We appreciate all of the energy and great attitude of Abigail Swayze, Lila Pattison, Tahlia Harris, Allegra Thatcher, Abigail Shaw, Corey Newland, Teresa Maldonado, and Ian Bates. Our hats are off to you!
And, on top of all the summer fun, some of the staff are enjoying a new adventure! Lori Riegelmann got several of the staff involved in hosting
foreign exchange students from ShenYang, China for a month. There are four in all; Lomason (15), staying with Ben Huntford, Mike (13) is with Helen, and John and Tony (both 13) are with Peter and Lori. What interest and joy they have brought to us. Already they have gone to a Major League baseball game, ridden horses and attended a week of camp. They have a few more fun trips planned before they leave. We are blessed to have them join the team.
In closing, we hope that you are having an awesome season yourself and, if you haven't had time to come up and seek the Lord, that you will be able to do so soon. Labor Day is full but it is never too early to sign up for Thanksgiving and we always have room for personal retreats.
Looking to Jesus,
Julie
Kim is an accomplished speaker and has addressed audiences across the country from churches and book clubs to U.S. Government policy councils and a portion of the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C. In 2005, Kim's service was acknowledged through a Regional Red Cross Hero's Award.. In April 2004, Kim was nominated for the Regional Jefferson Award, an award to encourage and honor individuals for their achievements and contributions through public and community service. Kim then went on to be awarded the National Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting Local Communities at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
