Want to know how our summer 2007 went in Rochester, New York?

Read on to find out!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Greetings from the traveler! Toni (my personal assistant) and I arrived at the farmhouse in Maryland, located on the property of Review and Herald, at 12:30am this morning after flying all day, and met up with David, Paul, and Robert--my leaders for the summer.

(That farmhouse was the home of George King Institute years ago!)

We 

got a few hours of sleep before rising at 7:30am to prepare for our departure to New York. 

My day started with packing the car and having devotions outdoors by a pond full of geese, overlooking the Review and Herald office building. It was so peaceful and beautiful (note the pics) and I was loath to leave it... But when Conrad arrived a little later to take me to his office for last minute planning, my quiet reprieve ended and the day began in earnest. We had shopping to do next, meeting with a couple of our "Bosses" at the Review and Herald, and then hit the road for New York. 

We arrived around 7pm and the pastor was ready to show us around. We unloaded, got settled, took care of business, hung a couple sheets in the corner of the book room/ multi-purpose room to make a bedroom for me, and the guys crashed into their bedroom. Sweet sleep, though short, was ours sometime around 1am.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Talk about busy! Thursday was another full day, running on minimal sleep and suffering jet lag besides! First thing in the morning after breakfast our books arrived--three pallets of them! :-O The whole gradeschool turned out to help us form assembly line to unload them all. I wish I could have taken a picture.... but I was too busy unloading books to go find my camera. :( Sorry! 

When that finished, the pastor arrived to help us get some more business settled, and then it was time for my conference-call leadership meeting with the Review and Herald. That took several hours, and as soon as it finished, Pastor Tim Bailey and the Conference secretary arrived to tell us what they wanted us to do. The showers aren't installed yet here in the school, but they will be by Monday, and for now they've let us use a couple apartment showers next door. Thursday evening we spent 4+ hours having our own leadership meeting--me trying to teach the others what I'd learned during my conference call. My head was exploding with information! 

Today (Friday) was another rat race... Doing all the shopping for the program, more leadership meetings, learning how to use the accounting program, organizing our living quarters, answering my perpetual-ringing cell phone (students, parents, bosses all needing info or wanting to tell me info), meeting church members, school teachers, elders, etc. etc. etc. I was so tired from everything I had to take a couple hours to rest. Thank God for my faithful leaders and Toni, who did a fabulous job at helping me shoulder the load!

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Yesterday was Sabbath, and it was another very full, long day. I was looking forward to the students arriving and the program running so I could actually rest! We went to church about 20 minutes from here, where Pastor Gary is head pastor. He's been the one in charge of making sure we're comfortable and have what we need, since the Bay Knoll Church is still without a pastor for another week or so. We introduced ourselves during the sermon, and they even let me play the piano for church! During lunch we met Dustin, a young man who's been thinking about joining our program later this summer. We spent the afternoon with him and he took us to a beautiful park along the shores of Lake Ontario. We had a very good visit with him and it ended with him deciding to join us canvassing! Praise the Lord!! After sundown it was more leadership meetings, ending around 1am.

Today the students began to arrive! We kept busy showing them around, picking them up at the airport, train station, and bus station, and keeping them occupied. Of course, my cell continued to ring frequently and I had to make sure things ran smoothly and that all the leaders knew what was going on, besides making schedules, chore lists, and preparing for orientation. I think rat race (or something worse than that) is a mild way to describe my day!

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Monday was our first day of work! We had orientation after breakfast and worship, and sent out the seasoned colporteurs with David and Robert early in the afternoon. Mr McFeeters graciously did some more last-minute shopping for us, while Paul and I spent the rest of the day training the new students who stayed behind. When the first group got back from canvassing, my second shift started--our first day of using a new accounting program. We finally figured out everything around midnight, which put me to bed after 1am AGAIN...

Tuesday, Wednesday, and today were still VERY busy days. I had to pick up another student on Tuesday, plus spend time every day training the new students. Today was the first day that nearly all the students went out (some of them tagging along with experienced canvassers for more training)! I'm VERY tired from all the hard work, and haven't had much time to rest yet, but God has been giving me the strength I need for each day. Our accounting time in the evening has been going faster and smoother each day and we're able to go to bed a bit earlier each night! The students overall have done very well getting adjusted with the schedule and how things run, and they are shouldering responsibilities too, which has helped lighten our load as leaders. The Lord has really blessed and it's been so neat to hear their experiences during worship each morning! God is good :)

Friday, June 8, 2007

Whew! Fridays are always busy, but the first Friday is always the most interesting! Just imagine trying to make sure that 17 people get their clothes all washed, dried and folded at the laundry mat, grocery shopping done for the program breakfasts, students & leaders doing all their shopping for sack lunches, cooking food for Sabbath breakfast, getting lunch eaten, doing the bank deposits, sending packages from the post office, cleaning the school/church building and vans, preparing for the Sabbath morning move out of bedrooms, taking showers, and having everything ready for Sabbath by 6pm, and you'll have a slight taste of how our Friday went! lol

Around 6pm we headed to Pastor Gary's house for a wonderful, relaxing evening of singing, sharing colporteur experiences, and visiting with his family. It was such a blessing and we're looking forward to going there again next week too! Pastor Gary has been a tremendous help to us--we couldn't have done it without him!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

What a blessed Sabbath we had yesterday! We visited the Bay Knoll SDA church--where we're living, for Sabbath School and Church. They provided a wonderful vegan meal for us and gave us some time to introduce our group to the church. Also, four Bible workers arrived yesterday to work with us, and the new pastor for Bay Knoll Church arrived, so we got to meet all of them too.  We spent the afternoon hiking/relaxing at the same park we were at last Sabbath--along the shores of Lake Ontario. While we were there, several of us decided to sing some hymns and it was so neat to see the people's reaction as they walked past us. A young lady stopped and asked if we were Christians--she said she'd heard us singing from a distance and thought there were angels singing! One gentleman in particular actually stopped walking and sat on a rock near us for the remainder of our singing! What a blessing to be able to witness even at the park! 

Today was the first day that every single student worked alone at doors without having to go in pairs. I was still busy though, because Robert, one of my leaders, stayed back and I had to do some things with him. Maybe later this week I'll have some time to rest... It was so exciting to see the students smiling faces this evening though. By God's grace, we had our highest day of the summer so far--every student had over $100 average--including those who it was their first day of work! God is SOOOOOO good!!! :-D 

Tonight was the first night I was able to greet every student and spend a few minutes with them when they came home, as well as have worship with the girls. Praise God! Paul and David are able to do more of the accounting without me, so that freed up my evening a bit to be sociable. The students seemed to appreciate seeing me doing more than just telling them what to do! ;) 

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

This week has been a real blessing and a joy! Another student arrived on Monday, bringing our numbers up to 17 of us total. We have another one arriving this Tuesday, and 4 more coming next week, so we'll end up with 22 of us total. :) I've been having fun going to the bank every other day doing the deposits and meeting the friendly ladies there. It helps me feel like I'm able to share with others, even if I'm not out working doors with the students. We're starting to get more on a routine now, and I've even had a couple short naps this week and been able to call my family, for once! I'm enjoying the break while it lasts though, because when the next group of students arrive, I'll be back to training new students again... The head leader's work never ends! 

We've also had some neat opportunities this week. On Monday, the school asked us to do a 45 minute presentation for their last school chapel worship of the year! We were able to share with them experiences from canvassing and give a good appeal for them to consider canvassing when they get older. You never know--they might be among the next generation of canvassers! Another guest from the New York conference office came to visit yesterday, and since he's one of my "bosses," I spent some time meeting together with him, the pastors, and Bible workers, getting all our efforts organized so everyone knows what is going on. 

The students are doing well. We've had some interesting times out in the field in the ghetto areas--even a run in with a young man who had a gun! But very minimal police trouble and though the people are secular, they are fairly friendly and books are going out. PTL! Please keep us in prayer as we continue working, and stay tuned in for more Knock, Knock Reports!

PS I will add one note before I forget. You may notice that some of the pictures show me in a wheelchair. I'm not in it all the time--I walk too, but it's a more comfortable chair to sit in than the metal folding chairs we have. Also, it makes it easier for me to get around quickly when I'm tired or can't walk fast, because I can push myself along with my feet (you should see how fast I can make that thing go! lol). If more people knew how comfortable those chairs are, they'd be using them too!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

This past weekend was a lot of fun and full of surprises too! Thursday was another fun day of canvassing. The students had SOOO much energy when they came home that evening--bursting in the door and excitedly telling me about their day. That's definitely my favorite part of the day! 

Friday was quite interesting, because something unusual was in the air. We started with our Friday routine of worship, breakfast, and laundry/grocery shopping. But when I headed out on my last errand--the bank and post office, the students started calling me asking how soon I'd be home for lunch. They pestered me every 10 minutes until I finally came back! Then they promptly blindfolded me and sat me in the hallway next to Melissa, who was also blindfolded. They led us outside, took our blindfolds off and sprayed us with silly string while singing happy birthday! They had a beautifully decorated table with flowers, balloons, fruit, chips and rice dream. What a special treat--and a real surprise to me, since my birthday is still two weeks away. But since it was Melissa's birthday, they decided to combine them together. The students are SO special! 

Sabbath was another big day for us--traveling across town to the Genessee Park church, where Pastor Gary is. We had the privilege of leading song service, playing the piano, and sharing more than 15 minutes of stories and experiences during the sermon time. Between us and the Bible workers, we took the entire sermon! LOL But no one seemed to mind. It was a real blessing! After a wonderful meal with the church members, the church's deaf pastor (who is actually deaf, himself) asked to meet with us in the sanctuary. Apparently, Rochester has a very high concentration of deaf people due to RIT, a deaf college and several private deaf schools here. He will be following up on all our deaf Bible study contacts. PTL! 

We spent the afternoon at the Genessee Park, which is located right along the Erie Canal. We split into two groups, one group walked a little ways and then rested in the grass to enjoy the peace and quiet, and the other group did an extra hour of hiking. Then we all came together for a sharing time, writing colporteur experiences, and sundown worship before driving back home for the night. 

Today (Sunday) was another busy day of work, and ended up being one of our highest days of the summer! God is truly blessing our work here. :)

Thursday, June 21, 2007

This week has been interesting! The devil has been attacking us every way possible and trying to stop our work, but God has overruled every time. It's so exciting to be on the front lines! First of all, he's tried with sickness--with students and with leaders. But that's just given me opportunities to use God's natural means to keep everyone healthy. 

Several days this week they came home to a "special treat" from me. Once it was a gallon of lemon/garlic drink! (I used 10 lemons, 2 whole bulbs of garlic, and the rest was water to fill the gallon). The other two times it was Pau D'Arco and Peppermint tea (they seem to like that a bit better than lemon/garlic drink). Though it brought some protesting from some of the students, it really did make a difference at how many got sick and how sick they were. No one has had to stay back because of a fever like they did last year--PTL! 

Second, Satan tried to scare us from working by putting one of our students in a scary situation, but once again God overruled events and nothing serious happened. We've had opportunities to work in ghettos and God has truly blessed as the students have been singing, "Brighten the ghetto, where you are!" (adapted from "Brighten the Corner Where you Are") Most of our Bible study contacts and a large portion of our sales have been in the ghettos of Rochester.

Working for God--there's nothing better! God has also worked out a way for me to soak in the tub this summer. One of Dustin's friends offered their home to me any time I need it, and they're even willing to pick Toni and I up and bring us over there! They have a big jacuzzi tub with jets, so it was SUCH a blessing to be able to relax in it yesterday. This week God has also blessed with higher sales and averages--we had two of our highest days this week. 

PTL!

Sabbath, June 23, 2007

Yesterday and today were big blessings, though packed, as usual. We had a full Friday morning with laundry, cleaning, shopping, and packing food for Sabbath. Then we had a wonderful sharing time, writing colporteur experiences, singing and having worship together. We got to bed by 9pm and got some good sleep before midnight. 

Sabbath we had a VERY early start with rising at 6:15am, grabbing sack breakfast to eat in the car, and leaving by 7:15am. We had 1.5 hour drive to campmeeting and arrived just in time for Sabbath School. The New York campmeeting was a real blessing and it was quite a thrill to see ourselves on the screen when they played the promotional video of our colporteur team! (It was what the conference filmed of us a couple weeks ago when they came to visit our program) They even gave us a copy of the DVD afterwards! (Next Sabbath they'll have us actually up front in person at the campmeeting)

Monday, June 25, 2007

Sunday and today were especially busy for me, because four more students joined us for work, and they needed training. So I spent the afternoons training them, after everyone else had left for work. Thankfully, Robert stayed back today to help me with some of it. Our group has now reached 22 people, but since Toni and I don't go out working, that makes 17 canvassers and 3 drivers in the vans each day. PTL for workers!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

This week, the devil resorted to a desperate plan in hopes of stopping our work--bringing in counterfeit workers! Yes, you read right. A group of 40 college/highschool students from out-of-state moved into Rochester about 10 miles from where we're staying, and began going door to door in the same areas we're working, offering books on donation basis. The problem is, they're a total scam!!! :-O Some of them were arrested, but the rest are still working and the news went on headlines that a group of out-of-state students, selling books on donation basis, are in the area and they're a total scam so DO NOT buy from them, and call the police if you see them! It's been featured on television and newspapers all week, so you can only imagine what people have been thinking this week when we show up at their doorstep. 

Yes, we've had a LOT of police calls this week, but thank God, we're legitimate and though the towns have asked us to have photo IDs (and the Review and Herald has graciously provided professional ones for us!), they haven't kicked us permanently out of any areas, and God is still helping the students to get books out. It's definitely been a challenge to convince people at doors that we aren't scammers, but when they see the message of the books, realize that we are giving them the books TODAY, and that we're missionaries with the SDA church, they still want them. We've even had ministers of other denominations tell our students THANK YOU for going out, and wishing that there were more SDA colporteurs! (Can you imagine hearing that from a Baptist minister?) So God is faithful, we aren't discouraged, and we're pressing forward by faith. But please, please, do keep us in your prayers! God has much people in this city....

Friday, June 29, 2007

I found out some really good news today, and we had such a great day, I just had to give a quick update. :) First of all, we have company for the weekend! Three sets of parents came to visit us, arriving last night and will be staying until Sunday (Mr & Mrs McFeeters, Mrs Morris & Mrs Bethel). It's such a blessing to have them here--it always helps the students to have real Moms and Dads around. :) Also with them are Esther and Titus' two younger siblings. They had a grand time with us today--including getting rides in my wheelchair, pushing me around, helping count money, and playing with the students. They certainly added a bright spot to our day!

Our day started as any ordinary Friday with worship, breakfast, laundry, shopping, bank/post office, getting things ready for Sabbath, etc. But then instead of going right into showers and lunch, we took everyone outside and had a grand water fight! :-D Oh, that was SOOO much fun!! Of course, I was the easiest target since I just sat in the chair and held the hose, so I got some good dousings (not that I didn't deserve it after thoroughly hosing off everyone else in the group! rofl) It was nice having the parents around to take pics of all the action. After all that fun, we had our showers, lunch, and cleaning time before a nice vespers and sharing time in the sanctuary. We headed to bed early, since we have another early start for campmeeting again tomorrow. 

Now for the good news--on Thursday we hit our $20,000.00 mark and have distributed over 1,600 books already this summer (including Happiness Digests)! God is truly working miracles and it's so exciting to be a part of it! PTL!!! :-D

Friday, July 6, 2007

What an exciting week! Whew... it's been a busy one too! Sabbath, which was my 24th birthday, was another busy campmeeting day, complete with an afternoon at Lake Ontario, at the students request. The parents enjoyed the lake and watching all the kids play in it. :) We were all sad when they left on Sunday morning, but turned ourselves back to the grind of another canvassing week.

Fourth of July dawned warm and bright. Tralina and I set off early before breakfast and did a whole bunch of grocery shopping... Watermelon, cherries, bagels, tofu, and chips. After breakfast, we sent everyone off to the laundromat while Tralina, Titus and I worked on lunch. What a treat it was to see the students' faces when they came back and found a meal all decorated happy birthday balloons. Yes--it was a surprise birthday celebrations for all the July birthdays. We had a fun afternoon--after the meal we gave each one a card and gift, gave them all back rubs, had a sharing time (sharing Bible promises), watched a nature dvd together, played a fun game of hide and seek, and then spent the rest of the evening having free time. The Bible workers joined us too, so we had a grand time. It was so much fun to spend time playing and having fun with the students! :D

Thursday was another canvassing day and then Friday we got up early, packed, loaded the Uhaul and vans, and set off on a 7 hour drive to Maryland! Yes, our whole program is canvassing for two weeks here. Can't wait to see what more adventures are in store for us! Pastor Dick Thomas is the pastor here, and he is actually the father of magabooks. What a treat to be able to spend time with the man who invented the whole idea of magabooks!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Amazing! Astounding! Terrifying! I just can't believe what miracles God is doing for us! This week was truly the highest week of our summer in books and $$$, and it has been such a blessing! We're housed here at the Catoctin View SDA Church near Thurmont, Maryland and totally spoiled rotten as the church members have been doing all the cooking for both meals each day! What a treat! Not only that, but Pastor Thomas has been joining us for worships and doing a lot of them for us, as well as personally following up on our Bible study contacts. His enthusiasm is totally contagious! It's out in the country and the students are walking many, many miles, but the people are so friendly and it's a wonderful change from the city streets of Rochester. And best of all--we're away from those counterfeit students! God gave us two weeks reprieve and by the time we get back to New York, most of those counterfeiters will be gone! :D

On a sadder note, we lost one student this week, as Adam went back home. He will be missed... On a happier note, another student arrived this next week! Elisabeth, who was also with us last summer. What a blessing to have her here with us again! God is good. :) The best news of all is that my strength has started increasing this week and I'm able to walk more again! Praise God for His mercies!

Today was definitely an adventure we'll keep in memory for a VERY long time! We left early in the morning and drove 2.5 hours out to Silver Springs, Maryland and got a full tour of the General Conference building! What a treat to be able to visit our SDA world headquarters and best of all, to be able to tour Griggs University (Home Study International), where all of us Ouachita Hills College students have been getting our degrees from. From there, we drove back to Thurmont and went to a state park. Some of us went swimming, while others rested or hiked around. Our dear hosts prepared a fabulous dinner of pizza and pasta salad, and then it was a race to get laundry and showers done before the sun left us. What a blessing! Tomorrow will be another busy day... They have me scheduled to do a nature presentation for Sabbath School, and the rest of the leaders/students will be doing the sermon! Plus we have special music and piano responsibilities! Anyway until next time... keep praying!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Another fabulous week! With sales that nearly tie last week's and many, many Bible studies have been continuing from the past two weeks of work in this area. God is so amazing! This week has definitely been more of a challenge, however. This week we've been working down in the Middletown Valley Church, but still staying at the Catoctin View Church. They are 45 minutes apart, so right after leadership meeting in the morning, we hit the road, drive down to Middletown Valley Church for breakfast and worship. From there the students all headed off to work, leaving Toni and I wondering what to do! A couple days we spent at a church member's house down the road until one of the leaders picked us up on their way home at the end of the day. Another day a church member drove us all the way back home! (That was sure a blessing--I got a fomentation treatment that day! :D ) Another day one of the leaders had to have dental work done, so a church member drove us to the dentist, while another church member picked us up and took us home afterwards! Yeah... it was pretty crazy!

Yesterday and today were definitely the craziest, however. Yesterday started as usual with driving to Middletown Valley Church, After the students headed out for work, David, Paul and I had a meeting with one of the students' parents. From there David and I, along with one other student, headed off with Pastor Thomas to pick up our Uhaul. From there we headed to Hagerstown to load up our books. The other students quit work after lunch and met us there in Hagerstown for a complete tour of the Review and Herald Publishing building! What a treat to be able to see where all our books and publications are printed and get to meet our boss--Oliver, who is assistant publishing director there at the Review. We came home early for bed and spent the evening cleaning and packing for the move back to New York.

Today, as you guessed, was a VERY long day! We got up early, finished packing, loading, and hit the road. It was a long 7 hours back to New York, and then there was unloading, unpacking, grocery shopping, and getting ready for Sabbath before sundown. Praise God, we got everything done except unloading the books! We'll save that for Sunday. I'm just glad to be back, safe and sound. :) Of course, tomorrow is another full day... we got a call on our way here, from Pastor Gary, notifying us that we have the full sermon tomorrow! "Prayer and effort, effort and prayer, will be the business of your life..."

Friday, July 27, 2007

Greetings from Minneapolis, Minnesota! Rofl No, don't worry, this time we didn't move our whole program to Minnesota! I'm here alone, and the program is running without me (or with me still, only remotely by telephone!). This week has been a very crazy week--I worked with the program until Wednesday, getting everything organized for things running smoothly while I was gone, then headed to Minneapolis by plane to help my friend, Rahab (Mama) with her wedding. Today I spent most of the day on the phone with students and leaders, helping with a doctor emergency, purchasing plane tickets, and at the same time packing Rahab's house and getting her moved out of her apartment. Whew! I'm thankful for Sabbath, though I probably won't be getting much rest this weekend...

The program sure had an exciting adventure today though! They got to visit several historic sites, all within a few miles of each other: the birthplace of the Mormons, the home of the Fox Sisters (birthplace of modern-day spiritualism), and the most important, Hiram Edson's barn! Yes, his barn is right near the cornfield where he saw the vision of Jesus ministering in the Most Holy Place--essentially the birthplace of Seventh-day Adventists out of the Millerite movement! I felt badly that I had to miss all the adventure and history, as I LOVE history, but am looking forward to seeing all the pics that the students took for me while they were there. I'm sure that's something they won't soon forget!

Monday, July 29, 2007

What an exciting weekend I had in Minneapolis, MN! Yes, I know, this is supposed to be the colporteur program blog, but I just had to tell at least a paragraph or two of MY adventures too! Friday was a LONG day, but Sabbath was even LONGER! Went to church at an African Church, and sat through several hours of church service. Then after lunch I went outside and rested while they had another 4 hour long meeting in a non-air-conditioned church! The heat was stifling in there. Finally at 9pm they were ready for the rehearsal, and that's when I learned that the wedding would be in this same church tomorrow! Oh joy.... The rehearsal ended at 1am, but if you saw the crowd of attendants that all had to be organized: the miniature bride and groom, the 2 flowers girls, the junior brides maids, the 2 Bible boys, the junior groomsmen, the candle lighters, the 13 bridesmaids, the 13 groomsmen, the maid of honor & best man, the two pastors, the emcee, the two wedding coordinators, the musicians, the choir, and of course, the bride and groom themselves, you'd understand why it took so long!

Nevertheless, Sunday was another busy day, because of course, it was the day of the wedding! Breakfast, errands, ironing, getting dressed (yes, I was one of those thirteen bridesmaids), driving to the meeting place for all female attendants, eating a hasty lunch, and then a limousine ride to the church for the wedding! From there another limousine ride to a golf course for a hasty photography session, and then on to another part of town for the reception, which... lasted until midnight! That's not to mention all the noise, marching, singing, and all the other things Africans do at weddings. Was quite amusing, to say the least--especially when 75% is in another language! Needless to say, their weddings aren't quite "American!" rofl

We got home at 1:30am only to realize that we needed to leave at 5am for two of us to catch our flights! So after packing and finishing up necessary business, I got 1.5 hours of sleep and then hit the road for the long trip home. I arrived in Rochester at 3pm this afternoon, and one of the canvassing teams picked me up and let me help lead a team for the rest of the day, until we got home at 9pm that night! Then it was taking care of business with leaders and students, preparing for taking back my leadership responsibilities, dealing with issues, and crashing. I'm SOOOOO glad to be back, but I think it might take a few days of sleep to catch up!

Friday, August 3, 2007

Crashing was definitely priority and I did get some good sleep the next day after coming back. Then it was back to the grind, but the students were so wonderful. They seem to appreciate me a whole lot more since I've been back! The program has been going well this week. Our sales aren't quite what they were in Maryland, but they aren't low either, so I'm very thankful. God has miraculously preserved us from sickness epidemics (thanks to Pau D'Arco Tea and Lemon/Garlic drink!), so I'm thankful for that as well. We lost another student, Melissa, due to health issues, but have one new student working with us--Shane's brother, Tremaine! He's caught on quickly to the work and we're thankful to see his determination as he works the last two weeks of the summer with us. God is good and I'm so thankful for all He has done! The summer is nearly over!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

It's OVER!!!! Yes, our program has ended and the retreat has just begun! This week was truly a blessing and we ended the program with very close to the same number of books as last summer! God is SO good! :D Thank you All for your prayers!

Whew... I'm just glad I survived today! lol I definitely worked the hardest today I've worked this entire YEAR 2007! Started at 6am this morning with heading to the grocery store with David to do all the grocery shopping for the whole retreat! Got back in time for leadership meeting and breakfast then we had a short worship and sent all the students out for their last hours of work. As soon as they left out the door, I tackled the kitchen. Made Pasta Salad and potato salad for Thursday lunch, Spaghetti for Friday lunch, Millet Crumble for Sabbath Breakfast, and mayonnaise for sandwiches... in four hours! Then I had to run out the door to take a student to the bus station, hurry back to put everything away and do the dishes and then off to the restaurant to meet the colporteur team for lunch! The student's car that I was supposed to use to go to the restaurant wouldn't start, so we ended up waiting for a leader to come get us and we were the last to eat. But it was fun for a change! From there we did laundry, cleaning, and end of program papers, year books, etc. It was a madhouse! Then I had to go back to the kitchen and get everything sorted and ready for the picnic and camping trip! Needless to say, it was a late night. But the good news is, the retreat has begun!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

It's so quiet around here... all the students are gone! The program is over! But the work isn't done yet... Now Paul, Robert, Elisabeth, Toni and I are sorting through lost and found items, cleaning the last bit of area, loading boxes of leftover books into the vans, and packing our own personal suitcases for our trip home. We leave tomorrow morning to drive the vans back to Maryland and from there we all part our separate ways. All, that is, except Elisabeth and I, because she's coming home with me! :D I'm SOOOOO excited! It's a miracle!!!

You're probably wondering how our retreat went? Well, it was certainly a blast! Thursday morning we headed to Niagara Falls, where the church members had graciously paid for our ride on "Maid of the Mist" boat right to the base of the Niagara Falls! We got thoroughly drenched but it was so much fun! Then we hiked around the falls for a while, hiked up the stairs on the American side to get a closer view, etc. Then we went to a nearby park for a picnic lunch, where Mr. McFeeters and Daniel met us to spend the rest of the retreat with us. (They were going to be taking a group of our students back home in their van.) From there we headed to the Sandy Creek Church acres, where they had generously opened their property and building to our use for a campground. They even had a fire pit and wood all ready for a campfire!

Friday morning I had to take David to the airport, as he was groomsman in a wedding and couldn't stay for the rest of retreat. On my way back, I picked up the food from our refrigerator for breakfast and lunch today and arrived at our camp in time to make breakfast. We had a wonderful relaxing Friday enjoying each other's company, talking, playing, signing yearbooks, and a group of students even went swimming in Lake Ontario! I stayed back with a few stragglers to have lunch ready when they came back. All too soon we had to take down came and move back to our school again, and shower before sundown. I crashed and went to bed early, totally exhausted from all the hours of work!

Sabbath we went to the Pastor's house and had a Nature Sabbath and group Bible study for Sabbath School and church! It was a lot of fun--especially since some more parents had arrived and they joined us too! After lunch everyone was free to hike, rest, or visit--it was our last hours together as a group. Saturday night brought a mad scramble of packing and saying goodbyes, and by this morning, everyone had left except the 5 of us! But I'm just so thankful to God for what He did for us this summer. True, it did have its challenges, but in God's eyes, it was a real success--many people will be in heaven as a result of our work!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

IT IS FINISHED! *smile* *cry* *smile* *cry* *smile* *cry* Yes, I have mixed emotions about today. I think I've been smiling and crying inside the whole day! We got to the Review and Herald yesterday evening, returned the vans and books, and today I finished up all the last bit of bookkeeping and accounts with Conrad. Then we had the hardest meeting of my entire life... I gave my word of resignation as a Head Leader for any future colporteur programs! Shocking, yes... even for me... but it was God's will. I have by no means left the work--and I'll continue to keep this website up and running. The Literature work is truly where my heart is and I'll never cease to recruit for it, encourage others, and do what I can to help from where I am. I'll miss it, but with my failing health and the frustrations of being confined to a wheelchair so much, the stress is not what I can handle anymore.

I will always think back of the past two summers with fond memories and the students will always be my "children". I truly thank God for the opportunity that He's given me to be active in this work for the past 8 years, and I pray that He will raise up others who can take my place. Best of all, I have not ceased from His work. If you take a look at my other website, www.discoveringhistreasures.com you will be able to see what I'm doing full time now. It's a ministry dedicated to share the truths of the gospel through the ministry of nature. A ministry to teach YOU how you can draw closer to Christ, through nature. Keep a watch on that website for updates there!

As I close this off, I think it's only appropriate to share once again the poem that David, Paul and I wrote during the retreat last summer...

As you leave this summer, with memories galore,
We pray that your work for Christ is not over.
Keep trusting and praying,
Keep growing and sharing,
And together we will meet on that everlasting shore!

Quick update, Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Just an update to request your prayers. Luke Privett, one of our faithful canvassers this past two summers, and a very dear friend and brother in Christ, was killed in a car accident on his way home from GYC. Please keep his family and friends in prayer as they grieve his loss, and keep all of us in prayer as we carry the torch that he has left for us. By Faith We Conquer, in Him!