Summer has Ended

I even shot a gun!!
We have officially ended the 2009 Summer Camp season. It was a great season. At the beginning of the summer we went off to Portland to the Rose Festival in Portland. There was a rose parade downtown and also a carnival. We rode the imax from our hotel to downtown.
The camp started on June 13, which was the same day it opened 10 years ago. Through out the summer we had more the 5,000 campers and leaders came to camp. We are building a new camp here at WFR for middle school campers, which should be done in 2011, so we had a dedication for the new camp. There were alot of people here, the Washington family, who gave the propriety to YL, the president of YL, and a whole lot of people I didn't know. The new camp will have a water park which will be fun.
Also in July the camp had to be shut down be some campers got sick. Camp was shut down for a week and a half to be safe. After we out the camp all sanitized and ready to be reopened, a fire broke out. So camp had to be closed another week. The crazy thing was while the flu was happening we all were wondering why this was taking place, but then the fire broke out, we realize that if campers were here we would have to evacuate 700 kids from camp. The fire did come close to buildings, but never touched any of them.
There is a verse that I prayed during that time, that was so significant for the fire and camp. "When you pass through the waters; I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep you over. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Is. 43:2 This verse really spoke to me, when we didn't know if the fire would be a threat to our homes. After being in the Grizzly Gulch fire, and had all my things packed "just in case." The fire burned 16,000 acres, which isn't even half the property.Also during this summer we got to be a part of devos with the Housekeeping department every morning, which was awesome to meet all the Summer Staff and Work Crew girls. We also blessed the laundry department by going every Friday night and folding towels for an hour.
Now that summer has winded down, we are getting into our fall schedule which will be alot slower pace. Our big job will be cleaning condo for the contractors of the new camp. We are also having men join Mark 2 in October, which will be a big change. t a gun this summer!!!!!

Washboard Girls

The flames will not set you ablaze. Is. 43:2

Site of new camp

Mark 2 ladies in the "Big City"!

First IMAX ride!

This is the site of the new camp that should be done by 2011.

This is the second week of camp and the biggest Young Life Camp ever with over 700 kids here at camp. The campers arrive at camp on Saturday (Day 1) and are greatly welcome. In the pictures below the camper have just stepped of the bus, and are getting a tour of the camp.

This week was Lindsey last week of being here at WFR. We will dearly miss Lindsey. We had a couple of going away get togethers for her. We took all the ladies to the resivor to do hotdogs and marshmellows on a campfire. That was very fun. We also had a staff get together with Lindsey to tell her goodbye and to remember all the fun we had with her.

On Saturday, Lindsey took her dad out to the shooting range. Me and Autumn went met them out there. When we got out there, Christian, offered to help us shoot the gun. This was the first time I have shot a gun.

Me Lisa, and Lily at the party deck!

Goodbye Lindsey!!! We already Miss you!!!

His loves endures forever Psalms 136!!!

I can't believe that the first week of camp is already over today. The high school camp comes here for 7 days and today was their last day. It has been a crazy week, with getting a new schedule for the summer. Young Life is a ministry that reaches out to high school and middle school kids to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ! So during the summer they have a chance to come to camp and hear the gospel!

I want to share how the Lord is using me at WFR and how He has been faithful in the journey!

Today has been a cool day, in seeing how the Lord is faithful! The Mark 2 Ladies have started to join the Work Crew ladies ( high school volenteers) in a morning devotionals. This is the first year that we have joined with them in this. It fun to be a part of the group. So today we had to be at devos at 7:00 am. I thought we would leave the house by 6:45, so at 6:30, I thought I would find my keys for camp, knowing that I NEEDED them Today. So I began to look in all the usuals spots and could not find them. 6:45 rollled around and I still couldn't find them, so I had to leave without them. So the whole time during devos, I was thinking "Where did I put them" but also thinking that maybe Mandy had them. But I always think that I lost them and beat myself over it. So I really had to trust the Lord that He would provide a way to have keys. But also during the time I was looking at home for them, I also needed a jar of push pins, but of course couldn't find them either and had to leave with out them. (We needed to put up signs around camp for the campers so HAD to have push pins.)
So after devos, Mandy met us in camp to help with some of the ladies jobs. She HAD the KEYS!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord. If you know me in any way, I worry a little to much, so this was God way of having me TRUST Him!!!!! Next we started to do Lost and Found for the campers. (Were we need to put signs up around camp. (Hint: push pins) So I though I would go to the main office to find some, but decieded to stop at the Lobby (b/c that where we do Lost and Found and Juile could start sorting the Lost and Found). I though maybe there might be push pins in there, so I looked so I didn't have to go to the office. (Time crunch.) And what was there: PUSHPINS!!!!!!!!!!!! Praise God!!!!!!!!!!
Next, I took Susan to put the signs out in camp, (thinking of the time crunch, I was trying to hurry, b/c I wanted to get back to the Lobby to help Julie and before campers came.) Knowing the whole time, God was telling me to slow down and trust Him. My mind just goes mock 10 thinking I have to go and go and go. When we got back to the Lobby, Susan and Juile were sorting the L&F, and it took everything in me not to help them before the campers come. (You want it all sorted so it is easier to find.) But again God said Trust Me!! So I did! And they got it all sorted before campers came!!!! Praise God!!!
The next thing that happen was Juile was leaving to go home for the weekend. She was going to take the bus from Madras. (WHich is a little over an hour way from Camp.) We thought she was catching it at 1:00 but it was going to be early 12:30. Lindsey was taking her and didn'tg know this till 11:25. So they jump in the car and went. They got about five miles out of camp and the gas light came on, so the had to come back. By this time it was 11:35, so the whole way, Lindsey was praying that the bus would be 15 minutes late, and felt like God was telling her to not speed. They got to the bus stop right at 12:30 and found out that the bus was 15 minutes late!! Praise God!!
So in just today God has been so faithful!!!! I was reading Psalms 136 and in that David wrote "His loves endures forever" 26 times!!!! It was so true today!!!

I hope these stories bring you encourgement for your day!!!! AS it has mine!!!

I hope to bring you more stories of this summer of God's faithfulness and love!!

Love Bri

Adeventures at WFR

Julie at the fire tower

My Birthday Bash!!!

Now that the weather is nice we have been able to explore the property more. There are 64,000 sq. miles of land that the camp sits on, so there is alot of exploring to do. For my birthday, I was asked what was one thing I would like to do. I haven't been horseback riding in a couple years, so my roommates set up a horseback ride with some friend at camp. We saddled up the the horses and went on a ride. We went riding for about two hours. We were riding for awhile, when my friend, Gene, said "OK, now we are going to go up that hill." It was steep!! We did make it even though it was a little scary. Riding a horse can be hard for me b/c I tend to lean to the left so I feel that I might fall off sometimes, but I love it!!! I was very sore and came back to take a hot bath, but before I got my bath, Mark 2 ladies had a nice birthday dinner made for me.

Another adventure we went on was a hike to the old crematorium. You are probably wondering why there is a crematorium here. The Rajneesh built it when they occupied the land. There was only one reported death, but who really knows remains a mystery. Now it is torn down and is just rubble. The Lord sure has redeemed the land. It was a very pretty hike and pretty flat all the way.

So close

At the fire tower, we finally made it!!

The next adventure we went on is to the fire tower. The fire tower was built (by the Rajneesh) to look out for fires around the camp and other places. Having 64,000 sq. miles of land must be hard to have fire control. We started out driving there, but then got to a very steep, rocky hill and decided that we should almost be there so started walking. Little did we know that we were only about half way there. So Autumn went back to 4-wheel the truck up the hill, as we kept walking. The rest of us hiked all the way. When it was all said and done, we probably hiked 1.5 miles

Are we there yet!!!!!!

This past weekend we took one last big adventures before summer. We all piled in the car and headed north to Portland for the Rose Festival. Portland is the City of Roses, so why not celebrate!!! There was a parade with floats made of flowers and other natural things. There was also a carnival, boat races and ship tours on the water front. We stayed in a motel and rode the I-Max downtown, which was very exciting for a bunch of us who live in the middle of nowhere. We ate a lot of junk food and went on many rides, which I am becoming a party-pooper about rides. (Sickness.)

We have been on many adventures ans summer has just begun!!! Who knows where we'll go next!!! The Lord is good too us!!!!!

God Bless you all

I have not written on my blog in a very long time. There is just not alot to write about, and no pictures to take. I went to Iowa for Christmas for 2 weeks. When we got back, we had an "All Staff Retreat" for us who live at Washington Family Ranch. We went to Cannon Beach for four days. It was very relaxing and fun. We drove down to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and walked on the beach alot. I do have pictures of that time. I even got up and did karaoi. In February we had a fun Valentine Day party for all our ladies. We all had to wear something pink, that was fun. Winter was kind of long this year. It is still chilly, not like the first year I was here. March was beautiful that year and by May the heat was on. This year we are still waiting for the heat, but it will be here before we know it. Campers are coming in 31 days!!! There is a new camp being built on propriety, which should be done in 2011. There will be a big water park, which I'm excited for. They start breaking ground this summer. In April, we got the privilege of having an Africa Children Choir come out to the camp to perform for us. It was amazing, to see their love for Jesus.
I went to Montana in April for my Birthday, it was good to see my family. It been hard the past few weeks, of being homesick and other things, but God keeps reminding me that this is where He wants me for right now. So I just keep being faithful.

This summer should be very busy with campers coming every week, and the new camp being built. I hoping to get some pictures of this summer, so I can show you what goes on here in a summer. Words can't decribe it!!