GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!

I know that God answers prayers, but when something happens that is so clearly an answer to prayer, it is SO exciting! Here's the story....

About a year and a half ago, Shaun and I made the decision to trust God with a major part of our finances. We decided to no longer save toward a vehicle that we knew we would be needing in the future, but to instead, trust that the Lord would provide a vehicle at no cost to us. This decision enabled us to give more each month to a couple of organizations that further the cause of Christ around the world.

So, we've continued to pray that when the time came that we needed a different vehicle (I was still driving the car that my parents gave me in college, a 2000 Kia Spectra) one would be given to us. We had no idea how this would happen, but we've heard too many stories from other people of God providing in big ways to not have faith that He could do it this time.

Now that we have decided to become foster parents, and we have a dog, we realized the time was coming to get a bigger vehicle, preferrably a mini-van because we take long trips and a mini-van seemed like the most practical vehicle for our needs. We started to share our need with family and friends as opportunities presented themselves.

On December 23rd we were having dinner with some friends in Illinois, and I decided it wouldn't hurt to bring up our vehicle need to them, just in case they knew of someone who had a mini-van available. Next thing we knew, our friend Jim was on the phone with his sister asking her about 2 vans she has that she was thinking of selling soon. After he got off the phone he told us that his sister might consider trading our Kia for one of her Dodge Caravan mini-vans! We felt as though this could be the way that God was answering our prayers, so we told him go ahead and see if his sister would seriously consider trading. He said he'd call her back and he'd get back to us in the next couple of days. We were leaving for Colorado on December 26th, so if this was going to happen it would have to happen quick!

Christmas morning we received a call from Jim saying that his sister would be willing to trade us for one of her vans. That night we drove to her house to check out the vans and next thing you know we were driving away in a mini-van! I have affectionately named our "new" van THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER because it's a maroonish-purple color.

It is exciting to see God answer prayers is such clear ways. We are getting more and more excited to welcome a child into our home and drive him/her around in a spacious van :-) I know most people don't think mini-vans are cool, but we consider it a great blessing to receive this gift.

Here's to the Holidays

Shaun and I really enjoy the holidays because it is a time to see our family. We don't live nearby any of our family, so it really is a special treat when we get to see our parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.

Thanksgiving in Texas with my brother and sister-in-law was great fun. I have an active family so we spent our time taking walks, playing disc golf, and riding bikes.....when we weren't filling our bellies of course!

Here is a family picture from Thanksgiving Day.

Tomorrow we leave for a 2 1/2 week trip back to IL. We are stopping in KS for a couple of days to visit my sister's family and to speak at a church that supports us. Then on to IL for a friend's wedding, family time, and of course Christmas! On Dec. 13th we are hosting an open house for anyone who wants to come. Here is the invitation we sent out to those of you who may not have received it. If you don't live near Elmhurst, it could be difficult to make it, but know that we greatly appreciate all of your prayers and support over the past year!  Merry Christmas!



It's Official

On October 14th, I blogged about our struggle with conceiving a child and how that had led us to consider adoption and foster care in the future if God continues to close my womb. Well, we have officially made the decision to become licensed foster parents! God has taken us on this journey over the past couple of months and our desire to be foster parents has continued to grow.

The journey started when our friends Jeremy and Melissa visited us from Illinois. They are foster parents to 3 kids (one of whom is in the process of becoming theirs officially through adoption) and have 2 biological children. They talked to us about what foster care entails and what a blessing it has been to them. It was like a light bulb went off in our heads that day because we had never really considered foster care before. We found out from our friends that foster care can be a really great experience and it also can be a great way to adopt a child if you can't afford to adopt through an adoption agency.

After Jeremy and Melissa went back home, Shaun continued to bring up the possibility of doing foster care. That was a huge sign to me that God just might be leading us in that direction because Shaun had NEVER shown much passion or interest about regular adoption. Then, a couple of days later I was listening to the radio and heard a story about a woman who had been diagnosed as infertile by her doctors and now was going the route of foster care to hopefully welcome a forever child into their home whenever God brought the right one.

Our hearts were being moved! Shaun asked me if I'd be willing to do some research about foster care, so I did. I also spoke with a friend who has worked in the foster care system before. I found a Christian foster care agency online that immediately struck me as the agency we should use. I showed some video clips to Shaun about families who had been blessed by foster care. We both agreed that it seemed like a great agency that seems to truly care about everyone involved. We also kept thinking about how God has called us to care for orphans. James 1:27 kept ringing through my mind as a call to all Christians:

James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

We continued to pray because it seemed like a big step to become foster parents. We wanted a clear answer from the Lord that this was what He wanted for our family. One Sunday, we were sitting in our Sunday school class and a scripture verse popped up on the screen:

Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a women, born under the Law, so that he might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘ABBA, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

When we got back in the car that day after church, we both commented about how that scripture verse spoke to our hearts individually. We both knew that Galatians 4 was an answer to prayer, so the next day we called the foster care agency to set up an appointment.

We are excited to see what God does in our lives as a result of foster care. We hope that we will have the privilege of adopting a child eventually but also realize that many of the children we will have in our home will only stay for a short time before returning to their biological parents. It will be difficult for me to bond with these kids and then lose them, but we know this is what God is calling us to and we look forward to showing these little ones the love of Christ.

It is about a 3-4 month process to become licensed and we begin our first classes on Dec. 7th. After that it will be 2 months of classes, a home study, and background checks before we can receive a child into our home. Stay posted for more updates.

November Eagle Lake Happenings

This month, Shaun has been hard at work on the staff housing project. He travels up to camp 3 days a week to help build. It's hard work and he usually comes home wiped each night! Check out the video below that shows the progress.

When Shaun is not up at camp helping build staff housing, he has spent much of his time over the past month working on the Excursions Bible Study for the upcoming summer. Bible Study creation is not something that is easy, so it's been a time consuming process, but it's coming along very well. We are excited about what God is going to do through His Word this summer.

Larae continues to help out in the office 3 days a week. She has been given the task of calling youth pastors in the Colorado Springs area to see if they would be intersted in learning more about what Eagle Lake could offer their churches and youth groups. It's actually been very encouraging to see how many youth pastors are interested in meeting with one of our directors personally to talk about Eagle Lake!

It's hard to believe that we will be starting our summer staff hiring in a little over a month from now! The fall has flown by and we know that once January hits, things are going to get even more busy and hectic. But, it's an exciting time because we get to see our prayers answered as the staff housing project progresses. We just continue to pray that it will be liveable by the time we all move up to camp for the summer.

Free Chick Fil A for a year

The Chick-Fil-A in our area celebrated their 1 year anniversary with a chance to win free Chick-Fil-A for a year if you were willing to skate all night long around the restaurant. You also had to be one of the first 100 to sign up. So, a couple of friends and I (Shaun) thought it would be kind of fun and definitely worth the free food!

First off, I want to clearify what "Free Chick-Fil-A for a year" means.  It means 52 free meals (so one free meal a week) but definitely still worth the 8 hours of all night skating.  Check-in was from 8 - 9:45pm on Thursday, November 11th and the official skating start time was at 10pm and did not end until 6am the following morning.  It was a brutal yet 100% worth while endeavor.  The bonding experience that I had with my two friends/coworkers was amazing.  There was tears of joy and tears of pain.  There were hilarious gut wrenching times of laughter and there were heated arguments.  I might have exaggerated with the tears part, but it was definately a challenging experience that we will never forget. 

About 2 hours into the skate-a-thon, Hanley (the brown bearded lad) could already feel hotspots from the rental skates on the bottom of his feet.  Andrew (the wispy haired blond) was embarking on a journy that was way above his skill level due to the fact that he had never been skating for more than 8 hours total and now he would be venturing into a world of 8 consecutive hours of skating.  Let's just say the 2 of them were  the slowest skaters there, but did we care?  Not the least bit. We knew what we were in it for and believed firmly that there is great truth in the saying, "slow and steady wins the race"  It was definitely slow, the steady part might have been a bit of a stretch seeing how their skill level wasn't quite what I would call advanced by any means, but none the less it made the experience even more hilarious. 

The weather conditions were nice for an event like this though it might have been a tad bit on the cold side with temperatures staying in the low 20s.  It really wasn't too bad until 4 AM rolled around and we hit a mental and pain threshold block.   The music was motivating and the cheerleaders on the sidelines were really friendly and encouraging which made all the difference.  Once we mustered through the 4 o'clock hour we were in the home stretch, walking/skating like we were on broken glass because our feet hurt so bad, but throwing caution to the wind because we could smell victory in the air.  Once the call came out that the skate-a-thon was officially over, we praised the Lord and did our best to be patient as pictures were taken and prizes were being handed out.  The standing around at the end was probably one of the worst parts out of the whole event because the cold final caught up to you then.  However, once the bounty (52 free meal tickets!) was in hand we fled as swift as angel's wings to Andrew's car. Once home, I took a shower and hit the pillow ultra hard for about and hour until I had to get back up and go to work.  It was one of the worst wake ups I think I have ever had. 

Thank you and may God bless all of you with such an amazing experience.  :)



Here is a picture progression of our fun and exhausting night.....

Standing in line to secure our spot in the top 100...I was #37

Eating our free meal before skating all night

Yum, a peppermint chocolate chip shake!

Eat more Chikin!

Our first try on the skates, we needed moral support

I don't know

Showing off some skills that I aquired as a youngster

Hanley and I being weird

Ready, set, skate.....for the next 8 hours!

Larae stuck around for about 10 minutes to get an action shot as we circled the store

Home improvements almost done...phew!

As most of you probably know, we purchased our first home last January. It's a townhome that was built in the 1980s. The previous owner did not really have an eye for detail and when we first moved in we realized that there were many home improvements we wanted to make. Now, almost 11 months later, we are almost done with those improvements!

We were extremely blessed to be able to get in on the first time homebuyers tax credit which put $8000 in our pocket. We decided to reinvest most of that back into our home. Here is the list of what we have purchased with that tax money:

1) Washer and dryer (off craigslist!)
2) Refrigerator (off craigslist!)
3) Deep freezer
4) Gas grill
5) Paint
6) New laminate floor for main level
7) New furniture (bookshelves, bedroom set, bench, cozy sac)
8) 2 new ceiling fans
9) Many sets of curtains
10) New light fixtures
11) Electrical wiring for our bedroom
12) Pantry shelving
13) Garbage disposal
14) Reverse osmosis system
15) New bathroom sinks and faucets for all bathrooms
16) Storage shelves


I think that about covers it! As you can see, we've done a lot in the past months and many of our weekends and evenings have been spent working on that stuff. Thankfully, we've reached the end of the list (and the end of the tax money:-) We've learned a lot of new skills in the process and just feel so blessed by the ability to be able to do these minor fixes without going into debt or dipping into our emergency fund.

One of our last projects has been to replace the bathroom sinks and faucets. Here is Shaun hard at work.

My new Wednesday

Last Spring I was really struggling with what my purpose in life was. One weekend, Shaun was snowboarding with a friend so I spent the day seeking the Lord. I ended up journalling about what passions God has placed within my heart. It was really neat to see all of the things I'm passionate about down on paper and realize that they all kind of blend together to make me who I am. I would recommend that activity for everyone. It helped me see who God had made me to be and it also brought back a passion of mine that had been laying dormant for several years, that of helping women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy.

In college I felt drawn to a ministry called Hannah's Hope which is a home for women who have no safe place to live during their pregnancy. I even had the opportunity to volunteer there on several different occasions and I just loved what the ministry was able to do to help those women in their greatest time of need. Many women need just one person who supports them in order for them to choose life for their child. It is the feeling of hopelessness, fear and lack of a good support system that often leads a woman to choose abortion so ministries like Hannah's Hope are greatly needed!

So, last Spring when that passion was brought to the forfront of my heart and mind again, I knew that the Lord was calling me back to that. I filled out a volunteer application for the Sanctity of Life ministry in Colorado Springs called Life Network. Life Network has 4 primary outreaches; Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Post-Abortion counseling, Abstinence Education, and Parenting classes for teen and first time moms. This ministry is really on the front lines of the war against the sanctity of life. I was most interested in helping at the Crisis Pregnancy Center as a receptionist, but was required to go to the volunteer training before I could do that. Since we spent the summer at Eagle Lake it wasn't until last month that I did the training and now I have the privilege of volunteering for 4 hours each Wednesday at the Pregnancy Center.

It is neat to see first hand the kind of impact that the Center has. I've only been there for two weeks so far and have been able to help women and men get emergency food, diapers, and clothing for their babies when they can't afford to buy things from the store. Women have gotten ultrasounds of their tiny little babies that in turn helps them to see that they are really carrying a baby not just a lump of tissue. Women will come in for free pregnancy tests which is really cool because when they come in for a test, they receive counseling from volunteer lay counselors who can help them talk through the decision about whether or not to keep the baby. The lay counselors are trained to provide loving, non-judgemental support to the families that come through the doors and they can help the girls to see beyond the crisis to what reality truly is.

I have learned so much about what my attitude should be toward women facing this crisis and people who have experienced abortions in their past. As much as it seems like an easy decision to me, I've never been face to face with the dilemma and I've realized even more that as Christians we need to approach the topic of the sanctity of life with love, not condemnation. We need to pray for the war that is going on in this country. Millions of lives are lost each year and that grieves the heart of God and it should grieve our hearts too.

What should we hope in?

Last night I studied the topic of HOPE with the women in my Wednesday night Bible Study. It was a great discussion about a topic that I was having a hard time with. I really enjoyed the study because it caused me to take a closer look at many verses throughout the Bible that speak of hope. I knew that we are commanded to hope, but I wasn't clear about what exactly we are to hope in. Below are some of the verses that I came across that really spoke to my heart.

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. Job 13:15

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  Psalm 25:1-5

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:17-22

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4


Do you notice anything about these passages? I sure did as I was reading them! We are to hope in God and everything that He is; his Word, his glory, his unfailing love, his truth. That's it. So often we put our hope in circumstances and things and people, but none of those will ever be a sure hope. They will always disappoint. But God will NEVER disappoint us if we place our hope in him. What a great and awesome promise! I just want to meditate on that fact and let it soak into my heart and mind. I hope you will do the same thing today.

Wedding Reflections

On Saturday, Shaun and I had the privilege of attending the wedding of our friends and co-workers, Hanley and Katlyn. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony that God blessed greatly with warm weather and clear skies.

The beautiful bride with her father (our big boss man!)

There is something about a wedding that always causes me to reflect upon my own marriage and wedding day over 3 years ago. On that day I married my best friend and the one who makes me laugh more than any other person. As Hanley and Katlyn said their vows I found myself thinking about the past 3 years and how well I've done in loving, honoring and obeying Shaun. We are very happily married but if I'm honest, I know I do not always to the best job of those three things. Praise God for a forgiving and grace filled husband! I am thankful everyday to be married to a man who works hard to provide for us and who loves me well, who desires for me to be a stay at home mom someday and who appreciates the time I spend at home making our house a home. I pray we will be blessed with many more years of marriage.

Here we are on our special day (June 16, 2007)

and 3 years later on our way to Hanley and Katlyn's wedding (we haven't changed much!)

Conception, Foster Care, Adoption



Life never quite works out how you envision it. Today a good friend of mine is having a baby. I desired an October baby, so sharing in their joy as they welcome their daughter is bitter sweet. I've always known and believed that ALL life is a gift from God, so even though it isn't me having the baby, I'm happy for my friends and family around me who are blessed with the gift of life. Some days it is difficult to feel happy, but I'm learning daily that happiness is not the same thing as joy, and joy is not based on circumstances. There are so many couples who struggle daily with infertility, and now I am able to better understand the pain and frustration that accompanies the struggle. Now, even if I am blessed with a biological child, I will be able to be more empathetic and understanding of women who may never have that gift.

As Shaun and I wrestle with what our future holds in regard to our family, we do not feel as though we've been given any concrete answers. God hasn't spoken clearly to us about what direction we should go at this point. We are learning to trust Him. In the process, we are also learning more about different options like adoption and foster care. We know that having our own biological children is not out of the picture because there doesn't seem to be a medical reason behind our infertility, but we also want to be open to welcoming another child into our home if that is the Lord's will for us. It seems like the idea of foster care is coming to our attention often lately, and the idea is appealing for several reasons. One of the biggest road blocks for us in regard to regular adoption would be the cost. Foster care does not cost anything and can lead to adoption if the circumstances are right. Foster care would allow us to provide love and support for a child who needs a home for a certain period of time. God commands us to care for the orphans and widows. Foster care would allow us to do that within our means. At the same time, it is not without it's risks. I know it would be difficult for me to welcome a baby or toddler into my home, only to have the child taken from me again to go live with his/her biological parents. Although attachment is a good thing, it is also a painful thing.

At this point we are not taking any further steps toward foster care or adoption, but are just continuing to seek the Lord and His will for our lives. We just wanted to share a little bit of our hearts with you today so that you can know better where we are in this whole process and how you can pray for us. In the coming months, if we are not blessed with a pregnancy, we will probably move forward with the beginning steps of building our family through foster care or adoption.

We have a permit!

We are excited to report that all of the permitting is done for the staff housing project at Eagle Lake!! Praise God! New staff housing has been a prayer request for many years because the "homes" that the full time staff have been living in during the summers are less than ideal. Over 35 years ago, four trailer homes were put on the camp property as a 10 year solution. Over the last couple of years we've demolished two of the trailers as they've reached the point of being unliveable. As more and more of the full time staff add children to their families, it is getting harder to figure out living arrangements each summer. Shaun and I had the opportunity to live in a 24 foot RV all summer because we are one of the few married couples without children yet.

As the need for more and better housing has greatly increased over the last several years, God has provided a few large donors who are willing to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to this building project. Now, work can begin on the 7-unit structure. The building will be similar to a townhome complex with loft areas that can be closed or opened depending on the size of your family. For example, since we don't have children, we will be in a one bedroom unit with a family with multiple children living beside us. That way, the family can use their loft and ours for children's bedrooms.

Now that the permits are in, construction will begin in a couple of weeks. Most of the labor will be done by several of the Eagle Lake full-time staff and other skilled workers from our sister property, Glen Eyrie. Shaun is excited to begin pounding away! We'll keep you posted with pictures as the constuction progresses.

Who Is God?

Who is God? This question has been on my heart and mind lately. It seems like everywhere I go, I am hearing some rendition of that question as it pertains to knowing Him fully. Here are some examples:

I am reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges with my discipler and one of the main points in that book is that we will never pursue holiness to the fullest extent until we get our focus off of ourselves and onto the God of the universe.

Shaun and I are going through Focus on the Family's The Truth Project at church and the latest lesson was on the question "Who is God". I realized again as I was watching the lesson that I do not always live my life as though I know who God is. His character is revealed for us through the scriptures and it is there that we can learn and grow in our knowledge of Him.

We recently met with the youth pastor at our church and were talking with him about how so often we read the Bible with a "me" mentality instead of a "God" mentality. For example, we read the story about David and Goliath and the lesson we draw from it is that we can do anything if we trust in God. But, if you read the story closely you realize that in 1 Samuel 17:46 David gives the reason for fighting Goliath.
" This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel."
David didn't fight for his own glory, but for the glory of God!

I know that I all too often read the Bible trying to see what is in it for me. I underline verses that make me feel good and sometimes skip over the parts that seem too difficult. I want to know God deeper and search for His character throughout His Holy Word. I want to put off my selfishness and replace it with a love for God and people. I know in my mind that everything was created to glorify God, not me, but I don't always live that way. Praise the Lord that we serve a merciful and forgiving God as well as a jealous and righteous God!

Mountain Bikes for Sale!

One of the things that keeps Shaun very busy during the fall and winter is selling all of the mountain bikes from the summer. Each year we purchase between 30 and 40 new mountain bikes for Eagle Lake Camp. The bikes only get used for the summer and then our goal is to sell all of them at about half the retail price. This enables us to again buy brand new bikes in the Spring.

This is Shaun's third season taking charge of the sale of mountain bikes and through his experience he has learned a lot about bike maintenance and care. Those skills have come in handy as he's had to maintenance his own bike too! Right now he and his assistant, David, are spending several hours each day working on selling the bikes and maintenancing the ones that need minor repairs.

We wanted to let you know about the bikes because they really are a great deal: they have only been used for about 3 months and then sold for half of what you could get it for in the store!

We can even ship to you if you don't live near Colorado Springs. Let me know if you are interested!

Here is a link to the info and pictures of the bikes: http://www.navigators.org/us/ministries/eaglelake/Bikes

A visit to Miller Farms!

One thing that I (Larae) strive for in our lives is to eat a diet of healthy, real foods. This can be tricky when trying to live on a budget! When we moved into our home in January, one of the first items that we purchased with our first time home buyers tax credit was a deep freezer that sits in our basement. That has enabled us to stock up on things like fruit, cheese and meat when they are on sale and we also purchased a quarter cow (grass fed) from a local farmer.

Yesterday I went with my friend Beth, who is also an Eagle Lake wife, to a local produce farm where we had the opportunity to pick up to 240 lbs of produce for only 40 dollars! I'm not sure if we got all the way up to 240 lbs, but I think it was close. We also had the help of Beth's 3 kids and another little boy she was taking care of for the day. Everything is more complicated when kids are along, but it's always more fun!

Here is what we picked: 4 bags of carrots, 4 bags of onions, about 50 ears of corn, 1 bag of potatoes, 4 pumpkins, winter squash, 2 bags of beets, 4 bags tomatoes, and 1 huge head of cabbage

We're giving some of that bounty to friends and the rest I will be freezing and canning. Today I plan on freezing corn and carrots and canning tomatoes. Then I'll have these delicious local foods to enjoy all winter long.

Here we all are with just some of our pickings

New to the Blogging Community

Well folks, we've done it. We've joined the blogging community in hopes that it will keep us more connected with the people in our lives who no longer live nearby. I (Larae) will probably be doing most of the posting for both of us, and I know the format of the blog is going to need some work so be patient with me:-) I've never done this before!