Summer time comes with BIG changes

So, if you have been keeping up with our lives for a bit you are aware of our current life in Medicine Hat, Canada. Luke and I have been busy at Central doing a lot of odd jobs here and there, as well as helping out projects such as developing procedures for cleaning (for when we are no longer there).

Last week Luke and I went to Calgary, and had a great time catching up with some friends there, as well as taking care of some much needed errands. But before we left, we had two important meetings. We met up with Shane Fox and his wife Nicki (we watched their kids-remember?), where we were able to share our hearts about the current ministry we have been doing, as well as hearing Shane and Nicki's heart for us involving the coming summer. It was a very encouraging and challenging conversation, in ways of taking ownership over what the Lord has for us. With that, Shane brought up the possibility of Luke and I joining into Eagles Nest Ranch, and helping out and living at camp for the summer. There were a few possibilities that were brought up, that caught our interest. Later that same day, Dave (who is Camp Director) approached Luke and I with the possibility of leading a program called S.O.S. (which stands for Summer of Service). Here is an explanation from the website about what the program is:

"You‘ve decided ENR is a great place to come for camp with the screamin‘ zipline, wicked paintball, outrageously crazy theme nights, and awesome chapel times. Why not take the next step and come for the summer as part of the SOS team?
SOS is our Summer Of Service team for 15–17 year olds who are interested in becoming future camp staff. As part of the SOS team, you will learn leadership skills, camp staff skills, and grow in your relationship with God.

Training for future camp staff is only the beginning of what SOS is about. We believe God is calling a generation of young people to stand strong for God‘s truth in a world that says truth is whatever you decide for yourself. We see God preparing an army of 21st Century gladiators, strong in spirit and character, who will fight for His truth. Our goal is to assist in the gladiator training.

How do we do this? We have three different areas of focus: 1) teaching/discussion; 2) practical application and learning; 3) missions outreach outside of Eagles Nest Ranch. The SOS team comes together for six-weeks, five are spent at ENR with involvement in the camp ministry. The last week team members are given the opportunity to share what they have been learning and allow God to stretch them further in a missions outreach. The past two years we have gone to Ft. Hope, Ontario to build relationships and participate in a First Nations teen camp.

Come join the SOS team and discover God‘s passion for His relationship with you. Accept the challenge

…see the change."

After talking about it together, and seeking the Lord's heart for us, we decided to take a step out and lead the program. We will be leading with one other person, named Lauren, who we have yet to meet. We are still finding out what it all means to organize everything, but; in essence, we will be helping to organize speakers and fundraisers for the students, (most likely 10 students), organizing the mission trip for the sixth week, and challenging the students in a real way, regarding leadership. Each week the students will be helping out with each of the main ministries at the camp (hospitality, cooking, programs, etc).

This is very exciting for both Luke and I, in that we both have a heart for discipleship, and that we are being challenged in a very practical way as to how this can be carried out. Also, Luke and I may at some point in the summer also be some of the speakers for the S.O.S. program, which will be personally challenging for us both.

We will be moving out to the camp in mid-May, until then we will be helping out at Central as well as helping with a retreat in late April at Eagles Nest Ranch.
If you want to know more about the camp, or to just see what it looks like, there are many photos and information on the website- www.enr.ca

Here are things we need prayer for in this:
1) For our hearts to be prepared to lead in love, patience as well as exhorting the students to step up into their roles as "student" leaders.
2) To have ideas for the curriculum that we will be developing with the other leader, Lauren.
3) For each of the students to step in with hearts ready to serve and be stretched, the program they will be doing is challenging!

We will be living at Eagle's Nest Ranch for a few months, so our address will be changing next month. If you have any other questions, thoughts, or if you have any prayer questions, let us know. We would love to hear about what is going on in your hearts and minds.

Love,
Danielle and Luke

Has it already been a month?

Well, Luke and I have been a bit out of the blog loop for a little too long. As mentioned in a previous entry, Luke and I have just watched three children for two weeks while their parents were away doing ministry training with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) out in Kona, Hawaii. It was challenging, but their parents left a descriptive schedule that helped us as we figured out each day, also a large amount of food was left that helped us figure out what to do for meals easily. There were some scary moments, such as when Jonah hurt his eye at Skate School at Central two days after Shane and Nikki had left, and Luke had to take him to the hospital. Things ended up okay, and thankfully that was our greatest concern the entire two weeks. Luke and I can also be thankful in the way that the Lord helped us work together rather well. The mornings when I was tired, he was able to take care of morning duties, and things like preparing dinner, or cleaning the house we did together. We did have one event that we attended at Central during our parental period which was called "Central Kids." About 200 people attended, with free BBQ, bounce houses (jumping castles), and an IPOD give away (which Noah, the oldest, won...Luke was so proud, you can see his hands raised in the picture below). We are hoping in the future to be able to more fully participate in preparations (since it is going to be a monthly event), as we were singularly focused during that time with the kids.

Luke and I have started attending Hillcrest Church, an Evangelical Missionary Church. We have now attended their College and Career group twice, which is held on Wednesday nights. The first night we attended, was to be part of a relationship night where three couples shared their experiences in marriage. It was definitely interesting being in the presence of couples married for 27 and 29 years after only being married for 3 months! We felt blessed in being able to share our story, as well as gain some new insight from the other couples who were speaking as well.

Since Shane and Nikki have returned from Hawaii, Luke and I have returned to Central, with some new responsibilities. Yusuf, the new manager of operations at Central, has asked Luke and I to form a list of cleaning supplies that are needed to be ordered for maintenance at Central, as well as procedures of what needs to be cleaned with what and how often. We realize we won't always be there to help clean in the future, so we want to well equip whoever will come next with clear guidelines. Luke and I have been talking, formulating ideas, and meeting with Yusuf throughout the week.

Luke and I also got haircuts! I had my hair cut about 9-10 inches, and I cut Luke's hair, a first for me ever cutting anyone's hair. From what Luke says, I am a natural; I made sure by asking him multiple times "Are you sure? Did I do okay?"

If you think of us, here are some prayer requests....

1)We are still praying about a car, it has been difficult feeling some limitation in terms of the activities we are a part of, as well as where and when we go places.

2)We are also praying about direction for the future, specifically this fall. Pray for wisdom and insight considering our place in Medicine Hat, and Calgary.

3) And very importantly, that we will be listening to God's heart for us here in Medicine Hat, and that we will step into whatever is His heart for us, but at the same time reserving ourselves for time in our new marriage and for Him.

Love you all! luke and danielle

New Occurrences (posted February 19th)

I think Luke and I are just starting to really recover from the occurrences of the last few weeks. When we last posted a blog, we were just getting started at Central and living in Shane and Nicki's oldest sons room. Since we started at Central, Luke and I have been able to compile a probable schedule, which includes time to clean and help out around the office in any way we can. A week and a half ago, we were able to help do some major cleaning in preparation for a follow-up evening at Central for an Africa trip, where over 200 people ended up showing up! Most of our work was to clean up the mess created from dust and dirt spread by the construction being done around Central. Luke and I were unable to attend the Africa meeting, because that weekend we helped out with a youth snowboarding retreat at Eagle's Nest Ranch (www.enr.ca). It was a really good weekend for both of us, even though Luke had to peel ice off of his face on his first snowboarding run because it was so cold. To be able to connect with some youth of Medicine Hat, meet and have fellowship, as well as help out with setup and clean up was different and refreshing for Luke and I. Josh Frey (who organized the retreat), also set it up so Luke and I could stay an extra couple of days on the ranch for some time to relax. The following Tuesday, Shane and Nicki picked us up. As we drove back to Medicine Hat, Nicki became antsy until Shane surprised us by informing us that there was a place for us to live! This was a surprise beyond all expectations; somewhere to live, rent-free, while we are in Medicine Hat helping out around Central. It is on the other side of Medicine Hat, in an apartment building. Luke and I are in an one bedroom apartment, overlooking the city. As Luke had been praying, it feels like a sanctuary. We were able to move in the day we found out, and I scrambled around Wal-mart to try and find cheap utensils and items that we needed.

Since then, Luke and I have been helping out the leaders of the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association (http://mhsa.blogspot.com/) researching companies, and other outlets for promotion and sponsorship of the indoor skatepark in Central. There is going to be a info-pack sent to these contacts which I will help to edit for the guys. Also, starting this Saturday Luke and I are going to be watching Shane and Nicki's kids for two weeks! So there is much happening!

Of course, there are things you can pray for, which would be much appreciated ; ) We are praying about a car. We are able to get a ride each day, to and from Central with Josh, who also lives in our building, but other destinations like church, groceries, and a bible study we hope to attend, at this stage will take more planning. Because of the area of Medicine Hat we are in, transport is minimal and tricky. In seeking the Lord about a car, we are not asking for one, but rather asking that if that be a 'need' he blesses that he would do so in his way. My teeth, and jaw have been bothering me, and I am unsure what is really wrong. Honestly, I have not been to a dentist in years, and at this point, my traveler's insurance does not provide dental work (and I have yet to find one that provides for basic dental). Please pray for healing, or for a dentist who will bless me with dental work for cheap or free.

Thank you again for your prayers and support, love heaps,

Danielle and Luke

The beginning (posted February 3)

For those first entreating upon this blog, this is the attempt by Luke and I to keep you posted as to the steps upon the journey. As to the name of this blog, Luke and I both realize that the following years of our marriage may include the physical moving to various places, as of right now, we know that that is Canada. In the first month of marriage, Luke and I have driven from southern California to Arizona, from Arizona to Texas, and lastly, from Texas to just south of Nashville, Tennessee. We then flew up to Calgary, Canada where we stayed for a few days and Luke was able to catch up with and introduce me to some friends, professors, and his school, Rocky Mountain Bible College. After about a week of being in Calgary, Luke and I headed over to Medicine Hat (about three hours east of Calgary) where we have been talking about going for the last few months. Most people who had heard where we were going were relayed an ambigious explanation of, "Well, we do not know where we are staying" or "We don't really know what we are going to be doing." Luke has known a pastor by the name of Shane Fox since he went to Red Deer three years ago. They had formed a friendship, and Luke has wanted to learn under Shane's leadership in some capacity since their friendship formed. It's interesting that God chose to use this time, the beginning of our marriage in order for this to take place. He has brought us here to Medicine Hat to serve Shane and his wife Nicki in their ministry and as a family. Since coming to Medicine Hat this past Tuesday (the 29th of January), Luke and I have been able to see Shane and Nicki's ministry, a community center that is being formed to reach out to the community for Christ. The center is known as CENTRAL, where multiple ministries have an office, that include YWAM (Youth with a Mission), IWT (Impact World Tours), and Eagle's Nest Ranch (a Christian camp site). As well as this, there are various activities that will take place through the community center, such as skate schools, dance classes, boxing lessons, a coffee house, a gym, and several other that I do not know of yet. CENTRAL is still under construction, but the inside skate park is up and running. It sounds like a lot, and it is. Since Luke and I have come while it is still under construction, we are limited in some ways with the planning or carrying out of the ministries. However, there is still always things to be done! So, Luke and I are going to be hanging around CENTRAL for the next few months, mainly helping out with cleaning, data entry, helping out with skate schools, as well as any random administration or errands that need to be run. When more things start to open up, we will be helping out even more with the different areas, but more details will come when we find out more. As well as this, at the end of this month Luke and I are going to help take care of Shane and Nicki's kids for two weeks. Shane and Nicki need to travel to Kona, Hawaii, for ministry training. They have three kids, Noah who is 11, Jonah who is 9 and Sola who is 7. I told Luke he is in charge of the boys, and I am in charge of the girl. Another important piece of information, is that as of right now, Luke and I are sleeping at Shane and Nicki's house, in Noah's bedroom. It is cozy and private, but we would love for Noah to have that space back. So, if I am to give prayer requests, I would ask that the Lord would open up somewhere for Luke and I to stay while we are in Medicine Hat that is convenient in relation to Central as well as Shane and Nicki's house. We also would like prayer for whatever the Lord has us do while we are in Medicine Hat, and the ministries that we are going to be involved with in the following months. Also for us to be able to build relationships with the people here; it would be great to find something like a home group here! We love you all, thanks for checking out the blog. Sorry that I can't really give a concrete address or phone number, we check our email often, so for now that is one of our most reliable forms of communication. We pray that we will remain open to the Lord's heart for us right now, in our marriage and the steps we are taking.