Must I retreat also?

For some reason, this fall God arranged for me to attend two women’s retreats. For some of you, this would be natural and exciting. For me, this is a bit stretching. I’m more of an introvert— and at one of these retreats, I hardly know a soul. I am one who could easily find an excuse to attend neither weekend and be just fine with that. After all, since my husband and I manage Jonah Ministries, we host retreats ten months out of the year. Of all people, I KNOW how to do these events! What I’ve realized I’m not so good at is NOT running the retreat, but just attending it.

This little retreat predicament I find myself in brings pause to me. Why, after all, am I sold on hosting retreats and why did I attend two this month?

1. I find value in spending time with women I’ve known for years.

2. I am anxious to meet more of the women I worship with every Sunday.

3. I am blessed to attend each retreat with one of my adult daughters.

4. I get to go for long walks on the beach.

5. I truly desire to meet God there.

6. I can stay up late and giggle with the women, or go to bed early and get some much-needed rest

7. I like to spend non-church time with these women so I can hear more about them personally, their families, what makes them tick, and which of them really seek to know Jesus.

8. Perhaps I can even encourage one of them.

What does “retreat” even mean? A few definitions: to move away, move back, draw back, back away, run away, recoil, withdraw, leave, give ground, flee, advance, or hideaway, sanctuary, refuge.

So true. My excuses for staying home are feeble, compared with the chance to withdraw a bit, leave my busy life, give ground to Jesus, and find sanctuary and refuge in a place (no matter where it is) that is set up to minister straight to my heart and womanly needs.

Oh, it’s time to run. My daughter just bounced back into the room we’re sharing after being prayed for, having great conversations with new friends and ready to go for an espresso with me.

Is it your turn now?

-Beki

Missions Camp

You must come for a visit! You would’ve been both charmed and concerned during Kids’ Missions Camp registration last Sunday. We took them through a simulated airport with many stations, including greeting them with a barricade and camouflage-clad soldiers, searching their luggage, confiscating Bibles, getting a passport, etc. This week 71 campers (and lots of other staff) are learning about the Muslim world and why we need to be certain of our belief in Jesus Christ. I’m continually amazed at the knowledge, talents and planning that has gone into this camp. We’re currently housing and teaching future missionaries and we couldn’t do it without you!!

-Beki

Week One

Our first camp of the season is over (Home Ec/Man Camp). It was so fun and so God-orchestrated! The campers did countless (at least I couldn’t keep track) amazing projects, had serious chapel times, and were challenged to Do Hard Things as they make wise decisions in their teen lives. We were blown away by the quality of the guest staff and speakers—and the intentional way they taught each project. We had perfect weather, receptive campers, excellent staff support, and even the broken arm that happened on Sunday night proved God’s plan and faithfulness. Thank you for all the ways you're involved!

-Beki

Whirlwind!

Have you ever been right in the middle of a whirlwind? Well, that’s what’s happening right now at Camp Jonah. There are 47 campers involved in three different levels of Home Ec/Man Camp. There are about a million great electives to choose from and a million guests teaching them and a million ingredients or supplies needed for each one. Our speaker is hitting the campers hard with the truth about Jesus and our staffies are a unified bunch of young people serving their guts out! In the middle of all this are phone calls, emails, bills to pay, grandchildren to play with, and the challenging dilemma of having solid family times in the middle of it all. But, it’s all worth it!

-Beki

Overwhelmed

Maybe it’s due to getting a little less sleep than usual last night, or maybe God is calling my heart to wake up, or (most likely) those factors are working together, but I have found myself overwhelmed several times today by the grace of God and the evidence of His hand at Jonah Ministries.

As I write this, the team from Synergo is finishing up the repairs on our ropes course, which means it will be usable for our first group in March. We were heartbroken when the windstorm took it down, and I think we often walked in doubt instead of faith as we tried to piece together the logistics of the repairs. But we prayed with the little belief we had, and all it took was one miraculous check from our insurance company to get us back on our feet again. God’s timing is perfect. He is faithful to provide for His work.

I also have the privilege of reading the responses that have been pouring in for our first annual Jonah Family Reunion. I have been moved to tears on several different occasions by the testimonies of how God has used Jonah to shape lives. We are so flawed, so human, and so often at a loss to even know what the next step should be. But God uses us, over and over again! Lives are being changed as the doors stay open year after year, and we sit here in the front row seats getting to watch it all unfold. It’s not by any greatness of our own—in fact, when we think we’ve got it all together just right is usually when things fall apart—but by the mercy of God and the mystery of His choosing to work through imperfect people. So we praise Him for that and settle into our front row seats, gaining a little more faith with each miracle and waiting to see where He will overwhelm us next.

Register now!

It's finally here! We got our website up and running about a month ago, and now we're open for online registration! We're still ironing out the details of paying just a deposit, but if you'd like to pay in full at the time of registration, you can do so online now. Go check it out!

What season is it?

We were planning for summer camps and seeing quite a startling bit of grass coming up through the melting snow, even enjoying a few very warm and sunny days, when suddenly we got another pile of snow dumped on us! I suppose it is still January after all. And we are thankful for the snow that means high rivers and less chance of fires in the summertime. That's camp life-- always living in one season and planning for the next.

We've been writing winter camp thank you notes and year-end financial reports and being truly blessed by the positive reports from both winter camps. God was glorified in Cheeto and Flutterby's first two winter camps, and we're hearing encouraging stories of what He is doing in the campers that came this year. We also have the pictures for both camps up on our website... check them out!

At the same time, we really are starting to get in gear for the summer. Staff applications are piling up (get yours in soon!), we're attending recruiting events around Oregon, and we had a day-long meeting on Saturday to start the wheels turning for this year's Home Ec/Man Camp. We love the snow, but we cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for us and you this summer.