Jesus - the original superhero

Our theme for the Summer is "Heroes: then and now, become one tomorrow".


There is a group here from a church in Helena, MT leading our morning chapel services. Yesterday they all dressed up like popular superheroes and were interviewed about the qualities of a hero. Jesus is way better than any of them!











Can superheroes beat a 5 year old at carpet ball????






We're learning the song called Jesus, you're my superhero, by Hillsongs Kids.
Watch a video of it here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-vtflKzeNU)
It's a catchy little tune.



The same church also had 3 ladies wanting to come and cook for the week! I'm available to help if needed. They are doing a fantastic job and now I have some "free" time to work on cleaning and organizational projects (which I really like doing) in the kitchen, and get out to see other stuff around camp.

Catching Up

I just realized that it's been a full week since my last blog. Sorry for being such a slacker with this. It's not that there is nothing going on (because there has been a lot going on here), but just that I have been busy with all the happenings.

Pastor Jim Howard was our speaker last week.

He did some great drawings while telling the story of Pilgrim's Progress.

Here he's teaching the kids to sing "I met Jesus at the Crossroads".

I had an afternoon out of the kitchen and got to visit some of the skill builder classes.

Here is the craft class making tie-dye t-shirts.

They started with white shirts that said Yellowstone Alliance Adventures and ended up with some amazing new fashions.

Here's someone in the rock-climbing class. All the way up this girl was saying she was scared (and that the harness was giving her a big wedgie) but her teacher encouraged her and she made it to the top of the wall and rang the bell. YAY...good job!

The warmer weather finally arrived. We set up a very long slip-and-slide on a hill. Hard to tell who had more fun - the campers or the staff! A water balloon toss followed that.

Thursday was the campers' last night here. The counselors got them all settled into bed, and then the other staff got them back up for a PARTY! The dining room was decorated. There were snacks and games. A lot of the staff got dressed up. It was a late night but a great time!

Parents came on Friday to pick up their kids. Families are always invited to come for the week-end awards ceremony and then stay for a BBQ lunch on that last day. There were burgers, hot dogs, chips, brownies and watermelon. It's a special time for parents to hear stories from the week and for us to show our appreciation to them for trusting their kids to us!

There were 3 kids who made professions of faith this past week. Praise the Lord for that!

Please continue to pray for safety at the camp, and endurance for the staff.

Dodge Ball

Even more fun in the rain!

They're Here!

YAY...16 cute little campers arrived today. It's been fun to see them running around, laughing, and shouting. Right now they are in the middle of a game called volcanos and craters. There are a bunch of these little cone-shaped disc things on the field. One team (volcanos) runs around turning them with the pointy side up - to look like a volcano. The other team (craters) turns them with the wide side up - to look like a crater. It's pretty much a mass chaos of doing that for several minutes. Team with the most discs turned their way wins. Simple fun!

Bozeman Kids' Day

Today was Kids' Day in Bozeman - a chance for local businesses and organizations to set up displays and offer information about their services to families. Yellowstone Alliance Adventures was asked to participate. Here's some of the pictures from a really fun day. Everyone worked hard with great attitudes despite the cool drizzle.

Tomorrow our 3rd and 4th grade campers arrive. Please be praying for health and safety, and that God's Word will go out clearly and effectively.

Our wonderful soccer coaching staff is leaving us tomorrow morning for a day in Yellowstone Park and then driving back to Ohio. Please pray for their safety as well.

Recipe

All of the meals at camp are prepared fresh and lovingly in our kitchen. None of that "heat and eat" stuff here. This is the recipe we used for today's lunch. It was easy to prepare and very yummy. Try it, and enjoy!

Sausage and Potato Bake

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp petter
3 cups (1 1/4 pound) potatoes, sliced thin (peeling is optional)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

cook sausage, crumble, and drain
mix soup, milk, onion, salt, and pepper
use an ungreased 11x7x2 pan
layer half the potatoes, half the soup, half the sausage
repeat with another layer of potato, soup, sausage
cover with foil
bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours until potatoes are tender
uncover and sprinkle with cheese
return to oven just until cheese is melted
serves 6-8

(I did this recipe times 10 for our crowd with NO leftovers)

Day Off

This past Saturday I had most of the day off.
Some other staff members suggested 2 places that would be good for me to visit.




First was Lewis and Clark Caverns. It was pretty cool to see the stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, etc (note to self: crack open a geology book this Summer). The guided tour was 2 miles in 2 hours. Of course, there's a huge hill to walk up to get to where the tour begins. Not so easy for me to do in this elevation. But, I made it and had a great time. They only allowed flash photos in certain areas of the caverns because of the bats that live there. This rock has an imprint of a big foot.















Next place was Virginia City and Nevada City. These are old mining towns from the 1800(?)s. Many of the storefronts are in their original condition. It was fun to walk around there until it started raining. Right outside town was a cowboy church. I would definately go there for a service if it were closer to camp!













On Sunday our whole group piled into a school bus and went to Alliance Fellowship for chruch. They had a great message and music. After that we served our "Sunday Smorgasbord" (aka leftovers) lunch. It's the best way to clean out the fridge but there are soooo many dishes to wash.


Last night the Timothy and Joshua groups began a week-long Jericho walk. Yesterday was 1 time around the whole camp, praying for each activity and staff member and future campers. Tonight they will go twice, and so on for the rest of the week ending with 7 times on Saturday night.




This week we have some special guests here from a high school in Ohio. They are leading YAA's soccer camp which began this morning. There are 15 kids participating. Please be praying for their safety. Most of them are from unsaved families so you can pray that we will have opportunites to present them the Gospel.




I think that's all the updates I have right now. Email me if you would like to see more pictures.

A day in the life of Hannah

Well, I have been at camp for a week now and am happy to report that I'm pretty well settled in, and comfortable in my new surroundings. I thought I would talk you through an "average" day for me at YAA.


Breakfast is served at 8 so I need to be in the kitchen around 6:30 to get it going.


If the meal is cleaned up quickly, and there's not too much lunch prep to be done I get to sit in on most of the Joshua Project (college students) discipleship time.


Lunch is served at 12 so I need to be in the kitchen around 10:30 to get it going.


After lunch is cleaned up (around 2) I usually have a couple hours of down time - great to catch a quick nap, do a load of laundry, go for a walk, email/blog/facebook, read & pray, etc.

Dinner is served at 6 so I need to be in the kitchen around 4:30 to get it going.

Every night after dinner there is fireside time.













On rainy nights it is held in the chapel, with the wood-burning stove going. This might be my favorite time of the day. The group sings worship songs and has some discussion time and reflection on the day. Many of the staff stay after for fellowship. It's been a wonderful time of encouraging conversations and getting to know people better. I'm *trying* to deal better with being cold and smoky smelling. It's good to have a nice hot shower before bed, and thankfully there's a washer and dryer right in the house I'm staying in!


So, now you know what I have been up to.


The college students here are amazing! Most of them did not know each other before arriving, but have meshed very well. They have very positive attitudes and I've seen them building each other up. There's a lot of musical talent and they even sing and dance while doing dishes. They've been a huge help to me in the kitchen and to others around camp too.


Please pray for the Timothy Project (high school students) who arrive tomorrow evening.

I would like to hear what's going on with you!

Wacky Weather

The calendar says June,

but we had some snow

up here at camp

yesterday and today.

Not too much,

just enough to look nice.

And since I don't need to

drive or shovel -

it's all good!

First Hike

I had trouble getting pictures uploaded last night, so here is yesterday's blog.

Today I went to Bear Canyon for a hike.

That's not a good sign!

My poor car is so dirty.

It was a long trail with some beautiful views.

I did not see any bears though : (

I met the college students who are here for the camp's Joshua Project (discipleship program).

They're a nice group.

I miss you all back home, but it's fun to be meeting some new people.

They all have great stories of where they're from and how God led them here.

At night we enjoyed a little campfire with some singing and a great devotional message.

And, of course, another fantastic sunset.

nesting

I need You Lord, in all I do

You're always there, to see me through

I can't get by unless I lean on You Lord

The Lord has a will And I have a need

To follow that will To humbly be still

To rest in it, nest in it, Fully be blest in it

Following my Father's will

Today I had the opportunity to relax and get settled into my new home. I got everything unpacked and put away. Did laundry and vacuumed. Made a trip into town to pick up a couple of things. My big project for the day was to hang a curtain in my room. I've got skills!

The sun sets late out here (around 9:30) because we are so far West. But, the sky is beautiful and definately worth the wait. A group of college students is arriving tomorrow. I'm looking forward to being busy.

Travel, day 5

What a great last day of travel. Drove 479 miles, mostly in a light rain.

Wyoming was interesting. Lots more beautiful landscapes...rolling hills and farmlands, etc.

Saw a bunch of these animals. Anyone know what they are? Deer? Elk? Antelope?

Made it into Montana. Whoo-Hoo!!! They have a nice little place to pull off the road right by their welcome sign. Now that makes a person feel welcome : )

Made a quick stop at Custer Battlefield. Saw the tomb of the unknown.

(note to self: crack open a history book this Summer)

There were paths leading through the battlefields and cemetery. It was chilly so I had socks and sneakers on today. Good thing I did because: oh yeah, more snake warnings.

Arrived at camp around 8pm. So, just how much does 1 person bring to Montana for the Summer? Answer: a lot! Thanks Cathy for helping carry it all in.

Look at Monty being all helpful by wearing my sunglasses so they don't get lost in the piles of stuff.

Now the roadtrip is officially over and the real adventure begins. I am looking forward to seeing how God will use me here this Summer. Please keep me, the camp, the staff, the campers and their families in your prayers regularly.

I'm off to unpack and unwind now. Would love to hear from you. Please keep in mind that this time zone is 2 hours BEHIND the East Coast. Calling when you get up at 6 is *not* a good idea!

Good Morning

This is Monty, my official road trip mascot. He is sad because I have not let him say hello to you yet.

His job originally was to take care of the map. But since I gave up on the map he has just been sitting there looking cute. That's a job I normally do myself, but since I have to drive and all, it's good to have some help with that.

You can't see it, but he has on a nice little backback. I have been putting pennies in it and they will go in my big jar when I get back to NJ.

Wish us well on our last day of travel. It's a bit wet and dreary out and that might make for a long day.

Travel, Day 4

I don't know what happened to the format I tried to use yesterday.

It looked much neater in the preview than the post. Sorry about that!

Anyhow...I got a nice early start this morning. Drove 490 miles.

Stopped at Wal-Mart for batteries (my camera and Ipod were both dying).

The cashier was nice enough to cut open the plastic blister pack for me.

Yeah, definately not in NJ anymore!

I spent a few minutes at a nice little "park" on the side of the road.

That's a pelican or something in the water there.

Next stop was the world's only corn palace.

The outside of the building is decorated with murals made only with corn and husks.

Annual cost? $13,000.

Admission was free though so that's a good thing!

Lots more murals and some history of corn type stuff inside.

On the way to my next location I pulled off onto a scenic overlook.

I was walking out to the edge and was greeted with this sign.

Now, that's something you do NOT want to see when you are out for a walk,

although it is better to see the sign than the snake.

Needless to say the walk was over.

I only had flip-flops on.

Exposed toes + poisonous snakes = trouble!

I did get this picture from the safety of a bench in the picnic area.

Back onto the highway.

For 200 miles I saw billboards for a place called Wall Drug.

Well, it must be good if that advertise it that much.

It was fun...lots of little shops inside.

Their nickname is the Ice Water Drug Store because

they built their business by giving out free ice water to travelers.

There's a whole story about how the owners wanted to use

the gifts God had given them to serve others.

On to the last stop: Mount Rushmore!

One fun fact is that flags from all 50 states are flying as you walk into the park area.

The state's name and what year they became a state are engraved on the marble pillars.

And did you ever wonder what's on the OTHER side of that mountain?

Well, now you know:

Sunset (taken on the loooong ride down from Mt. Rushmore).

The day was not over yet and I was still driving after the sun went down.

Ended up in Wyoming. Not the part I had expected to be in, but not too far off.

Thanks for all the prayers and comments and emails. I really do appreciate them!