Because its been a while!

*As I was finishing up this post and getting ready to send it, I received word that my grandpa in Indiana, affectionately known as "PapPap," passed away peacefully. He was a man of great faith, a World War II veteran, and had recently celebrated his 90th birthday and 70th wedding anniversary.  He spent his life serving others by building churches all over the country. I am so thankful for the foundation of faith he set for my family, and will miss him dearly. As our Micah prayed last night after we found out, "God, help PapPap to be having fun in heaven!"

                                                                                                                                             

Its been a while since our last post...so we have just a few quick ministry-related updates for you!

Outdoor Ed
Several Outdoor Education groups have already come and gone. God's creation never ceases to bring humility and awe to those who study it. Last week ten students and one father committed their lives to Christ--praise the Lord! We have one more group coming at the end of May. Please be praying for more lives to be transformed as the students explore creation, take risks, face fears, and learn more about God, themselves, and each other.

an group of Outdoor Ed campers doing team building exercises.

Outdoor Ed firecircle time

Our boys had a little Outdoor Ed lesson when we found this horned lizard in our backyard a few days ago!

Cruise Across Camp 5K Fundraiser
The Oaks is hosting the third annual Cruise Across Camp 5K fundraiser in just three days! On Saturday, May 10, we will be putting on a 1-Mile Kids' Run, a 5K Fun Run, a 5K Ruck March, and a Virtual 5K. All proceeds will help send inner-city kids to camp. It costs about $300 to fund one summer camper's week-long experience here at The Oaks. Our goal is to raise $15,000 and help over 50 kids (whose families cannot afford it) come to camp this summer. For information on participating, visit the race website. We would appreciate your prayers for this big event!

Micah and Joey have decided to take on the challenge of running in the Kids' Run this year! They have been practicing a lot and cannot wait until Saturday's race. They also understand that what they are doing is going to make a difference in the lives of some kids! Will you help them reach their goal of raising $1,000 for this cause? They are already 51% of the way there! You can do so by visiting their website. Only three days left to give!

Micah and Joey practicing for the race

Rain!
Our last post included a plea for rain. The Lord heard our cries, and so far we've had several days of good soaking rain over the last couple months. This has not eliminated our drought troubles, but it has definitely helped rejuvinate the dry earth and has caused the burn areas from the Powerhouse Fire last summer to green up and bloom beautifully!

Jared and the boys going out to play in the rain!

Some pretty views found around camp!

Summer is just around the corner...which means its almost time for summer camp at The Oaks! Will you pray with us for the 29 summer staffers who will be making this camp their home for the summer, and the 300ish inner-city summer campers who will be spending a week of their summer here learning about God's love?

And...just so Koleman doesn't feel left out of this post, he just turned five months old! He is such a happy, sweet blessing.