Summer 2008 continues!

Dear Faithful Friends of Yellowstone Christian Innovators:

It's June 17th and hard to believe that we are into the 4th week of the 2008 summer ministry in Yellowstone Nat'l Park!  Much has happened with these past few weeks since my last update.  The Bible Studies at each location have begun and many are finding these both challenging and rewarding part of the summer.

  Please continue to pray for God's leading with each location of Innovators as they "study to show themselves approved unto God, a workman that is not ashamed, rightly imparting the word of truth."  It's a tough task to ask a group of young people from the ages of 18-25 to be mature enough to take on such a monumental task.  Believe me when I say that none of them will return home the same person as they came! 

Side NOTE: As you have a chance to explore this blog, you'll see some photos that I uploaded into a slideshow.  If you click on the slideshow, I think it will take you to the site called Picasaweb, where you can view larger sizes of these photos.

During the first week that the Innovators were here, we had a 5-day Missionary Orientation that consisted of group Devotions, sharing Testimonies by the Madison river, eating great meals prepared by our Missionary Parents, hiking in Yellowstone, Praise & worship, Park Ranger talk, "How to study the Bible" seminar, Missionary logistics, great fellowship, visit to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, an Innovator Tour-on day w/picnic & Memorial service, Missionary covenant signing, Missionary commissioning and we end everything on the Innovator job-checkin day with Xanterra Parks & Resorts.  It's a fun week that is jam packed with lots!

The 2nd week is usually the first week that the Innovators are getting accustomed to their new surrounds, job and ministry locations in Yellowstone.  Our main location focus of ministry has been at Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Village, Lake Village, Grant Village and Old Faithful.  We try to assign 4 students per location (2 men/2 women).  This works very well for accountability, team work and many other reasons.  During the 2nd and 3rd week, the Innovators will quickly learn about the employees whom they are working with, living in the employee dorms, hiking in Yellowstone, the employee recreation intramural, and starting their small groups/Bible studies and the list goes on & on.

Their have already been several different activities that have taken place, including the Bible studies, a Park employee/Innovator Picnic at Mammoth Hot Springs and many overnight backpack trips.  This summer, our usual backpacking schedule has been hampered a LOT because of a continuation of snowfall all the way into the first week of June.  It's been a little disheartening to continue to see snow and hike in it.  We (I) am ready for the heat of summer to turn on.

In closing for now, I want to THANK all of you who have contributed to the financial support of this ministry because we could not be doing all of this without your support.  I hope to get this blog out to all of you who have and continue to support this ministry with your prayers and with your financial giving.  There are a lot of "changed lives" for Christ because we have this awesome missionary force of young people who are willing to "share" their summer on the mission field of Yellowstone Nat'l Park.  What better place could you find to share the love of Jesus with a "broken & hurting" world of people!