Update One

Okay... I can't help but feeling a little good that I am sitting here and updating the blog just like I said I would. Well now the problem is where do I start. There is so much, as you can imagine, that has happened since June 30th in New Mexico. Well, let me just give you some updates on the last few weeks of the summer even though those have been over for quite some time.

From New Mexico we ventured to Northern Arizona University. We had a pretty sweet setup at NAU as our dorm was very close to our dining hall as well as our lecture hall. The food at NAU was always notoriously bad... I mean bad... No, just don't understand, TERRIBLE!!! The salad wasn't even good. Anyway, this year the food was not as bad as it had been in the past. Still not good but it was actually edible most meals this year, which was good. The other thing that was interesting about Arizona was that our dorm room was really kind of dark and creepy. It was musty and just generally gross. We actually ended up putting Drew in the closet as it was really the only place he could go. That was definitely not something I had anticipated, where we were going to put Drew. Dorm rooms as you know are not large rooms and so it was always interesting to try and figure out where we were going to put him.

One other cool story from the Arizona camp. Every Thursday night we have a "campfire". I put it in quotations because we rarely have an actual fire but we try and promote an atmosphere where students share what the week has meant to them and how God worked int heir life that week. Even though we are not an evangelistic camp in the sense that our focus is not on introducing people to Christ but the majority of our students are already Christians and so our mission is to give them tools to live consistently within their Biblical worldview. Anyway, this particular Thursday there was a student who shared his conversion story with the entire camp. He trusted Christ that week at camp before we went witnessing on Wednesday. It was really cool to hear about it. To be transparent the way he was without being over the top was for sure was a payday for our staff and they were able to see how God transformed the life of this particular student.

Well from Arizona we went to the Grand Canyon and that was aweomse, especially for those staff who had never seen it before. Of course Drew had never seen it so that was neat and I am sure he will remember it forever...right... No but we got some great pictures which was fun.

Then we finally achieved the pacific ocean... We had been at elevation for three straight weeks, first in Denver, then Albuquerque, New Mexico (which is about 6,000 ft) then Flagstaff, Arizona (about 9,000 feet). So, as you can imagine, we were so ready to be able to breathe again. As luck would have it we got to spend the next week in San Deigo. not only that, we got to spend the week at Point Loma Nazarene which is right off the ocean. So, we had to suffer through a week of having a suite with a queen sized bed and a tv. But, the best part, was that we had a full ocean view from our suite. It was beautiful. We enjoyed being able to spend time by the ocean and smell the ocean and hear it and oh man, it was great. Not only that we also had an addition to our faculty team. Andy Frye and his family from Grants Pass, Oregon joined us for the reaminder of the summer. It was great to have the Frye family join us and brought a sense of freshness to our team as well.

One of the interesting things about being in San Deigo is that most of us were not from San Deigo and they definitely have their own culture and way of dress that didn't always coincide with our policies at camp. The students were great but it was a challenge at times to balance truth and grace. We don't want to be legalistic at camp but we also know we need to have a high standard. So, that was a challenge for the week. To be honest, this week was critical for us during the course of the summer. Maybe it was the three weeks of elevation or maybe it was just that we had been on the road for now six weeks straight but I personally was exhausted and really just in need of not a break but just some refreshment and Point Loma provided exactly that. It refreshed both Angela and I and made it clear we could finish strong the rest of the summer.

Okay, maybe part of the refreshment came Friday night after camp. Every week after camp ends Friday afternoon we try and do something with the staff that is unique to that particular place we are at. Sometimes it is exciting and other times it just involves relaxing at the hotel and swimming for the evening. Well on this particular evening we did not just swim in the hotel. We went to a beautiful San Deigo beach and spent a couple of hours playing in the sand and in the ocean. It was a blast to be able to be there and enjoy time together as a staff team. Not only that, then we rushed to the hotel and changed clothes and showered before we ran off to a San Diego Padre game against the Rockies. It was awesome. Drew not only got to see the beach and dip his feet in the ocean (he hated it by the way as it was cold), but then he got to go to his first baseball game. As much as the girls on staff probably did not love the game, the boys on staff for sure did. It was a hit! The Padres lost but I don't think anyone actually cared.

Well, there is some update... more to come

Thanks for your prayers! We are so grateful for you.

Mike Tiland