i think it's tuesday?

hello again...just wanted to write to say that we, as a camp, are under attack. many are getting sick and it's no fun as i just went through it...was down for 36 hours straight sleeping mostly and i am still on a comeback but man...please pray for us here...over 100 people living together calls for this sort of thing but we know the evil one lurks.

on a better note we are only $250 from having 100% on our monthly support! God is amazing and we are thinking we will be leaving Sept. 1, 2007. we are still learning so much about grace and the gospel and what that means for our daily lives...wow...we have not yet arrived and the road is going to be great if we can just adjust our heads and hearts to really have relationship with God so we can in turn have a meaningful and fruitful life with people here...

so much going on in our heads...we are blessed to be apart of this and life is good. the internet isn't so great...so i haven't been able to get on except to check email...so please be patient with more photos to come...

BUT you can go to www.OCI-US.org and see a running slide show of our first week and probably the second week even...if you are interested :D

May you all feel God's grace on you today...

in His grip!
martha

there is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us

...it is important to realize that faith and repentance are not confined to the beginning of the Christian life. They are rather attitudes of the heart that continue throughout our lives as Christians. Each day there should be a heartfelt repentance for sins that we have committed, and faith in Christ to provide for our needs and to empower us to live the Christian life. - Wayne Grudem

The faith by which a believer daily lives is not specifically different...from the faith required of every man for his salvation. The life of faith is only the continued repetition...of those exercises by which we first received Christ...as our God and Savior. - Charles Hodge

oh the days are full of learning...we have not yet arrived...our walk is a continuous restructuring of how we view grace and mercy and what that looks like in our daily lives...today i was blown away again with how i let sin creep into my life in the little things...and how i need to practice going to God immediately so as not to propel those thoughts down further and deeper. i have been kind of living a "just do it" Christianity that does not leave me with a lot of deep inner joy. i crave God in a whole new way. i don't want to play in my puddles of grace...i want to jump in His ocean that He has provided for me...sin robs us, beats us, and leaves us for 1/2 dead and i know that i have the reputation of being alive...but i have been 1/2 dead and now that i am finding my purpose again...i am becoming more and more alive each day...learning to live in the grace based community of my family and those around me

my goal is to be able to spend and be spent for the nations and still have that inner joy

good ol iowa corn

yes, we did get some early iowa corn at paula and larry's house one night. but i am thinking that we are not going to be getting anymore corn here soon...i just love the look of it...this happens to be dustin's corn...in audubon...he is our farmer friend who our children hold in high regard for the things he gets to do all day.

jail birds

we stopped at fort cody to show the kids some american history. they seemed to be more into the fake guns and shooting any innocent bystander at the tourist shop than learning about cowboys and indians. some day they will come to us and want to know all the knowledge we have in our heads...

The closest thing to a beach we could find

on our day off we ventured down the mountain to find some heat as it has been quite cold to us. we found a park with a lake that had some sand...i mean mud, that the kids had a good time playing in. ducks came by and the mountains in the background made for a new experience!

Kids, more kids, boys and hazel

this is a shot of the little river running through our camp...the kids have played long hours already and they still beg to go back. God's creations never cease to wonder for the kiddos...or us! hazel is getting along with all the boys paying attention to her...why is there such an abundance of boys everywhere we go? the boys also go and get sticks to use as their guns for battle for the day...so they line up on a bench for worship - ready to go out for the day...the days are fast for them cuz when we lay them down in bed...they are out cuz they have played hard!

Our home for a month (along with 30 other people!)

ht
this is a REAL log cabin and the inside is incredible...so sound so we don't hear all the babies crying at night...hazel seems to have the loudest lungs! there are 3 sets of twins...two of them are 10 months old and then there are more babies...so hazel loves all of them! we have to get a picture of all the kids together...it's great! living in community is truly a gift from God!

My dad is the coolest rock climber ever!

Greg rock climbing in Colorado

yes...the little blue speck you see in the background is Greg climbing an 80 ft. rock. Paul and Marshal climbed a different rock to get a better look and "be taller" than DAD :D

Gavin and Paul tease Sister Hazel

God sees us

YEAH! we are in Bear Trap Ranch Colorado...just about an hour west of Colorado Springs. the days are great. we have been "in camp" for a week now and all is REAL. God knew this is just what we needed after some long months of preparing. (i have to interrupt here cuz i am sitting in a large log cabin watching ANNIE with 5 little boys and hazel. all boys have eyes glued and hazel is cheering Annie on as she fights and then walking around the room trying to get the boys to laugh with her, but they are into this...funny!) i can't even really describe all of our emotions going on here but the gist would be that we have come into a family who seem to have known us for a long time...but they still like us...no...love us! they "get" our thoughts and words and it's so encouraging to be around like minded people. you know? have you ever done that? even though we aren't all the same, we can understand, grow, and better each other. God has moved here and continues to do so. i believe we are going to be changed persons for going through this program. i personally have cried buckets...as for greg...you'll have to ask him...because it's a safe place to release and empty ourselves so that God can fill us with what HE wants in us...so good so good! it's funny how you can hear verses from the Bible 100 times and then the 101th time, the words become alive and true to YOUR life...the words have always been true...but God prompted something more so he can really be there and show you that He has always been there watching...providing...seeing and pursuing ME! so i hope you can be encouraged by your life today...because tomorrow may never come...yesterday is gone...today is all we have!