WINTER CAMPS

It's only been three weeks since you last heard from us, but it feels like we've crammed in at least a year's worth of ministry and activity! In the first two weeks after Christmas, we held High School Winter Camp, Jr. High Winter Camp, a Summer Staff Reunion, and two retreat groups! This totals 240 guests, 21 meals, 4 snow days, 18 chapel times, 11 church groups, 34 youth leaders, too many skits, 2 caving expeditions, and countless blessings and ministry opportunities!

It was sweet to have staff alumni Jesse Pearson and Morgan Colburn speaking and leading worship, and more alumni, Caleb Lambert, Sherri Duke Wilson, Travis Pearson, playing in the worship band (along with many others). It takes so many people to make each weekend happen.

Best of all, were the conversations with youth leaders who gave us insight into deep spiritual conversations they were able to have with the kids they brought to our winter camps or their church retreat. It gives us great pleasure to put everything we've got into making amazing, fun retreats so that kids and adults will come and meet Jesus.

We appreciate all you youth leaders who worked hard to get kids here and all you staffies and employees who did the behind-the-scenes work to make it all happen.

It's only mid-January and already we feel as if it's been a great winter!

NEVER BORED

And, in the midst of all this we are menu planning, grocery shopping, cleaning-and cleaning again, making retreat reservations, planning summer camps, updating the website, sending out year-end statements, planning our spring 15th Anniversary Celebration, recruiting and managing volunteers, getting snowmobiles and vehicles repaired, fundraising, plowing snow, finalizing Bus Barn plans and the Dining Hall Project, hosting a weekly AWANA program, accepting summer staff applications, and so much more.

The busyness of Jonah Ministries makes ministry so rewarding and days off very wonderful!

PROGRESS REPORT

Since we live in the middle of a constant construction zone, we always see the unfinished projects, instead of rejoicing at the work that has been accomplished. It was fun last weekend to talk with a youth leader who had been a part of our staff many years ago as a college-aged student. He was amazed at the chapel that used to be a covered play area and parking garage, the progress and expansion of the Dining Hall, all but the gym roof replaced, the two brand-new dorms rooms, and the purchase of the Bus Barn property.

How encouraging to see the current view of Jonah from the eyes of someone who hasn't been here for awhile!

AVAILABLE DATES

Like what you're hearing about? Sign up to bring your church group to Jonah! We still have the following dates available for retreat groups in 2011:

April 8-10, Friday-Sunday
June 3-5, Friday-Sunday
June 26-28, Sunday-Tuesday
September 2-5, Friday-Monday (Labor Day)
September 12-18, Monday-Sunday
September 30-October 2, Friday-Sunday
October 21-23, Friday-Sunday
October 28-30, Friday-Sunday
December 2-4, Friday-Sunday

FROM SNOW TO SUN

We know that it's still winter, but passion for summer camps is burning once again. Our theme is in place and each theme camp director is moving forward with creative, fun, inspiring plans for each individual camp!

The theme for this year is GET REAL. Relationship not Religion. Our theme verse is Colossions 2:28. We're looking forward to many life-changing conversations about the difference between a relationship with Jesus Christ and religion. Be sure to visit our website periodically for updates and to get signed up for camp!

We are now taking registrations for 2011 summer camps!

CALLING ALL STAFFIES

It's time! If you feel that God might be leading you to be on our volunteer staff this summer, now's the time to print out the Staff Application from the website, talk to your parents and youth leaders, pray a lot, and then fill out the application and mail it in.

There are few opportunities in your life that will compare with the experience of being on a summer camp staff. We feel that one of our biggest ministries through the years has been to our staffies. Serving the Lord in this kind of setting challenges you to your fullest physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. If you give it your all, you'll find yourself a changed person, ready to seek after God in new ways, prepared to go the extra mile in all you do, excited about behind-the-scenes ministry, looking for deep spiritual conversations, blessed with lifelong, deep friendships, and having a better understanding of your own gifts and purpose and future.

As we always say, "We don't want you here if God doesn't want you here." But if He does...get that application downloaded, completed and mailed to us right away!

FAMILY NEWS

Just let me know if you ever get tired of me bragging about my grandkids, okay? Well this time, I'll gladly share the spotlight with founder and cook, 78-year-old Bernice "Grandma" Duke. This is a picture of her holding her 50th great grandchild! Our daughter, Carissa (and her husband, Micah) went into labor on December 30th, her 28th birthday, and tiny Trinity Sue Bernice Anderson was born that night.

Talk about leaving a legacy, Grandma Duke is doing her best! She has 5 children, 24 grandchildren, and 50 great grandchildren (5 more are already on the way this year). But, most important to Grandma is not the number of kids, but the number of hearts set on following Jesus. She has given her life and her means and all her energy and passion and prayer to this camp and retreat ministry-and she is seeing results. Maybe you could say a little prayer of thanks to God for her passion and persistence, and ask God to give you the desire and determination to follow in her footsteps.

NEEDS LIST

We are always so blessed by our faithful supporters and your creative ways of blessing us. Here are a few of the very specific needs we have for the coming months.

Decks of playing cards
Boxes of "golf" pencils
Mini mag lights and batteries (lots, for caving)

Thank you!

PRAYER & PRAISE

As I grow older, I see God's wisdom in using the "family" as an example of his relationship with us. Having a loving father myself, I see how much he loves to hear from me, bless me, encourage me, challenge me, and cheer me on. Our Heavenly Father loves to hear from us, bless us, encourage us, challenge us, and cheer us on. Some of this is easy for me, and some of it is hard. But it all works together to smooth off my rough edges and work me into the person He wants me to be. Part of this process includes prayer- both praises and requests. Thanks for always praying through these with us. We love our prayer partners to pieces!

PRAYER:

1. Please pray for the follow-up being done after our winter camps between youth and their leaders.
2. Pray for good health for those of us trying to keep up with a pretty hectic winter season. Some pretty weird bugs have been going around Trout Lake. Also, for quick recovery for the foot surgery Jeff is scheduled to have in late February.
3. Pray for the seeds of decisions to follow Jesus that have been made this winter to take root. May these kids become strong and mature in their walk with God.
4. Please pray for us as we select our summer staffies-the backbone of our summers.
5. Please pray for each summer camp: for full camps, God-honoring and age-appropriate program, creativity, wisdom, intuition, etc.

PRAISE:

1. Thank God with us for the many year-end gifts that were given in the past few weeks. You guys continue to bless our socks off. So many days we waste energy (a nice way of saying "sin") by worrying only to find God to be faithful each time. We're so grateful for 15 years of just-in-time provision.
2. Thank God with us for a very full campus since December 26th. More people means more ministry (and more revenue). 2011 looks to be our fullest retreat year yet! We only have a few available weekends left.
3. Thank God with us for faithful youth leaders. If it weren't for these saints, we wouldn't have retreats. These are the people who finish work early on Friday to leave for a sleepless weekend with rowdy kids and return exhausted on Sunday evening just to head back to work on Monday. They're the ones who sometimes pay out-of-pocket for the kids who couldn't afford the fee, or stay up till the wee hours with the naughty or needy or seeking teens. We love these guys!
4. Thank God with us for 2010. It was a year of stress and success, projects and provision, seeking and finding, which equals another year of success. To God be the glory!
5. Thank God with us for all the details coming together for the two winter camps that we program, for safety, and for the message shared and received!