We had an AMAZING weekend up at Pico Escondido (the YL camp) for our leaders weekend! We went up there Friday night and had club--this was way cool because we had potential YL committee members there (several Dominican parents of kids who have been involved before, and then some missionary couples), they came to check out club and see what YL is all about, and it was a great time for them to be there! We are praying that they really felt the passion for kids and want to be involved in helping support us.

Saturday was awesome. I got up early in the morning and helped make breakfast in the kitchen, which was so wonderful for me because that was my job when I was an intern at Pico, so the kitchen staff is like my family here, and it was such a blessing for me to be able to spend time with them! After breakfast, we hiked up to the waterfalls, and then came back for some YL informational meetings. We had free time all afternoon and had a kickball tournament and a volleyball tournament-so fun! At night we got with our teams to get to know each other better, had worship, and then played SIGNS(the best game ever!)



Today (Sunday) We got up and had morning worship, and then got with our teams and made a rough plan of Wyld Life through December! SO EXCITING! It was so cool to finally be able to talk about it and have an actual plan, finally we are ready to start! Overall this weekend was an awesome time of encouragement for all of us as we prepare to both continue Young Life here and start the new ministry in Wyld Life. One thing Chris (our YL director) said this morning was really awesome--in order for us to minister, we need to be SO FULL of Jesus that we are overflowing with His love in our lives, which means we need to be completely in the Word and totally here in our relationships with God before we can think about doing anything else. It reminded me of my FAVORITE verse from Israel Jer 20:9 "But if I say I will not mention or speak of His name, His word will be in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones, I am weary of holding it in, INDEED I CAN NOT!" My number one priority needs to be my relationship with God, because if that isn't right on track, nothing will be.
2 Cor 4 "God said: let light shine out of the darkness, and let His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God! But we have this TREASURE that this all surpassing power is from God, not us!"

It was SO awesome for me to be back at camp this weekend, too, because the last time I spent a significant time at camp was when I was an intern there almost 2 years ago. As I sat this morning doing my devotions in the same chair I did them in every day for 3 months that summer, I just sat in awe of how much God has done in my life since that summer. Who would have guessed that after that summer I would be living here in Jarabacoa?! It was just SO COOL to be sitting there and just thinking holy cow, GOD IS SO GOOD! And He does have a plan, and now looking back I can see just how clearly orchestrated that plan was. It was also really cool to remember how incredibly excited I was that summer to be here in Jarabacoa, wondering what would come next, and if I could ever possible live here. It really renewed my excitement in my life here.

Lamentations 3:21-26 " Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:because of God's great love, I am not consumed, His compassions never fail! They are new each morning! GREAT is GOD'S FAITHFULNESS! I say to myself, the Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those who wait, whose hope is in Him, the one who seeks Him! SO GREAT IS HIS UNFAILING LOVE!"

Prayer Requests:
-That we would be able to get a YL committee put together
-That Wyld Life (and YL) would be blessed with LOTS of kids wanting to come check things out, and that we would be prepared so that they want to come back!

Gracias!!! God Bless:)