Pictures!

Following are a few pictures from the Romania trip. Enjoy!

Romania 2008 pictures

I thought I would add a couple of pictures...

The first is of the team in country, and the second is us in O'Hare welcoming them back to the States.

Enjoy!

They're home!!!

Praise the Lord! The Romania team just got back to Timber-lee about 15 minutes ago. They had a safe trip back to O'Hare. We picked them up around 6:00 p.m., which felt like 2:00 a.m. to them, so they're all very tired.

The team had a great trip. The Lord really worked in Romania and great things were accomplished in the realm of Christian camping. They had some good stories to share, and we're looking forward to hearing more from them tomorrow when they're a little more awake!:)

Here's a story to give you an idea of how great the trip really was...
When I asked the team on the ride back if anything really went wrong when they were in Romania, their response was, "Well, one time when we were about to get on a subway our luggage got caught on a turnstile." I told our boss Ed that if that's the only thing that really went wrong, it must have been a phenomenal trip. He agreed. We can't wait to hear more stories about specific instances where they saw God at work.

For now, we're praising God for the opportunities He provided for ministry and for safe travel. Thank you all for your support both in prayer and financial giving. I'll do my best to post more later on the specifics.

Outdoors for Christ!

Bethany

Flying home...

The team is on their way home! We're really looking forward to seeing them and hearing all the cool stories about how God worked in Romania. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel for the next several hours. They have a short flight to Amsterdam, then an 8-hour flight from there to Chicago.

Bethany

Great news!

Hello!

We heard from the Romania team yesterday, and I have some good news to share! They just finished the Camp Director's Institute (a 3-day seminar for Romanian camp directors), and it went very well. The team said all the hours we spent preparing really paid off. Praise the Lord for a good report back!

The Slovakia team is anxiously awaiting their arrival back to the States on Sunday evening. We're looking forward to hearing more details upon their return. Please pray for a safe journey back. Also, the Romania team would really appreciate your prayers as they adjust. We have Monday and Tuesday of next week to get them caught up on all the preparation we have been doing for Timber-lee's winterXtreme (winter camp) and for them to tell us all about the trip. I'm sure they will be tired from the jet lag.

Thank you all again for your prayers. We truly appreciate your support.

Bethany

Romania trip update

Hello!

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to go to Romania! The LCM Romania team left Timber-lee on Tuesday last week. Although we have not had much communication with them since they left due to lack of Internet access, we do know that they arrived safely and that things are going well. Recently we received an e-mail from LCM Director Ed Hooke. He said things are going well and people are staying healthy. They have been very busy in ministry but are enjoying the time spent with other Christians. In the e-mail Ed mentioned several prayer requests which I would like to pass along:

- Today they were preparing for the Camp Director's Institute (CDI) which starts tomorrow. This is a conference held at one of the Romanian camps. Camp Directors from all different areas of Romania will come and learn about camp programming, different types of camps, how to make a successful schedule, etc. They will also be networking with others. The LCMs are in charge of these networking sessions. Please pray that they would have clarity in their speech as they lead these sessions and lectures.
- Pray for patience concerning the language barrier. Letty, the trip translator, will not always be available during the CDI conference.
- Pray for a music leader for CDI. The person who was supposed to lead backed out at the last minute.
- Pray for good weather so the LCM team can lead the networking sessions outside. Along with that, good weather would be preferable as all the camp directors will be travelling to CDI by car.
- Pray for continued health for Ed and the LCM team.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern. We are thrilled for this opportunity and can't wait to hear more details about the missions trip upon their return.

Outdoors for Christ!

Bethany (for the LCM team)

Romania 2008

LCM Romania 2008 Team: back row- Jon, Joel

front row- Ashley, Ed, Amber, Emily, Sarah, Theresa

Hey y’all!!

Currently, we are sixteen days away from our departure for Romania. I think I can speak for everyone by saying that we’re all very excited for this mission trip. We have been working hard to prepare for the Camp Directors’ Institute (CDI), as well as for our time assisting Romanian camps that are trying to get off the ground. The planning can be strenuous at times, but we know that God will use us in ways we could never imagine.

Last weekend we were visited by Jack Friend and his family. Jack has been in Romania for the past few years helping train future camp leaders in Romania. He helped us to prepare for CDI, and also filled us in on some cultural and language information that will help us out overseas. The whole LCM group thanks the Friends, especially Jack, for all their help as we prepare for our mission trip.

Finally, here is how we could use some prayer. First, pray for us as we continue to prepare for CDI and for the other stops on our trip. We still have a lot of planning to do, so we need help discerning what specifically God wants us to do while on this trip. Second, pray that funds continue to come in. We are currently just over $9,400, which is an incredible blessing from God. We still have a long way to go for this trip, as well as the Slovakia trip in March, however, so please continue to pray for God’s provision. Finally, please pray for our team. For many of us, this is our first time traveling overseas. This means that along with the excitement comes a great deal of apprehension about the adventure ahead of us. Also, pray that we are able to grow closer together as a team, that we can overcome language barriers, that we stay safe throughout our trip, and that we will not let ourselves get in the way of what God has planned.

Thank you for all of your support. We could not do this without you!!

God bless,

Theresa

One day seminar at Open Air Campaigners

At Open Air Campaigners we were asked to do a one day seminar presenting programming materials that would assist that ministry’s summer camps. Our goal was not to only to show them games but also to help them to be self sufficient in their programming. In one of the pictures we assign them the task of creating a novel game with the props we give them. These prop would be of little to no cost to the ministry. We also showed them team building games they had never seen.

Winter Retreat at Integro

After CDI we went to Integro to put on our Winter retreat for other camp and church leaders. This might have been the first time they had seen a camp or retreat done this way.

Above you see the building the camp uses for housing, dinning, and programming.

Together we showed them games that would break down bariers and create significant memories.

We built a bonfire for fellowship. Some of the Romanians had there first SMORE ever.

We worshiped together...Romanians are passionate and love worship music.

From Matt

Today was the Last day of CCI Romania's Camp Directors Institute (CDI). It went wonderfully, God blessed the event with good teaching and willing servants. God blessed the participants with open ears and receptive hearts. Ed and Matt were able to deliver seminars on marketing and programming respectively. The Romanian people are passionate and warm, and we have made some great relationships with the people that attended the Camp Directors Institute. Members of our team have written about their experiences at CDI and in Romania . Tomorrow we will travel to one of the more established camps in Romania called Integro. There we will be putting on a winter camp for teens. Pray for us as we travel, as we make final preparations, and pray for us as we execute the winter camp. Currently the camp is not to capacity please pray specifically that the camp is filled between now and Friday afternoon. Once again thank you for your Support and Prayers and don't forget to check out what everyone else wrote.
InHisGrip,
Matt

Just a thought from Kent

Have you ever had the feeling that you are a part of some thing that is bigger then you. That is how I have been feeling through the last several days here as we have been working with others at the CCI Romania Camp Directors Institiute. I feel it every time that I talk to anyone here I feel as though ministry is so much bigger than me. When I am dead it will still be here and it was here before I was born. I feel that I have been blessed and honored with the chance that God has given me to be a part of his plan. While I have been here I have felt as though I have been with family; I truly do not know how this is possible. I mean if you look at this from a realistic point of view you would say that there is no real reason that I will ever see any of these people again but for some reason I have found everyone rather easy to talk to, even with the language barrier. I have felt like I was talking to one of my closest friend when I was talking to some of the camp directors. I have also felt like a massive family when we were in the middle of a snow ball fight that included an Orthodox Priest. It even felt like a true family event when we were trying to help push a van full of our new found friends up a hill so that they could leave and go home. It reminds me of the book of Mark where it says that any one who is doing the work of God is in the same Family. After this there is no doubt in my mind that this is true. Please remember the continue to pray for the camps in Romania.
Kent

Pictures

Pictures

God of the Nations

God continues to prove himself to me over and over again. From touring the big city of Bucharest to traveling through mountain towns and worshiping our Christ with those of different culture and language, it is just so overwhelming to see how God works everywhere in the world.

Things are going so great over here. We just finished the Christian Camping International Romania's Camp Directors Institute. It was amazing to speak to most of the attendees who spoke very good English. I am a little under the weather but God renews my strength daily. My team and I are growing so much with each other through this experience.

We are off to do a winter camp for the weekend and then a couple more camp tours the rest of our time here. I will be back in the states on Thursday! I miss you all and love you, and am so grateful of your love and support that got us here along with God unending love and grace.

He is truly a God for the Nations!

In Him and all my Love

Scott

Pictures

From Lois

Dear Friends and Family,
It is day 8 or 9 (truthfully I cannot remember), and we just wrapped up the CDI conference at Hagrita conference center. It is truly beautiful here. We are up in the mountains, with the tall pine trees all around us. One of the mountain tops even has a white cross on it. It is from a fable, Emi told us about a knight on a huge white horse that climbed all the way to the top of the mountain and then the horse slipped and died. Sad, but a beautiful story. We got to go to see the Peleis, the castle of the first king of Romania (who was a German), it was absolutely amazing with carved wood, 5,000 weapons from around the world and I can't explain it, you'll have to wait for pictures. We also got to visit Braun Castle, which is an medieval castle that belonged to Regina Maria (Queen Mary) up until the communists took control. It is also the castle that is supposedly the Dracula castle. And you can see where the myth came from, but the funny thing is that Vlad Dracula never lived there, and actually the Transylvania's hold him in high regard as a just and fair ruler that punished those who broke the law, whether they were rich or poor.
I will have more to tell you all later, but for now I need to sleep and pack so that we can move on to Integro camp where we will be hosting a winter weekend for youth.
With much Love,
Lois

From jaNell

Hello All!!

This is my first time going over seas. This mission trip is one of the main reason I felt called to join the LCM program,even though at that time the mission trip was just an idea: where we were going and for what reason was not know, but I felt called to move to Wisconsin from California to experience God's plan for me. I am truly thankful that I did follow God's calling to join the LCM program. Thank you all for your support while we are here, it is greatly appreciated!!

With Love, jaNell

Pictures

From Kayleen

Well we are officially half way through our journey! It's been a lot of fun, and challenging at the same time. Thankfully the communication barrier hasn't been as big of an issue as we all thought. It can still complicate things, but most people can speak English, or if they can't we do have a translator, Letty, who we all love! We have just wrapped up the CDI conference and it went wonderfully! God truly provided for many needs. Next we are off to Camp Integro where we will be hosting a youth event. Then we will be holding some after school events and seminars for our last few days at different camps. And then we head home to the States.

~Kayleen

Form Jana

We left November 27th and it is December 5th, we've been here for 9 days, and we've seen God work in amazing ways. As the Camp Director Institute closes we have many blessings to report. We've seen and heard, through our translator Letty - who is AWESOME by the way, the problems that the camps in Romania are facing and what they want to do to improve it. I've truly seen the body of Christ at work here. I am very appreciative of the people we've been working with and I am praying for the rest of our trip that we continue to form strong bonds with the Romanians. We have received an answer to prayer which is that there isn't as strong of a language barrier as we thought at first. Please continue to pray for us and our ministry here in Romania.

From Romania

We are here!!! We all made it and are very tired. Bucharest is a lively city and we have been received warmly. We are being acclimated to the culture and preparing for ministry.

Preparing for Ministry

Currently we are preparing for the Camp Directors Institute (CDI) and the related Training we will be performing. At CDI, Ed will be speaking on Marketing, Matt will be speaking on Programming, while the LCM Students will be leading and teaching Ice Breaker games. We will be visiting other camps and providing training to those camps on Programming. We have also been asked to implement what we are teaching by putting on a winter program at camp called Integro. A link for the camp is provided in the “Partnering Links” Box If you have any suggestions or encouragement please feel free to email Matt at mattw@timber-lee.com .
Thank you all for your continued prayer and support.

CDI Prayer Calendar

Intorduction

Jack will be our main point of contact in Romania; he is a missionary for Global Outreach Group to support Christian Camping International Romania. The LCM Team will be helping in orchestrating and executing CCI Romania’s first ever Camp Director’s Institute, co-leading regional workshops, and modeling a winter youth retreat. God has put much on our plate and we are excited about the opportunity to further Christian Camping and His kingdom.
Please pray for:
· God’s continued provision of funds and creativity
· the planning of the Seminars

The Vision

Hear Emi and Jack give their vision for Chrstian Camping in Romania

The Challenge

Have you ever done something so big there was no way you could do it with out God? -Ed