Last week. Joe Martino mentioned that he wanted my job (or a job like mine). Ministering to kids, going camping… etc. Yes, it’s awesome, I must say.

At the end of August, I take over as director of the Arlington branch of Youth Dynamics. Part of my job is staff recruitment.

So if anyone is interested…

It’s a relational based, para-church ministry. You’d be a missionary, so you must raise your own support. You get to work with kids (and share the gospel with them). You get to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest (specifically Washington which is only 8% churched).  Your  job would consist of spending time with teens and participating in wilderness ministry (taking kids on backpacking, rock-climbing, or kayaking trips).

What I’m looking for? People with hearts sold out for the Lord and a love for teens.  I believe that ministry is a journey, and I’d love to walk alongside you for a season (or longer).

So anyone want a job?

I’m serious. If anyone is interested, email me your contact info to sdelony@yd.org. I’d love to talk to you more about it.

[continued from 1.2] So we made it past the first hurdle. Then we hiked on to our destination point. We were all relieved that we were done for the day. To pack light, we weren’t using any tents. We were just camping under tarps. Camp was set up and then dinner was prepped. We all ate at a pretty sweet view point watching the sun go down. Everything was perfect.

Then we got back to camp. The sun went down and the mosquitoes came out. And these weren’t normal skeeters, you could saddle these bad boys. So quickly, everyone got ready for bed, put on bug nets and then got in the sleeping bags. We were safe or so we thought.

I soon learned that mosquito nets only work if they’re a few inches in front of your face. When you lay down, the net lays next to your face and they bite you through it. We also learned that the sound of them swarming around your ears can keep you up all night. To make matters worse, it was a hot night. So we had either two options. Roast in your sleeping bag and get bit lets or venture out of the bag and get bit more. We all opted for a combination of the two. It was a sleepless night.

In the morning, I realized that I had been feasted up and one of my eyes was about swollen shut. Another boy had (and he counted) over 200 bites from his wrists down on both hands. So needless to say, once the sun came up we were packed and running down the trail. And yes, I mean literally running down the trail trying to shake off mosquitoes… [to be continued]

As if my summer wasn’t already packed enough… I’m heading out today to do a camp. I’m the main speaker for a youth camp that lasts all this week. Does over committed lead to being committed? We’ll see.

I’ll be gone, but my blog will live on…

Foreverandever etc.

I love this song so much more acoustically.

[continued from 1.1] We arrived late in the evening. The first night was total cake… we slept in a cabin. The rest wouldn’t be so nice. That night the guides issued gear (40lb. packs per person) and confiscated all watches and cell phones. It was going to be all down hill from there. We went to bed early and woke up early (I’m assuming due to my lack of watch) the next day.

There was some early groaning from the group as we begun our ascent. They weren’t used to carrying packs this heavy and really weren’t used to hiking at all. The first day was a pretty gnarly hike. Five miles in with 3,000 feet elevation gain isn’t a cake walk. Each student was assigned 2 water bottles to last them for the first day and a half. There was no source of water for the first part of the ridge. They were told to take small sips of water as we made our way up the trail. We hiked on and the day grew hotter. It peaked at 105 F with no breeze.

As we stopped for lunch the guides did a water level check on everyone. To our dismay, most of the students were about out of water. The sips had turned into gulps. The two guides and I prayed as we set forward, assuming one of us would have to go and retrieve water from further down the trail (about 3 miles beyond our first day’s destination point).

Continuing up towards the ridge, the pace began to slow. They weren’t used to this much physical activity, especially not thirsty and in the heat. Then we entered the forest of desperation. It was a mosquito breeding ground. We had already eaten lunch, but evidently the mosquitoes had not. Thus began the feast. The only plus to the bugs were that our pace quickened. We knew once we made it out the other end, there would be relief. Huffing and puffing along they made their way through. We took our last water break (and downed the rest of our supplies) then pushed on.

Soon the sight of the top of the ridge was in view. It pushed us forward. Then we experienced one of the most wonderful sights known to man. At the top there was a snowfield. Evidently there was enough shade to keep it from melting this late into the year. Everyone dropped their packs and rolled in the snow. We literally were laughing and rolling in the snow. God had provided.

We dug down deep to find the cleaner snow to fill our water bottles. In our packs we had some Gatoraide powder, with that we made slushies. There was a quick turn around in morale from despair to relief. They relished the moment, but it was only short lived… [to be continued]

Do you know what continuity is? It’s defined as: something connecting to the whole or as I like to say it, “seeing God’s thumb print on your life.” I firmly believe that God speaks through his word, but also through situations in your life. There’s been some interesting thumb printing I’ve been hearing today. It involves courage and stepping forward boldly. Here’s what I’ve heard or read today:

“We spend too much time being careful and waiting. Are we being courageous?”- Mark Evans, president of Youth Dynamics (spoken during a meeting today)

“That was a bold move. It has some risky aspects to it, but it was a time when we made bold moves.” - from the documentary preview of In the Shadows of the Moon

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for the could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” - Acts 4:13 NLT

So how’s God speaking to you in your life? Where do you see the continuity? I journaled last week about me dealing with fear. It seems that God has an answer for me…

As most trips involving middle school students, it’s like pulling teeth to confirm the are going. A day before we left, I had 2 students flake out. 2 hours before the trip, I had another one bite the dust. To run the trip our minimum is 5 and the max is 10. We ended up with the solid minimum. But I fully believe that God had His hand in the dynamics of the group. It would have been so different if the others had come. Needless to say, God’s way is always best. So the group as it stands: 1 boy from single parent home, 1 private school girl, 1 Russian, 1 sheltered homeschooler, and 1 boy with lesbian mommies. Quite the eclectic group. So it begins a trip that will span 6 days, cover 15 miles of hiking, 7 miles of river, and 3 billion mosquitoes…[to be continued]