Winter hike with Momee

God provides a van!!!

Wow...I cannot even tell you what a blessing this will be for our team at the University of Vermont. Currently we drive our personal vehicles to take students on Lifelines trips...sometimes it requires 3 cars! So last year we began praying that God would provide a large van for us to use. While Mike was in New Hampshire for his wilderness medical training, someone donated their 12 passenger van. We are rejoicing...this will greatly increase our capacity to take students on trips with us. Mike is especially excited because he gets to do the maintenance on it! Praise God!

what handsome guys...

Watch Hudson wash his bike!

Guatemala Update!

Caryn is back from Guatemala! The staff and students had a great time and God did some amazing things.

Four Lifelines staff from UVM and 10 students left March 6th and returned on the 14th. They were working with and thru a ministry to orphans & the poor in Guatemala called Forever Changed International.

In our desire to bring hope & love to people, we received so much more in return....

We loved on orphans at the orphanage where we stayed, many of whom have no chance for adoption... they loved us back with abandon & changed our lives & hearts with their smiles. We painted a bedroom for the two oldest girls (pictured sitting on their new bedding). The girl on the right in Ingrid... Click here to read the story of how she & her 3 siblings were rescued from an abusive & neglectful situation & taken to the orphanage just last month.

We hiked up to mountain villages where we brought food, toys & medical supplies to some of the most beautiful people on the planet.

We also brought food, clothes & gifts to a women's prison where children are allowed to stay with their mothers for the first 4 years of their lives... we cried & prayed with one mother as she described her fears of the day when her daughter, now 2 years old, would have to leave. This particular woman entered the prison 2 months pregnant, and wrongly serves a 40-year sentence for a crime committed while her entire church watched her singing in her church choir in the ghetto.

We spent a few days in what used to be considered an extremely dangerous and gang-ridden ghetto bringing in gifts, listening to stories of faith, praying, and attending church with the people of God there. We were all greatly moved by how the faithfulness of a few people has transformed this center of poverty into a still-poor, but spiritually growing & much safer place for families to live & love together.

Our last day in Guatemala, we brought food, clothes, & a few toys into the city dump where many Guatemalans actually make their home, literally living off the garbage there. I was humbled by the chance to give just a little to these people - even the youngest of whom uttered "gracias" with each loaf of bread we gave out.

The most exciting part of our trip was how God worked in the lives of the students in our group... all were greatly impacted & many made decisions for the first time to seek after Jesus & allow Him to work in their lives. Pray the Holy Spirit would continue to be at work in our lives & show us how to bring the great & wonderful things we learned back to "real life."

What is a Wilderness First Responder?

A Wilderness First Responder(WFR) certification is required for Lifelines staff to lead students on trips. The WFR training will equip me(Mike) to know how to respond to wilderness emergencies.

From March 26th to April 2nd it is back to school at SOLO in New Hampshire... http://www.soloschools.com/.

Here are some of the things I will be learning:

WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER HOURLY BREAKDOWN

CPR

Bleeding and Shock
Sprains & Strains

Fractures & Dislocations

Head Injuries

Spinal Cord Injury Management

Drowning & Near-Drowning

North American Bites and Stings

Diabetes

Cardiac Emergencies

Respiratory Emergencies

Poisoning

Emergency Childbirth

Leadership Skills in the Backcountry

Mock Rescue

Common Wilderness Medical Problems

There will 80 hours of instruction in 8 days...not including reading and study time. I am pretty excited!

Winter Overnight Hike...

One trip that I have been looking forward to since we set our team calender for the semester was the Winter Overnight Hike. Doesn't that sound incredible? Two days out in the snow and cold with friends? I was not disappointed. We had so much snow and warm temps (30's)...it could not have been better weather.

The purpose of this trip was to teach some winter wilderness survival skills. So we talked about dressing appropriately and what to do when you start to sweat or get chilled. We talked about how to prevent hypothermia and how to help someone that has fallen into a river or lake. From fire-starting to building a snow shelter...we learned a lot.

One highlight was building a snow shelter and then sleeping in it! You're jealous, I know...

We had 3 students, that were not skiiing, that were up for the challenge of this adventure. The other highlight for me was hearing their response to the question..."when is a time in your life when you felt at peace, and life seemed as it was meant to be?" This question clearly brings up the reality that we are not in the world God created...we live in a world that is fallen. God's creation was Good...there was nothing lacking. Community and relationship were complete...all needs were met...then the Fall. I once heard someone say that we occasionally experience glimpses of how it was meant to be...a sunset, a great conversation with your spouse or close friend where you both experience being fully known...but it doesn't last. These moments do create a hunger for more though...more of Christ. All the students alluded to this trip as an instance in their lives where they experienced that glimpse...

Campus Ministry...Camels Hump Winter Hike...

Well, it has been a long time since we blogged...instead of trying to catch you all up with 5 months of details...we will just hit some recent happenings...

The Fall Semester was incredibly busy and rewarding...we ran lots and lots of trips with students. This is a great way to meet a bunch of them and allow them to glimpse the Gospel. Those that are willing to engage, keep coming back. The Fall is a time to sow broadly and invite students to our small group Bible Studies.

The Winter semester is more focused on going deeper with our core students and we also run a few trips designed to sow broadly. We recently ran a trip up Camels Hump (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel's_Hump_(Vermont)#Hiking_Camels_Hump)...it was spectacular.

There was so much snow everywhere...

Here is Mike with one of our students...

After hiking up in snow-shoes there is only one way down...

Spending time with our students is HUGE in their lives...this is when we go deeper and bond through shared experiences. This bonding is what allows them to feel free to share the hard stuff in their lives and accept our input. Don't you find this to be true in your own lives as you interact with your kids or spouse or friends?

World Awarness Village Info

Just wanted to post the issues that were highlighted by our LIFELINES team at the University of Vermont and links to the organizations that we directed students to during our recent World Awareness Village. God is doing some great things around the world thru these organizations and the dollars that are donated to them.

Water and Food
Floresta: www.plantwithpurpose.org
Samaritan's Purse: www.samaritanspurse.org/water

Orphans
Children of the Nations (COTN): www.cotni.org
Compassion: www.compassion.com

Burma
Partners: www.partnersworld.org

Human Trafficking & AIDS
International Justice Mission (IJM): www.ijm.org
Salvation Army: www.salvationarmyusa.org
Samaritan's Purse: www.samaritanspurse.org/AIDS

Some pics from the event:

liliana

This amazing woman is an opera singer in Italy & the local coordinator for the Italian version of Magdalena: Released from Shame... Mike worked with her in Milan last year.


Click here to read her testimony & hear her sing!
http://www.lilianaoliveri.com/en/testimonianza.php

FOCA

http://www.fightfoca.com/

while mike's been gone....

"...your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

- Jesus (Matthew 6:8)

maybe i should have posted these prayer requests (see below in blue) on the blog sooner, but for those of you who got the email, thanks for praying for us while Mike's been in Ohio the past week...


as i reread my prayer requests, i laughed & thought maybe i should have been more specific, especially with the last request:

• For Caryn & Hudson in Orlando while he’s gone… safety, rest, health, & a good time together while Mike is gone.

safety.... at 5:30am on saturday morning, my mom, Hudson & I woke up to the alarms blaring & smoke filling our bedrooms... yes, we were all SAFE (for which we are very thankful)... it was just the backup heater trying to keep up with the "cold" down here (yes, only 30s, as opposed to -20s where mike was) & burning up all the dust that had accumulated on the coil since last winter... of course, we thought the place was burning down at the time.
maybe i should have said to pray for a "safe & non-eventful" time while mike was gone.

rest & health.... a few short hours after our little alarm incident, my stomach started cramping up.... assuming it was something i ate that didn't agree with me, i figured the rest of the household was safe as the cramps got worse & i spent most of the next 20 hours alternating between the bathroom & my bed*. just when it seemed we were in the clear, & i was feeling better, i hear from my mom who had since left, but was an hour away with similar symptoms... hudson was next, overflowing his diapers like a pro, though in much better spirits than either my mom or me was while he was doing it. (*special thanks to debbie, my hero through the worst of it, taking Hudson on errands with her while i was detained - and who is not yet feeling any ill effects... AND thanks a ton for the groceries, faith :)
maybe i should have said to pray for a "a lot of rest & GOOD health" while mike was gone.


a good time together.... of course, in God's loving sovereignty, He knows what we need even before we ask, & takes care of us even when our prayers (& prayer requests) are imperfect... i was just telling mike that i actually enjoyed the time i spent with Hudson when (bc i was so weak & tired from lack of sleep & food) i didn't have energy to do anything but just sit on the floor with him & try to make him giggle between dirty diapers.

maybe God knew just what i needed while mike was gone.



mike still isn't home (until wednesday night), so feel free to revise your prayer requests as you see fit :).

Mike leaves tomorrow (Wednesday, January 14) for a support trip in Ohio for a week!

Please pray:

• For opportunities for Mike to speak about our work at 2 churches & 1 small dinner party, where couples interested in our ministry will have a chance to hear more about how they can partner with us.
• That Mike would have wisdom & hear God’s leading on what to share & how to encourage those who attend.
• That God would meet our need for new ministry partners… that many would want to be a part of our team through their prayers & financial giving (especially commitments to give monthly), to help reach people around the world for Christ.
• That the weather would cooperate as Mike travels & as people travel to hear him share – it’s going to be COLD!
• For Caryn & Hudson in Orlando while he’s gone… safety, rest, health, & a good time together while Mike is gone.

Thanks!! Your prayers are so important to us!

sierra trading post

sierra trading post has long been one of my favorite places to get deals on outdoor (& other) shoes, clothes, gear, etc... after my last order, i noticed a clickable bible verse (john 10:10) on my order page, so i clicked on it, & it went here:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/lp/Founding_Story.html




"The scripture from John 10:10 holds special meaning for me. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I have not been the same since that November night in 1975. God has given me a fuller, richer and more wonderful life than I could have imagined. As in everyone's life, there have been challenges and obstacles, but God has remained faithful to His promise to help me and guide me through them."
by Keith Richardson, Founder
Sierra Trading Post

kill your microwave?

say it isn't so... really... i LOVE my microwave.



Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven

From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, we will conclude this article with the following:

1). Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

2). The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.

3). Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.

4). The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

5). Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

6). The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

7). Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of
colon cancer in America.

8). The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

9). Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

10). Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

entire article:
http://www.laleva.cc/environment/microwave.html#Anchor-11481

soon you won't be able to get 2nd hand kids' stuff!

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Hey friends:
This is an email sent to me by my friend about a new law going into effect soon. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. I sent this to you because I know you either have little kiddos or like to frequent thrift or second-hand shops.


My local news did a story on this law last night so I decided to do some research and this is what I've found.

If you have ever bought or sold your kids clothes/baby items at a garage sale, resale store, or Ebay or just donated them to Goodwill, in just one month you will no longer be able to do that!! My local resale shop has already stopped accepting items and is planning to close it's doors and file for bankruptcy unless this law is amended. They provided me with a copy of the sample letter attached.

This is a nationwide law, so please forward this on to as many moms (or grandmothers or any others) as you possibly can and ask them to write their congressmen or women. Not being able to buy or sell used clothing and baby items will affect all of us - the ones who wish to sell their used baby items as well as those who can't afford to buy new clothing or furniture for their children/grandchildren.

I've attached links for two articles just so you can familiarize yourself with what is happening, as well as a link to the law itself (which I admit I have not read). I've also included a link that will take you to a contact map for congress so you can get an email address for your representatives and senators. You may need to cut and paste these sites into your browser.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/01/03/hand-me-down-clothes-in-the-post-hand-me-down-era-consumer-protectionism-gone-too-far/

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf (Read the complete Act here)

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ (Find your congressmen and women here)

Thanks for taking the time to read this.