bye bye HH

Yesterday finished up what was called Alumni Session at Double H Ranch. It is an opportunity for those who are over 16 yrs old to return to camp for 4 days of activities at a much slower pace than regular camp. Alumni is for campers 17-21. It was a good week; I made my return to the Beaver Cabin to finish out my employment with the Ranch. It was a great summer and we had the privilege of working with an awesome summer camp for kids who don't have the easiest go at life. That being said, we are definitely ready to move on and jump into what God has for us next.
Like I said, yesterday, Alumni finished up and Jenny & I got a drive to the Albany-Renssalaer train station (thanks Rohan!!) where we hopped on a train and journeyed 595 miles south, where we presently are, visiting Mama Deane in Yorktown, Virginia. Not sure how long we'll be here but we plan to spend the few days we have here getting refreshed and being ministered to by God. What an awesome idea!!
To put the summer into words: What I learned most was I am so thankful to be in a relationship with Jesus. How is there any joy or peace without Him?! THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME FROM MYSELF LORD! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
After Virginia, we head back to Canada; St Catharines, Windsor, and then to Vegas!

camping + Lake Luzerne = rained out

For our break between Sessions 6 & 7, Jenny & I took our tent and went back on the HH property and tried to do camping again. The first night was pretty good, but all the wood we tried to find to start a fire was soaked from all the rain we have received. I did manage to find some white tree bark which burned long enough for us to roast some hot dogs. It was a pretty poor fire though. We got through the night without rain and had a decent time.
Last night however, was hellish! We went back to the site around 9:30pm or so and as soon as we got into the tent I noticed water on the ground. Our tent had been leaking through the day! And our blankets were slightly wet as well. Not to be deterred, we carried on as planned. Then the sky opened up and the rain started falling. Somehow(?) the mattresses we were sleeping on started having water seep through them. The rain continued and at 5:00am this morning we called it quits and headed back to the Ranch. What a miserable night. But, on the positive side of things, I wonder what it was like for those early pioneering missionaries who abandoned the comforts they took for granted and laid them down for the sake of giving the Gospel to those unfortunate enough to have never heard. What a minimal inconvenience we suffered this weekend compared to them. When things got tough we easily retreated to our comfortable rooms; they, never had the option, nor would they have chosen to.
Let us devote our lives more completely to you Lord. We want to be so dedicated to you as to simply astound people.

I've really been missing the foreign mission field again. I found a couple pictures from some friends that I've been meaning to post and I thought I'd do it now. The first is from Inger Gaudestad (taken in Uganda) and the next if from Candace Andrews (taken in Congo). Like I said, I miss the field and want to return.

Session 5: Christmas Week w the Muskrats

Session 5 is quickly coming to a close. We had a 'Holiday' theme this week (don't wanna offend anyone) and the Muskrats loved it. All week we told stories of how Scrooge was stealing HH's Christmas Spirit (although everyone wanted to keep the 'Christ' out of Christmas, it's kind of hard to keep remembering to say 'Holiday' all the time!!; funny how that is), and to be on the lookout for him. We played it up until last night when Scrooge (played by John Lefner) suddenly appeared at the dining hall and stole the North Pole which contained the camp's Christmas Spirit. We chased him all over camp while he mocked us in his golf cart. The climax happened at The Getaway room where we cornered Scrooge and Connor wrestled the North Pole from his hands. Scrooge subsequently fled the scene, never to be seen again. Then we celebrated with presents, cheese sticks and chipwiches, and we watched Elf. Sweet.
The sessions seem to be moving along quicker with the Scrats, which I totally expected. August is here and we've just over 3 weeks to go here in Lake Luzerne. It's hard to contain our excitement for September, but we've still a job to do here.
This weekend I believe Jenny & I are going camping with our friend Jessica and her boyfriend. We look forward to a weekend filled with Divine Love.

Session 4: Muskrats (Sharks)

This last session I had the privilege of being part of the youngest boy cabin at camp. Usually it is named the Muskrat Cabin, but this week we turned it into Shark Week! It is a much different pace from the 15-16 yr olds I was used to working with. The Sharks get up earlier and go to bed earlier, and they are WAY MORE high energy. I really enjoy the goofiness of the younger campers. You can let loose and have a lot more fun.
The week was filled with lots of camp stuff like the usual trip to Great Escape, and all the other things at HH that have become routine. The kids continue to have a great time, and almost all of them are so sad when the session comes to an end and their parents arrive to take them home.
Anyways, it was a good session that went by incredibly quick. Jenny and I have had some conflicting feeling about being here as of late, but the summer is flying by and soon we'll be waving goodbye to HH and recieving whatever God has in store for us next. We did however, get some good eatin from Galatians this morning!

'Un'Traditional

Yesterday Jenny & I booked our flight/hotel for Vegas. For 10 days in mid-september we will be staying at the Stratosphere. This Vegas trip will constitute our wedding/honeymoon and it took a lot of online research before we were content to book. We did alright. The travel agents I was in contact with did their best but I ended up getting a bit sweeter deal for about $300 less! Nice job Duffy. We are so excited. On top of the wedding/honeymoon, we will be taking a couple of trips into the desert to do some hiking, and likely some evangelizing on The Strip. The Stratosphere is also home to the 3 highest thrill rides in the world.
Many people here at HH are surprised that "ministers" would want to get married in Vegas, but they think its pretty cool. The fact that we are also planning a Drive-Thru ceremony is a little over the top, but thats the way we like it. Jenny & I aren't the norm, and nothing we do is either.
We love this kind of life. And the fact that we are saving $1000's on these plans as opposed to a traditional wedding/honeymoon means we can direct those savings towards Cambodia or wherever the Lord would have us take the Gospel.
We are blessed, and cannot help but be, because the God we serve is gracious and merciful and loving.

quarantined

Yep, I have the runs. So if I can make it 72 hrs without RUNNING to the toilet, I can resume my employment here at HH. Session 3 ended today and I couldn't even say 'Goodbye' to my campers. I went on quarantine at about 6pm last night and will be off until at least 3:30pm on saturday. This sucks cause the next session starts saturday morning. Oh well, could be worse. The session was well though. The Beaver Cabin started out with 8 staff and 9 campers but 2 had to go home so we continued the session up one staff. That usually never happens. We did all the regular HH stuff like Great Escape, rafting, talent show, dance, activities, etc etc etc. The kids have been amazing to work with. On a side note; at Great Escape monday, I was 'helping dreams come true' or 'making magic' or whatever (I was loading a 16 yr old Beaver into a rollercoaster) when I SMASHED my toe on the lip of the ride. It hurt, and still does. Check out the photo -->HERE<--.

Today was Cabin change. Between the 3rd and 4th sessions, the whole camp changes cabins and gets to experience HH from another perspective. I was a Beaver (15-16 yr old boys) and now I will be a Muskrat (6-7 yr old boys). I go from the oldest to the youngest. Jenny was a Bear (15-16 yr old girls) and now will be a Deer (6-7 yr old girls). It should be a wild 4 sessions coming up!! 

We are now off until saturday and I will be laying low trying to get this sickness taken care of. 

If anyone knows some good movies for Jenny & I to watch over the next couple days, let me know and we can watch them online.

Here's a good song for you to listen to:

Regina Spektor - Oedipus

no more HH pictures

The people at the top decided they didn't want ANY campers online, even if they had photo permission. So, as of now, there will be no more Flickr or YouTube concerning Double H campers from myself or Jenny. Sorry everyone.

Beaver Cabin: Session 2

Session 2 is done and the Beavers were an awesome group of young men. Everyone associated with these Beavers said it may have been the best cabin ever. Hard to imagine, considering that in Session 1 we had such an amazing group of teens.
It was another week filled with the Great Escape, white water rafting, HH Olympics, fireworks, a dance, talent show, etc etc etc. Nothing real spectacular, but a consistent week which the kids loved and felt awful about leaving.
The weeks are passing by quite quickly, and soon september will be here.
Vegas, Vegas, Vegas.

Session 1: Beaver Cabin

Week 1 is over. About 75 kids came to camp for this session and there were 10 in my cabin. Most of them had hemophilia or sickle cell anemia. My cabin houses boys aged 15/16 and many of them are returnees; so they know the routine of camp and are usually eager to impart into the younger campers. They were was an amazing group of young men.

After arriving on thursday, the campers settled in and we had a big campfire in the evening.
Friday was Great Escape day. I took Jamil on the bumper cars, and I rode 3 rollercoasters!! Keep in mind that I haven't been on a rollercoaster since I went on Space Mountain in Disneyworld when I was 10 or so!!
Saturday, my cabin went white water rafting but only two counsellors got to go and I wasn't one of them :(. Maybe next time. They had a blast though.
Sunday, was a fairly normal day of camp. In the evening was the infamous..........dance!! Jenny spent much time dancing with one of her "Bear's" (Bianca). I spent most of the dance hanging out with Cooper.
Monday, my cabin was scheduled for the Ropes course. This is always a camp favorite. In the evening was the Session 1 talent show followed by a Wishboat ceremony followed by one last Cabin Night. The Wishboat is a small boat of wood constructed by each cabin that houses individual wishes the campers would like to experience. For our last Cabin Night, we watched Anchorman in the indoor pool. It was pretty sweet.
In between all these activities there was the normalicy of camp life: taking campers to the Barn, and to Creative Arts, and Arts & Crafts, and Team Adventure (sports), and the Waterfront (boating, fishing), and the Pool, etc etc.

Today is our break and tomorrow a group of about 125 campers arriver for another week of craziness. I will be a Beaver for two more sessions and then we get to switch cabins and experience camp from another perspective. Jenny is a Bear (which is the oldest girls cabin) along with being Small Animals Assisitant at the Barn.

Don't forget to visit Jenny's blog (http://www.missionaryjenny.blogspot.com/) for her perspective on camp, and also our Flickr site -->HERE<-- for pictures, and our YouTube -->HERE<-- for videos. Keep praying for us. The Harvest is large and the labourers are few!!!

HH Team '08 colors unveiled

To finish off our staff training week, our colors were unveiled. I kinda like'em. The last few years the colors have been green with white lettering, so this year's is a bit different.

Video
Here is another video from our 'Camp Inspiration' week. It's of Colin getting a ride in the Giant Swing, respirator and all!!. Only at HH do kids in these types of situations get to enjoy things such as this. He had a great time and is already looking forward to next year!

bring on the kids!!

We just completed a week of intensive staff training. I mean 14 hr days most of the time; 8:30am-10:30pm (or later). We learned all sorts of stuff. It was kind of cruel for HH to give us "Camp Inspiration" week and then make us go through a loooong week of training, but it's over now and the kids get here on thursday!! Everyone is pretty pumped. Jenny & I are really excited for what is to come in the next 2 months.

For the next 3 (maybe 4) weeks I will be a counsellor in the Beaver cabin (which houses 15-16 yr old boys). These kids have pretty much attended camp every summer for a long time and know the swing of things. Almost all the returning staff I've talked to expressed that the 'Beaver's' are their favorite group. Once a week (while I'm with the Beaver's) I get to go camping, and white water rafting. HH takes the whole lot of us to Great Escape once a week as well. That should be a crazy event!
Jenny is working in the Happy Barn, but is also a part of the Bear cabin for the first 3 or 4 weeks. The Bears are girls aged 15-16. After 3 (or 4) weeks we all switch cabins to get a better understanding of the children we serve here.

So, today and tomorrow is our break before the hustle-and-bustle of camp begins. Jenny & I hope to get to WalMart today so we can pick up a few things we are needing. Oh, and if you wanna see something absolutely AMAZING, check out the video below. It is of one of the campers proving that a disability is all in your head. Great stuff.

Jenny Brown: 'Small Animals' Assisitant

Our first video from Double H Ranch is available for viewing below!! It stars Jenny, some bunnies, and the notorious pigs (Harley and Petunia). Jenny helps children enjoy these animals daily; it's her job. How sweet is that?!
We hope to have more videos of the Ranch on our YouTube account. Enjoy.

pics of 'Inspiration ' week

Thats right! Pics of our first week of Double H Ranch are -->HERE<--. Videos are coming but it seems YouTube is not working the best for me. Hopefully it will improve. Enjoy!!!.............and keep praying.

Making it happen, whatever it is.

Camp is not fully underway yet but it has been AMAZING so far. After a few days of training, 'Camp Inspiration' week has begun. This week has families with children on respirators attending the Ranch and enjoying all the benefits of this wonderful place. For instance, yesterday, the brothers I am teamed up with got to play some pool, pet some rabbits and guinea pigs and see some horses, they went fishing, they got a ride in a horse carriage, they swam in a pool, they partook of a car race, and finally, they got to watch 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' outside on a big projection screen! All in one day; crazy!! It is absolutely inspiring to watch the kids get to do whatever they want. And I mean, whatever! Respirators and all are loaded into carriages, pools, etc to make sure the kids get to experience things that other children their age get to. No excuses are made; we make it happen. One of the girls who was bigger and on constant oxygen was lifted up into the horse carriage but could not take her respirator. The respiratory therapist got in beside her with a manual pump and fed oxygen into a hole in her neck by hand so that she could enjoy the ride! She left saying that the ride was one of the best experiences of her life. Being here really makes you feel alive. And the nursing staff are among the most amazing people I have ever met. Always keeping the situation light and calm, they put everyone at ease with their confidence to handle any situation. I am surrounded by heroes.

Camp Inspiration will end on sunday morning. The next week we have intensive staff training before the main thrust of campers arrive for Session #1. For those of us who have not been here previously, our anticipation is high. For those who have been here before, their anticipation is HUGE!!!

Lake Luzerne, NY

Indeed. Jenny & I landed in Lake Luzerne friday night. Everyday, I amazingly wonder at God's unconditional gracious love for every single human being. Why did we turn this world into what it is? God has done so much for us, and we wasted it; to such an extent that many completely disbelieve in Him. It's sad. More can be said in one action than a thousand words. Yet, the church is full of empty words. The world is waiting for the action.

Jenny & I are expecting much from God this summer, but not enough. We never think big enough. The opportunity set before us is grand. We want this summer to be completely life-changing.

Double H Ranch was founded by Paul Newman in the early 90's (don't quote me on that). It is a summer camp for chronically ill children. 120 or so children are on their way, and over 60 staff. This camp is anything but Christian, and thats the way Jenny & I prefer it. My favorite figure in Church history, Francis of Assisi, said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." That is our mandate for the summer. To live a life that challenges people out of their spiritual comfort zones. It may be a daunting task. The people we have met here are mostly in schools or universities nearby. They have loads of knowledge and plenty of compassion. They are all (so far) amazing people.

Coming from a Bible College where the students were anything but eager to demonstate their beliefs, I am almost embarrassed at the state of most of Christendom. It's a joke. We should be leading the pack, but we are mocked, ridiculed, and laughed at instead. I don't blame them. It's time to change all that. But, we have to do something about it. Actually, all we have to do is SOMETHING, ANYTHING!! Just get out and go!

We request prayer from anyone who reads this. We want people to see Jesus in us. We want to steward this opportunity in the most loving way possible. We want to do ALL THINGS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL.

Visitation/Impartation Campaign: check!

Jenny & I's trip to the Island is just about done. We are at my brother's right now and will jump on a plane tomorrow and start the journey to the state of NY to work at Double H Ranch for the summer. In my opinion, the Island has been a great time; maybe the best time I've had here in years.
We did so much here. Something like 15 meetings; we spoke at 2 churches, a homegroup, and a daycare; we took teams out on the streets of Charlottetown on two occasions; Jenny got to see a lot of this Island of mine; and so on. But the time was so short, and we could list many other things we had wanted to do, but time didn't allow. Maybe in the Fall?
To see the full set of pictures from Jenny's time on PEI click -->HERE<--.

And now, we prepare ourselves for the emotional summer which lies ahead. I expect us to leave Lake Luzerne even more changed than when we arrive.

post-surg

Friday, Jenny's dad (John) and I took Jenny to Niagara Falls to have the cyst (demon) on her tailbone removed. John and I ate at Perkins, cruised the Falls, and sat at Tim Horton's while we killed off the time that Jenny was in surgery. We picked her up about 7pm and headed home for St Catharines. Jenny was in considerable pain, but relieved that her body was now in recovery mode instead of coping mode.

Yesterday was to be the Celebration Bible College (CBC) graduation feast at Niagara Celebration Church (NCC). We had out hearts set on going since early January, and Jenny's stubbornness in the end won out (and also the fact that we paid $50 for our tickets)! We went and partook of the buffet and Christianese conversation that ever-so-often dominates these kinds of events. But we made the best of it (seeing that Jenny was in obvious discomfort), raving it up with the Karanfilis' and Nita and others. The pleasantness(?) of the evening hardly made up for the night of pain Jenny endured as a result of going. I don't like to do it, but Jenny has now been officially grounded until her body heals. PEI and Double H Ranch are much too important to be rescheduled due to a relapse.

So, today we camped out at the Vine, watching Gremlins 2, missing church at Scott St Manor, and the actual CBC graduation service at NCC. Jenny really wanted to go seeing as her twin (class president Jessica) was to speak a presidential address. Thankfully, NCC streams its services so we were able to watch the proceedings live. It was doubly sweet seeing that Jenny had arranged the NCC bus to pick up residents of Scott St Manor and drive them to the service to watch Jessica and Colin graduate!

We are praying that Jenny would have a speedy and complete recovery. Tomorrow I take her back to Niagara Falls for a follow up to see how she's healing. Thanks for the car Heymans!!

this summer: Double H Ranch

As I said a couple of posts ago, I have been accepted to work at Double H Ranch in upstate NY this summer. The position runs from the first week in June till the last week of August. The camp is for children who are terminally and chronically ill. The capacity in which I will be employed is: cabin counsellor; which means I will be supervising a cabin of about 6 kids and being a 'big brother' type of person. The job description is much more detailed than that, and I will be providing whatever kind of care the kids need. Jenny has also been accepted (praise God) and will be employed in the Happy Barn (which should be filled with small animals). It has the potential to be an amazing summer.

We are both looking forward to unconditional service to our Savior this summer. These kids will do way more to inspire us than we to them, but we will have a go at it nonetheless. In all seriousness, what is our alternative? Stay in St Catharines and work full time while looking for ministry opportunities on our time off? Not likley. Life is way too short, and our responsibility too great for future regrets we know we'd have.

Easter Time

Good Friday seems to be approaching non-dramatically. In fact, if someone didn't completely remind me, I think I'd totally forget. It seems to be slipping by unoticed.

For now, work has been postponed. Jenny's cyst is back full-force and has put her out of commission. She is scheduled for surgery late next month, and then should be totally back to 100%.

Today I found out that I have been accepted as a cabin counsellor at Double H Ranch for sick kids in upstate NY. It is a paid position from Jun15-Aug24 working with sick and terminally ill children. We have also all but been accepted to SMCC in North Carolina; another children's camp. Now we wait to see if Jenny is accepted into Double H before making any final decisions on which one to staff. Summer plans are definitely shaping up though.
In other news, the game Risk is pretty fun and Duffins (mocha banana chocolate chip muffins) are delicious.