Shades of Green

 Greetings To All,

One of the reasons I could give for not updating this blog is: the sun has actually appeared here in Oregon for more than two hours straight.  It's a minor miracle. Since there has been so much rain and now we get the sun everthing is a bright shade of green.   And, because of the sunshine, the Ropes Course phone has been ringing more frequently.  And that is a good thing.  The girls have also been able to get outside more these past couple of weeks.  I'll give you a small insight into our lives for the past month and a half. 

In May Dakota turned 5!  We had a party for her here on base, and it was quite the site to see.  There were so many 4 and 5 year olds.  After we ate cake we up to the Ropes Course to celebrate Dakota Mei-style.  We opened up our newest element, the Big Swing, for all of the party goers and parents (if needed) to ride.  It was a hit.  Dakota is still a little ball of energy.  Along with turning 5 she has just about mastered the jungle gym at the playground (as you can see from the picture), and she has learned (in one day!) to ride a bike without training wheels.  It's almost like we can't call her our little girl anymore.

A couple of weekends ago we took advantage of the nice weather and drove east to Sisters, OR.  It is a quaint little mountain town that hosts a large annual quilt show.  There are shops all around of crafts and food.  And then, in the "distance" are the Sisters Mountains: North Sister, Middle Sister, and South Sister.  We paused for a photo op with our little sisters. 

Desi has been being cute, as always.  Is it possible that she reinvents cuteness everyday.  Her latest discoveries are the playground, and stairs.  We think she will soon master both. 

Kathy has been helping to figure out the summer child care situation.  There will be a lot of kids on base as we are getting a new batch of students and staff.  She has also been staying on top of making sure our little ones are getting enough outside time. 

I have been busy with keeping the course functioning.  I spend more time in the office than I have in the past, but I still get to work with the groups.  In the past month we have worked with special needs high school students, college students, numerous families, middle schoolers, and church groups.  The special needs high school group was a privilege to work with.  They are kids that face challenges every day, so when they came here, they were able to face new and different challenges like never before.  One difference being that here they are in a safe place, and they were directly involved in helping each other with their accomplishments.  One of the ways we are called to live is in relationship.  The power that is released when a healthy relationship is formed and continued between two humans  is a great example of how God wants to release power through our connection with Him.  Those kids discovered what it can be like to live in that relationship. 

How have you been enjoying the sunshine?  Just being outside? Gardening? Taking day trips?  We would be thrilled to hear from you.  Thank you for taking the time to see what we have been up to lately.  We hope and pray that all is well with you.

Many Blessings,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

April In The Woods

 

 Greetings To All:

How have you been?  This past month has been less chaotic for us.  If you got our email you already know that none of us have been ill for a few weeks, which is nice.  We have also seen that large orange orb in the sky a couple of times.  And, this time on the blog I got the pictures to actually lay kind of how I wanted them to.  Oh happy day!  We've had a strange twist of our living situation:  Dakota actually wants to sleep in the same room as Desi.  We thought that was odd, but other parents are saying that their children ask the same thing.  So far it has worked out with neither one keeping the other up all night.  We're looking forward to not having to heat our home with the wood burner for a couple of months.  The days here are getting nicer, but the nights are still in the 30's. 

This month has been kind of slow on the course.  However, the phone has been ringing with clients that are scheduling for the rest of the season.  Bring it on!  Our team is continuing to find ways to teach participants Truth from the words they themselves use to  describe their experience.  It's an incredible experience of which to be a part.  When one of our participants, who I do not think is a Believer, said that he  finds comfort in the mere presence of people he trusts and that love him, I could barely contain myself.  However, I had to be creative in how I addressed the topic because that participant's group was here on government money.  And I think we are all aware of the government's lack of explicit support for anything Christian. 

The other day I did a devotional for our base staff meeting.  I would like to share it with you here; I'll give you the condensed version.  It is based from Psalm 139:13-14.  The human heart came to my mind.  How often do we ask each other, "How's your heart?" (And we don't mean the actual physical heart.)  God, our designer, has intricately made our heart, and we can see a spiritual parallel with the physical anatomy.   The heart has  four chambers; two for receiving blood, and two for sending blood away from the heart.  The right atrium recieves blood from the rest of the body(except the lungs.)  We take in all kinds information through our senses.  The blood then gets pumped down into the right ventricle.  We take the info we sense and think about and form opinions about it.  Next, the blood gets pumped to the lungs where it gets infused with life-giving oxygen.  After we mull something over, we pray and send it to God to receive His life-giving breath and counsel.  Once the blood has been properly oxygenated, it flows back to the left atrium, where it awaits travel to the left ventricle.  God hears our prayers, gives them back with His life in them, and we enter a time of preparation.  "Preparation for what?" Good question.  The life-giving blood is sent to the rest of the body where it fulfills its purpose: to bring life.  When our preparation time is done, we are ready to take our thoughts and prayers, now ready to be enacted, and bless people with them.  We help to give them life.  If you happen to look up a picture of a human heart, you will see that the muscular walls of the ventricles, the chambers used to send blood out, are thicker than the receiving atria.  Maybe it's God's way of saying that we are to live out the callings on our lives and not keep them to ourselves.  He equips us to be stronger in the giving than the receiving.  I ended the devotional again with the question,"How is your heart?" 

The human anatomy is fascinating to me.  And why wouldn't it be so marvelous?  Look at its Creator.  Well, I'll leave you with that little tidbit.  Thank you for taking the time to catch up with us.  The pictures of the girls are there for the cuteness factor.  The other picture is to give you a visual of one element that we have.  We had a group from a large lumber mill in the Northwest here for some teambuilding and Kathy got some good pictures of them.  Dakota and Kathy are getting a little restless to get outside more, and Desi is waiting to get her first true taste of summer fun on the playground.  We wish you a dry and warm Spring.

Many Blessings To You,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

This Spring(?)

                                                                                     Greetings To All:

"In like a lion, and out like a lamb", huh?  March certainly came in somewhat harsh here.  The rain was constant, and groups were coming on the course right from the start.  But, the month finished with a few consecutive days of sun, and some interesting groups.  Also, the month of March in this household could be labeled "the coughing month."  It started with me, and ended with Desi, who, thankfully had the least severe of us all.  Dakota ended up having the worst and longest-lasting cough of us all.  Kathy took her to the doctor twice.  The first time Dakota was diagnosed with a sinus infection and completed the prescribed antibiotic.  However, the cough didn't go away.  So, the second doctor's visit let us know that she had walking pneumonia.  Now she is taking that antibiotic.  She has been such a trooper through it all. 

One of the factors contributing to her cough was mold starting to grow in her room.  Before you panic, know that we are trying to stay on top of it now that we know.  This trailer did have a history of mold, mainly in the addition that is Dakota's room.  Please pray with us that this situation will become better and that our home will become and remain mold-free.
What else have we been up to?  I have been working with groups on the course and doing scheduling in the office.  So far we have worked with a wide variety of groups from girl scouts to employees of a lumber mill a couple of hours from here.  Each group presents different opportunities to share principles of Truth, which we know as Jesus' life and God's goodness and love.  Our team handles the challenges well.  We each have a broad talent that allows us to connect with every group, but we each connect on a deeper level with different groups.  I learn so much on how to connect and relate to middle schoolers and younger while observing Fred interact with them.  Ryan enjoys bringing meaningful and inspiring words to youth groups.  Jeff connects well with the corporate clients.  Me, I feel a deeper bond with the college groups that spend time on our course.  That being said, I want to stress that we all connect on some level with every group we work with.  My point is: we all have groups that we naturally identify with on a more personal level for whatever reason. 
And as I'm writing this I'm reminded of Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 9: 22, "When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ.  Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some."  Having lived in this world, doing various things in different siutations with diverse people we are all able to relate to the trials and struggles that other people are facing.  As Christians, having overcome one of the biggest struggles in life: finding and receiving true love in Jesus, we can offer that to those who are in need.  Where is the common ground?  The desire to be loved, to love, to be understood, the longing for fulfillment and purpose; that is where the common ground is.  As the Christian has found the source of all those desires,  they can point others in that direction.  And our own personal experiences are what allow us to be effective in relating to others. 
Shifting gears.  . . .  This week we have Kathy's mom and niece visiting us.  Already I think niece Bridget has read half of Dakota's books to her.  And Grandma has probably read the other half to her.  Desi doesn't know what to do with new people except commit random acts of cuteness enticing them to pick her up.  It usually works.  Dakota had fun at a birthday for another base child because they did the flying squirrel.  She is all class in her boots, skirt, jean jacket, and harness.  Kathy has been helping new a couple of new women on staff and volunteering get adjusted to life at YWAM Salem.  We had the privilege of our Indian friend, Chops, cook us an authentic, from absolute scratch Indian meal.  YUMM! At the beginning of March Desi turned 1 year old!  Yes, I'll sound like the average parent because I believe it to be true,"Where does the time go?"
A couple of prayer requests for our life right now are for the mold situation in our place, Dakota to be completely healed from any kind of sickness, and continued grace and wisdom in balancing a leadership positon in a ministry with family time.  We thank you for all of your support in prayer.  We also thank you all for supporting us financially.  That is a blessing for which we are daily thankful.  Well, until next time. . . .
Blessings To You,
Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

Into The Great Wide Open

Greetings To All:
After today I will make the assumption that where ever you are it is snowing.  Yes, that means that it was snowing on our base.  Actually, this day had it all: snow, rain, and sun.  And it didn't go in any particular order.  This Oregon weather sure is something else.  So, how are you?  We are doing well.  A healthy rhythm has started again in this house.  It seems that hasn't happened since last November.  We had Dakota try out a gymnastics class at the YWCA in town, and she LOVED it.  We'll try to take her again at some point: that girl loves to move.  She also thoroughly enjoys playing dress up and most frequently chooses her Snow White dress that a friend gave to her.  Desi almost has her license to walk.  She is about at "Learner's Permit" status, but after the display of talent tonight we think she is ready to take her Walker's test.  On another note, Desi does not like to have her nails clipped.  As all parents wonder, "Where has the time gone?"  That is a phenomenon that we've always heard about and now are experiencing first-hand.  Dakota doing gymnastics?  Desi walking?  Both are glorious things to behold.  Kathy has been busy as the liason between base parents and the Life For Kids School teacher Mary.  It is perplexing to me to watch how she manages each parent's desires for their child and Mary's goal for the school.  Kathy also has been getting more fresh air while walking every day with a partner after lunch.  I have been excited this past week because I have been up in the trees again for the first time in months.  Whew. . . . I don't know how I went so long without it.  I was doing our yearly in-house inspecton of our equipment, which means that groups will be coming soon.
You are all aware of this being a transition time for us (I won't go into the "whys" because you are probably already familiar with those.)  But what does that mean exactly?  One aspect of it is for the first time in my life I will be in the leadership position.  And I am blessed with stepping into an established ministry with which I have history.  So what do I do with new-found authority and well-grounded and established ministry?  One of my favorite verses comes to mind:  Colossians 3:10,"and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  In context this passage pertains to putting off old, sinful nature.  I relate it to my situation slightly different because I am not dealing with taking over a ministry that was sinful.  God's hand has certainly been in this since it's conception.  I'm focusing on the being renewed part of it.  Why would I want to change a ministry just for the sake of change?  That would involve the risk of doing greater damage than any good.  I look at it as constant improvement.  After all, isn't that what Christians are supposed to be striving for?  Being satisfied with what has happened in the past, but looking for ways to be more like Jesus.  There is hardly any time for laurel resting.  Also, I don't think that the phrase involves reinventing the wheel.  Why spend time and energy in that?  My desire for this ministry in this year is to find new ways to bring the gospel message into each and every one of our games and elements.  Last year we focused on how to accomplisth that.  This year I want to focus more on the doing of that.  And it is for a couple of reasons: 1. It keeps us as facilitators more in scripture trying to solidify biblical principles in our own lives, and 2. Each participant knows that we are Christians, but we want them to know that they were created to be in relationship with God also.  So, in a sense it seems like a new beginning, but it is more of a renewal.  Please join us in prayer for these ideas and methods to come into being. 
Thank you for considering us in your prayers.  They have been felt and some have already been made into a reality.  God is always surprising us with how He provides for our needs in health, ministry, and finances.  And, as always, thank you for taking the time to stay updated with us. 
Many Blessings To You,
Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

2011

 Greetings To All, 

How in this new year are you?  We are doing well; everyone is in good health, thank You, God.  After a cold spell during the last half of December we are bearing the rains here in Salem, which I'm sure is easier to handle than the snow that some of you are receiving.  For the first time since we've been here the creek went over its bank, and that explains one of the pics below.  The foot bridge had the low end washed over.  Luckily no buildings were flooded.  The base was very quiet over the Christmas break.  Now there is a DTS of 16 students that just started.  Already, I am performing as the Ropes Course director.  It's a bit surreal for me.  Never before, in any job, have I been the guy "in charge."  The transition is almost complete, and it has been a smooth one.  Thank you to you all that lifted us in prayer through this;  they were definitely felt.  One of the things that I have the privilege of doing already as course director is designing new business cards.  One thing that is good to have on them is a slogan.  In the past "Teamwork Makes A Dream Work" has been the main slogan for the course.  Last year we shifted to "Face Your Challenge".  Both are good.  But this year we were looking to have more of a biblical influence in the slogan.  So,what we came up with is: Consider Others.  Isn't that a blend of teamwork principles and Christian emphasis?  Consider Others.  "How can this problem be solved?" Consider Others.  "How can we be more effective as witnesses for Jesus?" Consider Others.  "Am I going to accomplish every great thing in my life alone?"  Consider Others.  To me the concept adds significant value to other people.  And it is more than a passing glance, a "courtesy knod" if you will.  Am I going to take the time, not to hear some one's entire life story, but listen to their perspective, listen for their heart?  Will I add value to others without considering them?  No.  Is it possible to show Jesus' love in my life without considering other people?  Not in truth.  Since this will be on our business cards, and probably on the back of our T-Shirts, it will be a constant source of discussion in our interaction with our participants.  If you have any insights or comments about this slogan, I would love to hear it.  Shifting gears. . . .  For this entry I tried uploading the pics first and typing the entry while they were being uploaded.  However, that didn't work out as planned.  So, I apologize for the weird placement of the pics and for having two different colors of writing (if I don't get that annoyance fixed.)  Working with computers is always an adventure for me.  But, I persevere.  Moving along. . . . Dakota has been learning how to write her letters and is very good at it.  She even remembers how to spell a handful of words, too.  Desi has been pulling herself up on furniture and has even started to free-stand, which should be a new Olympic sport for the infant age group.  Also, her top teeth have started to come in, so she is chewing on everything.  I refer to her little play area as Chewyville.   Kathy has been attending a MOPS group that a lady from church mentioned to her.  She is also coming up with ideas on how to make the Ropes office into a more inviting place.  Right now the walls are painted in two different shades of orange with maroon trim.   Anyway. . . . Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  If you have any comments or insights into "Consider Others." please let me know.  Also, we have gotten a few responses from an email update that I sent out a couple of days ago, for which we are thankful.  We would like to do better at keeping you informed of what is happening in our lives.  How that looks is us giving you at least one email update each month and keeping this blog current with what our adventure entails.  Hopefully we get to hear from you, too.  Until next time. . . .

God's Richest Blessings To You,Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

A Rainy Christmas

 

Greetings To All:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  'Tis the season to be. . . . dry, and indoors, if you live in Oregon.  For most people this will be the week of Christmas Break.  The same holds true for YWAM Salem.  As of this past Friday, all of the staff are on Christmas Break.  This year there are a handful of families staying here for the holiday, so we will be sharing time and  merriment with each other.  As usual I apologize for the tardiness of the blog update.  However, this time we could actually sit with some of you and give you an in-person update while we were in IN for Thanksgiving.  Also, we could get an in-person update from you,

which was more fun for us.  We hope your Christmas is snowy on the outside and warm on the inside.  Or, if you live in a more temperate climate, we hope it is at least warm on the inside regardless how dreary it may be on the outside.

So, what has been happening with us lately?  While in IN Desi decides to officially learn how to crawl.  Dakota got to spend a lot of quality time with various cousins.  She also got to play a little in what snow did fall while we were there.  A blessing in disguise was that we flew back to OR just as IN was getting pummeled with snow.  Both of our flights were affected, Carson and Desi spending seven hours in the Minneapolis airport.  Kathy has been excited to plan our Christmas Card, and has done a wonderful job.  She also is recovering from a minor cold.  Carson is weathering the transition of accepting leadership of the Ropes Course Ministry. 

The other day I, Carson, was contacted to play some teambuilding games with a local program for at-risk teens.  I was playing games with them for four hours.  Most of that time I spent trying to figure out why they were labeled "at-risk".  Although at one time in their lives they may have been victims of their own or some one else's bad decisions, the mindset they displayed during my time with them was phenomenal.  They were outward focused, not only on themselves.  They displayed respect, concern, and acceptance of each other.  And it wasn't the fake "oh, we're only doing this during this time because we are being forced to be here" kind of behavior.  I've seen that, and this wasn't that.  The program they are working with, which is a Christian-based program, has been doing something great in these teens' lives.  It was an honor to work alongside of them for our common purpose: to shine the light and love of Jesus into people's lives for their betterment and for His glory.  The games they played that afternoon served to reinforce a Christ-like attitude and lifestyle into these "at-risk" teens' hearts and minds.  If any of you have seen "troubled" teens that grow into "problem" adults, I bring you hope.  I've seen it.  When Jesus' love is poured into some one's life in a pertinent way, stand back and marvel at the transformation of their life!  And knowing that each one of us can be the vehicle for that transforming power. . . wow!  Thank You, Father. 

Thank You, God, for sending us Your Son!  I think each one of us could honestly say that we love to be a blessing in some way to some one.  Right?  In my opinion, that is being very Christ-like: giving of what we have been given.  Even if we can't afford to buy that "perfect" gift that we earnestly long to give some one, we can still give of what we have been blessed with.  Merry Christmas!

God Bless You,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

"I Remember You"

Greetings To All:

How in the ever-shrinking world are you? Is October treating you well? Here is has been unseasonably warm and dry. But, you won't hear anybody complaining about that. We have fired up (pun intended) our wood burner for the season. The base has received plenty of firewood to get us through this season and well into next. A camp south of here allowed us to clean up some of their wood that they were not going to use, and a local golf course was tearing out a treeline and let us take what we could handle. So, we certainly have been blessed with warmth in our homes this winter. How are we doing? Overall, we are doing well. Kathy has been fighting her yearly cold, sore throat, headache thing. This year she decided to share it with me. Here is a stock tip for you: invest in Proctor & Gamble because we will be supporting them with our purchase of Vitamin C and echinnacae. Thankfully our coldish things have not spread to the girls. (We still haven't gotten accustomed to the plural yet.) Desi is ready to crawl and get teeth any time now. Dakota is back in the classroom for a couple of hours a day and is loving it. She is turning into quite a little lady. Today she went down to a barn on base and looked at the new base chickens. She loved it! A couple on base is starting a mini farm to practice implementing and maintaining sustainable farming in order to help provide healthy food for the base and use it as a ministry tool for people interested in rural work overseas. The Discipleship Training School that is in session now has 28 students, the Foundations of Counseling in Ministry School has 11 students, and the Basic Leadership class has 9 students. The base is buzzing with people from all over the world. The Ropes Course has worked with over 5,300 people this year and is still going strong through October 31. And this leads me to our big news. . . .

After 13 years of starting and operating the YWAM Salem Ropes Course Jeff Nelson has decided to pass on operation of the course. He asked us to pray and consider it, and we did. We feel that this is what God has for us in this next season of our lives. Jeff is excited, and so are we. Jeff will be spending more time overseeing all of the YWAM International Ropes Courses, which includes scouting for new courses and continuous training with existing courses. What will our roles be? Everything. We will be in charge of all aspects of the Salem Ropes Course from scheduling to financing and everything in between. Kathy will be using her skill in the office be doing 99.9% of all correspondence in regards to scheduling and follow up. I will be using my skill to train our team, search for beneficial changes to the course, and ministering to the participants. Please keep us in your prayers for wisdom and grace during this time of leadership transition for us.

The title of this entry comes from something that has happened twice in the past week, so I thought I should share it with you. I was setting up some of our portable games at a local middle school this past week, and an employee (not a teacher) of the school unlocked a gate for us. After I told him who we were, he looked right at me and said,"I remember you." Again today one of our participants looked at me and said,"You worked with my group for my birthday party last year." After the first instance, I was taken back, and I began to think. After the second instance, I felt nervous. Why? Does that seem like a lot of pressure to you? After about a year, an encounter that lasted anywhere from 3 to 8 hours amidist flying in the air and doing some other crazy things, participants actually remember me. "What pressure?" you ask. Well, with such little contact, what impression was left? Was it one that makes them think of a Christian? Was it one that helps them to know that they are valuable? Was it one that makes them desire to know why they were treated with care and respect and love? Was it one that makes them want to step away from the negative things in their lives and actively and passionately pursue Truth? Did I represent the love of Jesus and The Father's Heart to them? I could come up with more questions, but you get the point. Before every group begins our course we tell them who YWAM is and what our main purpose is. So they know that we are pursuers of Jesus. And then, if they don't have any established concept of who Jesus is, the time they spend in our presence on the course is from what they will form an idea of who Jesus is. After each group leaves we pray for them and the time we spent with them. So far, I think that the impressions I've left with participants has been good. But, I also remember the "trying" days with the unfocused, hyperactive, broken middle schoolers. Did I show them grace, mercy, and love? God gives those to me when I get whiny and restless with what He has me doing. Should I not be the same to the "difficult" people. It sure is hard isn't it?

Moving on. . . . Break out the cool-weather clothes and grab a rake: autumn is here. Sit by a campfire or wood-burner and ponder the mysteries of life. Mull some cider or brew some coffee with a loved one. Celebrate this time of shedding of old and awaiting the promise of new life. Autumn is here.

Bless You,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

Fall In The Air

Greetings To All:

How in the wide, yet ever-shrinking, world are you? Football, chilly weather, fleeces/flannels, soup, and campfires are only some of the things I enjoy about autumn. Can any one relate to any of those things? We are so thankful that even thought seasons (and many other things) may change, but the God we serve never does.

We are still going strong with groups on the course. Our team has shrunk for various reasons. So, even though the overall schedule has lightened, the load for each teammate still working has remained the same. Please pray for our family that long days would not only be bearable, but that we could find the blessing to receive and give in whatever we do. The child care situation on base has not changed yet. That is another prayer concern: leadership and parents could find a workable solution to the childcare dilema.

One thought that I had recently while working with a group on the course pertains to timing of situations. In two separate groups from the same team that Iwas working with I had them play a game of which the goal is to get everybody to find the bell and ring it. In both groups the last person to ring the bell hung their head and said,"Uh, I was the last one." In all of my experience with this game on this course I had never yet said what I was about to. "It doesn't matter. So what that you reached your goal at a different time than every one else. The point is that you started and finished." The group was a nursing program from a local university. The students were of all different ages. The youngest was probably straight from high school, and the oldest was probably in her late thirties. I could see the looks on the older one's faces change after I said this. I encouraged them not to berate themselves for not starting the program earlier in life. What mattered is that they were now on the right track.

Can you see where I'm going with this? If I took the time and effort to beat myself up for all of the absolutely stupid things I have done in my past, then I would lose focus on all of the good that is going on now. When we each are on our walk with Jesus will we waste time wondering,"Why didn't I start this sooner? I knew about Him, but I didn't do anything about it."? Or, will we focus on what He does for us everyday since we declared our love for and dependence on Him? I choose the latter. You?

I'm so thankful that you all play a part in enabling us to do what we do. How else are things on the home front? Desi should be getting her first teeth any time in the next week. At her last doctor's visit her head measured off the chart; we knew she was smart, but not off-the-chart smart. And she is rolling all over the place. Dakota had her first fair experience at the Oregon State Fair, where she stepped in a pile of cow poop with both feet. She is also doing very well at riding her bike. Even though it still has training wheels, she motors around the parking lot on it. She seems to be fast in whatever she does. Kathy is learning to knit, which she has wanted for a while now. Soon she will be making all kinds of things. She is also our travel chairperson, and she is scheduling a trip for us back to IN for Thanksgiving. So, we may get to spend some time with you in a couple of months.

We hope this update finds you doing well and what it is you are called to do. Enjoy the pictures, and don't forget to let us know how you are doing.

God's Blessings To You,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

The Diapy Days of Summer

Greetings To All:

Happy August to you! Is yours as hot as ours? It may be. Isn't it funny how we can be acclimated to wherever we live? So far this summer has had some real scorcher days here. Yesterday I was out on the course all day with a group, and it was over 95 degrees. Thankfully our home is shaded for most of the afternoon, but it can still warm up (and we don't have AC.) The nights have been a welcomed cool down to end the days. So, what have you been up to? The Ropes Course has been keeping me busy, and Kathy has been finding ways to keep one high-energy girl and one baby entertained. One of our neighbors, and a ropes teammate, has two girls the age of ours, so Kathy has been watching the three yr. old a couple of mornings a week. Dakota loves to play with her. The other night the baby was in the hospital because of an unexplained high fever, so Sarah, the big sister, was over here for a sleep over. The next day I asked the dad if Sarah had fun. He said, "Sarah had fun. But she said that while she was trying to sleep Dakota kept talking to her." Why does that not surprise me? It's nice when Dakota has other people her age to play with. In September the Kid's Classroom on base will begin again, which means more regular contact with other children for Dakota. The base is still a buzz of students, but the most populous time of the year has passed.

Of the groups that I've worked with on the course have been short-term missions teams that come here for a week of training, and then they go to Haiti to help with the earthquake clean up/rebuilding for a week. Also we took some games up to McMinville to teach a national medical software company during their annual meeting. The team has been brainstorming new ideas for elements for the course that are new ways to bring the Message to the people that come here. Do you have any ideas? Oh, I'll post a picture or two of a small part of our course (as promised back in June.)

During the past couple of weeks on the course, one recurring thought for me has been: back to the basics. What does that look like for our spiritual lives? How important are the basics of anything? Is it possible to grow, mature, or reach goals while ignoring, forgetting, or disregarding fundamentals? When we are faced with a problem, however complicated it may be, we need to keep the basics in front of us. On the course whenever participants begin to wobble or shake while walking on cable or rope, if they concentrate on what is wobbling or shaking, then they usually fall. If they freak out at how high they can possibly climb, then they usually freeze wherever they are. They forget the basics. They forget that all they need to do is take one step at a time, and that the next one will be like the one before, only in an ever-so-slightly different location. If they can physically climb two feet into a tree, then they can go the other 89 ft. if they don't forget the basics (step and reach.) And then I get to wondering what the basic things in our lives look like. My best description so far is: truth. We can work our way through struggles if we keep truth in front of us. Is God good? YES. Does He love us? YES. Did He place pieces of Him inside of us when He created us? YES. Are we alone in this world? NO. When we lean on those (among others) truths, we can be more effective in bringing His Kingdom here to earth. If we ignore truth, at some point in life we will be confounded, frustrated, and ready to give up. As humans we quite often make problems worse be forgetting the basics.

Thank you for your prayers regarding Kathy's trip back to IN. She had smooth travel both ways. We now know the key to receiving unsolicited help during flights: a very cute baby. Kathy and Desi were welcomed back by two family members that missed them greatly. Since being back Desi has been starting to eat baby food; only peas and carrots so far. She is working on the whole eating without gulping thing. Dakota was introduce to the game of Duck, Duck, Goose recently. She loves to be the "ducker". We also made some new friends that were helping out on base for two month with Mission Adventures. They have a little girl named Holland (sp?) that is Dakota's age, and the two of them loved to play together. Aimee, the mother, had to be watched constantly due to threats of spending hours "just biting Desi's cheeks." Vanderveens, you will be missed until you come back.

Thank you for taking the time to keep up with us. Please email us and let us know how you are doing.

God Bless You Today,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desislava

Creation

Greetings To All:

How are you on this fine Oregon summer day? Summer is finally here. We had our share of rain and cool weather (we were still using our wood burner during the first half of this month) and now we can break out the shorts again. Along with the warm weather came a slew of people to the base for various schools. Our population has just about doubled. Changes have been made to accomodate all of the people: two seatings for lunch, fifth wheels brought in for housing, and (unofficial) water restrictions. To do our part, family has decided to save water by not washing our hands after we go to the bathroom. Just kidding. The child population has more than doubled, which makes for a busy playground. Dakota loves to go down there and jump on the trampoline; she is getting very good at doing flips (not joking). Desi loves to go down there and sit in her stroller or on any lap that is available.

Our life has been a bit busier than usual. Of course we are still adjusting to being a family of four, but that has gone relatively smooth. Kathy and Desi are off on a tour of IN. They've been gone since Tuesday and will return Monday. YAY! I was still able to do some work on the course elements. I would take Dakota with me and she would play on the nearby elements. She also got to have several tractor rides with me. Never in my life did I think I would be giving tractor rides to my daughter, but she loves it. As a matter of fact, I think that Dakota loves any moving object.

Another project that kept me busy for a while was a Ropes Course in Eugene, OR. A Baptist-affliated camp contacted us at the beginning of the year to see if we could build them a Low Ropes Course. So, we did. Just after Memorial Day our team went down and built for a total of three days. It was so fun to be a part of the entire process from conception and scouting their land to building and completion. We added a couple of brand new, never-before-seen elements to their course. I kept saying to my teammates,"It's a CHALLENGE Course, not an EASY Course." We actually got kind of jealous of what we built for them , so we came back and changed some of our things around. The creative freedom that the challenge course industry/experiential education industry allows is refreshing.

I am always thankful that God has placed certain aspects of His character and nature into each and every one of us. No two people are exactly alike. And when you think about all of the people that have existed since Adam, that is a lot of diversity in creation. What else should we expect from a limitless God? He has shown us how He loves to create and to be creative in doing so. And He wants us to do the same! I encourage you to find whatever it is that you have as a fun, expressive, and God-given talent to use and explore it. He put it there so you can use it. Whether it is quilting, woodwork, building houses, building furniture, painting, cooking, gardening, or scrapbooking, do it. Please. If you don't, you are cheating God out of what He has put into you by not living up to your fullest potential. I speak to myself as well. I love to be creative, and it wasn't until fairly recently in my life that I have been able to pinpoint that part of my character. And since I have, I have achieved a little better understanding of God and how He views His creations (us.)

There is some food for thought. If, after you have chewed on that, you would like some dessert, you might be able find Lynetter and Marcus and have some of their wedding cake. Today they got married! Congratulations and blessings to them!

Thanks for taking the time to keep up with us. Kathy has the camera with her, so I don't have any pictures of the new things on our course. But when she gets back, I'll try to post some with a future entry. Please pray for an uneventful flight back to OR for Kathy and Desi.

Blessings To You,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desi

4!!!!

Greetings To All:

As usual I will start this entry with apologies of not doing it sooner. Thank you for taking the time to keep up with us. Not a lot has happened since the last entry. One very important and meaningful thing did happen: Dakota Mei turned 4 years old! Yes, it seems like just yesterday she was learning to walk and talk, or should I say run and talk. I don't think she ever truly walked. As soon as she discovered that she could move about while on two feet, she was running. And she hasn't stopped since. I love her enthusiasm for life. My prayer is that she will continue to have that same enthusiasm for serving and following Jesus as she grows older. Also, Mother's Day was a couple of weeks ago. I want to say a special "Thank you" to Mom for being here while I was away in Germany last month. She is a real blessing whether here or in IN. I also want to give many thanks to Kathy for being the mother that she is to Dakota and Desi. It's always nice to walk in the door and see her with both girls on her lap. One would think that the world could not handle so much beauty in one place, but they prove that it can. Kathy is doing a wonderful job of being Mommy (all of you probably realize what all that title and job description involve.) Desi continues to drink milk and grow. She is almost an even thirteen pounds now. I love to jiggle her chubby cheeks. And, oh yes, she has found her thumb.

For Dakota's birthday we celebrated with friends on the base by having cake available for them after lunch on Monday. It was quite the preschool crowd. After cake and mandatory present opening we continued the celebration - Dakota Mei style. What would a Dakota party be without something fun and exciting? I set up one of our high elements and we gave rides to kids of all ages. There is a short video of Dakota going on the ride posted with this entry. She loves to be in the air. I wonder what experiences she will have in this year of her life. . . .

The course has been pretty busy and will continue to be so for the rest of the season. On top of that the entire base will be busy this whole summer. There will be three schools running, and between all of the students and staff, there will not be a single bed available on base. That's a lot of people. This morning at intercession we had no set topic. So we divided into small groups and prayed about whatever came to our hearts. It was shocking to hear at the end that about 80% of the groups were praying about this upcoming summer. The main points were about keeping open and clear communication between all schools and staff to prevent mass confusion. Also people were praying for the practical needs: help in the kitchen, toilets and water heaters working properly, and space. One personal prayer request that we have is regarding the classroom on base that Dakota and six other preschoolers have been attending during the week for the past year and a half. Without trying to explain the entire situation, all parents were told that there would not be any classroom time for those kids until September. That has been pretty disheartening for the families on base because all of us have a preschooler plus a newborn/infant. The classroom time for the preschoolers has been such a blessing for the moms especially because that freed them to have uninterrupted time with the babies. Please pray for/with us that something will change and that the classroom will be made available to us again before September. Dakota really benefited from the routine, structure, learning, and socializing that has been from the classroom.

So, for now our home is a busy one. Please feel free to write us with any words you receive while praying for us; those are very encouraging. Thank you for all of your support! I hope you enjoy the pictures and video.

In His Love,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desi

Zuruck

Greetings To All:

Ahh, it's so good to be home with my family! Thank you all for your prayers and support surrounding this trip I took to Germany; they were truly felt. I thought I would be over jetlag by now, but I'm up again at 4:30 am. I thought I was going to get to feed the baby, but she decided not to wake up yet. Desi is doing great and really growing. Dakota is as energetic as ever and is adjusting to Desi well. It is our prayer that the two of them will be lifelong friends. Sometimes it still sounds strange to say "the girls."

Well, after one large cloud of volcanic ash and mass chaos at the airports both subsided, I got to come home. Seeing the guys in Germany was great. They have a vision to see their course grow, which is quite an undertaking because they do not have so many trees or space. While Jeff and I were there we helped to build a Giant Swing and do some maintenance on their exsisting elements. Also, and unexpected surprise was our friends Jouni and Mari from Finnland were there. We had no idea that was going to happen. They were here in Salem for six weeks last summer and Kathy and I really got to know them. I tell you what, the world is shrinking so fast I can almost hear it. I did not make the trip to Latvia for the second week. Our initial flight on Saturday, April 17 was cancelled due to the ash cloud. And at that point the airlines didn't know when the flights would resume. I felt a check in my spirit that I shouldn't wander too far away from Berlin because of such uncertainty. Being too far away from my scheduled return flight to the states was not terribly enticing. Originally we had a flight scheduled from Berlin to Riga, Latvia, but that got cancelled. Buses and trains were booking full faster than we could call in. Finally Jeff found a train that wasn't full, but I didn't feel peace about being on that train. After seeking divine guidance in this matter, I felt I should stay in Germany, and not go on to Latvia. Jeff went on to Latvia. His return flight to the states was scheduled for more than a week after mine, so he had a much larger cushion of time for the cloud to dissipate. My heart was heavy, but I felt my decision was right. So, I stayed the entire time in Germany.

One thought in the forefront of my mind during this trip was that not sharing this trip with my family was disappointing. It was still a good experience, please don't misunderstand me. But there is something gained in spirit and heart when special things are shared with loved ones. I don't know what our future travel plans are as of yet. But whatever, whenever, where ever we go, I hope that it will be together.

Since the last blog update we have had some visitors: Marcus and Lynette, Barb, Rachel, and Mom. Thanks to all of them for the help they were for us as we adjust to life with Desi. I want to give another thank you to the people on our base here in Salem for helping Kathy during the first week I was gone. Also, to Kathy, for being so supportive of my going on this trip and my passion and enjoyment of this ministry. She did more than just "survive" while I was away. I am blessed to be married to such a wonderful wife.

Yes, that little husky helper turned up in my luggage again. This time he wanted to have a keepsake photo of his time in Dresden, Germany. We stayed there for a night before we moved on to Hainichen. It is a beautiful city.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Hopefully this jetlag will be gone soon. Enjoy the pics, and check back every now and then for future updates (I promise they will be better.)

God Bless You Today,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desi

Announcing: Baby Desi!

Greetings To All:

She is here! Baby Desi has finally joined us in the outside world. She was born on March 2, 2010 at 1:24 p.m. weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz and measuring 20 inches long. And of course cute as cute can be. Kathy was wonderful throughout the delivery and is recovering strong. Desi has slept a lot and ate a lot and is doing great. Dakota has welcomed her warmly. Thank you to all who prayed for us that everything would go smooth. It did. I won't take too much of your time here; we wanted to post some much anticipated pictures for those who cannot see our new angel in person right now. Enjoy.

God's Blessings To You,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desi

Anticipation

Greetings To All:

If I were to ask most of you, "How are you?", could you thaw yourself out long enough to shiver out a response? And what would it be? We are doing well. Well, actually, 'well' is an understatement for now. We are very blessed in this time of our lives. As probably all of you know we are expecting our second daughter. The timing of it is up-in-the- air at this point. Baby and Kathy are both doing well, but the midwives that are attending to her continue to monitor her amniotic fluid level closely. She now has to go in for nonstress tests every three days. And if her fluid level drops too much more, then they will recommend induction. The original due date is March 7, but now it seems like it could be any time now. So how are we so blessed (besides health for Baby and Kathy)? We have received the 'essentials' for babies from friends and family in a completely unanticipated ways. A couple from our church out here asked us if we needed a changing table and crib: okay. The couple that we lent our pack-n-play and monitor to returned it without our asking. The MOPS group from Zion Chapel sent a care package of sleepers and a plethera of warm blankets for Baby. The women on base are going to have a shower for Baby this coming Thursday (provided we are not at the hospital at that time.) We have received so much and are extremely thankful that God has lain us on all of the hearts that He has. And we are thankful to all that have responded as above and in prayer. If anyone is wondering, it is not mere correlation that we ask God to take care of us and He does; He tells us to lean on Him and to ask Him for what we need. And this is for all of His creation. Could He BE any more awesome? We are also blessed to have prospective visitors. In the beginning of March two friends are coming to visit for five days. And once Baby is born others may come visit. Having visitors here is truly a treat.

Many of you also know of my opportunity to travel to Latvia, and now, also Germany on the same trip. After Kathy and I have prayed about it, we both have peace for me to go. I gave Jeff, our leader, the official 'yes', and his and my tickets are booked. I fly out on April 10 and return on April 24. We will be visiting YWAM Ropes courses in Hainichen, Germany, and in Latvia. We will be working with the Ropes staff in both places in doing training and improving their existing courses. In Latvia I will be training some YWAMers from different parts of Russia. They each have a desire to begin the process for having a Ropes Course on their bases. It is exciting to be a part of such an expanding ministry.

The base is going to be to capacity, and likely beyond, people-wise in the next two weeks. This week three outreach teams from Sudan, Thailand, and Russia are coming back. They've been gone since the beginning of December. The week after that perhaps 100 people will be on base for a conference on human trafficing. Another base happening is a team of 6 went to work with YWAM Haiti in their disaster relief effort. YWAM Haiti is in the middle of everything, location wise. They are working nearly around the clock to provide aide to upwards of 6,000 refugees. They are busy with coordinating efforts with other NGOs, planning a tent city for the refugees, and distribuiting food and water. Four of our team are committed for one month to this effort, and two have already come back. This base is planning long term to be a part of the entire process of disaster recovery with YWAM Haiti.

Prayer requests that we have include continued health amid uncertainty for Kathy and Baby and for wisdom and peace during the transition of adding another member to our family. Also, pray that Kathy and the girls will be taken care of while I am gone in April. Please keep praying for direction concerning the end of this year for us: what God has for us. We would like to visit China to reconnect with people from our last visit and with people whom we have met through here. Financial provision is also a prayer request: for month-to-month provision and for the possibility of a China trip at the end of the year.

The pictures above give you a little taste of our lives. For the mothers and the faint-of-heart: I am 44 ft up in the tree in the one picture. I really do enjoy that type of work. Kathy is sporting the baby-belly well, and so is Dakota. Oh, and what would a blog entry be without a shot cuteness doing whatever she happens to be doing?

So, thank you for taking the time to keep in touch with our lives. And please give a round of applause to Kathy for being the creative designer that she is and making over the appearance of our blog.

May God Bless You All,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Baby

What's New

Greetings To All:
How are you all doing? Hopefully well. Hey, we all made it through the holidays! Around here the base was like a ghost town. There was only us and two other couples that were hanging around. It was nice to have that stillness. Fortunately there was not another severe ice storm like there was last year. It seems like 2010 is off to a running start for us. Of course, you know by now that Kathy is pregnant, which comes with doctor's appointments and then eventually the baby. Last week our Ropes leader, Jeff, and I took a two night, three day trip to the Seattle area to tour some ropes courses up there. We saw a lot of new ideas to add to or change in our course. So, since he and I are both dreamers who like to make as much as possible a reality, we got busy right away.
The first thing we did was finish an element that was started in November. It is an element that we built in Russia; Jeff had wanted one here for a while. We had to do some terracing on the ground so the participants would be able to be on the element. That element is a trust building tool that happens at 22 feet off the ground. Another priority was an original idea. Jeff wanted to build a large puzzle for a team to put together. So, we got our heads together and came up with a 6 ft x 6 ft x 6 ft cube that consists of ten 2x3 framed and plywood sheeted pieces. It is very near comical how large a couple of the pieces are. It will take an entire team to assemble the puzzle. As far as Jeff knows this is the only puzzle like this in existence. Other changes we want to make are taking shape as well. We wanted to get those elements mentioned above completed because we have the Oregon State University(THE only OSU out here) Softball team coming this Saturday. They have been here several years. One huge benefit for making changes to the course is that teams such as this that are frequent clients have some new challenges to overcome. The Challenge course industry is one that is constantly evolving. The elements and games that are a part of the curriculum are only limited by the imaginations of the workers. That is one reason I enjoy what I do. Kathy has also been helping during this "off" season with getting information gathered and sent to the insurance company. Insurance is helpful when you send people 30ft in the air on a daily basis.
Rain, rain, go away, come back another day, Dakota Mei wants to play. This past weekend we took advantage of a break in the winter rains of Oregon to take Dakota to a park downtown. If you ever want to see a child in her element, watch Dakota at the playground. She is a magnificent climber. Already her tremendous grip strength is impressive. I'll try to put some pictures with this entry.
If the notion behooves you to pray for us, there are some places we could use it. Kathy has been feeling more tired lately (7.5 months pregnant, imagine that). We would appreciate prayer for her to have more energy so she can still function until the baby is born. Also, if some of you have gotten our latest newsletter, you know that I have an opportunity to travel to Latvia and train some YWAM Ropes workers there. The timing of the trip is what makes us uncertain of my going: the baby will only be 1.5-2 months old. Also, we are praying about taking an exploratory trip to China this next late Fall. Please let us know if you receive any words from God for us or if you would simply like to encourage us.

And, as always, we would love to know what is going on in your lives. We do read email and respond to it (although not always in a timely fashion.) Thank you for keeping up with us.

God's Blessings To All,

Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Baby