Into a New Season!

In Chelan, September changes just about everything. The leaves start changing, of course, but so does the town. Most of the tourists leave, the days settle into the 60's/70's, and the nights into the 40s. Boat rental companies start closing, and shops and restaurants move to winter hours.

For us, September also means settling back into the regular rhythm of Young Life. We are wrapping up post-camp follow-up, gathering our teams, meeting with school administration, and putting into motion clubs and small group plans we started making last spring.

Since my last update, summer felt like it moved at about 100 mph! We finished the school year, held events, and sent kids to four different summer camps. That included two Creekside trips, a Malibu trip, and a Canyon trip that was evacuated because of wildfire and quickly pivoted to the Oregon coast. It wasn't quite the summer we expected, but there are a lot of stories of God showing up in the middle of it.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the summer.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Now we move into a more regular rhythm of clubs, small groups, and showing up in the lives of teens. We have already given away 100 Otterpops since school started! Would you pray with us for teenagers, for our current leaders, for more adults willing to step into their lives, and for the right spaces to gather? Most of all, pray that God would use all of it to move in the hearts of teenagers.

At Home

Our empty nest wasn't empty for very long! Grace moved home for the summer and has been working at Vogue Coffee. She is hoping to head back to Arizona soon if she can find a house to rent. Anyone know a house for rent in the Gilbert area?

Hailey graduated with honors, passed all of her state boards for manicure school, and also moved home. She has been building her skills with friends and family while working toward officially starting her business here in Chelan. She has a few different opportunities she is exploring, and it has been fun watching her figure out what is next. If you find yourself in Chelan and need Gel-X or a gel manicure, let me know!

And in August, we added one more girl to the house....

We had planned to get a dog in August because we knew we could be home for a couple of weeks. What we didn't know was that my dream dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog, would become available at exactly the right time.

Holly is 11 months old and had been extensively trained to be a show dog. Unfortunately for her show career, she was too shy and would lean away from the judges. Apparently, that is enough to flunk out of show dog school and make her 1/2 price! We don't tell her she is a beauty queen dropout, though.

We picked her up at the end of August and brought her home. It took Holly a little while to decide we were her people, but she has absolutely made her place in our family. She loves her daily walks, trips to the park, playdates with dog friends, and pretty much anywhere we are willing to take her. She isn't so sure about the lake yet, however. Because of her calm demeanor, we are considering enrolling her as a service dog to visit hospitals and retirement homes, but not sure if her shy personality will pass. Time will tell, but she really fits in well here as she waits for snow! (Maybe Vogue Coffee will give her a shot as a model?)

• 

• 

• 

Looking Ahead

We also have another change coming. Our landlord let us know that they would like to move back into our house next June, which means we need to find another rental or purchase a home by May, hopefully earlier. (That means, if you want to visit - you will need to hurry.)

The housing market is definitely more in our favor than it has been, but we haven't found anything that feels like the right fit yet. Shawn also has a few construction deal breakers. Apparently, cinderblock foundations and electrical nightmares are where he draws the line! So if you happen to know someone in the Chelan or Manson area who is thinking about selling or renting a home, we'd love to hear about it. God brought us this far, so we are confident in our future.

There is a lot that feels like it is changing right now. Ministry is moving into a new season, our girls are figuring out their next steps, our housing will change, and we are continuing to ask God what He has for us in the season ahead. For now, we keep doing what we know to do. Show up. Love teens well. Pay attention to where God is moving. And keep saying yes to where we feel called.

Thank you for being people who continue to pray for us, encourage us, and walk alongside us. We don't take that for granted.

One more thing...... we are switching things up this year for a very casual night for our fundraiser banquet. If you find yourself in Chelan on October 18th, we would love for you to join us! CLICK HERE to get your tickets.