Night Shift at Thousand Pines!!!

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Settlers of Catan!!!

I have played this game so many times. This is my 2nd night in a row till 2:30 in the morning!!!

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Saying goodbye.

Right now I am sitting in Denver Colorado waiting for my plane to California. This morning I said goodbye to my mom for 3 months, and my dad for a whole year. As I sat on the plane I started to cry because I realized that I forgot my moms homemade cookies in the van. Goodbyes are always such a hard thing when my parents are so far away. But dad always says that the bigger the sacrifice we give to the Lord the greater the reward in heaven! So Iowa was such a freezing ice box for Christmas, and I thought it would be a boring time but it actually was an incredible time with the family! We did so many things like sledding, snowmobiling, UNI basketball games, building snowmen, hunting, and showing Michael and Ben our old memories growing up in Iowa. Thanks mom and dad you made this Christmas break so much fun, and I love you and am so thankful.for such fun parents!!!

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Lockard Love!!!

While being in Iowa over this break I have spent some time with the Lockard kids!!! And I just love them and think they are the coolest!!

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Icicles in Iowa!!!

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Only in Iowa!!!

I have been seeing the most interesting things in Iowa. My dad wanted to take his deer meat and turn it into jerky. So since I am such a curious person I started asking questions and they showed me a dead cow that they were cutting up. So cool!

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I always have interesting dreams, and I think I am going to start to record them.

I was on a searching journey for something like to get out. In the middle of the dream I was trying to find tennis shoes for a bunch of people and someone got mad and drank something and slowly died and went to another world. Then it slowly happened to everyone.

Next section of the dream I was swimming in a brown river with many forks. Then I came up to two guys and they said to follow the river to the right and then their will be 4 cave tunnels and to take the fourth tunnel and that is where I will meet the whale and the whale will help me!'>Dreams

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Summer Camp Friends!

Well I just got done with 11 weeks of Summer Camp! I worked at Thousand Pines Christian Camps as a Camp Host/Lead Counselor! I loved it but it was really challenging with alot of intense leadership decisions and discipleship. God is so good and He taught me so much about how to serve others around me even when they may not be so easy to serve. When I think back over the summer and what I am going to remember the most are the sweet friendships that were made. God truly has blessed me with an incredible camp community that has taught me so much about who I am and how God has gifted me to serve Him. Here are a few favorite pictures that I have chosen from the summer!

At the Drive-In Theater!

Camping in ENO's baby!

Kerstyn, Kayla, Me and Lydia at the Drive-In Theater!

Rock-Climbing at Big Bear!

We spent the night up on top of the Rock Wall!

Running through the Fountain!

I AM A DREAMER!!!!

Joseph calls us to dream bigger. Genesis 37-50

Genesis 37:20 "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."

Some of us need to give voice to our dreams. Joseph realized that the dream was not about him but a nation and a world. Does your dream fit into God's massive redemption story? God in his grace takes us and uses us. Is your dream big enough to be apart of God's redemptive story? God has a plan for us both as sleep (dreams) and through His word. Dream during your day, Acts 2 says " I will pour out my spirit on you." Gods call and plan in advance for us to walk in.

Joseph had a dream and served in Potiphar’s house and then went to jail. Then God moved Joseph from a dreamer to an interpreter of dreams. Joseph encouraged dreams and facilitated dreams for others. Joseph’s life was up and down. God wants faithfulness and flexibility.

The God dream is epic! God wants us to be faithful! Joseph dream was actually fulfilled 400 years after he died. Saving slavery to Egypt. Moses held the Joseph dead bones standing at the red sea with pharaoh chasing him. Joseph had a dream and it was fulfilled many years after. Dreams may be fulfilled after we die.


God thank you for dreams in our lives and give us dreams. Lift my head to focus on you and help me to dream your dreams. May shattered dreams be made new, give me a noble dream that is big enough to do great things even after I am no longer here! Take my dreams God and may you be glorified!

The Grace of Giving!

Do you live to give? What is the GRACE OF GIVING in my your life? What is your view about giving/tithing? Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 or Malachi 3:7-10

God said to Abraham in Genesis, “I will bless you, so you can blessing to others.” Joseph titled 20% to Pharaoh in Genesis. Moses said God is going to bless my people. Trust in God and follow Him. In the Old Testament they were declaring their blessing so the Lord would bless them in return. By sacrificing a lamb and presenting the lamb to God so He would bless them that year and forgive their sins. The Egyptians brought an offering to Pharaoh to declare that he had AUTHORITY over the people. Declaring authority or reign by titling is showing TRUST.

Declaring their king- this is who has control over me. The PURPOSE of titling is about authority, trust, and declaring your king! Some people worship debt. Some people worship their credit cards like American Express. Where is your TRUST in God? Their needs to be some much trust and obedience knowing that God WILL provide your ever need. Maybe even after you give up every cent and trusting God will provide. The Church is the hope of the world give to your home Church not The Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity. When the money goes to the Church, the pastor and elders will answer to God.

ADOPTED BY GOD! Acts 4:32-35 says, "and there was much grace on them all." The gospel was being preached in Eph 1:1-6 and God adopted us into the family and it is undeserved mercy. Only by God’s grace! We are adopted and are sons and daughters of the God most high!

THE SENSE OF UNITY! Ephesians 4:1-7 says, "make every effort to keep the unity" -Give grace to others. We need to desire the unity and oneness in the body.

REMEMBERED THE POOR! Acts 4 says that they sold their land and put it at their leaders feet to be distributed to those in need. This was because they were so filled with God’s grace and were overflowing with love and mercy towards others. Luke 19 teaches that Joseph was filled with God’s grace and mercy that he sold his land God gave him a city in return. We may sometimes have things like royalty because of what God gives us.

Luke 16:10-13 Can you be trusted in handling worldly wealth? “You cannot serve God and Money.” All of North Americans money put together is more than the whole world. 1 in 4 Christians don't give any money. Is our confidence more in the dollar than the kingdom? Titling 10% should be the minimum is my view but it makes me sad to think that some Christians don’t give at all. In the Bible they gave themselves first to God and then to others! Grace takes me just as I am, empty-handed but filled with His love.

John 15:5 God dares us to declare our king and watch what He does! To see that He is in control and we can TRUST Him with everything. If God is blessing you, then you should be a blessings to others because of God has given you. Only By God’s Grace we can give to others!

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!!!!!!!

Blessed be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be Your Name

Blessed be Your Name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed be Your Name

Every blessing You pour out I'll

Turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in

Blessed be the Name of the Lord

Blessed be Your Name (Jesus)

Blessed be the Name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious Name

Blessed be Your Name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's all as it should be

Blessed be Your Name

Blessed be Your Name 

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your Name

You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord Blessed be Your Name

Roommate Weekend!

A few weekends ago I drove to Bakersfield, California to catch up with my old college roommate! Rachel is now married to Brandon, who is another college friend. It was amazing to catch up and talk about past crazy memories that we shared together. Rachel is one of my partners in crime during my college years. She is one best friends that I respect so much! She is so brilliant and has her masters in Education and is teaching high school in Bakersfield! I am also so thankful for Rachel and all the papers she proof read for me in college. She turned my "C" papers into "A" papers! Thanks girl!

Rachel and Brandon moved right after getting married to plant a new Church in Bakersfield! They are such a bold couple to leave everything on the east coast and move to the west coast! After going to Church with them and hearing about all the different ministries, I truly was blown away with how God is using them. Brandon is so gifted in leading worship, leadership and most of all discipleship! I was so blessed to spend time with them and hear and see of how God is using them!

Brandon and Rachel you are such an amazing couple and I am so proud of you ! You are impacting so many lives!

Boyfriend?

So there is a very special person in my life right now...

Working at a Camp is a Dream!

Wow! I know it has been a long time since I blogged, but my life really has been crazy lately. I moved to California and am working at an Outdoor Science Camp in the mountains. I truly love it and know that this is where the Lord wants me right now. I teach 5th and 6th graders about the environment, and many different science topics. The program is not Christian since teachers are not allowed to teach about God in the California schools but it really has been an amazing job. I am learning each day more and more about how I can be Christ to the people around me without talking about God.

God is really teaching me about my gifts and what I am capable of. Some of the things that I am teaching are botany, geology, ecology, meteorology, environmental science, archery, challenge course, rock climbing history, wilderness survival, and many other subjects. The neat thing about teaching all these subjects is that while I am teaching I am hiking and doing activities with the students. So I get to be in God's nature everyday walking around and seeing what a great big God we serve.

My favorite hike that I teach is the NIGHT HIKE, it is always a highlight for the students. It is a chance for them to overcome there fears of the dark and learn about nocturnal animals, diurnal animals, crepuscular animals, and camouflage. The students get to learn what it means to do a trust walk with their peers and learn through games about how animals eyes and ears adjust in a night time situation.

Working at Thousand Pines Outdoor Science School truly has been a blessing for me, and I love the people that I work with. Even though there are many different backgrounds, religions, and personalities it is amazing how well we all get along and work together. I think back on my time in Peru and all the many different problems and struggles that were going on, and am thankful for where I am now. It truly is a mission field everyday, and I love where I am working.

If you want to check out the website of where I work...... www.thousandpinesoutdoored.com

Here are some pictures of Thousand Pines Camp that my mom took!

This is the sign on the way up to the Camp!

There are maps all around the camp because it is so big!

This one of many meeting areas for teaching!

The climbing wall.

(The tarp is for safety so no one can climb it without supervision of the camp)

It snowed this past week when mom and dad came and visited.

There were really excited to see the camp and the snow!

Haley Ann Foltz's First Steps

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Roots - Geneology

Pressure Wash Magic!

When I got back from Peru I wanted to show my parents how much I loved them by helping them with something. So I got REALLY into pressure washing everything. Here are a few before and after pictures of all my hard work. I know the pictures can not begin to even show how much the ground changed. But when I got home there was mold and moss everywhere, and so I hope you can see a little of the change that took place! I love you Mom and Dad, and want to serve you in anyway I can! You are the best parents ever!

NICE NAILS!!!

So mom asked me if I liked her nails, and I said, "Nice Nails"! There is this wonderful place in Thailand that gives you a massage and an awesome pedicure for really cheap! The place is called Nice Nails! Every time I have gotten home from getting them down I take a picture and here is my history of Nice Nails!

First Time! (Back to Thailand)

Second Time! (Fall)

Third Time! (Christmas Time)

Fourth Time! (Last One)

Elephant Trunk Love

After growing up in Thailand I still feel that Elephants are the most wonderful animal ever! Especially to take pictures of!

And this is how it was done!

Ho, Ho, Ho!!! Merry Christmas!!!

I am enjoying this holiday season in Thailand and wanted to write to give you an update about how I am doing. As you know, I came back from Peru in August and am no longer working with the IMB. Since then, I have been in Thailand and have spent time praying about my future and where the Lord wants me next. My two younger sisters just came to Thailand this week for Christmas as well, so this Christmas is going to be a special holiday in Thailand with the family!

These past few months I have had an awesome time here in Thailand just relaxing and healing from my experience in Peru. God is so good and I am learning so much about my gifts and how God can continue to use me with the people I am around. Right now I am studying the book of Luke and it is so amazing to learn about Jesus and his life here on earth. I am doing this study through a book called "Explore the Bible", written by a college professor. It really is making me look at the life of Jesus in a new and different way.

Since I have been home in Thailand, I have also been able to be involved in many ministries! The biggest involvement is everyday I am going out to help teach PE classes at Grace International School. This is the school that I graduated from and it has been so fun for me to reconnect with the students and teachers there. I have also been able to mentor some of the senior girls who have a lot of questions about college and transition back to the USA. These past few months, I coached U-13 Girls Soccer, and loved it so much! I learned a lot from those girls and especially learned a lot about teaching and leading young girls. Now that soccer is over, I have been asked to help as an assistant coach for the high school junior varsity girls basketball! Through these opportunities with the missionary kids at GIS, God has given me a passion to work with youth once again.

When I got back from Peru, I honestly was burnt out and didn't want to be involved with any Christian organization. But through time, healing, reflection, counsel, and mainly time with the Lord; God has made it clear to me that He has put a strong desire in my heart to work with youth and particularly missionary kids. Through a lot of prayer, and counsel I have made a decision to apply to work with a ministry called MK2MK (missionary kid to missionary kid). This ministry is a part of Campus Crusade for Christ. The goal of this ministry is to disciple and help missionary kids while they are on their foreign assignment, help them to have a smooth transition back to their home country, and to help prepare them to serve God wherever He leads them in their future. Since I grew up being a missionary kid myself and love working with youth, this seems like a great fit for me but most important I really feel led by the Lord to pursue this ministry. I am very excited that the Lord has led me down this road to apply to work on this team! It is exciting for me to think of how I could be an encouragement to other MK's and help have an eternal impact in their lives.

I have not been accepted yet, but want to ask you to PRAY with me about my future. I really only want to be where God wants me to be. If this is not His plan for me, I want Him to close the door and if it is-- I want His plan to be clear to me. I would love to hear back from you about where you are in the life journey as well! Please email and so I can know more about how I can pray for you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Lori Christian