Oklahoma Tornados

Many of you know that I go out every summer to the largest Messianic Youth Camp in the US, Camp Yeshua which is located in Oklahoma.  You also know that many people in the Moore, OK area were recently hit with a major F5 tornado.  Many times, it is easy to think "oh, that is out there" when you live somewhere that is not affected, but this time it hit a bit closer to home for me.  The director of Camp Yeshua, Ephraim Judah, lost his home in the tornado.  Ephraim is a true blessing each year to those who go out to Camp.  He has also been more than willing to give me advice in planning for Purify 2013 which I have appreciated.  Thankfully, they do have insurance.  But as you all know, there are extra expenses they will occuring during this time.  As a result, there has been a special relief fund set up for the Messianics/Hebrew Roots believers who have been affected by the tornado which you can see at https://lionlamb.net/cgi-bin/lion/search?se=Tornado%20Relief%20Fund.   

Thoughts on the Book "It’s Not That Complicated: How to Relate to Guys in a Healthy, Sane, and Biblical Way"

My mom and I have recently been reading the book It’s Not That Complicated: How to Relate to Guys in a Healthy, Sane, and Biblical Way by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin.  Many of you have heard me speak on purity, so of course, I also enjoy reading various books on this topic.  It is refreshing to me personally as well as often teaching me something new.  I wanted to share a few things that really spoke to me out of this recent chapter we were reading.  

One of the first quotes that caught my eye was, “The Bible tells us that our relationships with people are a litmus test of our faith.  For us girls, our relationships with the guys around us might be the best of all, because of the unique possibilities and temptations they bring up.” (pg 111)

Being around guys and for guys being around girls can awaken thoughts and desires that are God given; however, the enemy may use these God given desires to try to take them into unhealthy desires.  We have the choice to either respond with a Godly response or allow the enemy to distort it.  As for me personally, I find asking myself the question of “Am I treating this guy like a brother?” as a good guard.  That means that even if a guy has caught my attention, you cannot tell from my actions or attitude any difference in how I treat him from any other guys who have not caught my eye.  This wall of protection helps to keep my heart in align as I seek to fully give that area back to Yahweh and keep it a healthy desire surrendered to Him.  

Another thought provoking quote declares “When we think of the attributes of a bad woman, we usually think of immodest clothing or fluttering eyelashes or suggestive body language.  Proverbs mentions all of these, but her weapon it warns against the most – by far – is none other than her tongue. 

 “Girls who ‘virtuously’ restrict their coquetry to their words rather than their appearance or body language – whether flattering or taunting – don’t tend to call themselves flirts.  ‘I wasn’t making eyes at him, was I?’  but who are they fooling?  They’ve kept their biggest asset, the deadliest weapon in the Forbidden Woman’s arsenal.  They’re just using their words to do what they know they’re not supposed to do with their eyelashes.” (pg 95)

This made me think back to Camp Yeshua this summer.  I helped with the girl’s purity session, and one of the topics we discussed was that although we may dress modestly (look the part) and have not a heart of purity, we are not being modest.  I think the girls were surprised when I pretended to flirt while dressed as a lady (in a skirt which I wear all the time) at the difference they saw.  It was surprising even to me and showed how important the heart really is.  

I liked how Anna Sophia and Elizabeth asked various guys to share a few thoughts to help expound on their points.  “Timothy says… ‘We guys want to talk about important things - discipline our siblings, starting businesses, fighting the Lord’s battles – with our sisters in Christ (though we don’t always know how).  When a girl tries to appeal to our flesh, it’s pretty much impossible to go deeper, or frankly, to even want to.  We’d rather find someone who sees us, not as mindless animals to snare (Prov. 7:22-23), but as a human beings created in God’s image with the same purpose in life, weaknesses, and battles for holiness that she has.’ (pg 103)

“Rex says… ‘There are few things that a woman can do to more frustrate good men and set relationships on edge than dress immodestly.  If a young woman dresses sensually, she, whether wittingly or not, makes her attire the focal point of interaction with the opposite sex. A man who may genuinely care about her as a friend will find himself distracted by her dress. When he sees her, he will be wrestling with his thoughts, endeavoring to appropriately deal with the inappropriateness of her clothing, rather than having a relaxed interchange that would normally occur if she was dressed modestly. 

‘Women are worthy of respect, yet they disrespect themselves and invite further disrespect from men when they dress immodestly.  When women present themselves as an object of desire rather than a woman of modest dignity, they should not be surprised when men take the cues they give them.  While nothing excuses a man’s lust, if a woman dresses herself as a temptress, men will be tempted to think of her wrongly. If a woman wants to be thought of with respect, she should dress accordingly.’ (pg 104)

This book has been encouraging to me.  I had started it with my mom back in the spring, and then put it aside for a while.  It took me some time to figure out why…I finally realized why when I was talking to a friend here recently.  We were discussing how few guys there are who can have healthy interactions with girls.  But a girl appreciates a guy having a genuine friendship type interaction with her where neither of them are seeking something more…just pure relaxed friendship.  If it becomes something more, then it is only by Yahweh’s will and His direction in both of their lives.  My friend told me something interesting in response to this discussion, it depends on the maturity of the guy.  Is the guy mature enough to handle it?  And as my mom and I later talked about this, I thought it goes both ways – is the girl mature enough to handle it as well?  

So as we each seek to remain pure in our walk before Yahweh, may we seek to never defraud one another rather to “encourage each other, and build each other up.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Life...

Life has been busy since Sukkot, but I prefer feeling productive than not having anything to do.  Last week, I had a head cold - cough, stuffy nose, sneezing, etc.  I did not enjoy it; however, it was nice to just stay home!  I was of course taking my colloidal silver, ALJ (herbal tincture), Thieves oil, and more.  I never felt extremely bad...just tired, and I'm normally a pretty high energy person.  Also, I have found that ever since I had the dust induced bronchitis after Camp Yeshua 2011, I have to be extra careful to not be around dust when I'm sick as it quickly makes my cold worse.  So I rescheduled my cleaning job from this past week to this week.  I was able to keep up with all my schoolwork though which made me quite happy.

You've probably heard me mention school and wondered what I'm up to. I've gone back to school to become a Doctor of Traditional Naturopathy.  My family has always done a lot of natural health and alternative methods, so this only ended up being a natural progression for me.  Even if I never make it into a business (I'd rather get married and have a family), the knowledge and ability to help friends and family on the side is so worth it.  I'll be doing the school work for about three years, and my mom has told me the only thing that is allowed to interrupt it is the right young man finding me!  :)  That got a good girlish giggle from me.  I'm also completing counseling training, so that I will be a trained and certified Biblical (like Pastoral) Counselor through AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors).  That will be done late summer 2013.  I'm picking up a few other courses along the way like The Creation Gospel training through Holisa Alewine and The King Method (a form of natural healing that uses physics) from the King Institute out of Dallas as well as working on my Hebrew Language Studies.  Who knows where all the Lord might use this...

And I'm still of course keeping up with my ministry...  I'm blogging once a week on the Money Management Mentor's website which you can check out by clicking here.  I'm also working to build up funding, so I can spend more time on it and less on other income earning areas.

I'm also learning to walk away and relax which is so good for me.  I really unplugged during Sukkot...I checked e-mail via my iPad once a day and that was only skimming for Sukkot related e-mails...and did very little else.  My computer itself was only on 1 time that week!!!!  Now to keep up a focus on people and not computers.  Computers are only a tool...but they can become very distracting.  I think I've gotten my computer time down to about 1 hour a day and half that time is spent on my school work entering test answers (the rest of my schoolwork is paper and pen).  So I'm feeling a much better balance in my life that way.

Well, I will close now and finish up my schooling for the day...  Shalom to all!

Camp Yeshua, Part 3

Well, I promised you Camp Yeshua, Part 3 which would be about the theme nights, the girl's purity session, and the women's swim, so I thought I would write that tonight.  Then I will only have one more "catch up" topic left...which should have me current with all the fun stories of my life come Sukkot.  :)  And then I'll have even more stories to tell! 

As you all know, Camp Yeshua is a highlight of the year for me, and it was once again.  Each year, we have various theme nights.  This year, we had Pop Culture Night, Neon Night, International Night, Tribulation Night, and Exodus Imminent Night.  I participated in the International Night by dressing up with my Israeli silk skirt, matching shirt, and Israeli covering along with a necklace I got while in the land.  This was the outfit that I was always getting mistaken for being Israeli in while I was in the Land.  Tribulation night is the night that I wear by camo headcovering to have some fun!  And the Exodus Imminent Night is our semi-formal night which I of course dressed up for!  :)  It is always amazing to see what the kids come up with for each night. 

The girl's purity session was on Monday afternoon which I co-lead with Ann Judah Stropes (Monte Judah's daughter).  She and I had worked separately on our parts, talked them through together, then finalized them on Friday right after we got in.  The session went really well, and I think the girl's lives were positively impacted as we talked about not just waiting for the right guy but being the right girl with a heart focused on Yahweh. 

And finally, my other favorite part is the women's swim.  This is when all the lady counselors go down to the pool after the kids are in bed.  This is a fabulous time for us to decompress, share our joys and struggles, and get some chocolate in!  It is just the boost we need as ladies to get through the week. 

I must close now with a Shabbat shalom.  And don't forget, if you haven't already seen them, you can check out my camp pictures by clicking here. 

Camp Yeshua, Part 2

Well, I will pick up where I left off on my Camp Yeshua trip.  We had just finished our adult staff meeting, and I headed to our dorm to settle in with Nicole.  We were in the Upper Girl's Lodge which was newly remodeled and so very nice!!!!!!!!!  Nicole and I were sharing a room with two good friends of ours - Elisha and Joanna.  Joanna is from Ohio, and we see her family for some of the congregational gatherings/events.  Elisha is from TN, but she is like a sister to me...so we were glad for the excuse to be together!!!  Interestingly enough, Elisha and Joanna ended up on the same tribe, and Nicole and I were of course leading a tribe together.  Nicole and I got settled in our room and headed back out to enjoy greeting everyone that we had not seen in a year. 

We had a couple of hours to enjoy fellowshipping before it was time to gather in the Tabernacle to begin Camp Yeshua 2012!  We gathered by tribe and began meeting our tribe members.  After playing an ice breaker game, we headed to the dining hall for supper.  Ephraim had taken Nicole's and my experiment from last year of having our tribe eat as a tribe and made it camp wide this year.  We were very happy to hear that it worked really well and people felt that their tribes gelled quicker this year than before.  We began to settle into our daily routine. Get up and get ready, assemble in the tabernacle, head for breakfast. After breakfast was our morning worship and prayers then encounter time which is an alone time with God for each camper. Our tribal conference which was about an hour long and our small group Bible study/midrash followed and was one of my favorite times of the day. Our tribe had great junior staff who really helped a lot in contributing and leading. Then we had our organized activities such as Brentball, human foosball, water balloon volleyball, and the ropes course. By then, we were very glad lunch was next! The afternoon meant workshops and flex time which is where you are free to choose your activity but you must be doing something with someone. :) then dinner, our evening service which was always an awesome worship and teaching time, followed by starlit dancing, our closing tribal conference of sharing what Yahweh had been doing in your life and praying together, then off to bed only to do again the next day. As you can see, Camp is amazing! I'll stop here and share some more highlights again soon.

Camp Yeshua, Part 1

Camp Yeshua 2012 - Exodus Imminent was once again a great experience and a highlight of the year for me in so many ways.  I'll begin telling about it today; however, I know that it is going to take more than one entry!  :) 

I traveled out to Oklahoma with my dear friend, Nicole, who was also going as a counselor.  This was her second year and my third year.  We flew out on Friday, July 6 on a morning flight to Oklahoma City.  We made it into OKC 10 minutes which was a first!  Ann (Judah) Stropes picked us up from the airport.  We enjoyed going out for a girl's lunch and some relaxing fellowship before running a couple of errands.  Then we headed to the Lion and Lamb Office to get to work.  Ann and I were leading the girl's purity session at camp together, so we spent the afternoon combining our notes to make one smooth presentation.  Nicole helped package up the water bottle, t-shirt, and wrist band packages for all the campers. 

That evening, we went out to dinner with Monte, Lin, Ann, and Isaac.  Then we stayed with Lin for a bit before heading to the B'nai Shalom services which we greatly enjoyed.  After watching it on the internet each week, it is nice to be there in person.  And of course, we just had to see Dr. Scotty!  He has such an amazing love for Yahweh and for each person who is brought into his life.  A dear true saint!  We also enjoyed dancing there at B'nai as well as the teaching.

After services, Kathy Clayton (Mike Clayton's wife) picked us up to host us for the weekend.  She was the most gracious loving host we could have asked for.  She did everything she could to make us very comfortable.  It was like visiting family!  We got to see their farm, meet all the animals including this "so ugly he's cute" turkin!, help feed them, and enjoy a very relaxing Shabbat.  Nicole and I both commented on how comfortable and welcomed we felt.  We also enjoyed getting to know a new friend, Marsha, who was with us part of the time. 

Then Sunday morning, Kathy and Marsha drove us out to Oakridge Christian Camp where Camp Yeshua is held.  We had to be there at 10am for the adult staff meeting in order to be prepared for the campers.  We got there right on time, stashed our luggage in our dorm's sitting area, and headed for the meeting.  When we broke up for lunch, Nicole and I rode along with Chuck and his daughter Laura.  Laura and I are good friends, so we were glad for the excuse to hang out!  Then back for the second half of the staff meeting only to be done right in time for the camper's registration to begin! 

I will stop here for now...and continue in the next couple of days.  In the meantime, you can check out my camp pictures by clicking here. 

Catching Up

Wow!  It has been way too long since I have posted on here.  I am planning to do my best to get back to blogging twice a week from here on out...but sometimes life just happens!

First of all, thank you to those who took the time to read my article that I wrote for Money Help for Christians last month.  It was part of the Money Help for Christians Writers Challenge.  Depending on how many Facebook shares, Tweets, and Google+ shares my article received determined my placement in the final standings.  And I'm very excited to say that with your help, I won the contest!  Thank you all so much.  If you did not get a chance to read the article, please click here to read it.

Our family hosted our congregation's Shavuot Weekend Gathering with Brad Scott as our guest speaker.  We had about 50 people in attendance for the weekend, and everyone had a fabulous time.  The food was delicious, the teaching was loaded with truth, and the fellowship was sweet.  I just posted a memory video to YouTube.  You can watch it by clicking here.  I've also posted pictures which you can see by clicking here.

My family is staying busy with our home based bakery as well as the family farm.  My mom has been struggling with high eye pressure which when it is high is causing quite a bit of discomfort.  Please keep her in your prayers.  We appreciate it!  Also, we had a calf (Midrash) born on the farm about a month ago to Maggie, our cow.  You can see a picture of him by clicking here.   And we even slipped in time to take in a Paul Wilbur concert.  You can see picture by clicking here. 

I was recently interviewed for Walkabout - Interviews with Members of the Messianic Family, an internet radio show.  I was able to talk about quite a variety of topics including Biblical Finances, my ministry, our family farm, my trip to Israel, and the Messianic Youth Camp that I serve at every summer.  You can hear the interview by clicking here.  Due to a technical error, the first few minutes of the hour long interview were lost.  That was the part where I talked about the importance of finances from a Biblical perspective, being debt free, and having a spending plan.  The live audience did here this portion; it's just not on the recording.  The host, Susan invited me back (probably late Fall time frame) to talk more about finances.

Next month, I will be going out to Oklahoma and again serving at Camp Yeshua, the largest Messianic Youth Camp in the US.  This is always a treat and blessing to me personally as well as encouraging to see the impact made in the next generation's life.

I had the privilege of recently interviewing Brad Scott of Wildbranch Ministries at my congregations recent Shavuot (Pentecost) gathering. His words of insight into the Hebrew Language, walking the Torah walk, and training up the next generation makes this a definite do not miss! Plus he coins a new term just for my interview.  Please check it out by clicking here.

Well, I will close now and blog again soon!  It's good to be back!

Feathers, Flying, and Family

This morning, we started our day off by butchering 8 of our chickens. This was the hardest group do to that we have ever done as they were our original laying hens, but they had gotten to the point where they were only laying an egg or two a day. So we now have some nice meat in the fridge. I also got all my pictures backed up to three DVDs...these are all the pictures since I have had a digital camera...so this is for the last 6 1/2 years...hard to believe I could condense them that much. I wanted to do that and put them in a fireproof box I got for safety. Memories are so precious, and pictures are part of that which I would hate to lose.

I got my Camp Yeshua registration off in today's mail. I cannot wait for Camp. This will be my third year going back as a Senior Counselor. I love working with the teens. It is easy to relate to them as I was their age not but a few short years ago, and I love being able to make myself available as an older sister to each one there. The impact that you are able to make is shocking in many ways. Sometimes the person you least expect is the one you most impact. I will fly in on Friday, go to B'nai Shalom services which I love then stay with dear friends that weekend before going to Camp on Sunday. Camp finishes on Friday at noon, and I fly home that afternoon getting home right at sunset.

We went off as a family on Thursday and Friday - a rare treat. We went shopping in Holmes County - Amish country on Thursday and had a great time. It was so nice to go somewhere and just relax and have fun as a family. Then Friday, Daddy took a soap making class. Now, he can teach Momma and I. While he was in class, Momma and I relaxed at our motel. We enjoyed a movie, going for a walk, and researching a few things on the Internet that we don't normally have time for. I got to drive home which I loved, and we stopped by Fin, Fur, and Feathers (like a Cabelas) too!

Well, I must go now..need to go pull some weeds then going for a walk before the sun goes to bed.

A New Normal

My family has been adjusting to a new normal. It still seems like the phone should ring and it should be Nana. I'd love to go watch a movie with her or eat dinner with her. Or just sit in her lap. But I can't do that now, so I choose to treasure those memories and live a life that would make her proud of me! And I can help take care of my Gaga to the best of my ability to honor both of them.

As we have adjusted, we have had a lot of catch up with our family bakery to play. We took that whole week off which put us behind, but by working together, we are getting more caught up and doing well these last couple of months of the Summer Farmer's Markets. Now to just find Winter outlets to help expand our reach in the Winter as well as to begin working on our website to be able to offer online orders for local pickup and mail order.

I enjoyed getting back into my cleaning jobs and getting my schedule fully situated to being away from home less. I'm now cleaning on Mondays for a weekly job and one Thursday a month for another job. I have a third job that is for an older couple who spends their summers here and winters in Florida, so they have already returned to Florida and that job is on hold until their return.

We had our Shabbat Gathering this past Shabbat, and it was so nice to once again gather with fellow believers. Almost all of our regulars were there as well as two new families. I shared about my trip to Camp Yeshua, and two of the families who have 16 year old sons hope to be able to send them this next year as well. We then discussed Sukkot and made more plans for that. It is hard to believe that in exactly one month from today, Sukkot will have started! Then we enjoyed a midrash on Who Owns It? We discussed how YHVH really owns everything, and we are the stewards. It was interesting how we were each able to bring out different insights from the various passages.

And today our house smells heavenly as we have baked Apple Pies, Peach Cobblers, Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Rolls, Cinnamon Swirl Bread, and Challah. Plus I've even gotten some work in too! :) Now, I'm off to finish my ministry newsletter!

Life with Bronchitis

Well, I got home from Camp Yeshua in the wee hours of Saturday morning. My parents graciously picked us up at 1:30am! We had planned to be home right after Sunset Friday evening; however, our plane was delayed by three hours on top of our already long 3 hour layover. So Nicole and I ended up spending 6 hours in the St. Louis airport! At least, I had good company. :)

After getting home, we enjoyed some blissful rest, and then a wonderful relaxing Shabbat. I don't think I quit talking as I enjoyed telling Mommy and Daddy about Camp Yeshua so much. We also went up to see Nana and Gaga for a while which I greatly enjoyed as I had missed all my family while I was gone.

Then Sunday morning, I woke up not feeling so well. By that afternoon, we could certainly tell that I was coming down with something. I assumed it was a reaction to all the dust exposure we had at Camp Yeshua. Each evening when we enjoyed Starlight Dancing, we ended up kicking up a large red dust cloud due to the dryness caused by a 6 week drought there in Oklahoma. I continued to treat it as a reaction to that until Wednesday when it had become full blown bronchitis! And it lasted me a full 2 weeks...2 weeks of being sick is no fun! Nicole also came down with it...she shared it with her stepmom and grandma...I shared it with my dad. I don't think any of them appreciated our generosity.

I did have a chance to talk with a nurse and a massage therapist who confirmed that it was due to the high level of dust exposure which then inflamed the bronchi in my lungs and created the issue. Nicole and I then passed it on. I'm finally feeling better. I'm not contagious and no longer feel most of the symptoms. I just have that annoying lingering cough. As soon as I can get rid of it, then I'll finally have all my energy back. So my life has been filled with tissues, cough drops, and natural remedies these past few weeks along with the inability to talk due to the coughing. I'm just glad to be reclaiming life now and back to normal. The last few days I've been able to resume my normal work schedule and am looking forward to resuming my other regular activities this week including blogging. :)

Camp Yeshua 2011, Part 1

If I had to sum up Camp Yeshua 2011 with one word, it could only be AMAZING! It was once again an awesome YHVH filled time. Often times the first time you go somewhere it is the best time. Well, I can honestly say that this time was even better. I didn't know if it was possible...but it was!

I had the privaledge of leading with my friend, Nicole, the tribe of Merari. We normally divide the campers into the 12 Biblical Tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Benjamin, Asher, Isschar, Ephraim, Zebulun, Gad, Naphtali, and Dan. Well, we've gotten big enough where we needed more tribes...but you can't add to the Bible. So Ephraim added the Levitial tribes in...We had Aaron, Kohath, Merari, and Gershon. My tribe was a wonderful group. It was great to see them work together, learn together, and play together! Our tribe was part of the Camp of Dan. Each group of 4 tribes makes up the camps just as the Israelites camped in the Wilderness. So we have the Camp of Dan, Reuben, Ephraim, and Judah. Our camp, the Camp of Dan, came in a close 2nd for winning the Spirit of Messiah award...or the overall camp award.

I have posted quite a few pictures on my Facebook which tell the story in detail. However, you can also see those pictures without a Facebook account by using the below links...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2117313206332.121734.1050784025&l=67753cb543
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2117394888374.121735.1050784025&l=2cd8893144
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I'll share more about camp in my next post...

Off to Camp Yeshua...

Well, I'm finished packing tonight...work tomorrow...go and see my grandparents tomorrow (my grandma is not doing well)...then fly out to Camp Yeshua on Friday morning. :) See ya'll when I get back.

Countdown to Camp Yeshua

Wow! What a busy week it has been. I think I've been trying to cram a couple of extra weeks into this past week. :)

First of all, here are some Shavuot pictures to be able to enjoy by clicking here. As you'll see, we had a wonderful time and quite a nice size group - anywhere from 15 to 28 people at a given time. It was great to be with old friends and make new friends.

This week, I got a lot done - 2 house cleaning jobs, working for Paul Nison, and working on my ministry as well as helping the family. Plus getting ready for Camp Yeshua of which I leave for this coming Friday...can't wait to be with my Camp family and my B'nai Shalom family for a week!

Tomorrow, our congregation will have our monthly gathering. We'll be midrashing on the weekly Torah portion which will be nice. We've done topical studies before, so this will be a nice change.

My grandmother is not doing well. She's once again got either bronchitis or pneumonia. Her 4th time being sick in less than 3 months...so please keep her in your prayers.

Well, Shabbat shalom for now!

This week...guest blog...and more

This week was a busy week, and I got a lot done. My to do list was quite long, and I have gotten 95% of everything done on it. So I was quite the happy camper. The rest will get done in time.

I had been interviewed for the Sowers of Hope SEED Series which is about women who wear headcoverings. That was published on the 15th, and you can read that interview by clicking here.

I've begun packing what I can so I don't have it all to do for my trip to Israel as it is now just 15 days away. I truly can't wait. I'll really miss my family, but this is a trip of a lifetime...and I'll probably only get this chance to go.

And I got the news this week that the Camp Yeshua DVDs which have the recordings from all the messages on it as well as PICTURES is in the mail!!! I can't wait to get mine. :)

B'nai Shalom

Well, the last stop on my trip to Oklahoma was B'nai Shalom Congregation led by Monte Judah. We had been part of B'nai on the internet for about 3 years at this point, so I was very excited to finally get to be there in person. After having supper with Monte and Lin, Ann, Misty (another counselor who was with us), and I headed to B'nai.

I popped my head into the control room to see what that looked like at the beginning as I was so used to being on the receiving end. Here is Seth Greene running the computers for the broadcast. Ephraim Judah, Scott Porter, and Amy Porter are also watching from the control room. There were approximately 7 computers running everything in the control room.

Lorne Greene is running the PalTalk room from this computer. JocelinOhio said hello to everyone from B'nai.

Here is Monte Harris leading the B'nai Shalom Praise Team.

Due to the number of people there from camp, the dancing was done outside between the two Lion and Lamb buildings.

It was really neat to hear Monte teaching in person. It was just like online but much closer. :)


And Dr. Scotty led prayer time just like always.

Here I am with Monte and Lin. They are both so sweet. I enjoyed getting to know them better.

Here I am with Lorne and Jane Greene as well as Monte and Cindy Harris.


And couldn't miss getting a picture with Dr. Scotty and Alice Faye who are absolute sweethearts.


And my original Wall Watchman - Mark and Donna Smith. Mark and Donna were the ones who taught me the ropes of PalTalk and being an admin. I instantly recognized them. It was great to finally meet in person.


It was a wonderful time at B'nai. And being that I'm on PalTalk everyone knew who I was which was really neat. We headed back to Ann's around 11pm...three very tired ladies. The next morning, Ann took me to the airport, I got through security, and had a few minutes to relax before boarding the plane home to my waiting Momma and Daddy. It was a smooth flight from Oklahoma City to Memphis where I had about an hour layover. Then the last leg from Memphis to Columbus. It was so good to get home. Momma and Daddy were waiting just past security and even had a "Welcome Home. We Missed You." Balloon which was so sweet!

Camp Yeshua - Part 3

Well, here's the last post about Camp Yeshua...although there will be one more about my trip to Oklahoma...still have to talk about the B'nai Services. I still can't believe what an amazing week it was.

I have to say I had the best dorm room! I had 8 girls in my room, and they were really sweet.
Left to Right: Bailey, Megan, Me, Delany, Caitesby, Christine, Nicole, Richeal, and Faith (in front).


Ephraim Judah was our camp director and great to work with. Here I am with him; his wife, Lauren, and their baby Isabelle.


Christine and I got to really know each other. She reminds me of myself when I was younger. Colorado is a long ways from Ohio, but hopefully, we'll at least see each other next year at camp.


Another one of the junior staffers, Chelsea, and I got along great. Here we are together on our last day of camp.


We had a special Mikvah service at camp. A Mikvah is a cleansing and dedication before Yahweh. This was a special time for me as I had never done a Mikvah before although I had been baptized in the Christian church shortly after being saved. Each one of us had a leader witnessing for us. Ephraim, Brent Avery, and Mason Clover were the three Mikvah leaders. It was special for me to have Ephraim witness mine as his dad, Monte Judah, had been my first Torah teacher.

Our last dinner at camp was our "Semi-Formal Dinner." That night we all dressed up in our nice clothes, and the guys served the girls. I called it "Camp Yeshua Makeover"! I couldn't believe how we transformed. Everyone really enjoyed the night. The food was delicious, and it was so much fun to watch the guys. Some really knew how to serve the ladies...and some, well... It was interesting to see how many of us ladies ended up with just lettuce in our salads (no tomatoes or croutons....just lettuce!), but the guys were good to go back and get toppings for us. My waitor was Daniel Clayton, and I got a really nice plate with my silverware and salad (some ladies had to wait for the guys to remember their silverware!). Thanks Mike and Kathy for raising Daniel to know how to have a servant's heart and how to serve the ladies right. :)

We were pleasantly surprised when Josh Matthews topped the night off with a toast to all the ladies. And we returned with a huge thank you to the guys.

The service that night was amazing. The Ruach HaKodesh fell on the entire camp, and you could feel His presence. Then we topped the night off with one last night of Starlight Dancing. Ann Judah explained the significance behind Dance With Me which was the song we closed our Starlight Dancing with each night. It is about the Messiah inviting us to Dance with Him! She and Ephraim demonstrated how that would look...

Our final morning, we had morning worship and devos. Then Rico closed us with the Aaronic blessing. This picture turned out amazing with Rico, Ephraim, and Little Rico.


I went home with Ann Judah from camp. We stopped by a Sonic and got fruit slushes...awwww...so yummy on a hot day like it was. We had a few hours to relax at her house, get showers, and then we went out to eat with Monte and Lin before Erev Shabbat Services at B'nai which I'll tell about in my next and last post about Oklahoma.

Camp Yeshua - Part 2

Time for more from Camp Yeshua! I still can't believe what an amazing week it was. My tribe was a great group of teens and co-leaders. Each of the students brought something unique to the table, and it was neat to have Daniel Clayton (Mike Clayton's son) in my tribe as we had already met by phone a few times and felt like we knew each other in some ways.

Here's my tribe - Reuven...

Laura, one of the Junior Staff, and I got to be good friends. Here we are on Bible Character Night. I was a modern Jewish girl. She was Rebekah.

We had flex time two of our days there, and I decided to try out the archery range. That was fun! I also practiced on the rifle range.

Each day, our tribe completed various games and activities. Here is our tribe completing the platform crossing on the low elements confidence course.

What I call the "Rico Sandwich" - Here I am with Little Rico and his dad "Big Rico" Cortes.

Camp was an absolutely life change experience...one more post coming about it. Then you'll have to hear about the trip to Dallas Fort Worth...plus Friends and Fellowship...and butchering chickens! :)

Camp Yeshua - Part 1

Well, it's time to catch up. I've had a busy three weeks...but a wonderful time...and certainly saw Yah was busy!

I'll start with Camp Yeshua. This year's theme was Con10uum - how we are part of the Continuum of Yah's plan. We had about 160 campers. When you add in the senior and junior staff, we had a total of 230.


I flew to Oklahoma City, OK on July 10. It was a beautiful flight...

My hostess was Ann Judah. She and I are very close in age and definitely enjoyed getting to better know each other.


Camp started Sunday evening with opening session. The Senior Counselors (of which I was one) had to be there at noon for a staff meeting, so Ann and I went out early for that as well as to get set in our dorms.


I was part of the tribe of Reuven and one of the co-leaders. Each time we gathered before meals, we had "role call." This time, we spelled out Con10uum our theme.

More to come...

Camp Yeshua

I really can't believe that I'm flying out tomorrow for Camp Yeshua! I can't wait to get there. Oh, Lord, I pray right now that you would truly bless the camp and every single camper there with your presence and a growth to be more like you!

Due to being gone, I won't have internet access, so I will be back to blogging on the 19th or 20th of this month...and I'm sure I'll be loaded with pictures and stories to tell! :)

Well, I finally...

Well, I finally hit my first animal when driving. We were running the paper route tonight when all of a sudden I saw a Momma Raccoon and her 3 babies, plus a 4th one that had been hit. She saw my headlights at the same time I saw her and we both had no time to react, so I ended up hitting on of the babies. :(

And I've officially started the countdown to Camp Yeshua! In exactly one week, I will have landed in Oklahoma City and been there for about 1 hour. :)