Tournament! :)

Hey Everyone,
yeah wow it's been ages since I've posted :)But since I can't possibly remember everything that's passed since I've posted last. I'll tell you about the Medford tournament :) So....everyone from Clarion did exceptionally well!! I don't remember all the results. But I'm sure they will be posted on the Clarion Website soon enough :)But I can tell you how our family did. Elijah and I were the only ones competing this year. He placed 5th in his Open Interp. And I placed 3rd in Dramatic. And I broke to Semi's with Apologetics and Impromptu. So that means I qualified for Regionals in 3 events :) And I competed in 4 so I'm pretty stoked! :)God is soooooo Good!! Ok Well I have to go but hope you all enjoy the pics :Dlaterz

~Ruth~

haha this is hilarious! gotta see it :)

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moving!!!

Hey everyone,
Yeah I know it's been ages since I've posted. So yeah my life has been VERY caotic! Let's see from the last time I posted what has happened? Well the academy started up that's fun. Also my dad lost and gained a job. Yup he got a job at George Fox!!! And yes George Fox is in the Newburg ....Portland area. And yes that means we are moving. I'm gonna miss all of my homies back here :( But I'm excited to see what God is doing! Well at the moment those are the big events in my life. :) I'll be updating again soon :) talk to ya all laterz!

~Ruth~

Mary's LAST update! She's coming Home!!!!

Hey Everyone,
Here is Mary's Last update! I can't wait till she gets back on Sunday! :)

Dear Friends and Family, It's hard to believe that tomorrow I will be boarding a plane to fly home. This summer has gone by crazy fast. Who would have thought that two and a half months could go so quickly!People keep asking me, "So, are you ready to go home?" Honestly I don't think that I will be ready until I board the plane. This summer has been amazing. God has taught me so much and stretched me in so many ways. I cannot even begin to count the different truths that He has shown me, or measure how much deeper my relationship with Him has grown. The last time I wrote, I was headed into the bush with my team. Well, I am glad to say that we all made it back in one piece (plus a couple of diseases and bedbugs for some). We went in three seperate groups to different locations: Elimbari, Dom, and Baguido. I was fortunate enought to get sent on the Baguido one. Baguido is in the Sepic region of PNG which means that Malaria is a danger and that in order to get there we had to fly. I don't think that any of us realized just how small the "small" planes would be. About the size of your average car, they maxed out at six people (including the pilot). We could only bring eight kgs. or about eighteen pounds of luggage with us (talk about packing light). God was good enough to let me bring my guitar as team luggage though. The flight in was amazing. We passed the highest mountain in PNG as well as some awesome waterfalls and mountain peaks that just took your breath away. It had never struck me how large this island is until that flight. We flew for an hour and a half over countless mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, and lakes. Time and again we would look down to discover a tiny village in the middle of no where with no access to the outside world except by boat or foot. Once again the realization hit me of just how many people there are that need to be reached. Our Airstrip was a long stretch of grass cut out of the thick jungle around it. Our Airport consisted of two grass huts and a few storage sheds. Mark Woodard, our missionary, was late to receive us. He had just come from preparing for a funeral in the village and had only realized the time when he heard the "balus". We followed him with our luggage down a winding trail that led to the bank of a river. There our many eager helpers loaded our luggage into a small motor boat, and we headed for the peninsula where the missionaries live. Unfortunately I can't tell you all the details of out trip. So much happened in such a short time. The tribal people accepted us into their village and their lives. They adopted us as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. During the time we were there, we had many opportunities to learn from them and enjoy fellowshipping with them. Some of the highlights for me were: - Being prayed over by Ishmael, a strong believer and leader, - the way these people pray almost brings you to tears. It is like they are carressing the face of God rather than simply talking. I can still hear the gentle, reverant, and loving tones with which they addressed the "Great Creator Being".- Attending the Ladies Meeting the last night of our stay. We go to hear the testimonies of many of the believers and share ours with them. It was so encouraging to feel the intense unity of fellowshipping with these people, our brothers and sisters. Hermina told us "I will not forget you, I will not forget you, I will pray for you, and when you go, do not worry, I will covery you with God's prayers, I speak for myself, I will not forget you." That night, I think all of us cried at least once. - Learning from the Missionaries. Mark and Holly woodard are an awesome pair of people. So commited to God's work, they have gone through countless trials only to grow stronger. They love the people, they are part of the people, and you know when you talk to them that they would give anything to see each one of their neighbors there in heaven. Mark shared so many amazing stories with us: stories about God's provision and His grace - how He brought them here and how He has allowed them to stay. There were so many things that happened. I can't write them all. But God changed my heart and gave me a renewed fire for missions work. I was so blessed by our trip. I have to go right now. I guess this is my last weekly update as I will be back in the states soon. Thank you so much for your prayers and for your support that made it possible for me to come here. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and as we adjust to life in America. I love you all!God Bless,Mary :)

My summer

Hey everyone,
I decided to actually post :D Well at least to write my own post lol. THe last few I've been updating are from Mary. But anyways....Just to letcha all know what I've been up to....This summer I've been super busy with CYIA. CYIA, for those of you who don't know stands for Christian Youth In Action. So This spring I went to their training camp and had the time of my life! I made lots of friends and awesome memories :D After the training camp I helped with one sports camp and two other VBS's at seperate churches. When I taught the VBS I Taught twice a day...It was sooo exhausting but totally worth it! I'm gonna really miss these kids! :( So that's mainly what I've been up to this summer...along with some swimming,rafting and other fun stuff :) But I need to go....Feel free to leave a comment! :D
talk to ya'll later
~RUth~

Maria's gonna be home soon!

Dear friends and family,This is my second to last weekly update as the summer winds down and ITF3 prepares to go home. So much has happened during my time hear, and yet it seems like only a week or two since I was waving goodby to my dad as I climbed on the plane to LA. I wish I could put half of the things I've learned into words to share them with you. God has taught me so much. Primarily, He has given me a zeal for sharing the gospel, for being a witness wherever I am. I am so excited to go home, to have the opportunity to be in a secular work place and be challenged to actually live my faith in a way that will point people to God. He has taught me that people are people wherever you go, that there are hurting hearts and dying souls in every country, every state, and that the world is now my missions field. He has taught me that it isn't enough to give Him a convenient corner of my heart, He demands all of me. He has taught me that even missionaries struggle with sacrificing everything to Him, that the desire for comfort, security, and stuff is as strong here and as hindering here as it is back home. He has taught me that rather than individuals being called to a certain field, we are all called to continue puttingone foot in front of the other - following after Him. Wherever I am I want to be a blazing bonfire for my God. So my prayer request is for courage, commitment, and total surrender to Him. Too often I get caught up in the things of this world. The words of my Savior ring in my ears "You do not savor the things that are of God, but those that are of men." I wish that I could say that it is not true, but too often I find that that is exactily the case. I want to savor my relationship with God, I want to value it more highly than anything else in my life; so pray for me, please. Tomorrow we are leaving for sidetrip. I will be joining the group that goes into the Sepic Region. We are going to Mariama - or Baguido - for 5 days. Please lift up the teams in prayer as some are going to very remote areas where there will be very few modern conveniences. Please also pray that God would protect those of us who have open wounds as it is very easy, especially in the Sepic, to get a serious infection. This is going to be a stretch for a lot of us. I for one will be in a group that has none of the good friends that I have made on this trip. From one perspective this is sad, but I am excited about getting to know other people in the team better. And I am excited about meeting the missionaries in the tribe. Some of the students are worried or have bad attitudes about where they are getting sent and with whom. Please pray that God would give them a peace and an excitement about this trip. He has done amazing things in this team, and I know that he will continue to work miracles in the lives of each one of these students. Thank you so much for you prayer support. I am so encouraged and blessed to know that so many people back home are lifting me and the team up in their prayers. I love you all!God Bless you,Mary

Waterfalls

Dear Friends and Family, It's hard to believe that my time here in PNG is almost over. The summer has never passed so quickly. In only a few more weeks I will be back in the States and struggling to adjust once more to the American culture. Although I am looking forward to seeing you all, I can't say that I will be overjoyed to leave. The time here has been so sweet: learning, changing, growing stronger. I've loved every day of it, even the ones that were exhausting or confusing or stressful. God has been so good in allowing me to come here and in all the things that He has done in my life over this summer. As some of you may have heard, we are still at Lapilo and we will remain here for the duration of the ITF program. This comes as a little bit of a dissapointment for me. But as I step back to look at the situation, I can definently see that God has a reason for using Lapilo instead of ITF for this program. I am glad that I am here... very glad. The other day I met a national lady named Jara. She works on the base here, gardening, cleaning, and doing laundry. We talked for a little while, and she told me about her family. She had three children but one died and now she has adopted another. She shared with me how she would be very sad but she knew that her baby was with "Papa God" and that He knew how to take care of her. We talked a little longer about God's purpose in our lives. Then we both had to go back to work. I was surprised and encouraged by our conversation as it is pretty rare to run into a national who will just start talking about God. Jara is very sweet and I hope to get to know her better during my short time here. Yesterday we went on a long hike to Keya Falls. If any of you have seen the short video "Changed" there is a clip were the guy is jumping of a waterfall. That's where we hiked to, and, yes, I did jump off... several times :). It wa a lot of fun. It was refreshing to be able to get off the Lapilo compound once more. We hiked for maybe two and a half hours through a village; past a massive construction project in preparation for an SDA convention; over a bridge made of cable, chicken wire and metal grating that would probably hit a record low on the safety radars of America; through tall elephant grass, bannana groves, and coffee gardens; up many very steep hills; along some very sheer hilsides where the trail was only about six inches wide and getting thinner as people's feet would slip and erode the sides; into a deep valley; and finally down a rock wall to the swimming hole at the bottom of the waterfall. I loved every minute of it : ). A lot of other things have happened this week. One girl on our team was sent home, due to medical problems that ITF could not really deal with effectively. One guy on our team crushed his foot in a whole body collision playing Ultimate Frisbee. The week has been busy, adjusting to changes, preparing for the upcoming sidetrips, and trying to keep every thing running as smoothly as possible. I wish I could write longer, but I need to go down and work now. Please pray for the student who was sent home, and please also pray that the sidetrips next week will go well. I love you all!God Bless,Mary