The Morales Clan adds a Scout

"Yikes and Yay!" @_KatieMorales in anticipation of the arrival of Scout.

This past Wednesday, Scout, was born. Ok, she really wasn't "born" that day, but she turned 8 weeks old and thus allowed us to pick her up and take her away from her mother and litter. I, Michael, still don't know exactly why that is, nonetheless God has allowed her to fill our life with a little unexpected joy and happiness. Despite a little tiredness from a new addition to our clan, we're continually looking forward to more yikes and yays to follow as God provides.

Unlocked Thoughts

I, Michael, used to carry a plethora of work keys, some of them I use often and others I still have yet to figure out what they consistently unlock (good 'ol TP jiggle). Maybe one day I'll catalog, sort, and secretly label each key and then inwardly chuckle at my unoriginality and cleverness. Maybe.

At the turn of the year, I asked Katie some thoughts and questions that have been going through my head. Questions like: "How have you been growing this past year where God has placed us?" or "What do you think God has been teaching you about Himself this past year in our marriage relationship or your relationships with others?" or "Want to grab some Vietnamese noodle soup (aka Pho)?". Though the last question had made us more hungry, frustrated and impatient for it's filling sustenance than directing us to meditate on heavenly things, it was a question that had the easiest answer.

We are beginning to see God's hand in placing us in camping ministry this past season through the relationships He has allowed us to engage in, cultivate, and move away from. I would like to think that I have grown more in the knowledge and understanding of who God is, and who I am in light of that, yet it is hard to pin-point any single "aha!" moment last year. Rather, the growth has been gradual, slow, and consistent as my small potted plants in our kitchen. These plants just need occasional pruning and watering and have been growing diligently. I don't know what kinds of plants they are, I just saw 'em at Stater Bros and reminisced about gardening with my late grandpa so I bought them. That was about a year ago, and since then they have been replanted in larger pots to accommodate their growth (They may actually be ready to be transplanted into a bigger pot again!). Every now and again as I'm watering or pruning these sheltered indoor plants, I'm reminded of Pslams 1.

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of the sinners,

no sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

I feel as God has been allowing Katie and I to grow together and has allowed us to prosper where He has planted us. Questions from various church leaders, friends, and personal journal entries, reminded me that we need to be faithful to where God has us now versus where we think we are going to be in the next three years. I had a conversation with a friend who said that when he was young, he remembers being in a similar place being asked a similar questions along the lines of, "...so this (input current stage of your life) is temporary right? When are you going to move onto a real life/job/follow God's true calling for your life?"

I spent the past year thinking through others questions, questioning our purpose in light of what we think is God's plan for us, and I ashamedly admit that think I lost sight of who God is, which is probably more important than what I think we should be accomplishing in our 20's. I'm still not absolutely sure about the why's of where we have been placed, but I am certain that God is in control, and that He does not make mistakes.

Therefore, we shall continue to seek God's face in the upcoming spring season here at Thousand Pines, hopefully post more, and continue to enjoy the ride.

Dancing Through Life

I think it's safe to

say that we've always had those moments where we want to scream "why can't it just be easy!" or we simply don't want to have to think about our actions or even care about the people around us. I have those moments a lot. There more like phases than moments really.

As I, Katie, have recently found myself in one of those phases, I found conviction and encouragement from an unexpected source: Wicked, the musical. This song, Dancing Through Life, has been on repeat in my brain for the last week, particularly this portion:

"Life is fraught-less

When you're thoughtless

Those who don't try

Never look foolish

Dancing through life

Mindless and careless

Make sure you're where less trouble is rife

Woes are fleeting, blows are glancing

When you're dancing through life!"

At first listen, dancing through life sounds so attractive: it's "fraught-less", you'll "never look foolish", "woes are fleeting" and "blows are glancing". Man, how do I get that?! Oh, I have to be thoughtless, I can't ever try anything, I have to be "mindless and careless" and basically run from trouble like a coward? Hm...that actually sounds horribly meaningless and even lonely.

Through this lyrical satire, I was reminded that painful experiences are a natural part of a life that desires to be real, a life that is full of purpose and depth, one that is actually participating in forward motion.

While this epiphany may not have cured me of all anxieties, I do feel sufficiently encouraged to face what is ahead. As Michael and I tighten up our belts financially and as I face my fears and look toward going back to school in the spring, I will remind my

self that it is all worth it because my desire is not to dance through life -- I want to dig into it.

Much love,

Katie

Changing Gears

The summer has finished for Katie and me a few weeks ago and we are both finding more time to spend with each other which has been proving itself to be a blessing and a challenge. It has been blessing for we have been arguing with each other during the summer for the lack of time spent together, and praying that God would provide us time to connect. It has been a challenge in that we had to rediscover how to spend quality time with one another other than just watching Netflix movies and old TV shows on Fancast.

I, Michael, have realized that it has been difficult to be married during the summer time here at Thousand Pines. We would both be tired to connect at the end of the weekdays and the weekends would be full of weddings to attend, errands to run, or events to assist in. A friend of ours had joked about telling his wife that he will see her after the summer camping season ends. Regarding our marriage relationship, our summer felt like we were on vacation from one another, only to send 'post-card-like-memos' in the form of texts to keep our communication from utterly disappearing during the summer. How many of you feel the same way during your busy seasons?

During that challenging time, I must say that God has made Himself evident in tangible and supernatural ways during our summer. Both of us had multiple experiences this summer where God has revealed Himself when He needed to, to remind us that He is Lord, and that He is Holy. We have been awestruck and have been brought to tears for His faithfulness in how He has answered the prayers of people around us, including our own. He has reminded me this summer, that He is a personal God, who knows me intimately, and loves my soul. Being reminded of that this summer both scared and comforted me at the same time.

Katie and I have been planning a trip to Missouri for the past two months, and now the date for our departure is quickly coming upon us. Katie has shown her excited as she has been mapping our route and reserving camping spots along the way. Until then, we have a conference to assist camp with, and Youth Specialties.

A Chance to Breathe

Ah, Saturday. The one day each week where Michael and I both get some time to rest during this busy summer season. These past two weeks have been quite the whirlwind for us both, packed with training sessions and hang-out times with the new TP summer staffers. Along with that, Michael was also honored to be involved in the wedding party of Ki-Yong and Carolyn Kim, friends from Biola days, last Saturday. Even in the midst of all the madness of summer preparations, this wedding was an incredible blessing to the both of us. Michael was able to have meaningful worship and fellowship time with friends in the wedding party, and I was surprised to see some familiar faces from our days in Hart, as well as good girlfriends from Torrey Honors, back at Biola. Each of the guests of the wedding were also given the privilege of witnessing the Korean Pae-Baek ceremony during the reception, which is packed with symbols of fertility, provision and support in the marriage relationship. Probably the most anticipated part of the Pae-Baek ceremony came at the very end where Ki-Yong, in full traditional garb, gave a piggy-back ride to the equally decked-out Carolyn, symbolizing the support that he now gives to her as husband.

I have been greatly blessed to partake in just this kind of support this week, coming both from Michael and from the Lord. Michael continues to offer encouragement when I am stressed, and God is constantly doing my job for me! I often feel as though I am scrambling to tie up all my loose ends before the first batch of campers arrives at Ponderosa, sometimes very unsure how I will get it done. Each time I come to a panic moment, I tell God he just has to do it for me...and he does! In such situations, I have been reminded of how backward our thinking can be about our role vs. God's. Many people tend to look at it as "Okay Lord, I'll do 95% and you just take care of that remaining 5%...because that's all I can do", but I've begun to realize that all I can really accomplish is something like .01% and God is always doing that 99.99% that I am incapable of. But what is amazing to me is not that he can do all of that for me, but that he actually values my contribution. He can do it all without me, but he asks me for that .01% because he knows that we will be blessed and grow by being a part of what he's doing.
In light of this, we are greatly looking forward to what God will do at Thousand Pines this summer and feel so blessed that he chooses to involve us in his work here. May the name of the Lord be praised in our lives.

First Week Done

Katie and I, Michael, have finished our first week of summer camp. Katie has finished her lifeguard training class and passed with remarkable improvement from the beginning of the week. Her instructor even took the time out to share with the rest of group that she had one of the best attitudes during the most challenging parts of the training. I am truly proud of her. Way to go, Katie!

I have said this already this week, but I have been blessed with a remarkable group of people that I have the honor of leading this summer here. This week we did some team building exercises that I have learned while I was an RA at Biola serving under Ryan Low, and was reminded on how my experience as an RA have been formative to my time here at camp. I knew that I was going to be using what I learned and experienced somewhere, but I never would have guessed that it would be in a camp setting. We serve a God who definitely has the better and much more fulfilling plan. Amazing!

Summer is here!

The summer has officially started for Katie and me. This past weekend Katie and I hooked up with Mike and Marissa from the Thousand Pines Outdoor Science school and went down to Bonsall, CA. Katie and Mike received training in an archery certification class for their jobs at Ponderosa this summer, while I headed to San Clemente to partake of the small waves crashing on the beaches.

This week I, Michael, have been training my Lead Counseling Staff in the arts of Lead Counseling. I have been thoroughly enjoying my opportunity teaching, equipping, praying with, leading, laughing, and thinking with the staff. Today we spent a good amount of time meditating on John 15 as I led them through a series of reflective questions like, "What have you been abiding in the past 3 months?". God has truly brought a quality group of people this summer to lead the staff and each other, and I am expecting nothing less than great things to come. May God help them.

Katie has been familiarizing herself with the sun and the water as she is finishing up her week training to be a lifeguard! With the history of not being able to swim, to seeing what she can do this week is amazing. By this Friday, she will be tested with the hopes of passing the certification class. Go Katie, Go! Hopefully sometime this summer she can teach me how to swim!

This weekend will be Thousand Pines Anniversary (http://is.gd/NKO5) marking 70 years of faithful service to God. There will be over a hundred guests that have come to camp throughout the years. I am personally looking forward to the worship session where I have been told that the band will be playing camp songs from every decade/generation. This will be exciting!