Happy Sabbath Brethren!

Lena and I woke up near Chicago this morning. We will arrive in Orr, Minnesota this evening with the two young men who will be patricians at this year's Boundary Waters Adventure (BWA) camp. The camp officially begins Sunday, July 6th when all 12 participants and 4 staff will meet at a camp ground at Echo Lake. We will have one full day of training, getting to know one another, Bible study, and time for last minute preparation before we all head out into the wilderness on Tuesday morning.

This adventure camp gives these young adults a chance to experience a challenging activity in a challenging and beautiful environment with plenty of opportunities for physical and spiritual growth, as well as time to really get to know other young adults who face the same kind of challenges they go through on a regular basis. We will most likely be out of communication from Sunday afternoon until we come out of the wilderness the following Sunday, July 13th. This gives participants and staff both a chance to unplug from the world of social media, news, and the cares of this life and draw closer to God while spending time in the wilderness He has created.

In addition to having to cook on a fire, set up and take down camp, canoe for miles and portage over land with canoes and supplies, the participants will also be giving a Bible-based speech (trail talk) during the week. This adds a chance for more spiritually focused discussions around the campfire each night (while dodging mosquitoes).

We appreciate your prayers for a safe and successful camp this coming week. We know, although we won't be together with you all in person, we are together in spirit and will be in each other's minds.

This Sabbath Lena and I, and Noah and James, will be joining the brethren in Duluth, MN for Sabbath services with friends there. Next Sabbath, July 12th, we will be on Mukooda Lake resting and recuperating before our final morning of canoeing in the Boundary Waters. We pray you all have a peaceful and uplifting Sabbath wherever you will be!

Regards,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe