THE OAKS Camp Update

We are approaching the end of August already - is summer really almost over? What that means for us this year is... KINDERGARTEN! Riley will officially start school at home. August 31st is the big day. Before that gets here, though, we get to go camping for a week with some of the nation's top survival instructors at an event called Dirt Time. Well take classes on things like how to make primitive traps and how to grow survival gardens (to name just a couple). Now that's some serious schooling! Take a look to read more: http://www.dirttime.com/dirttime_2009.html

Here Sage and Riley have practiced making bird nests, modeled after the real one their daddy found.

A lot has happened in the months since our last blog post. When we decided to pursue full-time ministry at THE OAKS Camp & Conference Center, we moved back from Weldon, CA, to the Antelope Valley to be nearer the camp. That was late October. We lived with my grandparents in their home for 5 months, after which we moved all of 300 feet away into one of their apartments. Fun fact: we are renting unit #7, the same one my parents lived in after they were married 28 years ago.

Some of our biggest news is that we have completed the application process to join World Impact as missionaries, with the view of serving at THE OAKS. The last step of that process was CAP week (Candidate Assessment Program) in June. The Lord used that time at the World Impact site in Wichita, Kansas, to further confirm His call in our hearts and minds. On top of that, Mario and I had a whole week away together, and the kids had a blast with their grandparents!

For those of you unfamiliar with World Impact, it is an interdenominational Christian missions organization that ministers cross-culturally to the urban poor in American inner cities. The ministry was started in Los Angeles in 1971 by Keith Phillips, although its beginnings go further back to 1965 in Watts. World Impact ministers in 11 major cities and operates 4 camps nationwide. They also run schools, job-training programs, and medical and dental clinics. One of the camps, of course, is THE OAKS, whose mission statement reads, "THE OAKS is a loving community providing an experience of Christ's presence for people of all cultures, especially from the inner city, through excellent facilities and effective programs, surrounded by the beauty of His creation."

We are ready to invest our lives in this ministry for as long as God calls us to do so. We have seen World Impact and the staff at THE OAKS faithfully, conscientiously, and diligently carry out Jesus' command to "make disciples of all nations"... starting right here in America's cities and communities, ghettos and neighborhoods.

We are so excited to be part of that at THE OAKS, where we will be able to use our own unique set of skills and interests in a full-time capacity to reach out to others. Mario has been recruited for the maintenance team, and as such will never be bored! Those "excellent facilities" need constant upkeep, and Mario just happens to love working with his hands. He also loves working in the outdoors and is excited about the opportunities to work with the adventure and outdoor ed departments.

Mario took our kids along with friends climbing at THE OAKS the other day.

We hope you are excited with us! We hope you can pray for us and that, if you have a minute, you can let us know that you're praying! It is so encouraging to find out about that kind of support.

Another kind of support we ask you to prayerfully consider is financial. If you are as excited as we are about the ministry of THE OAKS and want to be a part of keeping it going, then we would be totally thrilled to have your partnership. Before being deployed for full-time, residential ministry at the camp, the goal is to raise $3,659 per month in gifts and pledges, of which 100% goes to our salary, benefits, and insurance. (If this is something you want to help us with, just click on the link below to go to our OAKS Staff page.) We can be investing together, impacting the world for Christ.

To get a better picture of what THE OAKS is and does, take a minute to watch this fun video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2U2HQCp1cs

Look us up on THE OAKS Staff page: http://www.theoakscamp.org/contact/staff.php?staff=Currado

Smelling the Flowers

I still cannot understand HOW people can sort and pack (a full-time job) while also taking care of children, laundry, cooking and cleaning (a full-time job). Despite my bewilderment, I am doing it because there is nothing else to do. Amazingly, things have actually gotten done! Toby the Terrific has already taken a load of boxes to storage as well as Mario's shed full of skis and kayaks. His was quite the rig creeping down the 14 to Palmdale. Further help from other siblings and in-laws has also been extremely beneficial - thank you!!! Thanks to all the food-makers too.

Monday is now the moving day when we plan to pack the U-Haul and head out. Unless, of course, there's too much to do. Then it may be Tuesday that we actually drive away.

In the midst of our packing, all of us need a break to smell the flowers. Here is Sage with her "bouquet" of rabbit brush blossoms.

Riley prefers fishing. That and riding his bike with Mario are his favorite things to do.

We (the parents) find that no matter what important chores and projects need to be done, our kids need us to take these sorts of breaks with them. We are learning to put aside our stresses and sometimes even time constraints... to take joy in life with our children.

We're Moving!

Need I say more???

Well, maybe a little:

Our target move date is October 24th - but don't hold us to it. Mario is taking a maintenance job at The Oaks Christian Camp and Conference Center in Lake Hughes (www.theoakscamp.org), which is very exciting. For now the plan is to move in with my grandparents in Palmdale while Mario begins working part time. The future is somewhat uncertain - but what's new? We are happy with and thankful for this new direction.

This is Mario in Lancaster:

(click on the picture to make it bigger)

Welcome to Our Blog!

Our year has been an exciting one. We moved here to the Kern River Valley last July. Moving 100 miles north of the Antelope Valley, where so very many of our friends and family members live, has been adventurous and… hilly?… rocky?... mountainous?... Yes. It’s good that exercise is healthy.

Not only have mountain views and small town scenes been a part of our new life: so has driving! The Kern River Valley consists of about 9 small communities or towns. Practically speaking, though, they all make up one town that is spread all around Isabella Lake. Driving a lap around the lake per day is not unusual and makes for a high gasoline bill. After all, the post office may be in Weldon, but the hardware store is in Lake Isabella, and the outdoor outfitters are in Kernville!

The river’s water level has lowered so much that the rafting season is over. Mario had been working as a rafting guide every weekend from spring through July. After that the weather was just too dry, and rafting in the upper Kern became more about braving the rocks than braving the rapids! (For any of you who wonder, “upper” refers to the part of the Kern River that is north of Lake Isabella, and “lower” refers to the part that flows out of Lake Isabella toward Bakersfield.) Mario misses guiding, but we still have fun swimming and playing in the beautiful river. Riley loves to fish: he caught his first trout this summer when Grandpa Don and Grandma Dolores came up to camp!

Coming to the end of our year lease on the house we are renting brings up questions of what we would like to do next. We have explored this community thoroughly and are gaining increasing understanding of our potential in it. We have worked at establishing a home improvement business and found a fairly good reception. Being new at this sort of thing, though, and having given it a good try, we are discovering it to be a pretty difficult venture. We are exploring other work options and hope to have an announcement in that vein to make soon.

Getting involved with a church up here has been good for all of us. The kids look forward to the childrens’ program every week, and Mario and Heather have been helping out with that for the past 6 weeks. Hosting a potluck at our house for 5 young families we met at the church was a great way to get more involved. It was good to fellowship with peers who are facing the same issues and challenges as parents that we are.

Riley and Sage are growing perfectly wonderfully. School is back in session, and although Riley is still not school age, we have begun to get in the swing of learning. He likes to have a “school time” with Mama daily and is really advancing with recognizing and forming letters. Even Sage knows that A is for Allie Alligator, who says “a”!

At the moment, Mario is immersing himself in one of the great joys of life: washing machine repair! Life goes on…

Our love to you all.