Our Family!

Our Family!
Sitting by the mean "bell"...a favortie camp tradition.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

We covet your prayers...

A chapter in our lives is coming to a close. It has been an amazing journey! Our time in Moosehorn has been filled with blessing, trials and amazing friendships. This friday, Jon and I will be closing the ice cream shop, then preparing to make our way to Ontario. We will be visiting family and Jon will be interviewing for two youth pastor positions.
At this point, our main source of income will come to an end and we look to our future with no answers, but with peace knowing the our Lord and Savior is holding us. At this time, we simply ask for prayer. Prayer that our home will sell. Prayer that Jon will be offered a position in a church. Prayer that our needs will be met during this time of transition. For all of you who have wrapped your arms around us, whether through friendship, prayer or financial support...I want to say that we are so grateful and so thankful. We love you all dearly.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The last time I posted was just before camp started. Now that we are a few weeks past I thought that I would tell you how it went. We had an amazing time! There were somewhere near sixty kids and enough staff to fill all the positions that we needed. Praise the Lord!!! We had a great camp speaker, a missionary from Uzbeckistan, He spoke with clarity and was amazing at relating to the kids. There was a great story about one of our campers accepting Christ. Check it out:




After sharing at an evening campfire, the speaker went looking for his lost coat but was stopped on the way. "What does it mean to be holy?" a young boy asked as the speaker was walking by. He answered the inquiring child, which led to more questions like, "What does it mean to be pure?"


The conversation continued but the questions were turned towards the young boy. The speaker asked "Do you believe you are a sinner?" the boy replied yes. "Do you know who Jesus is?", he wasn't too sure so they talked more in depth about Jesus. Then all of a sudden the boy made an excuse to leave and started running back to the camp. The speaker called for him to come back not wanting to lose the opportunity to share Christ. The boy stopped, thought about it, and walked back. The two talked a little more and the conversation ended with the boy praying to accept Christ into his heart.

After the boy had prayed, they went to snack time where the boy proceeded to tell the others at his table about how he had accepted Jesus into his heart. He was so excited to share his new faith.

The next day when the boy saw the speaker he said, "I guess the angels had a pretty good party last night didn't they?" The speaker nodded with a smile.


How awesome is that? I love the camping ministry. I have a bit of sorrow to think that I am leaving, but I know that God has something else for me to do.

Jon

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Boy do I need to get better at this!!! I realize that I have not been really good at writing my thoughts here. That can mean one of two things...either I don't think enough or I have got to stop forgetting to log on and write. If you asked me if I like to write I would probably say no, but the truth is I do find it relaxing. I wonder if the writers of scripture ever felt that way. I wonder if they felt the peace of God when they wrote...I wonder if they ever got tired of writing or did they get so into what they were communicating that they couldn't stop? I think that they might have. When I get the chance to preach I could go all day. I try not to because I'm sure that whoever I'm talking to would get tired of me. I just get so excited when I've studied God's word that I want to tell someone about it. God is so good that way. Recently, I have started looking for a position as a youth or senior pastor. I know what you're thinking...why youth or senior pastor, shouldn't you focus on one or the other? Well here is my dilema. I am really into teaching God's word. I love to preach and share what God has laid on my heart. I would love to be a senior pastor, but I also love being with youth. The only problem is that in today's society I have found that youth groups are more about fun than they are about helping teens learn the word of God. I want to raise up the next generation of Christ followers. I want the blessing of seeing young people leaving behind the mediocrity that this world offers and dedicating their lives to the freedom of serving Christ.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Changes

For those of you that have not heard. I(Jon) made the decision to step down as Director of SCA Eagle Bay Minstry Center and Camp this last week. The decision was due to our lack of support and the lack of general support at the center. I am sticking around as a part time site advisor helping Chad (the new director)to keep the ministry going. This was s tough decision for me as it makes the future a little more uncertain and is quite humbling. But fear not, this is not a self-pity post. I am confident that God is in control and is guiding everything. Times like these definitely drive me to search deeper into the word to find his will. I think of Proverbs 14 especially verses 8 and 15 and I pray that as future plans are made that I follow the prudent man and give thought to my steps. I also ask that you pray for wisdom for Nikki and I as we think about the future.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Summer is Coming!!!

It is always exciting when we gear up for camp. The vision for the future is also exciting. As we change our written format and goals to more accurately communicate our physical goals we pray that we are able to discern God’s will and follow where Christ leads. As director of SCA Eagle Bay Ministry Centre and Camp I have the joy of leading teams and staff this summer whose goal is to spread the Word of God. This summer we are using the theme “Army of the Alpha and Omega” this is a military based theme. We will be playing games and decorating the camp with this theme. The reason for changing themes form year to year is to change the feel of camp from summer to summer. I don’t want camp to get static for the campers who come from year to year. As we endeavor to preach the gospel to campers that come to SCA Eagle Bay I ask that you will pray for us and for the hearts of the kids coming. Pray that their hearts are softened to their need of a savior. Pray also for the staff members that are coming to camp….pray that they will be strong in the Word of God and that they will prepare their hearts to serve children. The most important though is to pray that they look to the Lord for their strength for the summer. You can also pray for Chad and I as we are doing prep work for camp. Please praise the Lord for my wife Nikki as she has taken on the role of marketing director and is handling a lot of busy work that Chad and I would have done. Praise also for my in-laws who are coming out for three weeks to volunteer. Their experience and expertise will be a great asset for Eagle Bay.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

My thoughts today.

To my friends and family who read this,
I want to share my heart with you about raising our support. This is a very difficult and humbling process...at times discouraging. The last thing I want is for our focus to be all about the "finances". My heart is so passionate for camp, passionate for the kids that come to youth group and passionate for the endless possibilities of ministry that our camp facilities could provide. Every day that we have to put all of our focus and energy into raising our support, is a day that I could have spent builiding relationships with the people in this community.
Camp has gone through many heart aches in the past few years, but the needs in the community are still the same....the kids around here need to hear about Jesus. Camp above all, facilitates that. Without a doubt, God called us here, but we desperately and urgently need your help. Once again, thanks to all of you who have heard this and helped. We are grateful to you.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Dear Friends and Family

In just a few short months, Nikki and I will have been serving at SCA Eagle Bay for two full years. To date, we have raised 38% of my salary. Nikki has also been working for the mission by doing marketing, letter writing, and coordinating the weekly youth meeting run by Eagle Bay. This has taken up at least ten hours of her week on top of what she does at home. At present she has taken no salary for her work. Our goal is to raise $3500 per month to cover Jon's salary and so that we can provide Nikki compensation for all of her work. I am asking that you would prayerfully consider supporting us and the Lord's work by donating $20 per month. If that is too steep for you even $10 a month would be a blessing.
You can donate online by going to To CanadaHelps http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s9912
When you donate you will receive a tax deductable receipt. The receipts are good in the US as well as Canada. Just make sure you remember to mark your donation for Jon and Nicole Welch. Thanks and God bless.


Jon

SCA Eagle Bay

SCA Eagle Bay
A few of our campers

Welch Family

Welch Family
all six of us