Friends,

It's half way thru week four. I'm survivin' without Tanya this week as she's a leader at the YoungLives camp near Gig Harbor this week. Our 'super-manny' Tyler Marcus has been stellar. He has been 3 for 3 in successfully getting the kids to nap. Tanya and I were batting below the Mendoza line for the past two weeks, so way to go Tyler. Kids are doing great!

This week, groups from Auburn, Puyallup and Seattle have had kids getting sick. 6 work crew kids are sick too, which means they can't work for 3 days from their last vomit (not sure the proper/medical way to say that).

My highlight so far this week is a junior leader from Auburn named 'Nikolete.' She was a camper last year at Breakaway when I was speaker there at a 'freshman only' camp.

Nikolete opened up: “I knew that I could have a relationship with God, but I thought I was already as close as I could get. I didn’t realize that I could get so much closer than I was.” I didn’t think that I could change." She shared next that Jesus is leading her to “learn not to hate so much cuz for many years I've been full of rage toward Jesus for all of the pain in her life and I need to learn how to love him now. Even when I have bad break ups and pain, he has the most love, more than any other human being, the road to hate will not get me anywhere. Also, I need to be strong willed and not give my body away to boys and go to parties. I need to start good habits, stop taking things & shoplifting, but start to bring money to the mall when I go, and respect my body's purity instead of giving it out since I know now that it’s God’s temple.”

Just over one year later....she is HERE as a leader of junior high kids. Our God is a God of redemoption and transformation! It is a joy to see her as a leader with younger girls who need a mentor who has been through hard times and made it out. God is good.