This is Sam. Be like Sam.

Text says: "This is Sam riding Soren"

It has been a whopper of a day. Yesterday we sent out an email to our members and 2015 campers and we got 40 registrations before the day was out! That's incredible! As I write this we're at 402 registrations which is just under half of our total capacity for summer campers. It's very, very exciting to see the registrations roll in.

I get asked sometimes by folks if the economy ever impacts our summer registrations or if we ever get worried when we see the economy slow down. It's hard not to think about it - there's a lot of families out there that are hurting and affected by Alberta's economy. It easier to say than live out - but we trust in and serve a God that is bigger than our economy. When we get into years when finances threaten what we do - we have to practice looking up to God and saying, "We don't know how, but we believe that You will see this through". That wasn't meant to rhyme ;).

God has blessed us with some amazing churches and donors who build up our Campership Aid Program (read about it here) who make a way for families who otherwise would not be able to afford camp. It's humbling when I think about how many people are involved in getting kids to camp and making camp a possibility.

Trust is an interesting thing. The picture at the top was drawn by Sam, who is 5 years old and riding our horse, Soren (a very happy Soren, if I say so myself). How easy is it for little Sam to get on and trust a horse that is SOOOOO much bigger than him? I remember being like Sam. My mum could barely keep track of me when there was a horse around. I even remember sneaking away while at Heritage Park so I could go see the Canadian Horse Team. They weren't harnassed but I crawled through the fence so that I could pet them and pick up their feet (I loved to compare my little hand with their big feet). When the Heritage Park worker and one of my parents happened across me - I got in a bit of trouble but more than that, I remember being told how I could have gotten hurt. I simply replied, "Don't worry, I trust them". Trust wasn't hard for me back then.

At some point in each of our lives trust becomes fragile. Maybe that's why it comes up so many times in scripture. God repeats "Trust in me." so many times. It's like God knew that at some point as we age that trust would become challenging. There's a verse that hangs in our Dining Hall from Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Whether it's the economy, finances, school, or something more - trusting God can be one of the hardest choices we make on a daily basis. That is not an easy thing. Yet everyday, if we can choose to be like 5 year Sam with Soren, I wonder where God will take us.

Peace ::: Jogee