Happy New Year! Headin' back to Texas!

We had a wonderful new year's eve here! We dispersed and everyone did exactly what they pleased. One group snow sledded at the park, the hard core skiers jockeyed for unused lift tickets and got an extra day of skiing in, a few even snowmobiled from 1300 feet up, and a big group of us headed to a nearby outlet mall for some fun shopping! I, for one, had a VERY successful shopping excursion!!!!! This has been a fun trip for all!!!

We had such an incredible time of worship tonight and God has been revealing His "Crazy Love" for us! What a blessing! After worship we all headed out to see the fireworks over Maggie Pond and the mountain . We were right under them. It was AWESOME!!!!! The evening is ending with some crammed (and well supervised, I might add) rooms full of kids playing games and counting in the new year's across the country. Fun times!

Most students are packed and we are leaving out early in the morning at 6am (7am Texas time) The drive is about 12 hours and we will have several stops, so we are estimating about 9 or 9:30. Thankfully the bad roads cleared before we arrived and the forcast calls for clear and dry road for our final travel day...Praise the Lord!

See you all NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!! :)
Love you all,
Donna

Ski Breck Tuesday

Whew! Full day! Everyone did exactly what they wanted today. So much fun. Some of us went to a local park and took sleds. Never had so much fun for FREE (at least the activity...not the trip!)....We had a ball. Brock and Samuel DeLaCruz built a fort in the snow in a beautiful wooded area while a few of the youth soomed down a park hill with lots of the locals. It was beautiful. Our hard core skiers just got more hard core! They left early and did not come in until the last lift made it's run. We are happy to report no injuries and no major sicknesses. Not even any major altitude problems. YAY! Thanks to Jesus!
On a sad note: Please keep our family in your prayers. Rob got a call from the doctor today saying that his daddy has cancer of the liver, pancreas, back, adrenal glands, lymphoma and maybe more. We knew his health was poor but nothing prepares you for that kind of information. The next few weeks will be difficult as it is expected to move very rapidly. Please pray for Rob and that his daddy does not have to suffer. He is a believer and has eternity waiting for him. We are just so thankful that we moved them out to Midland in October so we can be here for them.
Zach is working on downloading my pics but most had problems downloading. I'll try to have more tomorrow.
MUch love to you all!
donna

Ski Breck Report

What a BEAUTIFUL place this is!!!! The Christmas lights still on every store of the quaint town were something special that I was not expecting! The mountains are glorious! Our God is the master painter! Yesterday did not seem like Sunday since we were not at church...so strange. We all talked about, however, how seeing God's creation in this way - from the mountain tops - is the most AMAZING worship experience that we have ever experienced. WE HAD CHURCH - no doubt about that!

It was a busy day yesterday. Everyone was up bright and early to get skis, etc They all stopped by my room and I sent them all with breakfast. The mountain situation started a bit rocky as half of the mountain was closed due to high winds. That made for long lines, not to mention what that wind does to you in sub zero temps! By noon, it had cleared off and the skiing was fabulous for all (except a few newbies who were a little uncertain at first.) There were fun stories...one (who will remain unnamed) had a fall and lost her ski pants - they came undone and down! haha (thank goodness for layering!) Most did a morning of ski school and were off on their own after lunch. Lunch is fun for me...I had the marathon lunch with kids coming to the room from 11am-3:30 or so as they made it down the mountain. I had a fun time talking with them and making tortilla wraps on the griddle. - but....today...lunch from 11:30-1:00 and I made sack lunches for the die hards.....I plan to do lots of playing in the snow today! --- By 4pm the indoor pool and outdoor hot tubs were FULL with our kiddos. Such fun!!!! This is what bonding and memories are made of!!!!!

Dinner last night was a fiasco, I must admit. The town is PACKED with skiers since it is the week between holidays. The wait at our restaraunt where we shutled to was 3 HOURS - so we ditched it and dispersed....finally ended up at Subway, etc. We will know better tonight - MUST have reservations!

Some of them slept in this morning and are still there but most of them have already picked up lunches and hit the slopes. Michael Fordinal and the band flew in last night. We are SO excited to have them for worship for the next 3 nights. Pray for our students as we are talking about "Crazy Love" (An AWESOME Francis Chan read) - It is about loving God without reservation and is amazing. Where better to learn to love God more than while being in such surroundings where we see is love for us in His creation!

So.....the main thing.....no injuries....PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!!

I'll keep you posted and am trying to get some pics posted.
We love you guys!!! Thanks for sharing your kiddos with us. They are - each one - such treasures!!!!!
Donna

Save Journey! Praise the Lord!

We made it!!!! Praise God for clear roads and the miracle of adding gas to our tank (like the loaves and fishes) as we traveled the pass!!!!!! He is so good. Everyone is tired after the long drive and hitting the sack. Ski rentals/fittings are at 7:45 in the morning! The snow is WONDERFUL And the town is so picturesc with the Christmas lights still lining each quaint little shop and window. Our rooms are fabulous - even though the views are not great.....no biggie b/c everything is first class. If you want to keep up, go to http://http://www.snow.com/discoverourresorts/breckenridge/landing.aspx
We are at the Great Divide Lodge.

I'll try to get some photos up tomorrow.....these computers are really slow and there is a line for them so I am not sure....

Pray for safe skiing and safe travel as the band flies out to join us tomorrow. Pray also that God will use the beauty of his creation and relationships strengthened to grow His kingdom.

Love in Christ!j
Donna

Ski Breck Scoop

Final SHOUT OUT to the Ski Breck Crew! We are just days away from shoving off for the Rockies! We keep getting reports of fantastic powder in and about Breckenridge. So...here's the final 4-1-1: Meet at the Crestview EA (Gym) at 6:00 AM this Saturday, December 27th! We'll load the trailer and hit the road by 6:30. We plan on arriving in Breck around 9:00 PM. You can bring a pillow and "blankie" for the vans, but no other bedding is needed. Try to bring a small bag of snacks for the road so we can minimize our stops. We'll get our rental equipment first thing Sunday morning and hit the slopes! Those who are taking lessons will get their equipment first so they can be on time at Ski School. Our shirts are in so feel free to swing by the Crestview EA on Tuesday to pick yours up or just get it when we take off on Saturday. Feel free to call Rob @ 432 210-9138 with any questions that invade the brain. Merry Christmas to all and we'll see you Saturday!

Y-CAT Vision Cast Meeting

Why is the teenager pictured here so sad?
a) he dropped his cell phone in the toilet
b) he’s an Oklahoma Sooner fan (Go Tech)
c) he has permanent scarring from a vicious hamster bite
d) he hasn’t discovered his gifts
e) all of the above



The answer is "e", but we can't make it official until Saturday (Go Tech again).
Unlike this "Party Poopa"...Crestview Students have discovered their gifts! Here's the next step: Wednesday, November 19 (tomorrow night) Wayne Bartley will be aboard to unpack where we go from here. Wayne is the Executive Pastor of Celebration at FBC Prosper and he will give us a glimpse of how Y-CAT can transform our student ministry! Y-CAT represents our Youth Creative Arts Teams. Wayne will be speaking to our Adults at 6 PM and students at 7 PM. Both of these meetings will be in the Trinity Center Youth Room. So please join us as we take it to the next level and make a difference in our world...for Christ!

S.H.A.P.E. Reminder

*Hey Crew! Great night @ M...Party b/c You're M...Gifted! Just wanted to remind you to complete the Abilities List we passed out tonight. Select your "Top 5" abilities (the 5 that describe your identity). Keep the list in your Bible and BRING YOUR BIBLE next Wednesday!

**Call me tomorrow if you want me to purchase a movie ticket for you to High School Musical 3 for Saturday night. We'll meet at 6:30 PM at Hollywood Theaters w/ the movie starting at 7:05. The cost is $8.75, but you can probably snag the student rate if you but your own ticket. My cell # is 432 210-9138.

***Also...Sunday is my drop-dead date to add new people to our Ski Breck roster. Cost Information:
Students (Ages 13-18)=$625 ($575 w/out rentals)
Adults (Ages 19+)=$700 ($650 w/out rentals)
Non-skiing Adults=$450
Children (Ages 5-12)=$575
$100 deposit now due.