Iron Sharpens Iron

This weekend Darin Keim came to the area to check out Five Star and he stayed with Hayley and I.  We went out to eat and talked about the memories of our High School days.  There were some great individual moments that we revisited.  Those were marking days for me.  Life changing days.  The guys that were and are in my life were and are an incredible blessing to me.  God put me smack dab in the middle of a bunch of "iron" men that have encouraged, inspired, challenged and loved me.  Thanks guys for the great memories of our high school and college days.  Those were just the beginning.  The next generation is now entering and God only knows what lies ahead.  I'm sure more great one-liners from Sturm and girly, high pitched noises from Combs.  Whatever they may be, I'm just glad I get to make them with you guys.

The Return of the Kings

Hey Everyone who still visits this blog!!!  I have been having some serious trouble lately trying to access my blog.  Apparently Fire Fox will not allow this site to accessed on my computer.  Something about cookies not being accepted or something.  If anyone knows how to possibly fix this that would be helpful.  

As of now I will just use Safari to access the blog and update.  And since there is so much to update in the last however long it's been, I'm going to give you a quick top 5 things that have happened.

1.  Five Star moved in to our new office that was completely donated to us.  It's nice to have your own home.

2.  Hayley and I had our first married Christmas together.  We spent some time in Lansing with her parents and then went up to Boyne City to spend a few days with my parents.  It was a great break.

3.  God has continued to bless Five Star and Manowe.  There will be around 1,000 students who will have attended at least one season of Five Star this year.  Last year at this time we had 4 or 5 students with some money turned in for Summer Camp.  This year there are already 135 kids with some form of down payment to Summer Camp.  It's going to be quite the summer.

4.  Manowe has just recently put together a sweet winter package for couples to come to the ranch for a weekend to relax, reflect and renew together.  Hayley and I are putting together a weekend to hang out with some of our married friends (sorry if you are single but this is an overnight thing).  If anyone reading this is interested let me know and I will get you more info.

5.  Finally, Hayley and I have started talking about getting a house.  Not sure when or where for sure but hopefully in will happen within the next year.

So there is just a quick update.  Hopefully I will be updating more often now!!!

Welcome to Verizon

I have switched cell phone companies. If you would like to call me, my new cell phone is 574.361.1064.

What If...

Sorry about the ridiculously long absence for the blog here. As my journey continues I am learning a great deal from my experiences and my time spent with Jesus. Here are a list of questions for you to think about.

What if...you put yourself in a position where only the power of God could help you move forward?

What if...instead of waiting for someone to love and accept you, you started loving and accepting everyone around you?

What if...you were obedient to God and started taking steps not knowing the final outcome?

What if...you just stayed where you are?

What if...you lived with others interests in mind?

What if...you lived selfishly?

What if...when you are standing before God and he asks what you did with what he gave you, you had no answer?

What if...you had an answer?

What if...instead of trusting money, jobs, materials, people or ourselves we put all of our trust in the plan that God has set before us?

These are questions that have developed throughout this journey that I have been on for the last year and a half. I am learning some valuable lessons and they will help me as I continue to press on.

Five Star Weekend

This past Saturday we had our first Five Star Day Trip of the year. We had a record number of students attend. We bussed 130 students up to our ranch, Manowe (ma-no-way) in Sturgis, MI. Students were put into groups according to their school and we had seven different stations that they rotated through. They were horse riding, fishing, high ropes, low ropes, archery, potter's hammer (crafts) and table time (meal prep). It was an incredible weekend. There's nothing quite like inspiring students to face their fears and watching them do things they have never done. Gotta love getting paid for that!!! Hopefully I'll start adding pics here soon!

It's That Time of Year

Tonight Hayley and I spent some time making our first ever caramel apples.

Here are the victims.

Hayley prepares the caramel pellets.

I got the fun part.

Hayley is making sure we did everything right.

It was a fun night. Now it's time to eat.

Happy Birthday Kaylyn!!!

Last weekend our niece Kaylyn turned one. Here are some of the pics we were able capture of her celebration.

Uncle for a Year

It's hard to believe but I have been Uncle Otis for one whole year already! This weekend Hayley and I are heading to Mt. Pleasant to celebrate with the family the first birthday of Kaylyn. It should be a good time!

I am also going to take my wife to out on date tonight to the same place we went on our first ever date. Bennigans!!! Turkey O Toole sounds good to me!!

And so it Begins...

I love this time of year. Especially when the Lions start with a win. Hopefully it is the start of the 10 promised wins this season made by Kitna.

Our World - Reality

What is happening in the world we live in? Check this out

Summer Photography

Just a few shots I took over the summer.

New Album 8/30/07 12:22 PM

6-8-07

Here is a small sampling of our wedding pictures.

New Album 8/30/07 12:15 PM

Recap

It is a Saturday morning and I finally have the time to sit and bring this blog up-to-date. So here we go. This is what Hayley and I have done in past 2 months.

We went on our honeymoon of Playa Del Carmen, MX. We went to the Mayan Ruins and relaxed at our resort...

From July 4-8 we went up to my parents in Boyne City, MI to watch fire works and celebrate my birthday...

From July 11-16 we traveled to Vermont for my cousin Christian's wedding and stopped by Niagra Falls on the way...

Then for the next two weeks I was working at Manowe for Five Star summer camps...

When summer camps were over, Hayley and I left the next day for India for a mission trip with our church. Check out the blog here...

When we returned home Hayley started a new job and I have been trying to get caught up with Five Star.

So needless to say, we have been a little busy but through all of this our marriage has continued to grow and become stronger. I love being married. Life would have been a little dull if I had to do all of the above things alone. I will do my best to continue to keep this updated. I have lots to share.

Where am I today?

Over the last month Hayley and I have been on the go. We are finally home now and should be for the next few weeks at least. We have not even been in our apartment one full week since we have been married. So, if you wondering why the lack of posting...just no time as of late. I am almost getting to the point of regular posting but not quite yet. When I do...I will be updating where we have been and what we have experienced. Let's just say India was quite the experience. More later...

India...7 days and counting

As things have been extremely busy in the life of the King's, there is no sign of slowing down. In just one week we will be heading to India with 10 others from our church. We are going to lend our status to the low status Indian church planters. By doing this, we will help to elevate their status which will help to make their churches and ministries more prominent. It should be interesting. Feel free to check our team blog to see the progress and the happenings of our trip. Also, please pray that God would use us and protect us.

India Blog: http://augustindia2007.blogspot.com

Slacking...or...just plain busy

Maybe a little of both, but I have been on the road a lot lately. Here's a little run down of what has been going in the life of the King's:

- Summer Camp with Five Star
- Up North for the 4th of July
- My Birthday on July 7th (I guess I'm 26 now...doesn't feel any different)
- Preparing and Sending cover letters and resumes to schools for Hayley
- Preparing for the next Five Star Summer Camp
- Leaving tonight for Vermont for a wedding

So there has been a lot happening. To sum it all up, marriage is awesome and I love doing life together with my wife!!!

Transition

I have not been able to post as much as I would like to. I am in this period of transition right now that is keeping me busy to say the least. Transition into the married life, which is freakin incredible. I love my wife like crazy. Also, there is this transition into Five Star which has been great as well. Between the two life has been pretty fast paced.

For the past 4 days I have been at Five Star Summer Camp. How was it? Well, every single kid either recommitted or made first time decisions to follow Jesus. I'd have to say it was a pretty fruitful camp. Follow up will be key with these kids but they all have started taking steps in the right direction. I feel very fortunate to be a part something that is having significant impact in the lives of people here in michiana. And it is only going to get better.

First Day

For those of you who don't know, as of today I am starting a new, full time job with Five Star. I will be leaving for the office in about 15 minutes. My initial thoughts are I am excited about the opportunity, I look forward to working with Justin and Seth, I think it will be a great experience being a part of something from the ground up, and I get to wear shorts to work!!!!

So...more on this later. I am taking another step in the journey.

First Blog as a Married Man

Well...I'm married. The great thing about that is my wife is the best wife on the planet. If you are wondering how that could be, just read the last 25 posts. Sorry I didn't get to reasons 1 and 2 but the wedding comsumed my time and I didn't have internet access.

Hayley and I are currently in the process of organizing our apartment and exchanging different gifts. It is fun but I am ready to be done with it so we can just enjoy each other. Thank-you's will be the next big step. I will write more about the Honeymoon when I get a chance and I may even include some pics.

Thanks to all of you who were a part of our day with us. It was awesome!!!

3

3...yes only 3 more days. Reason #3 is that I am special to Hayley. She does not feel the same towards anyone else as she does towards me. That is a great feeling to know that I am the only person in her life that loves this way.