The weather has finally turned warm (at least for a little while) so we got off campus to enjoy some of the great parks that are nearby. We hiked up a series of small waterfalls called Helen Hunt falls, a nice hike with some pretty good views. We found a great place for lunch by the stream that feeds the falls. Tim scrambled around the mountain until he reached the top while Kasey enjoyed a quiet time on a nice slab of granite that bordered the stream. We then drove to the top of the mountain and found a couple of dirt access roads. Tim of course chose the "high road" which was a winding dirt road that went to the top of the mountain. The views were amazing, although Kasey didn't really like being that close to the edge of the mountain.

Helen Hunt falls (named after the 19th century author, not the actress)

Where we ate lunch.

At Inspiration Point (aka make-out alley to the locals.) Really cool views both day and night.

Stream in Manitou Springs

Outreach Location!

We will spend our outreach in Pune, India. Pune is located near Mumbai on the western coast of India. It is the eighth largest city by population (3.5 million people) and is known for its educational facilities, having more than a hundred educational institutes and nine universities. It is also an industrial center where several multinational corporations have large manufacturing sites. While the city contains a significant percentage of Brahmins (highest class in the caste system comprised of lawmakers, scholars, Hindu priests, and educators), nearly 40% of the population lives in slums. Hinduism is the most commonly practiced religion. We are excited to learn more about this fascinating country. Tim lived in Singapore for three years and never made it to India. It's fun to think that 20 years after he left South East Asia, he is finally returning. We can't wait to see what God has in store for us there.

Father Heart of God

This has probably been one of the more challenging weeks emotionally and yet one of the most fun. Our speaker was Claude Bonjour who is the Swiss version of our friend Jack Kody (minus the beard). He lives to share the Father’s heart and we became fast friends with him. The class spent a lot of time on forgiveness, which was surprisingly difficult. Tim found that forgiving himself was the most difficult task. Kasey learned a lot from Claude’s teaching that “it’s not what happens to us in life, but our response to what happens to us that is important.”

It was an incredible week that opened our eyes even more to how much God loves us. Seriously, He REALLY loves us. Not because He has to, but because He WANTS to. As humans, often times our image of God is colored by our relationship, or lack thereof, with our earthly fathers. We make God into our image and likeness when in reality we were made in His image and likeness. God is perfectly loving. He is perfectly just. There is absolutely nothing we can do to make Him love us more or less. NOTHING. (Romans 5:8). We couldn’t ask for or even dream of a better Father.

Delawhere?

Last weekend (April 23-25) we flew back to Tim's old hometown of Chadds Ford, PA (near Wilmington, Delaware). I (Tim) was in a wedding for one of my oldest friends, Aaron. It was great to be back in the area where I have so many fond memories of my adolescent years. Kasey was gracious enough to let me walk down memory lane as we visited the houses I grew up in, my old school's, and even a few of my favorite spots to hang out. We didn't get a chance to go to the Charcoal Pit (best milk shakes in the world), but we did get a chance to wander around the amazing grounds of Longwood Gardens. Here are some more pics:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91126&id=545691244&l=46b4bab838

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91128&id=545691244&l=3527311902

God's Garden

Wow. It has snowed 3 times in the last 2 weeks (not showers, actual accumulation)! We got another 6-8 inches on Friday (4/17) and our leaders, who live 2o miles north of here, got 2 and half feet. We are learning that the climate changes quickly here. Thursday was warm and sunny until 3, then the temperature dropped and we had 3 inches on the ground by 9pm. The cool thing is, most of it melts the same day or the next (that's the kind of snow Tim's mom likes). The sun came out briefly between the storms yesterday and we went over to Garden of the Gods to check out the views. We were amazed at the color and variety of the rock formations. Michelangelo used canvass and marble, God used the earth to create beautiful pictures.

The break didn't last long (because Kasey prayed for more snow), but our friend Ginny got some good pics anyways. We wish you could have been here to see the colors and scale in person, the pictures just don't do it justice. Enjoy!

For more pics go to (copy and paste if the link doesn't work):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89377&id=545691244&l=a8dbfe29c9

Week 2 - One Message

While our room doesn't have much of a view, this is what we see most mornings (when the clouds aren't concealing it) as we walk to breakfast, Pikes Peak. It is so incredible to begin each day confronted with God's majesty.

Week 2 was taught by Dean Sherman, a hilarious man who shared the simple message that we have ONE singular purpose as Christians: Love one another (1 John 3:11). When Jesus was confronted with the question, "What do I have to do to receive eternal life", he leads the inquiring expert in the law to the simple answer: "Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:25-28). God became man for one simple reason: RELATIONSHIP. He desired to reconcile us to Himself and through this act He taught us how to love one another. Jesus lived in relationship for 30 years before He atoned for sin. He ate with people, He went to weddings, He lived in other people's homes, He poured himself into 12 close friends. If we are trying to live the "Christian life" by living a bunch of rules, we have missed the big picture. Are we focused too much on the Christian faith (what doctrines we believe, our denominational stance, etc) and not enough on living in relationships?

Week 1

This week we heard about "Hearing the Voice of God" from Paul Hawkens. Such simple yet profound truth, God wants to talk to us! He is a great communicator, we just need to learn how to hear His voice. Hearing God is not a gift, it is a skill that is developed with practice. We are all capable of hearing, but many of us don't give God the time or space to speak into our lives. Paul encouraged us to ask God, "How do you feel about me?" We encourage you to take some time to ask God and patiently wait for His reply. You might be surprised at just how MUCH He LOVES you!

We also learned about intercessory prayer and how God wants us to stand in the gap for others. Moses stood in the gap for the Israelites (Exodus 32, Psalm 106:23) and He invites us to do the same.

Sunday we visited a church pastored by author Dutch Sheets for Easter. We had our first white Easter, which was a lot of fun. The leaders of our DTS invited us to their house for an Easter dinner and 40 or so of us gathered to celebrate the resurrection. Check out the pics!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89379&id=545691244&l=ca60eac05d