Spring Newsletter 14

Today’s Verse: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2

What are some “weights” you could lay aside that would help you run the race of life?

Catching up: If you came by our house you’d probably hear the pitter patter of little feet meandering down the hall, that’s right our little girl Maggie has begun walking. It was exciting to watch her take those first steps and also see her quickly learn this new skill. We also got to celebrate her first birthday in February and watch her enjoy cake for the first time (a picture below). Needless to say, it’s been an exciting adventure watching Maggie grow. The adventure doesn’t stop there though. Four days after Maggie’s birthday, we celebrated the birth of our second precious girl. Arwen Grace Walsworth was born February 20^th weighing 7lbs and 2 ounces. The plan was to have a home birth however God had other plans again. The change in plans was nothing like Maggie’s emergency so that is a sigh of relief. This time was due to Arwen taking her time cooking in the oven or so we thought. Once Megan got within what we believed to be a day or two from the 42 week mark, we scheduled an ultrasound to make sure the baby was cooking evenly. Arwen looked great but the ultrasound showed that Megan’s fluid was a little low. They decided that the wisest choice would be to get this baby moving. We came home long enough to pack our stuff and give Maggie to Megan’s mom before returning to the hospital. The next morning they started with induced labor and it wasn’t long before Arwen was born. Megan was extremely relieved that this labor and delivery was way shorter than last time. It was slightly disappointing to not be able to have the home birth we were wanting, however the nurses did their best at making the room feel as close to home as possible. We had a couple of other praises at our house besides the birth of our new little one.  Now that little hands can find objects on top of various furniture (cups with liquids), we began praying for a way to put down some kind of flooring over our sub-flooring in the living room. We were thrilled when we were able to get the materials and with the help from some of our much appreciated friends we had it finished in no time. Plus due to our growing family and car issues, we’d been on the lookout for a “new” vehicle. The Lord has also supplied the opportunity for us to purchase a used Toyota Minivan. We are truly blessed and thankful for all He has done for us recently. As for the extended family, it has been currently growing. With the latest arrival of our new niece Miss Madelynn in January, we now have 16 nieces and nephews and we expecting another one any day now.    

            Camp: Over the fall and spring our efforts at camp have been focused on finishing up the kitchen addition. Having it finished for this summer will make the kitchen staff’s life much easier. With a recent gift to camp, we will be moving on to the continual remodeling of the rec. building next. Now for the summer, the pressure to get things opened up and cleaned is upon us. Some days it can be overwhelming all the preparations that need to be made however we’re excited for the camp season. This year’s theme, “Kingdom Chronicles”, is based on the Kingdom of God and set in the medieval time frame. It’s been fun being creative as we plan games and crafts to match the theme and teach biblical truths. Megan has been especially focused on the crafts as well as skits for chapel time. As for me, the reins have been handed over and I’ve been put in charge of counselor training this year. It’ll be an exciting but also a learning experience, I’m sure. We have also been in the process of contacting churches to present the ministry to them and to share what God is doing in the lives at camp. We appreciate all those who are praying with us as the Lord supplies the prayer and support partners we need to walk the journey He has planned for us.   

Work/School: Shortly after camp ended Megan’s brother, Bradley, offered me a job to work with him on his vendor route. After prayerfully considering it we decided that it would be wise to give it a try. Over all, it has been working out really well for our family and our busy schedules.  Megan is offering a helping hand to her mom at the Hillbilly Book Barn whenever she is able. With the arrival of our second child, her schedule always depends on how the girls are. As for schooling, we are crossing it off our to-do list as we wrap it up. We are really excited to finally see the Bible Certificate we’ve been striving for all this time.

Work O.U.T./Butterflies: We do enjoy mentoring the young men and women that attend the Bible study and feel honored that God has given us this opportunity. Some days it’s not easy fitting it into our schedule however, we are convinced this is something God wants us to continue doing. He hasn’t failed in giving the strength and time to make them fit into our life. Recently, Megan has been especially excited for two of the regular attending young ladies that will be graduating this year and will be starting their own exciting journeys as adults. It has been encouraging to see all these teens continue to grow in their relationship with Lord as they seek the paths that the Lord has designated for them. It will be exciting to see what the Lord has in store for them in the years to come.   

Praises:

Ø  For the ability to purchase a van and flooring.

Ø  The safe arrival of our little girl, Arwen.

Prayer Requests:

Ø  For strength during this busy season of our lives.

Ø  That we will be able to finish all the plans we have for this summer’s camp.

Ø  That we will have patience as we trust God to supply our needs.

         

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Goofing off just for fun (Not a True Story): One day last summer, I (Lucas) had realized that the outside of the gymnasium needed to be repainted. So I found some paint in the workshop and got to painting while the campers were swimming. After finishing the first side, I realized that I didn’t have enough paint to finish the rest of the gymnasium. So I went to check for more paint, but all I could find was paint thinner. Then the thought hit me, I’ll add thinner to my paint, so I’ll have more paint to go around the entire gym. After I had finished painting, I was so proud of my work as well as my idea. That night, a thunderstorm came through camp and it rained hard. The next morning I got up, and to my embarrassment I found the other three sides of the gym’s washed from it’s fresh coat of paint. As I stood there ashamed and depressed that my work was in vain, Megan was walking over to me and noticed what had happened. “What have I done?” I mumbled. “Well, thankfully the devotions this morning gave you the answer to the problem. You did do the devotion this morning right?” She asked looking at me. “Yeah,it was about turning from sin and living a new life, but what does that have to do with the gym?” I asked puzzled. She smiled and said, “You must ‘Repaint and thin no more’”.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ OUR NEWSLETTER!

Fun in the snow :-)

Support for Lucas and Megan comes from the gifts of supporting churches, family and friends. We praise the Lord for the way He is constructing our ministry team, 

2013 Fall Newsletter

Today’s Verse:     “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” ~ Isaiah 40: 28-31

Catching     : I can freely say that looking back on our summers working at camp, Megan and I have never enjoyed anything more than being a counselor. I believe it is the most energy draining job, but the most amazing privilege. Even though we know being a counselor again is quite improbable, we do every now and again reflect on good memories and shed tears in our desire to do it again. This last summer I, Lucas, had the privilege of being the Program Director and Game Director again, with a little leading singing on the side, of course. It was my job to make sure the schedule flowed, the activities were planned and ready, as well as keeping the summer staff working in harmony. As this was my second year in this role, I feel like I’m learning to enjoy it a little more. Making friends with the staff and helping the staff make friends with each other can be a lot of fun. Megan, although pregnant, did her best to stay on top of photography and crafts, and was blessed to have helping hands here and there to lighten her load. Overall, I feel the Lord has used the staff this summer for His honor and glory, and to be His mirror reflecting His Word. As always, we miss it when it’s over, but we are looking forward to all the great things the Lord has in store for us.

Home:  If you didn’t catch it in the last section, we’re pregnant! Well, Megan is, I’m so skinny I could turn sideways and stick out my tongue and look like a zipper. Megan is currently past the half way mark with a due date of Feb. 6^th 2014. We’re so excited about another heavenly gift! Maggie will be in for a surprise with a unique first birthday present. By adding this baby to the family, we will possibly have three birthdays in February. And we know you’re asking, but we are not going to find out what it is.  It’s like a box of chocolates, you won’t find out what’s inside till you take a bite. As for Maggie, she is now the owner of two pearly white teeth. She has also learned how to crawl and pull herself up on things. It’s so exciting to watch her learn what she can do. Here recently, if you were around the house you’d probably hear the sound of a chainsaw and the smell of fresh cut wood. We’ve been cutting firewood, in preparations for the cold days to come, which will hopefully bring a few days of good snow. We praise the Lord for free firewood that has been provided from here and there. Another common sound you’d hear around our house, is notes being plunked out. Since camp decided they didn’t need their piano due to the use of their electronic keyboard, we thought we could make use of it. Megan’s gifted at reading and playing piano music, Maggie and I are the plunkers. It’s fun to watch Maggie plunk around figuring out which keys make what note. Also, because our family’s growing, we’ve been praying for a more reliable, spacious vehicle. Unfortunately, due to family spread abroad and the ministry life, we put miles on cars like seconds on a clock. So we’ve been praying for the Lord’s guidance and wisdom on this decision for a vehicle.

Camp:   Things have been changing round here at camp. We’ve added an addition to the Dining Room Kitchen, along with an addition to the Gymnasium. With these additions, we’re hoping to be able to reserve more campers through the weeks in the summer. In addition of making more space indoors for those rainy days, camp is also hoping to insulate the Gymnasium so we can use it year round with comfort of heat in the winter. Campers have also enjoyed the new set of 6 swings we installed. Recently, I’ve been in charge of keeping up the activity equipment as well as keeping the weeds down. Megan, with Maggie’s help, finds little jobs here and there to do. Here lately she’s been doing an excellent job at mudding the dry wall in the new kitchen addition while Maggie takes naps.

Work/School: Since camp’s over, we’ve been back to our previous jobs. I’m back at Jersey Mike’s and Megan is back at the Hillbilly Book Barn, her mom’s homeschool bookstore. The plans are for me to be more available for camp as well as finish my school. After the last BGM (Bancroft Gospel Ministries) Board meeting, the Board agreed that finishing out schooling was more important than putting in 40 hours of labor on campus. This last summer halted our schooling, and we’re back at it, finishing off the Gospels, and digging into the Epistles. We’re still aiming to finish by this coming April. As for my guys Work O.U.T. (Work Out Unconditional Truth) and Megan’s ladies Butterflies group, we stopped them right before the summer got started. Megan finished with a trip to Dollywood, and the guys finished with a paintball game. We’ve got them rolling again and we’re excited to be used of God to reach out to these young adults.

Praises:

Ø  The summer staff was amazing this summer, we believe the Lord really worked through them.

Ø  So far, the midwife says that the baby on the way is healthy and we’re off to a good start.

Ø  Our family is fit as a fiddle, and we’re praying it stays that way throughout the winter.

Prayer Requests:

Ø  As our family grows, we have been praying and looking for a vehicle with preferably 7 seats so it will comfortably fit our family of 4 and growing.

Ø  We are still on probation as full-time staff, as we are trusting God to supply our needs.

Ø  Due to have two babies, two jobs, and schooling, it’s easy for us to feel overwhelmed.

         

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Goofing off just for fun (Not a True Story):       When Megan was growing up, she used to spend a lot of time at her grandparents’ house. She loved going to see them, because she loved seeing and hearing her papaw show  his affection with his actions and terms of endearment. He especially enjoyed calling her “Sweetie”, “Honey”, “Love”, “Sugar”, and so on. One day, as Megan was heading out from her grandparents’, her papaw walked her to the door. “Papaw” Megan said, “it’s so precious the way you call Mamaw all those nice things. It means a lot to me, how much you show your love to her.” “Well hun,” her Papaw said drawing close to her ear, “To be honest, I call her all those things cause I forgot her name 10 years ago.”

THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ OUR NEWSLETTER!

Thank you for all your prayers and support! To Contact Us: Email: whistlerforgod@gmail.com Address: 2907 Devault Bridge Rd  Piney Flats TN 37686 Phone: 423-335-1059(Lucas) or 423-646-9866(Megan)

Support for Lucas and Megan comes from the gifts of supporting churches, family and friends (our ministry team). We praise the Lord for the way He is constructing our ministry team

Spring update 2013

Today’s Verse: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will Praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.                                            ~Psalms 139:13-16~

Home! Just as two robins flutter here and there collecting material to build a homey nest in the spring, so have we been busy making changes in our little nest. From replacing bad flooring to painting the walls and the ceiling, the baby’s room was ready for the baby’s arrival. Our little nest has also experienced a few other projects outside of the baby’s room. We have retired our old water heater and invested in a much healthier one as well as organizing what stuff has not been put in its place from baby showers and the move.

Ok I won’t delay the exciting news any longer. It all began the 15^th of February, when Megan started having contractions early in the day. That evening we decided to contact the midwife and decide whether or not it was time to head to camp (Bancroft Bible Camp). The plan was to have a “home birth” in apartments 2 and 3 at camp. After discussing all the facts and details, we all headed toward camp for the arrival of our long awaited bundle of joy. Everything was proceeding as it should with her water breaking at 2 in the morning. Excitement was building as we witnessed the signs of the coming miracle of our little “Pearl”. Unfortunately, after 12 or so hours of contractions, the progression ceased which we found out later was caused by her water resealing. The midwife had to re-break her water which got things rolling again. In a short hour and a half, our little one was making head way and it was pushing time. That was when our world got scary… FAST! As Megan began pushing, the baby’s heart rate was fading and wasn’t recovering fast enough. Immediately our midwife, knew that our baby’s life was at stake. This once excited father preparing to catch his child instantly became a father terrorized with the fear of losing his first and only child. I began begging God for His mercy on me, knowing I was undeserving of such a miracle. I knew that death is a result of all mankind’s sin, including mine, and prayed that the Lord would help me accept His decision whatever He chooses. As suspense was building, Megan was trying to keep herself together. Knowing this baby she had carried for 42 weeks was at risk had her praying for strength to resist the urge to push. It wasn’t long before Megan was transported via ambulance to the local hospital in hopes of an emergency C-section. The Lord, our great Doctor, rode with Megan in the back of the ambulance and worked an undeserving miracle and helped our baby to push past Megan’s pelvis so that once she arrived at the hospital she was able to forgo the C-section.  It was amazing how God worked in that short trip to get our “Pearl” where she needed to be so Megan could proceed with a vaginal delivery (with some help from the doctor). So at 9:30 pm, February 16^th, born to us was a beautiful 6lb and 13oz baby girl, Maggie Joanna Walsworth. We named her with the same meaning as her mother, “Pearl”, and just like a precious pearl inside an oyster, she has proven to be an undeserving miracle after a long labor.

Both Buddy and Ninja have adjusted very well to us bringing home our little girl. Buddy, our dog, is still trying to figure out what it is we carry to and from the car when we leave. Along with wondering what could produce such noises and smells. Ninja, our cat, has slowly begun to understand that mommy has a new fragile “pet”. Ninja’s learning to share his mommy with the new little one, and has done an excellent job at finding time when he can have mommy to himself. Our lives have changed drastically but Maggie has made it worth it all.

Camp! Our life has been filled with even more excitement besides just Maggie being born. The board members of camp had a meeting April 6^th. We were busy with the retreat going on and didn’t expect much news on our status at camp. However to our surprise, Timothy Strickland (the president of the board) met us after their meeting to explain that they voted to make us full time staff! We are on a one year probation in which we are to finish our schooling and raise our support. We are extremely excited about this news and what God has in store for us at camp!  

Everyone at camp has been busy little bees doing their normal tasks as well as preparing for the summer. A couple of the exciting things in construction are the remodeling of the gym and the addition to the kitchen. Megan and I (little Maggie too) went to a Paintball Symposium in Ohio for another project we are working on for this summer. At the Paintball Symposium we spent 4 days learning about how to repair and clean paintball markers, how to play paintball, how to build a field, and how to use paintball to disciple the campers. Now, I know some of you are already asking, “How much paint covered Lucas after Megan played?” Well, I am lucky to say, that I never once received any paintball welts from my wife. We both got to enjoy this engaging game but we didn’t play each other due to one of us attending to Maggie. *Phew* Thank you Maggie. Since the symposium, I have been put in charge of constructing the paintball program. We are so excited and have been working diligently to prepare paintball for this coming summer.

 

B.U.T.T.E.R.F.L.I.E.S. and Work O.U.T. In the summer, we have two teen weeks in which we are privileged to disciple teens. However, we don’t have any discipling means for the rest of the year, so Megan and I felt burdened to start Bible studies. Megan started the B.U.T.T.E.R.F.L.I.E.S. (Beauty Undergoing Transformation That’s Everlasting, Reaching For Ladyship-by Infinitely Exploring Scripture) for the gals and Lucas started the Work O.U.T. (Work Out Unconditional Truth) for the guys. We meet once a week for fellowship snacks and study. Currently, the guys are studying different men of the bible and the girls are doing a “Foundations” study by Ken Ham.  We both enjoy meeting with the teens each week to encourage them to grow in Christ even when the camp session is over.

Work & School! School is taking longer than we had hoped. However, we are making progress. We have now completed the Old Testament section and are now working on the New Testament. The goal is to have it completely finished by April of ‘14. While I have continued to work at Jersey Mike’s, Megan’s mother has blessed us by letting Megan work at her bookstore. She is able to take Maggie along with her and enjoy these early precious months.

             Praises:

 Ø  Praise God for the safe arrival of our little girl, Maggie.

 Ø  Praise God for being accepted as Full Time Staff at Bancroft.

                  Prayer Requests:

 Ø  Pray that God will give us ideas and strength for summer camp.

 Ø  Pray that the Holy Spirit will give us patience and wisdom as we live life on fewer hours of sleep.

 Ø  Pray for wisdom in knowing what to do with our vehicles as they show their unreliability.

 Ø  Pray that we can work diligently to finish our schooling and reach our support requirement before April ‘14.

Our Beautiful baby girl. Maggie Joanna

Winter Newsletter

Today’s Verse:     Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. ~ Psalms 127:3-5

Home!   Oh the excitement that builds in us when we stop to reminisce the story that God is writing in our lives! In case some of you haven’t heard, our “Home Sweet Home” doormat no longer rests in the front of our Duffield home. That’s right, we’ve moved! Megan’s parents, the Austins, own a double-wide mobile home in Piney Flats, Tennessee where we currently live. It was given to them from Megan’s mamaw, when her mamaw passed away. Megan’s parents offered the double-wide trailer to us, to stay in, rent free. We prayed and evaluated the pros and cons of moving to Tennessee, and felt that it would be a wise decision. So we are now staying in a double-wide mobile home in Piney Flats, which is only 25 minutes from Kingsport and 30 minutes from Bristol and Johnson City.

Being here in Piney Flats shortens the drive to camp and work which results in saving us a few gas dollars. We started boxing our stuff just before Summer Camp (Bancroft Bible Camp) started. Throughout the summer weekends we had free, we have been moving our belongings from one state to the other. While relocating, a lot of things got shuffled around in our house, so we’ve got toilet paper in the kitchen, spoons in the bathroom, laundry detergent in the living room… you get the picture. It’s been our top priority to put our items in their proper places. While we are trying to achieve order in our house, installing a back-yard fence for Buddy (our dog) has been put on our future to-do list. We’re very thankful for the trailer that the Lord has blessed us with, and here is where we will stay until it’s time to move again.

Have we mentioned that we are welcoming a newcomer into our household? Megan has finally convinced me to give cats a chance, so we’ve been raising little Ninja since 10 weeks old. We’ve also gone ahead and got Megan her February 12^th surprise birthday gift... a baby! Our estimate arrival date for this blessed package is February 9^th! We are both bubbling with excitement about our little one. Just in case you were wondering, we are leaving the gender a mystery. Although this change does bring about some complex questions, we are trying to be meek and humble as the Lord “guides with judgment” and “teach his way.” as is promised in Psalms 25:9.

Camp!   We had some interesting twists at camp this summer. One of the unpleasant summer staff traditions, we passed around a head cold, but nothing major enough to prevent our strong-willed staff from giving their best. Besides minor head colds, other dilemmas and complications were few and far between. Our camper attendance at camp has been climbing the last 5 years, and this past summer we had a few weeks we were afraid we were going to run out of room! But it is a problem we enjoy having. Lucas was the Program Director this last summer, along with leading chapel worship, lifeguarding, and some weeks even being a Sr. Counselor. Megan helped with lifeguarding, and was the camp’s photographer and slide show producer when she wasn’t preoccupied being a Sr. Counselor. With the camper attendance rising, we expected this last summer to be slightly more trying and exhaustive than normal. Knowing we would be facing growing pains, we were very grateful for the passionate counselors the Lord sent us this summer.

We found out early in the summer that Megan was pregnant, but we wanted to wait until the end of the summer to make the surprise known to everyone. Unfortunately, the small head cold we were passing around, seemed to be the only thing that triggered morning sickness throughout her pregnancy. Under those circumstances, not saying you’re pregnant, and not acting like you’re pregnant, are two different tasks. After telling the campers to be watchful for the puddles of Megan’s regurgitation while leaving the chapel, it was hard keeping her pregnancy a secret. Thus we explained to some of the staff so they would not be alarmed. During the summer we had a surprise phone call from a friend, who asked whether we would be interested in a car he no longer needed. So we praise God for the little Toyota Corolla He has given to us. Over all, we had an amazing summer, and we’re looking forward with excitement to what the Lord has in store for us.

Work & School!       Since we’ve moved to Tennessee, Lucas has continued to work at Jersey Mike’s. Megan’s mother recently had surgery so Megan is helping her Mom with her Mom’s book store (Hillbilly Book Barn). We both are working, but decided not to put in as many hours as we were, so that we can contribute more hours to working at Camp. Unfortunately, because we moved during the summer our schooling was delayed but we have jumped back into it and hope to have it done by next summer.

Praises:

Ø  Praise God for the new home in Tennessee.

Ø  Praise God for the little one He has given to us.

Prayer Requests:

Ø  Pray that we can work steadfastly and finish our schooling before next summer.

Ø  Pray that the Holy Spirit will give us patience and wisdom as the delivery date gets closer.

Pray that we will be patient as the Lord prepares us to be full-time B.G.M. staff for His glory