Back on the Plateau Top

As much as I love this ministry, the truth is that we really aren't on a mountain top. I just got back from my 4th annual ski trip with Jeff Grammer and Ryan Pace to see Betsy Rhulig in Colorado. The Cumberland Plateau doesn't really compare to viewing the world from a Rocky Mountain peak. Still, the common bond that brings us all together every year is our involvement in this ministry. Betsy, Jeff and Ryan are all former staffers and all played a big role in helping Ed transition the ministry in 2005. My gift was sharing the current vision of MTOP with them and explaining all the new programs, buildings, and ideas we have going on at camp. Even though it has been a while since they were on staff, they are still obviously on fire and excited for the mission we continue every day.
Each year, I am struck with wonderment at God's handiwork in that part of the country. We always get up at 5AM the morning we are going skiing to drive the 2.5 hours to the slopes. Watching the sun come up over the mountains as we drive past Denver is a sight without comparison. It's also pretty easy to enjoy the splendor of the King standing on top of a snow covered peak looking down 12,000 feet at a winter wonderland (even if it is -30 degrees!). Days like those make a person happy to be alive. I am rested, reverent, and so grateful for the life-long friends I have because of Mountain T.O.P.! Now. . .back to work!!

Long Beach

This past weekend I headed for the Mississippi Coast to join FUMC of Long Beach for their Souper Bowl Sunday lunch and missions fair!  Man, was that soup good!!!  There were 20 different ones to choose from!  I think I tried 6 of them, (or just had 2 bowls of the 3 I liked), but Mr. John definitely beat me.  45 mins later he was still eating!

                                    (Mountain T.O.P. can come to your church too!)

FUMC of Long Beach has been coming to Mountain T.O.P. for 27 years (WHOA!)  It was a great weekend to see some old friends and make some new ones.  I stayed with John and Ann Armstrong, who were incredibly hospitable!  They took me to Lil Rays, "the best seafood restaurant on the coast."  Mr. John told me about all the ways the church and community serve others.  It was nice to sit back and see his passion and love for serving people.  He is such a humble man.  A model of a servant in my eyes.  He's constantly looking for ways to help others and is never concerned about being recognized for his efforts. He serves from his heart, one that reflects the heart of God.  As Rick Warren puts it, "Real servants maintain a low profile.  Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves.  Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they 'put on the apron of humility, to serve one another.'  If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don't allow notoriety to distract them from their work."  What a blessing he is to others.

It was nice to worship with the Long Beach congregation as well!  I love getting to experience different churches and different styles of worship.  Everyone was friendly and welcoming!  Just look at their beautiful sanctuary!

When the missions fair was over, Mr. John took me to the children's building.  Just recently, they finished mosaics that line the hallways.  They are stunning....

Is that last one a coincidence?  I think not :)

Along with the mosaics, Long Beach actually created a program called M.O.S.A.I.C. (Making Our Souls Alive In Christ).  Mosaic is a work mission camp that developed in the wake of Hurrican Katrina.  It's objective is to provide a holistic work mission camp for Junior and Senior High students in order to make a difference in the community.  (Hey! You can do this too!)

Last, but certainly not least, I had the privilege of meeting Stan Partridge, a 9 year veteran to the AIM program.  Stan and his wife Sandy live in Gulfport, MS and attend Michael Memorial.  The church currently serves in Brazil, but wanted to get involved in a domestic mission trip.  Knowing Mountain T.O.P., Stan suggested the ministry and got people interested!

It was a refreshing visit and certainly an inspiring one.  In just 30 mins, I could feel Stan's love for missions, Mountain T.O.P. and following the calls God has laid out for him.  Praise God for people who continue to spread the good news!

"Because of camp..."

Back in January, our friend, co-worker in the camp & retreat world, and former MTOP staffer* Paul Harcey (Camp Kingswood) asked us to finish this sentence: "Because of camp..." We reposted the question on our MTOP Facebook page. I recently paid attention to the responses. I was overwhelmed.

That got me thinking about something I heard said by Rev. Dickie Hinton, the United Methodist TN Conference Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries and also a former MTOP staffer*. Dickie was plugging camping ministry, and reminded me that sending a young person to one week of Christ-filled summer camp was equivalent to a year's worth of Sunday School instruction. It made me see what I do and what I spend as a parent on my child's camping experience in a different light.

(*Coincidence? Hmmm...)

So, here it goes. "Because of camp..."

• I have renewed my relationship with God. - Paula

• I have long lasting relationships with people across the country and have grown so much closer to our Lord and Savior. - Shelby

• I learned that those who have less material things tend to have more spiritual treasures. - Melissa

• I could build a house by myself (almost) but more important are the friends from all over and the spiritual renewal every time! - Jan

• I feel more comfortable with helping the valley below. Not only by doing God's work, but helping our giant community on Earth. - Emily

• I have a heart for missions, a closer relationship with my Savior and Friend, and many sisters and brothers in Christ all over the country who are my prayer warriors! -Sonja

• i began a life long pilgrimage of ministry - Gavin

• I learned to use a breath prayer and I now say it multiple times a day -Julie

• I've been given a living hope in God and man. -Colton

• I now live and work in Grundy County School System. -Erika

• I take longer walks with god and have unending friendships across the country - Matt

• I know and love God more than I possibly could have without working out in the county - Andrea

• I heard a call to start an organization called ATOP (Austin, Texas Outreach Project) to serve the "valley below" at home-to love my neighbors, to grow in my faith, and to commit myself to a life of service with my faith family. - Meghan

• I also learned that no matter where you are called to go, you will ALWAYS be blessed by those your serve and serve with!!! - Holly

• i have an amazing relationship with our father and have nevr had an experience like that since and will remember the relationships formed for a lifetime and know the miracles he can perform in just two weeks thanks sooooo much mountain top the staffffff and our father - Muffie

• I found my way back to my creator. - Mary

• I helped our church start a group in my home community in 1977 called S.H.A.L.O.M... and after my 2nd trip to the mountain in 1983, I was called(the day I got back-talk about answered prayers) to be a teacher in a low income area 1300 miles away and what I learned on the mountain has guided me every day of my life. - Michele

• I am a Christian. - Eric

• I have never truly felt disconnected from God. Far away at times, yes; but I couldn't forget what He has done for me because of my experiences there. - Alex

• because of camp im a better person and i love more - Perp

• i am happier - Carolyn

• i know from which well to drink. - Carolyn

• I became closer with God. I met amazing people. I learned that physical labor isn't that scary. I had hands down the best week of my life. ♥ - April

• I learned that 'God spoke to me' at least sometimes literally means "God SPOKE to me" and that the first time is a little scary. -John

So, thanks to everyone out there who supports camping and retreat ministries, who pays a camper's fee, who eats a spaghetti dinner at a youth mission trip fundraiser, who organizes a trip to camp. You make an invaluable and immeasurable impact for the sake of the Kingdom.

MTOP friends are EVERYWHERE!!

A few weeks back I was in Lake Junaluska, NC for the National Camp and Retreat Leaders Gathering. There were over 400 camping professionals & volunteers. In this community we worshiped together, ate meals together, gathered together to ski, shared camp stories around campfires and became friends. This was the fifth Nationals I've attended and this one ranked very high in terms of dynamic speakers, good food, okay lodging and great atmosphere. Every one of the 400 attendees share a passion for camping ministry.

At our first gathering we were introduced to the musicians for our week. Celia Whitler and Will (sorry, I didn't get Will's last name) are from Franklin, TN and Nashville. I got a chance to speak with her before our evening gathering one night and she noticed that I had on my Mountain T.O.P. fleece jacket. She said she'd been to MTOP before - five times. She said she'd been with different churches around Nashville & Franklin and also attended with a church from Texas.

On Tuesday and Thursday our Keynote speaker was Katherine Turpin. She spoke to us about consumerism and Christianity. I happened to be behind her at breakfast on Thursday. We made small talk and she also noticed my Mountain T.O.P. jacket. She said she was on staff back in the late 80s, early 90s.

All throughout my week at Lake Junaluska I had people see my jacket and say "I've been to Mountain T.O.P." or "I have a friend that went to Mountain T.O.P. and loved it".

Extreme Makeover Peabody Style

Peabody's makeover is progressing well. Last Friends Weekend, we added the new bathroom structure. Slowly but surely, the cabin is being transformed. As you can see from the video, we discovered structural "issues" that we are now dealing with along with our remodeling and bathroom upgrades. We'll be pushing hard during this Friends Weekend to get Peabody ready for our summer AIM program.



Before you check out the video of Peabody below, I wanted to tell you about a special group of people who have donated their time in sheetrocking the new bathrooms. Most of the come from Bethel UMC, Murfreesboro, TN, though there are a few other folks in the group who just like to come along for the fun of things! This is their second trek up the mountain. And we are so very thankful for our crew today: Mickey Hopkins, Jackie Jamison, Smitty (yes, the one and only), Jerry Boney, Ike Farrar, and John Todd. These men worked tirelessly today, asking only for a cup of hot coffee. Thanks guys! We couldn't have done it without you!

What's that noise?

On the way down to Atlanta for the Tartan Trot, we passed some of these guys (alpacas).

Here's what Bo had to say ... 

And here are some more pictures from the 10k!

It's 7:30 am... getting ready to run 

Ed:  What are you doing?

Getting ready to start!!! (with the other 1196 runners)

Like Julie said, ED is THE man!

So happy to see the finish line!

And when it's all said and done .. We're still smiling!

Next time, I'm gonna practice

I've always liked the idea of running, but I don't really like to run. Well, maybe there have been a couple of times I have enjoyed a decent run down a nice park path. One of those runs that helps the stress to drain off without demanding too much exertion.

But the idea of running is such a great metaphor. The apostle Paul used it. It's one of those images that is timeless. The Corinthian church knew exactly what Paul meant when he said:

You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.

The problem with my most recent race was this: I didn't train. At all. None. Not a step. Not a stretch. No diet changes. Nothing. And I ran a 10k in 1:11. That's 11.45 minutes per mile. If I had trained, I'd probably run a 10 minute mile. I know, I know. But I'm not a racer. I'm a finisher.

Now, I've done enough distance races to know that not training = longer recovery time. So, I knew EXACTLY what I was doing to myself before I took my first step. And that was EXACTLY what happened: I've been sore beyond belief going on 4 days. But as my husband keeps reminding me, it was for a good cause.

It was for a good cause. St Luke's Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody, GA, holds an annual race where they raise money for missions. Mountain T.O.P. benefits from the money raised. And it was a great event. Really great.

Like with every race I've finished, I always learn something new. Here is what I learned from this race:

• I can run without an iPod.
• Ed Simmons is THE man for running up THAT hill on mile 4.
• Grundy County fashion is starkly different from Atlanta's. And I forgot to pack my skinny jeans.
  
• How well I recover from difficult circumstances in life is directly proportional to the amount of time I put into my relationship with God. I will probably make it though the storm, but if I am prepared, my recovery time is significantly shorter. Not to mention, my relationship with God is stronger.

Like I said, I don't really like to run. But the idea of running always seems to teach me something.