God is Faithful!

Greetings from the Olson family!

If you read this blog regularly, then you know how thankful we are for God's provision for our needs! Hopefully, you've gotten glimpses of that thankfulness in previous posts about God's provision of my ministry role at church, our great home, and my on-going opportunities to study His Word in seminary. Well, as of this month, it has been exactly one year since we begin raising support for our ministry to Young Adults @ GHFC... and we have seen that where God leads, He provides!

Thank You!
Many of you have allowed God to use your prayers and generous giving to provide for our needs during this ministry & seminary season of life! We want to express our sincere thanks to you!

Those of you who are currently supporting us and live in the LA/Orange County region should have already received an invitation to join us at our home for dessert! We'll be serving dessert and sharing what God has done and is doing in our ministry to young adults at GHFC.

WHAT: Thank-You Dessert
DAY: Saturday, August 23
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
NOTE: childcare will be provided
Call or email Derek if you need our address & directions. Not sure how to contact me? Just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you! =)


Current Fund-Raising Status:
We are excited to report that the Lord has continued to provide for our needs in 2008 and now, in looking ahead to 2009, we are prayerfully seeking additional financial support.

Interested in coming to our house for dessert? Want to learn more about how to support our ministry through prayer and/or giving? Please just let us know! Feel free to email or call us... or leave a comment below and I'll get back to you.

We've enjoyed hosting Sunday evening gathering in our home this summer... here are some of the great people who have been participating!

The Latest...

One Down, One To Go!
I just finished the first of two classes that I am taking this summer. I'm really glad to have taken it because I always felt my knowledge of church history was pretty weak. Up next, "Life of Christ" with Dr. Darrel Bock from Dallas Theological Seminary... I'm really looking forward to it. Please pray that I'll be able to push through for two more weeks!

Sunday Evening Gatherings at our House
We've been really enjoying opportunities to use host people in our home. Check out this post on the GHFC Young Adults blog to get an idea about our Sunday night gatherings that are going on this summer.

Ding, Dong! It's Avon!
Amy has been busily getting off to a great start on her new adventure of selling Avon. Follow this link to check out her Avon website.

First YA Event @ Our New Home!

Last night was the first young adult hang out time & Bible study held at our new home! We had lots of laughs, some excellent cookies for dessert and a great discussion based on 1 Samuel 15 about the importance of obeying ALL of God's will.

Michael, Ryan, Elyse, Matt and Elise (L-R)
Jessica, see what happens when you have to leave early? You miss out on being in the picture! =)

We're Moving!

In yet another incredible way, God is showing us his amazing faithfulness in always providing for our needs. Although we have felt pretty settled in our Cypress apartment, we had continued to pray for and keep feelers out for a housing situation closer to our church community because it is our desire to use our house for ministry and hospitality of all kinds. In order to be able to afford living in a single-family home in La Mirada or Whittier, we were asking God to provide a unique situation where we would be able to rent for less than the going rate.

Well, as Ephesians 3:20 says, God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Through a good friend at Talbot, God led us to a unique situation where we will be able to rent a very large home for only a little more than we are currently paying for rent. The house is in Whittier (5 minutes from our church), it provides much more space for our family, and it allows us to live in closer proximity to our church community. In addition, we are incredibly blessed and excited to report that it has great entertaining spaces including a recreation room with pool table, a patio and barbeque area, and a pool! How cool is that for a Young Adults Pastor and his family!

We look forward to using this home that God has provided to love others and glorify Him! We’ll move in late April. Although we are really excited about the house and thankful for God's provision, we're admittedly not that excited about moving. This will be the 8th place that Amy and I have lived in our almost 9 years of marriage. We would appreciate your prayers because the move comes in the midst of a busy season of ministry and as the semester workload is heating up. Thanks!

It's the one right in the middle of the picture... quiet street, nice neighborhood, very close to a good little school where Kaylin will start Kindergarten in the fall.

Matt & Elise's Wedding

This post is overdue... but better late than never I guess!

We'd like to congratulate Matt & Elise on their recent (March 8th) marriage! Amy and I have gotten to know Matt & Elise through church and it's been a joy for us to be part of their lives. Matt & Elise, we wish you all the best and we continue to pray that God will always be the center of your marriage!

Their wedding was also my first opportunity to participate in a wedding. OK, I guess I need to clarify that... I've participated in many weddings before. The BEST one was obviously my own wedding where I participated as the groom! =) I've also been a candlelighter, a groomsman, and a best man... those were also great weddings to be a part of. So to be more specific, this was the first wedding where I participated in a pastoral role. =)

The bride and her father are on the left and on the right are the groom, Pastor Ed Morsey, and myself

What a privilege to be a part of such a special day in their lives. Matt & Elise asked me to do the welcome and the opening prayer. It was an honor to assist in that way!

I suppose that pictures of someone praying are always going to look awkward! =)

Amy and I with the newlywed couple!
(sorry for the picture quality, only had my cell phone camera with us)

GHFC Staff & Elders

The GHFC Staff & Elder Christmas Party!
With all the staff, elders and spouses, it was a big group and a great evening of fun and food!

Olson Family Travel Services!

Who needs Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz?
You can make your travel arrangements through Olson Family Travel Services!

We'll post more details on this soon! Plus, we might email you more information... but until then, here's the quick version:

Do you ever use the internet for...

• buying airline tickets?
• booking a cruise?
• renting a car?
• reserving a hotel room?
• planning your vacation?
• ordering flowers?
• getting concert/sporting event tickets?

We thought so! Please check out www.olsonfamilytravel.com ...and be sure to bookmark it for future reference!

Using our state-of-the-art website and travel search engine, you'll have access to the sames flights, the same hotel rooms, the same cabins on the cruise ships, etc. Plus, most likely our prices will be the same as or cheaper than other online travel sites. If you find that to be true, who would you rather have benefit from your purchase... those huge companies or... the Olson family! =)

So there you go... an easy way for you to support our seminary and ministry endeavors! You're gonna make those travel plans somehow and you're gonna spend the money somewhere. Why not go through Olson Family Travel? And please, spread the word! If you have friends or family members that travel frequently, please send them to olsonfamilytravel.com

Or... if you're interested in owning your own online travel business, check out this website to learn more about YTB. You can be a travel industry "insider," getting better deals than ever on your own vacations. Plus, you can earn commissions when friends and family members book their travel through your site!

In the News...

My friend and former co-worker Bill Walton (aka "B-dub") at Mission Springs put an update about us on the Mission Springs website. The article introduces Brian, the new Director of Frontier Ranch, but also gives an update on our family... click here to read it.

Also, here's the article that ran in our church newsletter this month:

Our new Minister to Young Adults is Derek Olson. He and his family recently relocated to Southern California from the Santa Cruz area. Derek and his wife, Amy, met while working on summer staff at camp during college and just celebrated their 8^th wedding anniversary on July 17th. They have two children: Their daughter Kaylin will turn four in October and their son Trevor (T.J.) is 15 months old.

Derek has lived in California since he was five years old, spending his early childhood in San Pedro and Long Beach before moving to Northern California just before junior high. He graduated from Escalon High School in Escalon, CA (near Modesto) and then later from the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Amy is a native Californian, born in Downey and raised in Cypress. She’s a graduate of Cypress High School and California State University, Sacramento. Prior to her current role of stay-home mommy, she was a recreation therapist and a schoolteacher.

The Olson’s moved to this area in January so that Derek could begin part-time coursework in the Master of Divinity program at Talbot School of Theology. Derek comes to GHFC with ten years of ministry experience as a youth pastor, schoolteacher and camp director. Having enjoyed ministering to and serving the college-age summer staffers at camp over the past few years, Derek and Amy are really excited for this new opportunity to live life with the young adults here at Granada.

Exciting New Ministry!

One of the biggest reasons why Amy and I really enjoyed serving at camp was getting to hang out with the high school and college age staff! It was a joy to watch God use and work through those awesome people as they loved on campers. Plus, we just enjoyed living life alongside them each summer, inviting them into our home and getting to know them as best we could.

Now, we are incredibily excited because God has given us a new opportunity to hang out with and serve college-age students. Just this morning, I accepted a position as Pastor to College/Career/Young Adults/18-25 year-olds (no, that's not my title, I'm just trying to describe the ministry =) at Granada Heights Friends Church in La Mirada, CA.

The church is located just over a mile from the Biola campus so it will be easy for me to intertwine this new role along with my job in the Dean's office and my seminary studies.

More info and news will be coming soon... stay tuned!

Derek's New Job

So many of you have been praying for us in this time of transition and we so appreciate it. One specific prayer request has been for the Lord to show me how/where I could earn a living to support my family. Some recent news that is a step toward that is my new part-time on campus position. On Monday I started a temporary (this semester) job as the Distance Learning Coordinator, working in the Dean's Office at Talbot School of Theology. Talbot is about to launch two new extension campuses, one in Kiev, Ukraine and the other in New York City. Classes begin this month in Kiev and this summer in Manhattan. These exciting new ventures required the Dean's Office to seek additional help and while the position is temporary for now, the need for staffing in this area may continue after this semester. I'll post a bit more about what I'm doing when I can.

It's exciting to be a part of it, it will help us pay the bills while we continue to live with family, it's a great foot in the door to the campus community (I'm meeting tons of profs and staff), and it will buy me some time while I apply for some full-time positions. So that's the update! Thanks for both your past and continued prayers for us!

My Last Day at Mission Springs

Today is my last day at Mission Springs. I just packed up my desk... feels a bit weird. My family and I will miss our the Mission Springs community - staff, residents, and our church family. My fellow Program staffers put together a very nice going away party for me on Wednesday. There were a few rounds of "Duke Trivia," some sharing, some stories, and some food. I really appreciated it! One of the gifts I received was a memory book with pictures and notes from many people... very cool. Here's the group just after the party...

I'm very thankful for the time I had to serve the Lord on staff here at Mission Springs... and we will truly miss the people here! We also love the many amazing people that have served with us at Frontier Ranch in the past few years. Please keep in touch with us!

"You're Tall!"

Several months after summer, I finally got some videos of me speaking at camp put online. Below is a brief preview called "You're Tall!" For more full-length videos, go to Derek's Teaching/Speaking Videos.

Summer Camp Season is Over! 2 sighs!

My mom called a couple days ago 'cuz she wondered if the huge sigh that she heard all the way in Colorado was me. I told her that it definitely was me! There were two reasons for my sigh though...

Sigh #1 - A "that's a bummer" sigh because the summer camp season is my favorite part of the camp ministry calendar.

Sigh #2 - Yes, a sigh of relief... because the summer camp season is also the most grueling part of my year.

I had a great staff and it was a great summer! And most importantly, God worked in amazing ways in the lives of both staff and campers... as He always does!

Me and some FR staff workin' hard during the last week of camp...


Mom and kids during the last "Beach Day."
The last week of camp was approx. 200 jr. highers and we take them all down to the beach!


That's me inmy "gulchie" costume. It's a long story... =)


Summer staffers LumberJill, Snowflake, Quito and Figure8 (L-R) and
honorary summer staffer Kaylin "Nugget" Olson on stage leading the singing of a camp song.


Even Trevor "Simba" Olson made his stage debut last week!

Frontier Ranch Staff Banquet

Summer is winding down at Frontier Ranch... the last week of camp ends on August 19th. So the 2006 Frontier Ranch staff took some time this past Saturday night to celebrate their summer of ministry together. In the midst of camp, it's an excuse to get dressed up, have a nice dinner together, take lots of pictures and reflect on what God's been doing. Also, each staff member is given a personalized staff award that highlights their funny attributes and spiritual giftedness.

The Olson family just before the banquet

The picture above is of the group of staff that I work most closely with during the summer. This group assists me in providing leadership to various areas of the camp. The two year-round Interns served as Assistant Director and Staff Coordinator this summer. The rest of the group are summer staffers. My best friend Chris "Chops" Gothold (far right) was here again this summer in a staff pastor and worship leader role. The Servant Team also includes Team Counselors (counselors for the rest of the summer staff), LIT Coordinators (who direct our high school volunteers), and the Program Team (who oversee programming, skits, and other camper activities).

The 2006 FR "Servant Team"

Camp Has Begun!

The first week of camp is winding down at Frontier Ranch. I spent May 28 through June 10 training the summer staff... it was a wild, long couple of weeks... but it's always great to have the staff arrive for training! There will be 6 weeks of elementary (4-6 grade) camp and 4 weeks of jr. high (7th-9th grade) camp at Frontier Ranch this summer. Here's a picture from week #1 and below is a glimpse into this summer's theme.

2006 Theme: Frontier Safari
Welcome explorers! Are you ready to go on safari? The Frontier Tour Company has planned an exciting trip just for you! This week’s tour will be an action-packed expedition through the African savannah. We’ll take in some amazing scenery and encounter many exotic animals! It should be a great time… but if the going gets rough, we’ll be searching for an oasis where we can take refuge. So grab your canteens and your safari hats, and get ready for the best adventure on both sides of the equator! “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” - Psalm 18:30