Amanda's Update :)

Yes yes...this isn't old news. I haven't updated in a while! Summer Camp at Chanku Waste Youth Ranch starts up and just about nothing else gets done.  We had a fantastic summer, and had some smaller numbers some weeks but we were able to see more one on one discipleship which was so powerful. He had a few come to know Jesus, and we planted seeds every day. During the summer, the kids get to hear the gospel everyday. And some weeks we slow down on the long bible studies, because the kids have heard, and more times then not, our actions, our love, our life living, shows them more of Jesus then what we speak.

This summer was also our second year as Camp Directors with TEAMeffort Missions out of Jacksonville, FL.  It's a mission organization that just celebrated  20 years of ministry this year! They organize youth construction mission trips. God has used this ministry so much for us personally with new relationships and friends, and also with getting so far in our construction aspect of the Kids Camp. A quick overview of what we accomplished with their help this summer: we built a storage garage behind the main garage, built an archery shed, enclosed the camp side of the garage for camp storage with shelving, accomplished SO much in the Motorcycle Ministry side of the garage, built a stage in the Chapel area and sound booth, helped finish drywall, painted the first coat of paint, painted the trim, built a nice food pantry in the green building beside the church, along with a few other small things! All of that Matt and a few other TE staff leaders organized while camp was going on.  We would not be where we are in the building without the servents of TEAMeffort Missions. We are so blessed by their ministry and all the groups that came from all over the country to serve our people. 

On a personal note, Leah this year was not stop at camp. Last year, it was a good day if she stayed to til lunch time. Which this year, has really been much more of a mild summer, heat wise.  We definiatly had hot days but nothing like last summer. At the end of the day, it was a challenge to get her to come back inside to rest.  Jacob was in his element!! He thrives in every area.  This year, we had a lot of chances to teach him examples of leadership.  Sometimes, our little ones get separated out because they are missionary kids, but the reality is that they are in the heart of ministry as well.  They go to camp everyday throughout the summer, and they get tired and overwhelmed just like us.  Matt and I were so proud to see our kids setting examples, and leading while still being kids. Jacob and Leah both start school on the 9th.  Jacob is in first grade, and Leah will start pre-k.  Sharing with a friend of mine, I stated that this school year is all about GRACE!! Adding a sweet little baby, traveling and speaking, I do not have unrealistic expectations of how it will go.  We will do what we can, and lean on Jesus!! haha! 

We are reaching 34 weeks on Sunday with our pregnancy.  It seems like it has flown by, but at the same time...now it seems time is slowing down for sure!  It is amazing how God designed pregnancy and allows us to bond with Noah even in the womb.  God is creating a love between us and him like no other. We get excited thinking about the changes, and the new things He will bring into our lives, and also enjoy thinking about how he will so much enrich our lives even more.  A few weeks after Leah was born, God gave me a vision of Noah.  I knew we would have one more son one day.  I know that God knows the beginning and the end, and everything in between, but it is so amazing to catch a little glimpse of that and be reminded that he holds every piece of our lives and weaving even the smallest details together. As with Jacob and Leah, I can't wait to see what God has in store for Noah and how he will impact the Kingdom.  I pray that our kids are always eternally minded. 

Matt has made some changes in his health over the summer.  He has decided to be intentional about his health and over the summer lost about 40 pounds total. We have been so proud of him! It's so neat to hear Jacob choose salad over something else with the reasoning of being more healthy like daddy.  "Things are caught by kids, not taught." Matt is leading by example and it has been a joy to see.  I am so thankful for Matt, we are celebrating our 8th anniversary on Aug 20th, and reflecting on where we have come from is overwhelming.  God has been so gracious in our marriage. I have seen so much growth in Matt over that last few years, and seeing him thrive in this ministry it is so evident he was designed, created, and called for this. God gives us the grace to grow in our marriage everyday and I am totally excited for the rest of our lives! Matt enriches our life so much and I am more proud to be his everyday. 

This week, which is why our blog is being updated, we are enjoying a vacation with our family in Branson, MO. My sister came up from Texas, and my mom and dad, brother and his new bride came up from Georgia.  Leah and I are heading down to Alabama for our cousins wedding then heading back up to South Dakota. After that we welcome Matt's family and some dear friends of ours to help build our room addition and get ready for Noah's arrival. Then we just get to rest, and be together as we wait for baby.

God has been providing in every aspect of our ministry.  He has been so faithful!  We don't even have time to question or grow concerned with how we will do it, He just does it! It has been so awesome to see that. We have no doubt he will continue to grow our faith as He follows through with His promises!

Most importantly, Thank you all for your prayers! I wish we could thank you all individually.  Your financial support has been a huge aspect of us being here, and we are so grateful!  It takes the body of Christ to carry out ministry, and we could not do it without the obedience and support of the body of believers.  Thank you over and over!

In the coming weeks, we will have a website that will tie all our social media, contacts, updates, ect in one place and we will let you know that as well.  We love you all and are SO thankful for each of you in our lives!

Amanda <3

End of Summer Update!

Hello everyone,
Wow how the time flies when your having fun.
I cant believe the summer is pretty much over. The kids at camp are talking about school and getting ready to start back in just a few weeks.
Kids camp has been going so well this summer. I can tell a huge difference in the respect and the tone from the kids compared to last year, that comes from the trust and relationships we have been working on building. 
Another encouraging thing I have seen this summer is the growth of our teens. Last summer we were having maybe 3-4 teens, this summer we have had over 15 pretty much everyday. For our teen night Amanda and I do on friday nights, we been having 25-30 every week and some weeks more than that. This is exciting because this has been a very hard age to reach in the past and I believe If this younger generation ever grabs hold of the gospel, it will be revival on Pine Ridge.

We have been doing a study on truth with the teens. What is truth? Does it matter? The bible says it will make you free. Free from what?
So much of our issues within the body of Christ today is because we so many times are not willing to embrace truth but rather cling to how we were raised or what we have believed our whole life regardless if it is what the word of God says. This is so hard for the majority of Christians I believe. It requires acknowledging that we are wrong perhaps and then require a shift in our theology.
The Lord has been growing me in this area over the last few months. Do I really believe what I say enough to act on those beliefs or am I just saying Lord, Lord and not doing what He says. I have seen God work so much in our lives over the last year and am amazed that He remains faithful even when we are lacking in our faith. The bible says to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. There is much power in belief, what you believe is the difference in your eternity as well as the difference in blessing or curse in your life for today. I challenge you to do more than just say Lord, Lord but also do the things He says and act on what you say you believe.

We have just 8 more weeks til baby Noah will be with us, and we are excited for his arrival. With this, we also have school starting back for Jacob and Leah. After this full summer we are ready for a couple of weeks in between to rest a little before we go into the next season of ministry here. Next month we will be starting our ministry garage program where we will be working on local cars while teaching some of the young adults how to do this as a practical skill while also discipling them in the bible. We pray this will open opportunity to pour into this age group that we have had a hard time reaching in the past. Pray that God will bring the right young people into this program and give us wisdom on how we are to go about it. So much of this we are learning as we go as well.

We have come a long way on the building. We have got the power turned on and all the lights and recepticals are in and look great thanks to a team of electricians.
We have just got all the walls painted this week and have been doing a lot of minor things to finish it out. Next week we will be hanging doors and start trimming it out.
We are at a place of needing flooring and a septic tank put in to go to the next step of finishing the kitchen and bathrooms. Thank you so much to everyone who has been working with us on the building it is such a blessing and we have already been using it all through the summer with the kids at camp. Many of you have put your hands to work on it, some of you have donated materials that you had at your house or shop, some have donated the finances and some have been praying it through with us. We could not have been this far wihout all of you and we are so grateful.

We hope you are all doing well and look forward to trying to see some of you in a few months.

 

Learning to serve the Lord in all we do,
Matt, Amanda, Jacob, Leah and baby Noah Hadden

 

 

Things you can pray for and also things we are in need of.
1.  A headset microphone for doing children's church
2.  A handheld wireless microphone
3.  Any old motorcycles or cars that can be worked on in the garage for learning
4.  Folding tables for the dining area of the camp bldg
5.  Projector and screen for the new chapel
6.  Septic system and flooring
7.  Cabinets for the kitchen
8.  Monthly support