2015 was not an easy year for us, especially in regards to Young Life.  We had leaders who stepped down and others who we had to ask to step down.  There was a point when we felt we were in many ways starting over, back to square one.  It seemed that all the steps forward were just to take many steps back.  Spaces used for Club were taken away and untrue rumors spread like wildfire.  Ivan has said that 2015 is not a year that he wishes to repeat. 

Teamwork:  creatively "picking" oranges

Behind our house is a beautiful view of "jungle".  Countless trees, plants, and birds spread out behind us, which is one of our favorite features of our home.  From our living room or bedroom we can look out the window and watch the birds fly in and out of the trees.  We can hear the river gurgling beneath and we love it.  There is an orange tree right in the middle which in our first year here, was full of oranges, which we often picked.

This past year, the tree stopped producing fruit.  It died.  It now stands as an eye sore to anyone who looks out the window.  Leaves shriveled up, branches dried out.  We decided to talk to our landlord about cutting it down because it was such a depressing thing to look at each day.  There was so much life and beauty behind the tree that we'd rather gaze upon. 

However, Ivan noticed something one day.  There was a bright yellow bird in the branches.  Upon closer inspection we realized that it (along with it's partner) was building a nest in the orange tree.  Day after day, we watched as they brought different foliage to construct the nest.  There was a great lesson in this for us.  Where we saw a dead tree, God saw a place for life.  A rebirth of purpose and future.  We were reminded that God breathes new life into us, into our dreams, into our situation.  Yes, 2015 was hard.  But out of the hurt and the emptiness, He is making something new.  Something beautiful.  Now, when we look out the window, we don't see a dead tree, we see the new life that is beginning and we're encouraged. 

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

Revelation 21:5

Blue-winged Mountain Tanager