Zachary Philip Drake

ERM — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:01:53 -0800

Congratulations to staff members Philip and Elisabeth Drake on the birth of their son, Zachary Philip Drake. Zachary was born at 10:36 am on January 5, 2009. He weighed in at 9 lbs. 7 oz, and he was 20 in. long. Mother and baby are both doing well and resting now.

Posted to: Zachary Philip Drake

Re: Micah Romine

Ed Gritsavage — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:20:08 -0800

Praying for you, Sarah & Micah.

Posted to: Micah Romine

Re: Micah Romine

Bryan DeWire — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:10:59 -0800

I'll be praying for you, Micah. I love you, brother.

Today is the one-year anniversary of my Dad's death, so please pray for the DeWire's, especially Mom.

Posted to: Micah Romine

Re: God is good!

Philip Drake — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:05:44 -0800

Hey, Drew. Good thoughts. I just recently went to a Michael Card concert in Lancaster, PA and was thoroughly blessed by the evening. Through the concert, Michael was encouraging the audience to read through the Bible from beginning to end. I have never done that before. Sure, I've tried but always got discouraged when I "fell behind" my daily reading schedule. Then I would always get to the point that I felt like I could never catch up. So I have started doing that - no reading schedule - just picking it up when I can and plugging away. You spoke of the goodness of God. The goodness of God oozes from every page. I would encourage you to read the Scriptures from beginning to end. It is opening my eyes!

Posted to: God is good!

Micah Romine

ERM — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:52:29 -0800

Sarah Penica Romine called our office this morning and informed us that Micah Romine has been sick for some time with coughing, chills, etc. He thought it was a bad cold but finally went for a series of tests. Yesterday the doctors told them that they are pretty certain he has cancer. He is having an MRI today. Please pray for the Romines, who are alumni of Encounter and were with the ministry from 2001-2003.

Posted to: Micah Romine

Missing Encounter

Erik Hendershot — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:46:32 -0800

Anybody else really miss encounter a lot? As of late I find myself missing the ministry and being involved in it more and more. It's been 3 going on 4 years since I have traveled, but I still feel like it was yesterday. I'd almost like to come back, that is if Ardy would have me.... =) Anyway I was just curious if anyone else felt the same way.

Posted to: Missing Encounter

God is good!

Andrew Laparra — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:47:36 -0800

Hey, I just wanted to hopefully help start a little conversation on here, but I am definitely thanking Christ for His love for me! He is so good! Especially when you're able to sit down and allow Him to talk to you through His soft, still voice. I sure is different from when you're on the team and you're given a specific time to spend with God to doing everything on your own. But the Lord is teaching me one of the real reasons that I need to spend time with Him. It is to put His armor that He gives us to make it through each day!

Posted to: God is good!

Global Games Extension

ERM — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:40:22 -0700

Lou San Times

Olympians Showdown with Titans at the Global Games Coliseum
By Philip Drake
Global Games Resident Professional (which means absolutely nothing!)

The Olympians brought it strong in the latest showdown with their fierce competitors, the Titans! The contest was stretched out over 3 days and involved many grueling events such as Big Ball Bonanza, Extreme Frisbee, Big Ball V-ball, and the most heated of all events – Torch It!

On October 1 at 5:30pm, competitors from Leesburg Christian School in Leesburg, VA stepped onto the property of the Global Games Village at Mt. Lou San at the base of Blue Mtn. for the first time as they began their 3-day quest for gold. The events at the Global Games Village, which many thought were over in early August, were extended for this 3-day matchup. The Encounter members once again assumed their roles as “coaches” to facilitate this epic scenario, as they quickly bonded with their “athletes” for maximum effectiveness. Apart from the rivalry, the athletes enjoyed spending worthwhile time with their coaches at the Global Games Chapel learning more about God’s pattern for their lives. They learned lessons on teamwork and unity in the body of Christ at the Low Ropes Training Course. Through the sport of geocaching, the coaches were able to help their athletes understand how God’s Word is like the GPS tracker that guided them through the woods to their treasure. And through a time set aside for personal devotions, the athletes were able to cultivate their relationship with their heavenly Father – many for the first time in a long while.

Certainly, the highlight of this episode of the Global Games was the fireside testimonies shared by coaches and athletes alike, where it was evident that the events between the Olympians and the Titans took backstage to the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all those who attended the games.

To the readers/subscribers of this issue of the Lou San Times:
We thank God for this time with Leesburg Christian School and ask that you would please remember these students in your prayers. Many have made life-altering decisions and need the courage to stand up for those decisions, and the perseverance to carry them out. Thank you for your prayers and commitment to Mt. Lou San. We would encourage you to look for the next issue of the Lou San Times in the near future! God bless!

Posted to: Global Games Extension

New Programming at Mt. Lou San!

ERM — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:18:15 -0700

Encounter Alumni,

Hi everyone! I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know about 1 opportunity we have had here at Mt. Lou San Bible Camp. Yesterday, we held an activity for a school retreat entitled “Jesus: the Great Treasure Hunt.” We set up an extreme geocaching course on our 150-acre property. For those of you who have never heard of the sport of “geocaching,” it is basically a glorified hike using handheld gps units to find “treasure” at different coordinates around the property. It is actually an international sport that we learned about this past year. The kids really enjoyed their trek up and down the mountain. Well…most of them, anyway. From here the school went to Camp Hebron, just north of our camp. I was asked to do the message for their chapel that night, so I prepared a message along the same theme as I mentioned above. We looked at Solomon and everything that he had (millions of times more than any of us). Solomon’s cry at the end of his life was that it was all vanity! Nothingness! Worthless emptiness and futility! He says it was like “grasping for the wind.” Well, I am still in awe of how God moved in the basement of that lodge where we met that night. Many of the students responded to the call for salvation, and many others made an active decision to allow God, and God alone, to be their satisfaction. Praise the Lord for His working in the lives of those students that night. As alumni of Encounter, I wanted you to know how God is using Mt. Lou San and its staff for His purposes. Please continue to pray for the ministry that Mt. Lou San has in the community as we will continue to pray for you.

In Christ,
Philip Drake
Program Director, Mt. Lou San Bible Camp

P.S. – I am also praising God that the event was not held the next day because as we were cleaning up the activity we saw 3 black bears right on one of the trails we had just been on the day before. Yikes!!!

Posted to: New Programming at Mt. Lou San!