I have talked often with you this summer about how much Mishell enjoyed her time at Rainbow. She feels like your family is an extension of her family - as it certainly is in light of our relationship in Christ. Every time she came home she would mention how much she loved your family, how she had become friends with Rachel and how fun and full of life Molly is. She loved playing with Caleb and Danny so Robin could have some uninterrupted time to work or rest. And when that baby was born I heard “Julia is so beautiful”, “I got to hold Julia” etc. As I am sure you have seen Mishell loves horses and riding and just being out on the prairie. She looked forward to Monday and would urge me to hurry so she could get back and get started cleaning the dorm. She wanted to find fun ways to reward her campers for memorizing verses and she wanted to have creative and fun skits for them to perform. But most of all she wanted to share Christ’s love with your family, with her fellow staff members and with the children entrusted to her care. She also has a great desire to bring Christ’s message of salvation to those who have not heard it.

Mishell’s dad and I are not very legalistic in the way we live, we grew up with lots of “don’t do this and don’t do that’s”. What were missing were the dos. We have tried to teach our children that you can follow all the manmade rules and say all the right words, but if you don’t put the basic principle of love as Christ taught it into daily practice then your religion is worthless. We like to harp on how this must start at home in how you treat your siblings and respond to your parents. We tell them the hardest people to love are those you are with all of the time. We are also big on being thankful and Pat is fond of making his children write lists of what they are thankful for whenever he hears much complaining. What Mishell has learned at Rainbow is more than I can write about but I know that you encourage these same things of practicing daily Christ’s love and being thankful. We see it all the time in the way that you both conduct yourselves, the way you raise and interact with your children and in the way you run the camp.

What I have seen most is that Mishell has not been afraid to choose the harder path. There certainly are easier jobs than working at a ranch with lots of children and jobs that pay more but Mishell has a servant heart to help in your ministry. This year we have changed schools and at the orientation the handout had the following poem on the back:

While this poem is written from somewhat of a secular view it reminds me of why we as parents we often worry what long term effect our comfortable life will have on our children and the development of their character. We both believe that suffering and our response to suffering is what builds Christ-like character and draws us closer to God. Rainbow is a place where struggle is permitted, where you need to persist when you are tired and when there is discomfort or even suffering the answer isn’t to run away but to run to the refuge of God and learn how He would have you respond. I am so thankful for the way this has already begun to work in my daughter’s life after one summer on staff. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity you have given Mishell. May God continue to richly bless you and your ministry.

In Christ’s Love,