To Build a Cross

On a windy spring day last May, I got my axe, chainsaw, and draw knife and headed up to camp to build a fire ring and a cross. Most of the day was spend building benches and the fire ring, with help from one of our interns whose name is Dom. It was hard work, but I loved being outside swinging my axe and creating something new. One of the last things I did was to build a cross at the front of the fire ring area. I searched for the perfect sized log, cut it into the appropriate lengths and then spent the next few hours scraping the bark of the logs. While I scraped, I wondered how this cross might be an encouragement to some future camper. I hoped that I would get to see folks gathering around it on occasion as I drove by to do my other camp duties.

Finally, I finished peeling the bark, notched the wood, and put the cross together with huge steel nails. We then dug a hole, filled it with cement, and stood up the cross. The picture of the cross with the mountains in the backdrop was an awesome sight. I hoped and prayed that the Lord would use this place to minister and encourage many hearts. Yet each time I have driven by since, I have yet to see anyone there worshipping at the cross. It is often like that at camp. We do so many things behind the scenes; we rarely get to personally see the life change that is taking place at camp.

Then I got a call a few weeks ago.

My friend Matthew was driving by the cross and noticed a young Latino boy with his arms draped around it. The boy was weeping, and his counselors each had their hands on his shoulders as he cried. He cried tears of repentance and joy as the Lord healed his wounded heart. It was a beautiful seen. This young man, from inner city Denver, was here on a weekend retreat with other teens from the city. It was such a joy to hear. For not only had I longed to see the cross being used as a place of repentance and healing, but I also longed to see our camp reach out to those who could not afford to come on their own. I have prayed that Horn Creek would be a place where inner city kids could come and find Jesus. Amazingly, even in spite of us, they are beginning to come. Next summer we will have even more camps of inner city kids coming to Horn Creek.

Now, as I think back on that windy May day, I now know that the Lord had a purpose for that cross. He also had a purpose for that young man. I praise God I was allowed to be a part of it.

-Jeff

Chapter One Coming to a Close

Saying good bye to people you care about is hard. We just had to do that with our first ever Horncreek Interns this past week. Ouch. We will be feeling the loss of their daily friendship, endless jokes, fresh perspective on life and just their PRESENCE as we forge ahead with life at camp. They were truly a special bunch and we would not have traded this year with them for anything. We spent the last night with them up at our cabin on Monday and had such a sweet time of fellwoship in the truest sense. We had an extended time of letting each of them verbally encourage one another from things they saw in one another through out this year --- a beautiful example of seeing how words can be used in powerful positve ways. Wow.

One of things we hope they took away from this year - and I think most of them did - is the value of community and how to stick it out and love each other well when it gets hard. They couldn't run from each other so they had to learn to gently speak words of truth when conflict arose and then how to extend grace when it was due time. So cool to see and be a part of. They are all going different directions now --- TX, CO, MT, MA. They are already talking of a "reunion" this December. Their friendships with one another will be those that last for years.

But move on - we must! Our new group of eight arrived a few days later - three of whom were summer staffers, the rest are new to HC. It is wild to think that a year from now, we will be writing similar thoughts about these 8 - yet at this point, they are mere faces to us. We look forward to another year of living life together with these folks and being a part of their journey together.

School will be starting for the girls on Monday, so another chapter of sorts is closing and beginning for them. I always kind of mourn the passing of summer days yet welcome the routine of fall and all that comes with a new school year. It has been a sweet few months with them and I know they have enjoyed the lazy mornings on the deck, countless hours at the pool and of course, time spent with the people here at camp. I think they too are learning the value of people and relationships in their life.

Hope you all are enjoying the season God has you in right now. Appreciate where you are and love those in your life well. I am more and more convinced that Jesus was onto something when he said, Love others. It really is where abundant life is found.

Blessings to you,

Leslie and Family

Summer Snip-Its

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains --- summer has arrived.

This is some of Jeff's summer staff - a great crew of college folks from all over.

The Graduate on the left --- she has big goals for kindergarten next fall.

Check out the tongue of our big hitter on the right. This is serious stuff.

Jessie, Faith, Leslie and Polly
So much of what we love about our time here has to do with spending time with these folks and the other interns. Leslie has been mentoring Faith this year and will miss her big time as she heads to Nashville this fall.

Kinda makes you want to hum the chariots of fire tune....
This was at the Sand Dunes about 2 hours away. Hills of sand and in early summer, rushing water, too.

This was taken on Lake Dillon while kayaking with the girls and Mike, one of our interns this year. He has been an adventure buddy for Jeff as well as a big encourager to all those he is around. Mike is also a nut. Before he shaved his head, he went to our Menonite church with a huge, spiked mohawk.

Jeff recently turned 36, and celebrated it by running 16 miles across the mountains at 10,000 feet elevation. He also recently swam naked up at a mountain lake, hiked up and skied down Horn Peak (our 13,000 + foot moutain in the first picture), and has been loving hiking, and fishing this summer in the moutains. He has been a wild man.

Camp has been crazy this summer. Jeff is leading one of the family camps this summer, but will speak all week at our youth camp next week. We will have 3 different inner city groups come to Horn Creek this summer. This is very exciting for us, and a huge answer to prayer. We are hoping to have more interns next year, but money troubles may affect how many interns we can bring on. Jeff will play an even greater role in overseeing the internship, and planning the year.

Some Spring Shots

We have had some beautiful days. The girls are very ready for summer and outside fun.

Sydney giving the rock wall a try. She is becoming more and more adventurous, in her ripe old age of 5. We have had some suprising dumps of the white stuff...

Just when we thought it was all gone for the season...

Jeff tried to climb this peak with skies and boots strapped on his back before sun up, but it wasn't meant to be as he and his buddy lost the trail to the top. Another attempt to ski down may be in the works with our recent snowfall.

Words from the Mrs.

I thought perhaps it was time for me to contribute to our quite neglected "Horncreek Chronicles". As our good friend from Little Rock (you know who you are...) observed, it has been quite awhile since we last wrote. No good excuses, we're just slackers.

I always wondered how my brother and his family survived winters in Minnesota. Thought they were crazy. I admit now that I secretly said to myself, "I would never live somewhere where the snow stays on the ground past Easter. " Ha. Here we are with still a few snow banks waiting to melt, but I swear, I think spring is on its way. And when you live in a place where snow is around from November on, this time of year takes on new meaning. It is good to be outside just enjoying warmth with out having to wear smart wools and the like.

As some of you know, we purchased a house just off camp property at the beginning of the year. It is just a 5 minute walk to Horncreek, yet gives us some seperation from camp that Jeff will appreciate the longer we are here. It was a house that was stuck in the early 1970's as far as decor, so we spent 2 months (2 long months I should say...) pitching the avacado green toilets and plastic brick kithcen walls and giving it some life. We are thankful to be done, settled and living a much more normal life again.

Jeff is getting ready to gear up for summer and all that it entails. There are some possible changes looming as far as his job description goes, but I will let him expand on that when and if it happens. One observation about this place: things are always changing! And for Jeff and his make up, that is probably a really good thing. His passion with work is the internship and time spent with the interns. That is just life giving to him. And what a diverse group we have with in that group...as the year goes on, the layers peel off and you really begin to get at the heart of these folks. That is when the "fun" begins. But it takes time, a reminder that trust is earned. Hopefully next year as Horncreek expands the internship, Jeff will have even more time to invest and teach the group. That is our prayer anyway.

A few weeks ago, Jeff came home from work totally spent and physically exhausted. But when I asked what he had done, I smiled with thankfulness. He had the opportunity to build a fire ring, benches, and a huge cross for groups to gather around this summer. He hauled and split the wood, gathered rocks, dug the pit, etc. --- and was loving every second.

I continue to enjoy small town living and the community here at camp. Just like any place though, large or small, the question still lingers: who around me can I love or serve to a greater degree? I am amazed at how many opportunites exist all around me, whether it is at our K-12 school, church or the staff here at camp. Outside of moms in touch, a weekly prayer time for our kids in school, I really just take at week at a time. When Syd starts kindergarten next fall, I hope to find some part time work, maybe substitute teaching at the school. We will see.

Emily still loves horses, riding her new mountain bike, hanging out with the intern girls and staff. She is really figuring a lot of things out about what is right, wrong, good, bad...and loves to talk about it all. I am thankful for her desire to communicate what is on her heart. Sydney is coming into her own as she is now tying her own shoes, loosing her first tooth and taking off with out training wheels. Major milestones when you are 5...

Enjoy the new pics...our time in Cali for easter visiting the Foxes, including the Golden Gate, Jeff and the girls after a Six Flags ride, and Em and Syd playing in our new back yard on the ATV...

Thanks for reading...

Leslie

Dear Friends, December4, 2006

Snow has fallen today, and presently it is 9 degrees. I think winter has finally arrived! Wow, time is flying by. It has been too long since we have written. We wanted to take a few moments and give you some highlights from this fall here at Horn Creek. Many fun things are underway here at camp!

First of all, I took several trips this fall as Horncreek explores the idea of starting some camps that are specifically dedicated to underprivileged youth. We continue to be moved in our hearts to open our camp to those who normally could not afford to come. It has been amazing to see how things are coming together. I went to Philadelphia for an inner city conference, and spent time in Branson, MO visiting Kids Across America. The result of these trips will hopefully two weeks of inner city youth camps next summer. We are praying for the kids and the money to come. It is an exciting step for all of us.

The internship this year has been awesome. We have been teaching our interns about community, accountability, honesty, vulnerability, and service. I have loved teaching these 8 folks and look forward to expanding the program next year. They have breathed new life into camp, and it has been so great to watch.

Bill McCoy and Polly Bennett have been such a blast to work with this year as well. We have worked well together, and have had a lot of fun with our guests. I can’t wait till we start getting our youth groups again after Christmas, because that is where we will thrive as a team. This time of year is pretty slow at camp, so we have been doing a lot of outside projects. Currently we are remodeling an old chapel at our camp. We want to turn it into a sacred place for prayer and worship. In the past it has been a meeting and storage space. “Extreme Home Makeover” on a much smaller scale….

Leslie and the girls are doing well. Emily and I got in a few ski days a few weeks ago. Leslie is involved in many things in town, especially Moms in Touch. The solid friendships for her have been a major answer to prayer! The girls are still enjoying school, and are enjoying life at a camp as well as activities in town. We truly love living in the mountains and in our little town of Westcliffe. (To give you an idea of what we mean by little, the local paper had a big article this week on how exciting it was that the bank was starting “telephone banking”.) This time of year is beautiful as well, and the snow is a delight.

Please stay in touch everyone! Check out the camp websight at www.horncreek.org.

-Jeff, Leslie, Emily, Sydney

What about the poor?

As I look at the beauty and wonder around me here at Horn Creek, I marvel at how God uses it to move people to him. It is awesome to see how lives are refreshed, renewed and transformed by the gospel through the vehicle of Gods majestic beauty here. The only thing that unsettles me, is that we are primarily a camp that serves those who can afford to come. In most cases, that means the white middle class. Yet there are so many who would love an opportunity to come and be refreshed in the moutains who will never have the opportunity. Yes, there are camps who have figured out ways to get the poor to their camps. But, there are still so many who will never come. Lately I just have not been able to let go of this growing desire to use my passion for camping, and Horn Creek to bless the poor. Yet how do we do it? We do not have the money, or the funds to embark on such a venture. We have a small budget, and we have our own financial woes at camp. We can't afford to let people come for free. Yet, maybe there is a way.... God can truly make a way can't he? I have so many dreams and ideas in my head, yet I have no idea how to make these dreams happen. Lord, I want to see the poor here at Horn Creek. I want to bless a poor child or family with the greatest week of their life. Granted, there are more basic things such as food or housing, or medical care that many of these folks need. But, what if we could use our camp to bless the poor spiritually. To bring them gospel truth, joy, beauty, worship, friendship, restoration, healing, and love. Yes, it may only be for a week, but many of us would agree that a week at camp can change a life!
I will keep dreaming, and hoping, and praying that the Lord will make a way. Will you pray with me!
-Jeff Fox

Hello from Horn Creek. I can't believe fall is almost upon us. Well, up here at 9,000 feet, it definately is! Things here at camp are going very well. We just got back from taking our first intern class to Breckenridge for 3 days for orientation, hiking, and teaching. It was soooo good, and really encouraged me. I got to teach, lead hikes, and love on these young adults. The interns have come from Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado. We will have 9 interns total this year, and it already has been a blessing to Horn Creek.
The girls are now back in school, Emily in second grade and Sydney in pre-school. They seem to love it so far, and it is great for both of them to go back to familiar environments. Leslie and I hope to do some hiking together this fall now that both girls are in school. Camp life has been good to us the past few weeks. Things have finally slowed down a bit. We will primarily have weekend groups through the fall. Polly Bennett and Bill McCoy have been huge additions to my team this fall as well. We finally have a team in place that is ministry focused. We have already had some great laughs as well as some neat interaction with guests. Bill is so good with people, and he has a gift of putting everyone at ease. It has been fun catching up with him. The other day we were stacking wood at our campfire spot near a pond in the woods just laughing at how good it was to be where we were.

This fall I will be looking at some new options for Horn Creek. We are exploring ways to get inner city kids, poor families and anyone else who can't afford to come to camp to actually get to come and experience the Lord in the mountains. I will be going to an inner city conference in Philadelphia, as well as visiting Kanakuk in Branson to brainstorm ideas. One fun idea we are throwing around is having a camp over Christmas for families in Colorado who have been through financial hardship and can't afford presents, or a vacation. We would like to bring them up, give them a fun Christmas in the mountains, and share the gospel with them. I would love your prayers as we seek the Lord's will, and also try and figure out how to pull it off financially.

We miss you all and thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Feel free to write, call or email and let us know how you are doing.

Love, the Foxes

Summer Pictures-06

Summer Reflections

It has been one full year since arriving here with our loaded U-Haul. Wow. It has been fun reflecting on all that has happened in these last 12 months while at the same time, wrapping up our last week of summer camp. Things will slow down for a couple of weeks before the weekend groups kick in for the fall.

My summer staff was phenomenal this year. We have a few days left together before they all go home, but I have truly enjoyed getting to know them. Their energy and laughter made this season so fun; the girls know each by name and have loved all the extra attention! This summer was constant with folks in and out each week. With so many groups, it is hard to remember them all. But one of my favorites was a youth group from inner city Denver. I just really connected with the kids and leaders. Ok, my rapping did help a little. In fact, the kids challenged me to a rap battle with one of their rappers, which I subsequently won to the joy and surprise of the whole youth group. By the end of the week, some of the kids were sharing with me their own poems, beat boxes, and raps.

Another highlight was speaking for a week at our youth camp called Snow Ridge, run by the Campus Crusade staff. Each summer, a group of Campus Crusade college students come to do a work project here at Horn Creek. They serve as the counselors for the Snow Ridge campers. On the third night of camp, I got word that one of the Campus Crusade staff had accepted Christ. I guess she had never really connected with the Gospel message in a genuine way, and that week it all finally connected for her. Awesome! Interaction with the CC staff all summer was another blessing. Just being around college kids is a treat for both Leslie and myself.

This week we have a group of kids in from Pueblo who have lost loved ones close to them. They came with a group called “Clouds to Rainbows,” that specialize in counseling kids who have had traumatic losses. Several of the kids have lost parents to suicide. One nine-year-old boy had his grandfather shoot and kill his mother and then commit suicide himself. His father then later committed suicide. Yet, in spite of their pain, it has been humbling to watch these little kids laugh and enjoy life here at camp. We have loved bringing joy and the hope of the gospel to them this week.

This fall our internship will start. Polly Bennett, myself and a couple other staff will run the internship this year. We will start with 8 interns for the year and hope to have 12 next fall. I am also helping start a new ministry here at Horn Creek for inner city youth. Another director and myself will be traveling to Philadelphia for a CCDA conference, and will spend some through out the year building relationships with key inner city ministries. I am so very thankful, for the Lord has continued to give me opportunities to use my gifts and passions in new ways here at Horn Creek.

As a family we are doing well. School will be starting in a few weeks, so we are relishing our final days of summer. The girls have really connected with our summer staff, and there will be many tearful goodbyes in the next week as they all head back to school. It is neat to see Emily and Sydney fitting into their life here at camp, and watching them interact and plug in with guests. This week, I will be the family camp speaker here at the Lodge, so in a sense, the Fox family will get to be campers! We have already really enjoyed getting to talk with and get to know the families, some of whom have been coming for 20 or so years.

Thank you so much for your prayers, concern, encouragement and financial support. It has meant a great deal to us. We miss you all and would love to hear from you!

In Christ,

Jeff, Leslie, Emily and Sydney