Right now we are finding ourselves seeking God for guidance and praying for His provision.


Some of you may have gotten our letter and if you haven't, we are still trying to find addresses for you. If you don't receive a letter by e-mail or snail mail, please leave us a comment sharing with us your address so we can update it in our address book.


If you didn't receive it we will tell you a little bit about where we are.


We have been praying about the future and what serving God is going to look like for us. Many ideas have come and gone. Some hang around waiting to be pursued in the future. One dream/vision Matthew has had for many years is a retreat center; a place where people, pastors, pastors’ wives and children can come to find rest and rejuvenation.


Four weeks ago we attended a party at a friend’s parents' house. The house is a beautiful log cabin just a few miles outside of Sisters. While there Leslie had the vision of this house as a retreat center. After learning that the house was for sale, Leslie mentioned this to Matthew. For the next two weeks, she prayed about it and on the third week shared with Matthew that she believed we are to pursue this house. Matthew called the owner and we made a date to visit.
As Matthew shared that our hope was to buy this place to provide a retreat for others, the owner began to share with us her story of looking for a retreat. When her husband found this place they knew it was the retreat his wife had been looking for. They have used it over the years to bless many. Youth groups have used it as a retreat center, friends and family have found it to be a place of peace and rest.


As she walked us around the property she told us,”This place is God's and I have always known it.” We were blown away by the work she has done on the place, sharing with us stories about the pink and blue tile and purple paint she found when they first moved in. The house is much different now and she has done a beautiful job making it a unique space. One of the unique pieces we really enjoy is the stain glass windows in the living room that were salvaged from an old church in Montana. We learned that the afternoon light shines through in such a way as to illuminate the living room with beautiful golden light. The house sits on 11 acres with a pond, a barn, a two car garage with an apartment and a three bedroom house with four baths. From the upstairs there are views of the mountains and as she walked us around the property we found many beautiful spots where one could sit for hours and enjoy Gods creation.


Our vision for the property is not unlike the owners’. We hope to set it up as a non-profit and use it as a place where people can come to find rest and rejuvenation. Specifically those who are in ministry, though we would like to have it open for anyone in need. We are continually praying for guidance and provision as we begin to pursue purchasing this property. As this is God's house we know that to be able to buy it God would have to provide, and the property is priced almost $2 million.

We have also been praying that we would be able to by the house by the time our lease is up in July. We know that these are huge requests but also have seen and believe God can move in great ways. Until He closes the door, we will continue to pursue this dream we believe he is leading us to.

We would love to share more with you so if you are in Central Oregon or have a few minutes give us a call.

Love M+L

So it has almost been a year since we posted last. We have decided to be a little more diligent in this as so much is happening and we don't always remember everything when we get to talk with you all. So here it goes.

Almost a year in review...
This last summer, we moved into an apartment in Sisters. If you stand on one leg and lean to the left you can see one of the Sisters mountains form our living room. The apartment is great; it has three bedrooms and two baths and is 1100 sq feet. We have a guest room, so please come visit.

Leslie has been working at Bend Senior High and loves it. The staff and students are great and the drive sure beats I-5 which she used to commute. On her way in the morning the sun is rising and reflecting off the sisters mountains to the right. On her way home the light makes the sisters mountains look pristine.

Matthew is working at Rescue Response Gear, a search and rescue equipment company. He is learning a lot and is able to use many of his skills to help the company. Including saving it from flooding when a pipe burst up the street and flooded into their lot. He made the front page on that one:)

We are both doing search and rescue now, Leslie is still going through the training and Matthew is brushing up.

We have wonderful fellowship within our home group. There are many young couples we have met who have a passion for God and growing in their walk. It is great to be surrounded by likeminded people.

We have enjoyed many outdoor adventures. Snowmobiling with Ben and Ella was our most recent adventure. We had a great time!! The snowmobiles took a beating, but while we where trying to fix one of them we decided to build a snow cave which turned into a snow slide!! If you got a running start at it you could cruse through the tunnel we built. Unfortunately on our way back one of our snowmobiles ran out of gas... Matthew went and got more gas, while Ben started a fire. Ella and Leslie made a snowman and gathered wood for the fire. Wood was hard to find so Ella and Leslie took to breaking down dead trees!! Thankfully Matthew came to the rescue and we made it off the mountain as the sun was setting, it was beautiful.

So winter is almost over, though it could still snow over here up until June. We had the first BBQ of the year over at Alex Cretzingers house. He had just bought mini-bike and the guys wanted to try it out.

Through out the last year we have been constantly provided for, and taken care of by our Heavenly Father. All of our financial needs have been meet every month and even the surprise bills and misadventures, through prayer and hard work have been satisfied. He has also been guiding us through some of the harder work of the heart. Though it has not been easy, He has been faithful to give us the strength to see it through. In this we have been blessed with a deeper character and understanding of dependence on Him. WE ARE SO BLESSED!

Without much detail that is where we have come, and next we want to tell you where we are going...