Short Order Update - 2012-09-10

We are so excited to let you know... God has led us to join the team at Camp David of the Ozarks full time! This is the ministry we served with this summer, and after an invitation from the Director, God's approval, the blessing of our commissioning church in WV and our home church here in MO, we are convinced this is where God now wants us to serve.

Praise the Lord for His timing! We will use the next weeks and months to give testimony to what God has done in the past 9 months and more to prepare us to serve at Camp David of the Ozarks.

This is a support-based position, so we ask you to pray that God will quickly provide the monthly support we need to get involved with CDO full time. For now, Bruce will seek part time work as we begin to re-establish contacts who will fill the financial need.

Please pray with us as we want nothing more than to enhance the beautiful ministry that is already taking place at CDO.

If you would like to be involved with us financially, please send your gifts to:

Camp David of the Ozarks

11335 Private Drive 5316

Rolla, MO 65402

Include a note that the gift is for Bruce Cook support and you will receive a tax deduction receipt. We will receive the full gift for our support. None of it will go to the general ministry fund.

Thank you so much for being faithful in supporting us with gifts of prayer and finances all these years,

Bruce

Staff Ministries Director

Camp David of the Ozarks

573.364.2786

Michelle (my lovely best friend), Bryan (22), Nate (20), Caleb (16), Kaitie (13), Seth (10)

Cook's Short Order Update - Exciting News!!

Genesis 1:30 "'And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food.' It was so." God has created such a beautiful system and in all this, HE upholds it all by the word of His power.

We are so excited to bring you this update!

Bruce got to baptize Seth and Kaitie in the Current River during a church baptism! How cool is that?!?! Check out the pictures and video.

We have started school and it's going well, very well, actually. Maybe, after 13 years we are finally getting it.

The drought this summer proved to be a blessing, at least on our small piece of land at the farm house. We didn't have much time to do yard maintenance all summer. Our last time mowing was the end of May. Then we got the mower and weed eater repaired in time for the remnants of Hurricane Isaac this last week. Green grass once again.

Please pray with us as we wait on God's direction. Sometimes God just says, "Wait." Sometimes He says it in a way that frustrates us, like He doesn't care that we are having to wait. But we know that's not true because God cares about the things that concern us. This is one of those times for us. Please pray that we will grow patient. This seems to be what God is seeking in us.

With much love and appreciation,

Bruce

for Michelle (my lovely best friend), Bryan (21), Nate (20), Caleb (16), Kaitie (13), Seth (10)

Cook's Short Order Update

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed- bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." I think this verse is so incredible. God could have provided something boring with full nutrition and no flavor that would enable us to live in health. Instead, He provided immense variety and flavor and texture, just because he cares about us!

We are done with summer camp at Camp David of the Ozarks. Once we get an end-of-summer-sneaking-into-fall prayer letter out, we will be more detailed on how God has worked and blessed. Right now we are at Camp David, "watching" the facilities while others are getting a much needed break. Thank you for praying for us through out this summer. It was evident as we ran out of strength and God sustained us that others were before God on our benefit.

Nate is staying home this year, to work, and serve with us at New Harmony Church. Pray for God's leading and provisions as he seeks to obey his Savior.

Home school will be starting in a few weeks, and Bruce is looking at some work opportunities as we seek what God has ahead for us. Pray for our hearts to be open to His directions.

With much love and appreciation,

Bruce

for Michelle (my lovely best friend), Bryan (21), Nate (20), Caleb (16), Kaitie (13), Seth (10)

2012-06-17

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created Him. Male and female He created them."

What an amazing first week of campers. Michelle and I had a difficult time keeping up, not really having a clear picture of the flow of things. But several of the Support Staff are alumni and were graciously helpful and patient with us. Thank you, guys! Nate has depended on God in a new way as the Worship Leader. Caleb is busy between work at Burger King and work at Camp. Kaitie is fitting well on the Support Staff Team and Seth on the Green Team.

Pray for us as we invest in these precious teens day by day. They are quickly finding a permanent home in our hearts.

Friday as the Leadership Team was debriefing the week we heard someone hollering. We looked outside to see a small brush fire growing from a burn pile. In just a few moments the entire staff pulled together and had the blaze under control. God protected us!

Thanks for sticking with us and praying for us. We love you,

Bruce

for Michelle (my lovely best friend), Bryan (21), Nate (20), Caleb (16), Kaitie (13), Seth (9)

2012-06-03

Cook's Short Order Update

Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' "

Leadership Training Week at Camp David of the Ozarks is done. This was such a sweet time of fellowship and training with the Leadership team, getting to know personalities and such. Really were stretched and blessed!

Tomorrow, all the Support Staff (Michelle's and my main responsibility), Counselors, and Volunteers for the summer will arrive for another intense week of training, relating, planning, working; you get the idea. That's about 60 new people this week. We're really excited and nervous about this phase of the summer!

  ONLY FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

For those who follow us on Facebook, soon we will be migrating from our current Facebook Group, Friends of the Cook Family, to a Facebook Page by the same title. The main difference is that it will look more like a personal profile and You will "Like" it instead of waiting on us to approve your request. We think it will look more like "home".

Hope to see you there!

Thanks for sticking with us and praying for us. We love you,

Bruce

for Michelle (my lovely best friend), Bryan (21), Nate (20), Caleb (16), Kaitie (13), Seth (9)

2012-05-28

Cook's Short Order Update

Genesis 1:25 "And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good." You know, we like the "beasts of the earth" that God has created. We have one named Bunker. What a fun-loving God!

Two things...
1. Thank you to all who have sacrificed something to keep our country free (and all who have let a son or daughter, mother, father go to serve). We appreciate you!

2. We move to Camp David of the Ozarks today to begin summer training. We've posted a new album of the Camp here.

Please pray for us as we begin this summer ministry.

Congratulations to Kaitie!! She's 13!!!

Thanks for sticking with us and praying for us. We love you,
Bruce

2012-05-16

Cook's Short Order Update


Genesis 1:24 "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so." That is just so cool!

Things are winding up for our summer at Camp David of the Ozarks. Bruce is writing devotions from James 1 for the Support Staff. His goal is to make it applicable on a daily basis for the circumstances the Support Staff will encounter. Pray for God's leading.

We have all been working hard on making the farm house "home". Here's a link to a growing album of photos. What an amazing provision this house has been. Thank you, God!!

Michelle is winding up a rather unique year of home school. Thankfully, God has led us all the way.

We are very glad to have Nate home from his first year at college! Wow, what a year of growth and learning this has been for him. On the way we spent some time with Bryan and our two families in Indiana. Good trip. "Thank you!" to our Mt Tabor church family for warming our hearts again! You guys are special.

We will be launching a new Facebook Page soon and doing away with the "Friends of the Cook Family" group. We'll keep you posted on when that takes place.

Please pray as we step out in faith that God goes before us in our desire to serve with the incredible staff at Camp David.

Thanks for sticking with us and praying for us. We love you,

Bruce

for Michelle (my lovely best friend), Bryan (21), Nate (20), Caleb (16), Kaitie (12), Seth (9)