So here I sit in Panera Bread in Plainfield, IN thinking about the last few hours. I had the chance to share with several youth ministers from the west side of Indy this morning and I am reminded of what a tremendous task youth ministers have. In the circle where I sat, there were ministries that represented several thousand students from the Indy area. There was Keith Parker, the organizer of the get together, who has been both ICYC and Junior High Journey president for the last few years. There was also, Steve, the director of Camp Allendale, and there was Jim, the new director of the Windows of the World conference. There were many others I don’t have time to mention (sorry guys) who are in the trenches, doing ministry every day. I would venture to guess that the men in that one room are responsible, at least in part, for the spiritual direction of at least 8,000-10,000 students. That’s a pretty scary thought, because I know some of them!!!

In all seriousness though, it was incredibly exciting! I see a changing trend in student ministry these days and it is very encouraging. I see leaders from different churches, camps, conferences, and other youth related areas, working together for a common goal. That goal is to see as many young people come to know Christ as possible. I didn’t sense any egos or hidden agendas in this group. In fact, it was just the opposite, a bunch of guys humbly trying to figure out the best way to take the life changing message of Jesus to the masses. I’ve got to think that Jesus was there too, and He was excited about what He saw.

So guys, keep on living right. Keep on reaching students. Keep on loving your family. Keep on teaching the foundational truth of Jesus. And keep on bringing Heaven to earth!!

 In His Grip,

Joe

Greetings and welcome to the online journal of Joe and Melissa Wisley! If you are here, you probably meant to find us and you know who we are. If not, let me introuduce myself. My name is Joe and I am the Program Director at Rainbow Christian Camp in Converse, In. I have been on staff at the camp since January, 2008 but have been involved at the camp for almost 20 years. I am very excited to be able to work toward making a difference in the lives of the hundreds of young people who attend the camp each year. My wife, Melissa, is a personal trainer and maybe the coolest girl in the world! We have been married since August, 2002 and are loving living life together. The purpose of this blog is to keep you informed about our lives and hopefully to be able to interact with many of you on a regular basis. We have some big plans coming up in the next few months, so be sure to come back and check out our space from time to time. Also, feel free to drop us a line. You can post a comment here, or you can reach us at joe.wisley@rainbowcamp.org or melijoywisley@juno.com .

 Stay tuned for more details!!

As many of you know, Melissa and I will be leaving on March 22nd to begin our attempt to through hike the entire Appalachian Trail. This is a journey that we have dreamt about for a long time and we are very excited to be able to live our dreams. Psalm 37:4 tells us that if we “delight ourselves in the Lord, then He will give us the desires of our heart.” We are confident that by our seeking to honor Him with our lives, He is giving us the opportunity to live our dreams. I want to encourage everyone to live their dreams and in doing so, seek ways to honor and glorify Christ them.

This blog will be our best means of communication with the world during our time on the trail. We will update it as often as we can and try to give everyone a good picture of the things we encounter on our journey. We’ll be adding pictures and hopefully some video. If there is something you are curious about as it relates to the hike, or something you’d like us to post, just ask and we’ll see what we can do. Below you’ll find a few pictures of us on a 42.5 mile hike in the Upper Peninsula. No, I am not on drugs, I just look like it in the picture!

A few months back, Melissa and I began to see the pieces falling into place for a dream of ours to become reality. For as long as we have known each other, we have strongly felt God’s call to be involved in ministry with students. So, for the last 5 years, that’s what we’ve done at Bethany Christian Church in Anderson, IN. I have been leading the student ministry there. This has been an incredible time and an experience that we’ve truly loved.

However, over the last few months, we have sensed God leading us in a different direction, a direction that until now, we had only dreamed about.

In March I sat across the table in Eva’s Pancake House, talking with Bruce, the Director at Rainbow Christian Camp. We talked about the plans God might have for Melissa and me as it related to the camp. The camp is a special place for both of us, as we worked there on summer staff during college.

Several cups of coffee later, a plan began to unfold that neither Bruce nor I had thought about before we came to the meeting. What if we were able to develop a ministry role at the camp that would really allow me to utilize the gifts and talents God had given me? What if it would also let Melissa and I pursue some of the dreams we had for our lives? What if the things that we were most passionate about were the very things that the camp was looking for in a new position that they were calling the Director of Programming?

The idea seemed too incredible at first, but in the weeks that followed, Melissa and I became more and more convinced that this was where God was leading us. And as it turned out, after talking with many people in our lives whose opinions we highly value, others felt the same way.

So, to make an incredible story short, here’s where we are: In January, I will begin working as the Director of Programming at Rainbow Christian Camp. It is a role that will allow me to work from my strengths and yet will stretch me in new ways!

There are two ways we are asking for your partnership with us in this new ministry direction.

First we need you to be involved through committing to pray for us. This ministry will require us to sell our newly built home, move from a community that we love, and settle in an entirely new place. Also, as part of our transition to working at the camp, we will be embarking on a 6 month journey as we hike the entire 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail. While completing the Trail has long been a dream of ours, we also anticipate great things in the midst of the hike. We want to really prepare for what God has ahead, and we would like to give Him room to speak. It seems that when anyone in the Bible was serious about seeking God, you would find them in the wilderness and desert places.

During that journey, we’ll be meeting with groups from the camp along the trail, teaching, and keeping a trail journal that will help the camp continue to develop its wilderness adventure program. Please pray for our safety, our strength, and our relationship, not only as we hike, but also transition into this new ministry adventure.

We also need you to be involved through your financial partnership. Melissa and I are convinced this is where God is leading us, even though the camp does not have the funds to support this new position. We are raising the funds to cover all of our living expenses for at least the first 3-5 years of our employment at the camp. After that point the camp plans to be able to provide half of that support, while we will continue to raise the other half. After much prayer and seeking counsel from others working in the area of missions, we have arrived at a monthly budget of $3500.00. This will cover my salary, around $30,000, as well as cover the costs of health insurance, travel expenses, etc. We are seeking ministry partners to help us reach our monthly budget goal and ask that you prayerfully consider joining us in this new ministry direction. You will find on this site information with some support options as well as instructions for returning it to the camp.

We are excited to partner with you in this endeavor and pray God’s rich blessings on each of you. Thank you in advance for being a blessing to us and to the Kingdom!

In His Grip,

Joe & Melissa Wisley
joe.wisley@rainbowcamp.org