The Camping Currados

January at The Oaks

2011-01-21T22:37:00.000-08:00

The camp got snow on January 2nd, and everyone was out playing in it for days afterward! Mario got to ski around camp and up and down the mountain. He got a bunch of pictures.

What else do you think all the camp kids would be doing?!

We are loving life here. The snow has melted, but the beauty remains. There have been some wonderful events lately, including Winter Camp for inner city teens. They have made us even more excited to be here!

It's Time to Move to The Oaks!

2010-08-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

See the picture at the top? That's our soon-to-be home! We have been working toward life at The Oaks since October of 2008 and are excited to announce that we are MOVING in September! That's coming up quickly, isn't it?

We have been trying to raise 100% of our support in order to move to the camp. However, our demanding occupations this year have not spared us the time and energy to fully accomplish this fund raising goal. Nevertheless, with the generous help of many friends and family members, we are pleased to have reached 30% support.

We recently discussed these issues with World Impact. They decided to temporarily cover the remaining 70% of our financial needs so that we can move to the camp and begin working there full time. World Impact was able to make this exception because some funds were suddenly made available due to a staff member getting married and moving away. In addition, they feel we will be able to raise the remainder of our support more effectively while living and working at the camp.

We are very excited about this new chapter of our lives and are looking forward to serving wholeheartedly with this unique ministry. Please pray for us as we make this major transition to camp life and continue to raise support!

Our Calling: The Oaks Camp

2010-05-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video of our family at THE OAKS Camp. Together (with the kids too!) we explain a bit about our calling and ministry there.

Celebrating 7 Years

2010-05-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Heather and I celebrated our 7th anniversary on May 4th! We went up to Wrightwood for the day. The weather was perfectly warm and sunny, unlike the stormy cold weather we had on our honeymoon there in '03. We rode the Vincent Gap - Grassy Hollow mountain bike loop.

The lingering snow made for spectacular scenery. These are the backcountry ski chutes on Mount Baden Powell as seen from the trail at Jackson Flat. There is about 3,000 vertical feet from top to bottom.

Here we are on the look out deck on top of the water tower at Jackson Flat. The views from here are incredible. This was a fun spot to remember our adventures together over these last 7 years. We are thankful that the Lord has expanded our vision as a couple and given us clear direction for this next year.

So... Here we are, embarking on a new year together. From what we understand and hear from long-married couples, the adventures just keep on coming!

2010-03-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Life has been busy and full of growth these past weeks. Mario continues to take on handyman jobs, and Heather has been happy to take on a weekly job working for a friend, who has a cupcake business in LA. It is very hard to work enough to meet the financial demands, however. This stress has been hard and also extremely beneficial. We are learning more about what trust actually means. We often don't understand what's going on, but that's the nature of trust: not knowing but knowing the One who does.

On that note, God's calling on us to work in ministry at The Oaks Camp is being continually confirmed. We have been blessed to gain a few more supporters since our last post here! What a blessing to have friends partner with us in this way. We look forward to the day our support reaches 100% and we can begin living and working at the camp. For those who haven't seen it, take a look at our page on The Oaks Camp staff page: http://www.theoakscamp.org/contact/staff.php?staff=Currado

Heather's grandfather, Mark Darrington, passed away on February 11th. It has been a sad and contemplative time. It is interesting how death is so close to life, just one moment apart, and happens while others still live. How important for each of us to, as our grandma reminded us, look closely at everything beautiful and appreciate those things. Here is a picture of Grandpa Mark's children, lined up at his memorial service.

Many of you probably know these faces. Left to right are: Tori, Blake, Tawna, Brad, Tanya, Brett, and Mark Jr. They are very special and talented people.

February and March have been very birthdayish for our family, so there will be a few birthday-related photos below. We enjoy our son and daughter more and more all the time and are so proud of how they are growing. They are fun to talk, play, and work with. A big moment was yesterday when Riley read a whole chapter of the Bible himself for the first time. Have we ever enjoyed Psalm 100 quite so much?

Here is Riley on his 6th birthday. If you can't make out the sign, it says, "Riley went to bed 5... And then woke up 6 (sick)!" Mario joked with him that he'd gotten mixed up about which one was supposed to happen. Well, both did. Poor guy was both 6 AND sick on his sixth birthday!

Creation is beautiful. It is so important to spend time in it. Below is a picture of the kids walking up to one of our favorite hills, "Story Hill" (because their dad is SO good at telling stories there).

Crazy Hair Night at AWANA! Riley's hair is full of hair glue and hay, too!

Riley helps Sage learn to ride her bike... Not quite mastered yet, but with such a helpful brother it can't be long!

Sagey had a very rosy birthday this year. Her papa even took her out and bought her a bunch of flowers that day.

Sage's new rose tea set! She loves to serve tea to her dolls and stuffed animals - just like a girl.

A collection of special grandparents and great-grandparents and uncles and aunts come to help the kids celebrate their birthdays. It's a roomful for sure; our house is little!

Riley and Sage decorated their own cakes this year:

Riley works with two of his great-grandfathers on a new puzzle.

Sage with 2 grandmas and 2 great-grandmas as she sports her ballet clothes:

Riley and Great-Grandpa John match! And Mario wore this same cap when he was Riley's age too!

Sagey needed a cuddle since she and Mama both now have colds and coughs. Yuck. But glad for those moments.

Mario has been tired. But that can lead to very productive moments of contemplation of life, and that's a good thing! Where am I right now? Why? Where did I come from? Where am I going? We need to ask these questions.

Proverbs 19:21 reminds us that "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." May it always be so.

2010-01-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hello to all and happy 2010! Not only has summer come and gone since our last post here, but so has Thanksgiving... and Christmas... Goodness, even the new year is here!

We are well and rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord. We are thankful for the blessing of incredible friends and family who have been a support for us in numerous ways. You are all awesome!

We've posted some highlight photos from the past few months here as sort of a visual, very belated Christmas newsletter.

Mario has been developing his own home improvement business, specializing in ceramic tile (of course!). He also works with other contractor friends as available to fill in the gaps - of which there are more than we'd like. It's been difficult, but, combined with the amazing help we've received from family and friends, we have avoided homelessness and starvation! Woohoo! There are many others we know who are struggling right now too. It's exciting in a way, though, because God is in control and we are in His hands. Wonder what He's doing in these adventurous times??? Whatever it is, we trust Him!

As Mario gets jobs for handyman work, we continue to raise support to, eventually, live and work at The Oaks Christian Camp and Conference Center. Once we have raised 100% of our financial support, we will move to the camp and start work. That will include Mario working on the maintenance and adventure teams. We will also be reaching out as a family to the campers from the city who come for a getaway and spiritual nurture.

On that note, we are excited to share that we have reached the level of 12.57% of support raised! We shout out a thanks to those of you who have reached out in this way to support us in our calling.

In August, we took a trip to Silverwood Lake to attend an event called "Dirt Time". Here Riley is listening to one of the survival instructors. Both Riley and Sage loved the whole week!

One of our greatest blessings: family. Above is Mario with his grandparents, the Mantheys, and below is Heather's mom and youngest sister, Tessa. We are renting an apartment on the same property as Heather's family lives on and so get to see alot of eachother. It's a special time.

Christmastime! Riley and Sage hung their "stockings" on the clothesline outside and worried all night about wild animals getting their treats!

Reading a Christmas Eve story, The Story of St. Nicholas: More than Reindeer and a Red Suit.

And look! Sage found her socks safe and sound and lumpy with goodies on Christmas morning!

Portrait of Mama and Colt-boy taken by Sage.

They're ready for the Christmas party at Nonna and Grandpa Graybeard's house!

We love that our kids get to build relationships with their great-grandparents! Here they are with Great Grandpa John Currado on Christmas Day.

She may be a princess, but Sage insists still on doing all the fun stuff!

Both Riley and Sage built themselves fire rings the other day, with very carefully fashioned kindling piles. They had cracked an acorn each, stuck a twig into the crack, and were roasting their "hot dogs"! Needless to say, we're thrilled with their imaginative play.

We have a new water heater as of the 4th, cause for great celebration! Hot water makes washing dishes in January a joyful event indeed!

This year, let's remember to be thankful for all of those things we so easily take for granted. The simple act of turning the faucet to get hot water reminded us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17.

THE OAKS Camp Update

2009-08-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are approaching the end of August already - is summer really almost over? What that means for us this year is... KINDERGARTEN! Riley will officially start school at home. August 31st is the big day. Before that gets here, though, we get to go camping for a week with some of the nation's top survival instructors at an event called Dirt Time. Well take classes on things like how to make primitive traps and how to grow survival gardens (to name just a couple). Now that's some serious schooling! Take a look to read more: http://www.dirttime.com/dirttime_2009.html

Here Sage and Riley have practiced making bird nests, modeled after the real one their daddy found.

A lot has happened in the months since our last blog post. When we decided to pursue full-time ministry at THE OAKS Camp & Conference Center, we moved back from Weldon, CA, to the Antelope Valley to be nearer the camp. That was late October. We lived with my grandparents in their home for 5 months, after which we moved all of 300 feet away into one of their apartments. Fun fact: we are renting unit #7, the same one my parents lived in after they were married 28 years ago.

Some of our biggest news is that we have completed the application process to join World Impact as missionaries, with the view of serving at THE OAKS. The last step of that process was CAP week (Candidate Assessment Program) in June. The Lord used that time at the World Impact site in Wichita, Kansas, to further confirm His call in our hearts and minds. On top of that, Mario and I had a whole week away together, and the kids had a blast with their grandparents!

For those of you unfamiliar with World Impact, it is an interdenominational Christian missions organization that ministers cross-culturally to the urban poor in American inner cities. The ministry was started in Los Angeles in 1971 by Keith Phillips, although its beginnings go further back to 1965 in Watts. World Impact ministers in 11 major cities and operates 4 camps nationwide. They also run schools, job-training programs, and medical and dental clinics. One of the camps, of course, is THE OAKS, whose mission statement reads, "THE OAKS is a loving community providing an experience of Christ's presence for people of all cultures, especially from the inner city, through excellent facilities and effective programs, surrounded by the beauty of His creation."

We are ready to invest our lives in this ministry for as long as God calls us to do so. We have seen World Impact and the staff at THE OAKS faithfully, conscientiously, and diligently carry out Jesus' command to "make disciples of all nations"... starting right here in America's cities and communities, ghettos and neighborhoods.

We are so excited to be part of that at THE OAKS, where we will be able to use our own unique set of skills and interests in a full-time capacity to reach out to others. Mario has been recruited for the maintenance team, and as such will never be bored! Those "excellent facilities" need constant upkeep, and Mario just happens to love working with his hands. He also loves working in the outdoors and is excited about the opportunities to work with the adventure and outdoor ed departments.

Mario took our kids along with friends climbing at THE OAKS the other day.

We hope you are excited with us! We hope you can pray for us and that, if you have a minute, you can let us know that you're praying! It is so encouraging to find out about that kind of support.

Another kind of support we ask you to prayerfully consider is financial. If you are as excited as we are about the ministry of THE OAKS and want to be a part of keeping it going, then we would be totally thrilled to have your partnership. Before being deployed for full-time, residential ministry at the camp, the goal is to raise $3,659 per month in gifts and pledges, of which 100% goes to our salary, benefits, and insurance. (If this is something you want to help us with, just click on the link below to go to our OAKS Staff page.) We can be investing together, impacting the world for Christ.

To get a better picture of what THE OAKS is and does, take a minute to watch this fun video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2U2HQCp1cs

Look us up on THE OAKS Staff page: http://www.theoakscamp.org/contact/staff.php?staff=Currado

Smelling the Flowers

2008-10-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

I still cannot understand HOW people can sort and pack (a full-time job) while also taking care of children, laundry, cooking and cleaning (a full-time job). Despite my bewilderment, I am doing it because there is nothing else to do. Amazingly, things have actually gotten done! Toby the Terrific has already taken a load of boxes to storage as well as Mario's shed full of skis and kayaks. His was quite the rig creeping down the 14 to Palmdale. Further help from other siblings and in-laws has also been extremely beneficial - thank you!!! Thanks to all the food-makers too.

Monday is now the moving day when we plan to pack the U-Haul and head out. Unless, of course, there's too much to do. Then it may be Tuesday that we actually drive away.

In the midst of our packing, all of us need a break to smell the flowers. Here is Sage with her "bouquet" of rabbit brush blossoms.

Riley prefers fishing. That and riding his bike with Mario are his favorite things to do.

We (the parents) find that no matter what important chores and projects need to be done, our kids need us to take these sorts of breaks with them. We are learning to put aside our stresses and sometimes even time constraints... to take joy in life with our children.

We're Moving!

2008-10-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Need I say more???

Well, maybe a little:

Our target move date is October 24th - but don't hold us to it. Mario is taking a maintenance job at The Oaks Christian Camp and Conference Center in Lake Hughes (www.theoakscamp.org), which is very exciting. For now the plan is to move in with my grandparents in Palmdale while Mario begins working part time. The future is somewhat uncertain - but what's new? We are happy with and thankful for this new direction.

This is Mario in Lancaster:

2008-09-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

(click on the picture to make it bigger)

Welcome to Our Blog!

2008-09-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Our year has been an exciting one. We moved here to the Kern River Valley last July. Moving 100 miles north of the Antelope Valley, where so very many of our friends and family members live, has been adventurous and… hilly?… rocky?... mountainous?... Yes. It’s good that exercise is healthy.

Not only have mountain views and small town scenes been a part of our new life: so has driving! The Kern River Valley consists of about 9 small communities or towns. Practically speaking, though, they all make up one town that is spread all around Isabella Lake. Driving a lap around the lake per day is not unusual and makes for a high gasoline bill. After all, the post office may be in Weldon, but the hardware store is in Lake Isabella, and the outdoor outfitters are in Kernville!

The river’s water level has lowered so much that the rafting season is over. Mario had been working as a rafting guide every weekend from spring through July. After that the weather was just too dry, and rafting in the upper Kern became more about braving the rocks than braving the rapids! (For any of you who wonder, “upper” refers to the part of the Kern River that is north of Lake Isabella, and “lower” refers to the part that flows out of Lake Isabella toward Bakersfield.) Mario misses guiding, but we still have fun swimming and playing in the beautiful river. Riley loves to fish: he caught his first trout this summer when Grandpa Don and Grandma Dolores came up to camp!

Coming to the end of our year lease on the house we are renting brings up questions of what we would like to do next. We have explored this community thoroughly and are gaining increasing understanding of our potential in it. We have worked at establishing a home improvement business and found a fairly good reception. Being new at this sort of thing, though, and having given it a good try, we are discovering it to be a pretty difficult venture. We are exploring other work options and hope to have an announcement in that vein to make soon.

Getting involved with a church up here has been good for all of us. The kids look forward to the childrens’ program every week, and Mario and Heather have been helping out with that for the past 6 weeks. Hosting a potluck at our house for 5 young families we met at the church was a great way to get more involved. It was good to fellowship with peers who are facing the same issues and challenges as parents that we are.

Riley and Sage are growing perfectly wonderfully. School is back in session, and although Riley is still not school age, we have begun to get in the swing of learning. He likes to have a “school time” with Mama daily and is really advancing with recognizing and forming letters. Even Sage knows that A is for Allie Alligator, who says “a”!

At the moment, Mario is immersing himself in one of the great joys of life: washing machine repair! Life goes on…

Our love to you all.