Each year three friends and myself take the weekend in May to spend our time together in Sandy cove. Each year we come home saying this was the best weekend ever. Well, this year was no different. It truly was the best weekend ever. I was challenged beyond what I ever could imagine. The first evening with Donna Partow telling us to throw away our trivial prayer lists and begin to “stand in the gap” to set the tone for a new thinking in my life. My prayer life has changed and I am learning how to “stand in the gap” for life changing situations. I was challenged to have a burning desire to be used by Jesus in any way He can while we still have time here on earth. That desire has blossomed into some areas that I did not think were possible. I am so thankful for these weekends where God can meet me right where I am at. Thank you Sandy Cove.

Thank you for creating a haven to come to when the world is so overwhelming.

Along with getting to serve the Lord through serving people my greatest joy in being there was spending time with Mark and Lori. They are a real source of joy to me!!!

I can’t think of anyway to have built a better seminar around “Building Stronger Families” than the one we participated in this past weekend. Using creative ideas and activities, scripture and audience participation you built a theme of “staying on target” that has indeed given us the tools we need to grow in faith as a family.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Words truly cannot express what this week has meant to us. When my husband returned from deployment in January we were looking forward to some great connection time as a family. But, although it was great to have him home, his job rapidly
went into crazy mode. Then finding out about an unexpected move this summer increased the pressure on everyone. This program is appropriately named. It has been an oasis for us as we are currently out of our home in Virginia and will leave Friday for our new home in Ohio.

We appreciate the time we have been able to spend as a family along with the time that we have had as a couple, thanks to Club Cove which our children completely enjoyed. What a great job you do. It is clear that a lot of thought and prayer goes into each week. You make it easy to
balance activities with relaxation.

Again, thank you. From mini golf and ping pong to rock climbing and the wavecutter; from a fantastic speaker to not having to worry about what we are going to eat each meal, this has been a wonderful week.

This was the first visit for my two kids and myself to Sandy Cove and I wanted to thank everyone involved for a great weekend. The kids (7 and 5) and I agreed that it was the best weekend we have ever spent together.

Being recently divorced it is very important for me to stay connected with my kids and Sandy Cove laid the groundwork for this and provided many tools that I’ll be able to use to raise my kids in God’s image. On Saturday night my 7 year old daughter asked that the next time we come to Sandy Cove if we could stay for a week. She has never asked that about any other weekends away.

Thanks again for all the hard work on everyone’s part.

Our family participated in family week #4 this past July. It was an absolutely wonderful and blessed vacation week!! We are looking forward to returning and are sharing our Sandy Cove experience with all of our friends and family!!!

Wow,
I can’t began to express how much of an awesome time I had during my Girl’s Night Out treat.

It is without saying that each time I visit, the serenity of Sandy Cove always takes my breath away. I know that all good things much come to an end, but your organization is stuck on me and I can’t wait until the next time I’m in the presence and on the grounds of your facility. In other words, “I am hooked on Sandy Cove”

Upon entering down the driveway I watch and listen to the transformation of how the atmosphere changes. What a beautiful experience each time I visit.

Thank God for each and everyone of you and the great gifts he has given you all.

I always look forward to my stays at Sandy Cove and I hope to visit soon during the Spring/Summer upcoming events.

God Bless.

As Sandy Cove Ambassadors, we’ve tried to introduce Sandy Cove to our church family over the years. We’ve often invited various ones to join us, and as finances allowed, “gifted” certain folks with a stay at Sandy Cove. Having recently moved and desiring to introduce our new pastor to Sandy Cove, we were especially interested in the new Couples Retreat for Pastors to be held October 2008. But…we hesitated over the cost of $398. Then, we thought about what a super and unique Pastor Appreciation gift this would be for the whole congregation to give to their pastor! We decided to mount a “behind the scenes” love offering – eight families each contributing $50 (or sixteen families each giving $25.00). We are sure that our pastor will be delighted with this thoughtful gift – time alone together with his wife in the beauty and peace the Lord has provided at Sandy Cove!

Dear Chief Tim,

My name is Stephanie. I am 14 years old. This summer I came to Camp Sandy Cove for mystery week 2008 and just had to email you and tell you something very important.

My experience at CSC was life-changing. It was unbelievable.

My relationship with God became even more beautiful and so did my life.

I have had good and bad things happen to me throughout my life.

Going to this camp changed everything.

Ever since I left, not a day goes by where I don’t call that place home.

Every day was a new adventure to me.

I met new people and they became what I call family.

Every day I reach out and worship the Lord and thank him for all He’s given me.

And one huge thing He’s given me in my life is the opportunity to go to Camp Sandy Cove, and come back with more faith, hope, happiness, and love in my heart.

All the chiefs at Camp Sandy Cove were amazing and helped me in so many different ways. They helped me to understand my relationship with God and every day it got even stronger.

I now walk down the right road with Jesus Christ at my side.

Every day is another adventure to me… another chance to tell someone of the things I learned, the things I believe, and the things I now know about God.

My life got a little happier, a little easier, a little better since I went to camp for just one week.

It is shocking the way it changed the way I see things, the way I feel, the way I treat others, and the way I treat myself.

My life is now so much more beautiful.

So thank you for everything. Thank you for the things that you do at Camp Sandy Cove. Thank you for being a part of a life-changing unbelievable wonderful beautiful incredible experience that I had there at camp.

Have a wonderful summer.

Chief Tim

I am writing to let you know that my daughters Mylz-12 and Morre’-8 attended Camp Sandy Cove for the first time during Super Hero Week. Not only was this their first time at Camp Sandy Cove but this was their first time at sleep away camp. I was a bit concerned because my oldest daughter looked homesick in several of the pictures I was able to view on line. BTW the on line pictures (great feature) really helped me know that my children were alive, well and having fun. When my husband and I picked them up they talked on and on about what a great time they had.

From the talent show to the flour & shaving cream battle, I have heard it all and am so pleased I selected Camp Sandy Cove. The counselors (chiefs) were great and understanding of the homesick issues. My daughters are still talking about all the fun and exciting activities they experienced and have sang all the camp songs to me (several times).

Thank you and your staff for making their first time away from home for an extended period without parents, simply the best! The memories and experiences they had will be with them for a life time. I would recommend Camp Sandy Cove to all that may have an ounce of apprehension, as I admit I did, to send their children to sleep away camp. The girls will definitely be back next year!

Thank you much!

August 1, 2008

Dear Mark,

A week ago today, we were packing up, worshipping with Jaime Jamgochian, and listening to testimonies from others. As we were driving away from your “haven,” we got a picture of our family next to the sign, “Jesus Never Fails.” We were discussing the magnificence of Sandy Cove and highlighting our own personal experiences.

We have three children, Tyler (15), Christian (13) and Gabrielle (4). Our kids rated this vacation a “14+ on a scale from 0 to 10.” They said, “It was our best vacation ever.”

They eventually fell asleep and my husband and I listened to the CD of Dr. Loritts and his son (Questions and Answers) that you graciously gave to each family there. After that, to lighten the atmosphere, we put on Jaime’s CD of amazing songs of praise and worship.

Then something happened. We got home and it was as if we were never away at your God-centered retreat. We were all overwhelmingly tired and crabby, to say the least. Over the next few days, we discussed why this sudden change in our attitudes, as this continued to carry through. We came to the conclusion that Satan had followed our family home. He knew going into this that our time at Sandy Cove would be one more incredible link to our spiritual journey “puzzle” that God is piecing together for our family (this was our first time at Sandy Cove and a gift from you because my husband has been deployed three times – thank you!) It was evident during our visit that Satan was attacking from other areas as well. We knew this coming in as we felt it personally (our brakes were going out as we were traveling in on Sunday. In fact, we missed the social gathering and the last day my husband had to miss morning worship to go and have our car fixed at a local garage so that we could safely travel home.) Everything from the cold water to Aaron’s amazing story of healing and grace connected us even more to God while we were at your facility. We just stayed “plugged in” to the lessons, reading and praying and truly feeling the presence of God every day!

Although not intentional, when we left last Friday, I believe we left God behind. We must have put Him on a shelf, forgetting all that we learned. We started to see very clearly Satan maneuvering his way throughout our days, affecting our actions and attitudes. It was time to recall all that we had heard and learned. To keep Jesus first in our lives, to “touch” Him rather than simply “handle” Him when it’s convenient, to have Him “in our boat” relying on Him through our “storms” because this is when we connect, grow, mature in our Christian walk. Adversity builds character and I know that Jesus shapes our character during these troublesome times. Throughout the week, we started to focus on Jesus instead of our giants, remembering that our God is much bigger than Satan any day, and although we’re no longer at the awe-inspiring, safe haven of Sandy Cove, we have the choice to bring Jesus with us, creating an awe-inspiring, safe haven right here at home if we allow our home to be God-centered. Jesus offers a place of refuge no matter where we end up – “Jesus Never Fails.”

Side note: My husband, Jeremy, wanted a t-shirt, but quite honestly there wasn’t anything that he thought was “cool.” He said wouldn’t it be neat to have “Jesus Never Fails” on the back of a t-shirt and on the front, in a small circle on one side of the chest “Sandy Cove Ministries.” Just a thought.

Mark, I needed to take this time to share my thoughts and appreciation to you and your staff and recap for myself. Last week has changed our lives yet again. God revealed Himself more to me and my family through the beauty surrounding Sandy Cove, to each staff member we came in contact with, to your acknowledging that we were there as a gift from Sandy Cove because of my husband’s military service (and we weren’t even there for the Sunday social or the Operation Oasis gathering.) Thank you so much for your personal time and acknowledgment. We were so grateful to both you and your wife. There was a true sense of calling and love for God in every person we had the pleasure of meeting. Humor which we lack in this world ran rampant at your facility. I never smiled so much and laughed out loud so hard from you, Nate, John, Michael, the ventriloquist to some folks who participated in the talent show (especially the youth pastor who sang the hip-hop song with his guitar and Joe, the older gentleman who told jokes, loved him.) It was refreshing to see and be reminded that God is Love and Joy and we should celebrate through singing and laughing.

Jeremy and I talked so much about how awesome it must be to “work” and have every day of your lives touched the way you touch the lives of those people who visit Sandy Cove. God is using you, Mark, in amazing ways and I personally thank you for your obedience in sharing with me and my family. Sandy Cove, a place of beauty, fun and refuge, a place that we truly connected with God and one another.

You and your entire staff are a blessing and Sandy Cove is a gift from God. It is our hope to return again soon and bring another family.

In His Joy,

Jeremy, Stacey, Tyler, Christian and Gabrielle

Operation Oasis was a tremendous blessing to us as a military family. The average person does not understand what deployment does to a family. The focus is on the soldier and rarely on the family that is left behind. No one can imagine the horror stories of what families endure: from people trying to take advantage of our vulnerable situation to the stress of separation and the amount of time required to adjust in reuniting. Quite often deployment ends in divorce or other forms of brokenness.

There is a hope which resides in Jesus Christ that our futures can be restored and renewed. Operation Oasis is a gift from God and the tools available to restore the family are priceless. We’ve never experienced an environment like this; vacationing with saints of like mind and spiritual beliefs.

Once again, thank you for allowing the Lord to use you all and this establishment; thank you for answering the call. We pray 1000-fold blessings and returns for each and every one of you.

Tapestry of Love
Colossians 2:2-3 (The Message)
“I want you woven in a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God…”

260 of our women experienced the Grand Weaver’s presence at Sandy Cove Conference Center. We saw and heard some incredible things – stories of changed lives, humorous yet poignant skits, Biblical teaching that was made real and relevant, a gorgeous tapestry – all illustrating God’s indescribable, unchangeable, amazing love for each of us.

Here are some firsthand accounts of highlights women experienced at the retreat:

“Time alone with God.”
“I enjoyed getting to know my roomies better, and I so enjoyed listening to our speakers Jessica and Laurie, and women sharing their retreat experience on Sunday morning.”
“Hearing, seeing, feeling God’s love working through all His daughters at retreat.”
“Watching all of the ladies growing deeper in God’s love and grace.”
“Feeling God talk to me.”
“Everything!”
“The birthing of a new baby Christian!”

Here are some firsthand accounts of what women learned at the retreat:

“I know that I am lavishly loved!”
“The tapestry theme was brilliant. I now understand that I should trust my whole life to God because He is the weaver…”
“I will no longer let fear into my heart.”
“That no matter what place I am in, He is there with me – that I am never alone.”
“I will not only know God’s love intellectually, but I will allow it to enter me and I’ll put it into action to drive out fear and to spend more time loving others.”
“God really does love me; they aren’t just words.”
“God showed me that the women at my table (and others I connected with at retreat) represented His love at different places in my walk – different parts of my tapestry.”

The tapestry that God is creating in our lives doesn’t end at the close of the retreat. He continues to blend the dark threads with the bright threads, turning it all into His glorious creation according to His perfect design. Our lives were interwoven not just for the weekend, but for all of eternity. He will always “work all things for good for those who love Him” (Romans 8:28) because of His deep and unending love for us. Even when we can’t see the design of the tapestry itself or we don’t like the pattern He is weaving and all we see are the awful knots, we can always know that God lavishly loves us.

Dear Friends,

Last summer, my 5 year old son and I spent our first week at Sandy Cove. We absolutely loved it. We were there in week three, and had such an enjoyable time. The facilities were awesome, the Bible teaching great, food was wonderful, and we met such good friends! It is nice to vacation with other Christians in a safe place.

I especially wanted to thank you because you offered us a scholarship last year. As a single mom, (my husband died 4 years ago), it is difficult to have any money left over at the end of the month. Helping us to pay part of the fee enabled us to go to Sandy Cove, and we really, really appreciated it.

Thank you so much. I have been meaning to write this for some time, as my son still talks about the wonderful vacation that we had there. You have a special ministry, and I am grateful that we were able to be a part of it. Keep up the good work for the kingdom!!

In Christ,

Hello Candy,

I have just arrived home from the Digging Deeper Women’s Week End. My friends and I loved it. We want to come back and bring more friends with us. Please do this again, especially with Glenna Salsbury.

There was not enough room on the evaluation and I wanted pass along something that came to me at Sandy Cove this week end. For sometime now I have been in a dry place, not being fed and looking for a better understanding of God’s Word. I have been praying that the Lord would bring me back to where I needed to be and that I could find the avenue that would lead me deeper into His teachings and He brought me to Sandy Cove and Glenna Salsbury.

Thank you Candy and Sandy Cove for providing a safe, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere where we can come and know the Lord.

In His Presence,

We want to thank all who were part of the Scholarship Assistance approval for us to be able to come for this weekend……as part of the Couple’s Retreat. We’re looking forward to a good weekend of refreshment, which wouldn’t be happening for us, without your blessing of assistance!

Thank you for this privilege!

Gratefully,

Hello Mark and staff at Sandy Cove,

We just wanted to let you know that we are home refreshed – physically and spiritually. It happens every year and that is why we come back year after year (10 years). Our kids call it ‘our home away from home’ and peace washes over us when we enter the driveway and leave the world behind. Park the car and just BE. Be with God, Be with each other, Be with other believers.

We want to say thanks for your prayers and hard work to make this yearly week of sanctuary available. We want you to be encouraged and continue to do what you are called to do and do well!!

As far as the speakers are concerned, we have NEVER had a bad speaker and God has worked many times to get us to hear a message HE needed us to hear by changing our schedule or changing the speakers topic last minute. This year was not different. We were going to come for Week 4, but had a scheduling conflict and came for week 2. Whoa! Did we ever need to hear Hans-Peter’s message. That whole being hypocritical thing. Ouch. God definetly got our attention and we are glad to be back on track and spending time being IN Christ. Dave and Marie opened our hearts to needing to be transparent with each other. Life sometimes just gets in the way, doesn’t it?

All in all, Sandy Cove is our Sanctuary. What a fitting description and song, Stephen! My poor husband has tried several times to tell us that we can’t go to Germany every other year (I’m from there and we visit my family) and come to Sandy Cove. He puts it adequately: “Every time I try to tell them we can’t go to Sandy Cove, I have a revolt on my hands from my kids and my wife.”
Sandy Cove is our #1 destination. Everything else fails in comparison.

Blessings,

Andrea Weaver

PS: Please keep Michael Faircloth playing in the evenings. A couple more years, and I’ll be able to enjoy his concerts and hymnsings. You know, when the kids are too cool to hang out with Mom and Dad.

We first would like to thank Sandy Cove for giving our family such a great gift. Our stay at Sandy Cove has been one our greatest vacation weeks our family ever had. We were able to reconnect as a family and with God in many ways. We learned about each other and grew closer together. Our time with you and many other families has been a blessing to us all. We have now made it our spot and have already made our reservation to return next year. We have been sharing our experience with everyone we speak to and encourge them to take a vacation to Sandy Cove. A huge moment for our family was when we met a great family who’s daughter of the age 2 had just battled and defeated cancer. We came at a silent moment and then rejoiced with them. From that moment on I decided to get rid of the fear that had consumed me most of my life. The staff at Sandy Cove are truly angels heaven sent from above. They were unbelieveable and amazing people. Our children rejoiced and were excited to hear we would be returning. Thank you once again from the bottom of our hearts. We were all truly blessed.

Thank You So much for the time and effort you put in to make Purple Door a much better experience for the youth leaders that were there and were touched by your ministry. I am 46 years old and I love to Rock out with my son and the youth of our church but as time flys by I am getting older and the bones need some rest and they got it this weekend at your facilities. I can truly say that the chance that I got to sit and meet some of the bands and rest also made my Purple Door encounter a much better one.

Thank You for all you do.
Look forward to seeing you next year! Purple Door 2010!!!!

My daughter Vicki and I come to the women’s conferences at least once a year. My life has always been hard and full of struggles. We have recently lost my dad and my brother, both named Louis. My neighbors and friends for whom I knew for at least 25 years or more passed away,too. Financial hardships have plagued me forever and my youngest daughter and her three young children came to live with us because of financial hardship. My elderly mom also lives with us for she no longer can take care of herself. Everyday is filled with stress. I so enjoy meeting people from all over and the fellowship is wonderful. I love to just take a deep breath and savor the fragrance of our Lord. Thanks to Sandy Cove Ministries and my daughter Vicki, I have renewed strenghth and have basked in the presence of God. It is like having a preview of dwelling in Heaven. My spirit is so refreshed. I am so thankful to God for this wonderful Ministy. God Bless!!!!!

Thank you for for enabling us to come for the Couple’s Weekend retreat. We are amazed by how beautiful Sandy Cove is! We also fell fortunate to have heard Steve and Annie Chapman. God really spoke through them to us! We have only been married eight months and are struggling, but this time has been good to talk, pray, meet new people, and eat wonderful food. Thank you for all you do here at Sandy Cove!

My husband & I needed to reconnect our relationship. What a wonderful, relaxing experience…the staff was great! Sandy Cove Ministries had a great way of bringing us to see what’s lacking in our relationship to God and others. No stress!!!

Through this retreat the Lord has given us another chance, new mercies and helped us to start a new beginning in our marriage and we have been able to reflect back from where God has brought us and wants to take us. We thank the Lord for the Blessings and for Sandy Cove.

Thank you for the scholarship. Without that, we would not have been able to attend. This weekend was a much needed time for my husband and myself to re-new our closeness and oneness with God. It’s been a turbulent year and at times we tend to forget what each other needs while we deal with the daily issues of surviving. Again, thank you. You have made a positive difference in our lives.

Coming to Sandy cove has made us realize that there is HOPE and that we are not the only couple that has problems. It was encouraging to meet other couples that have been married for a long time. Sandy Cove helped us prioritize our lives through the Word of God – just by spending time with Him. Being here makes it easy to think about what’s important. We thank you and we pray that we can continue to come back time and time again.

I lost my husband Bob to cancer on 12-27-2008 (my birthday). My daughter Lori,invited me to attend the women’s retreat held November 13 to November 15,2009 with speakers, Bonnie Keen, Frances Drost and Carol Kent. Could have not been at a more blessed retreat than that weekend, it was completely awesome, and what an awesome God we have, what a God Wink, to have me attend when these speakers were giving their own testomonies. My friend, daughter Lori and I, had times of tears, sorrow, fun and prayer. I felt like I could move forward with my life, without Bob, as he is in a much better place, but being at Sandy Cove gave me peace, contentment, time to be with God, and on Sunday, I came up front with others, and left my issues there for God to handle. Since my husband Bob passed, I have not talked to my mother-in-law. She feels in her own way, that my friend took me away from her, and that I should have not did everything with Bob when he was so sick, he should have been in bed, not at the seashore, or up visiting for Christmas. His last Christmas she was so angry with me, yelling and not talking to me and making my days so stressful, but that Sunday, I left it at the front of the platform, and I feel so re newed as a Christian, Amen. Thank you Sandy Cove and to God, and my Daughter Lori. God Willing we’ll be here next year, God Bless. Love,

There was a lady who came with her 2 sons, ages 11 and 6. Recently she had lost her husband tragically when he drowned in 18 inches of water resulting from mental illness. Her 11 year old son is bipolar. Her 6 year old was experiencing struggles from his dad’s death. She had been through so much.

Early in the week, her 11 year old son was down in the Marina area and lost his $500 pair of glasses. They were not covered by insurance, and this was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.” She came down to the Front Desk, crying children in tow, saying that her son had lost his glasses that day, and that she was leaving. She turned in the keys and proceeded to take the 2 1/2 hour trip home.

I knew there was no way to talk her out of it, although we at the Front Desk tried our best. As she left I prayed what could be considered a crazy prayer, since the Lord knew exactly where those glasses were, that He would somehow miraculously let them be found.

The next day, the mom called back, saying that she had made a hasty decision and asked if they could come back. We were able to have her come back into the same room, and so she and her sons returned. The three then began looking for the lost glasses down at the Marina area. Another guest “happened” to be down in the Marina area as well, talking with another staff member. Someone approached the other staff member, so this guest walked over to see what the other guests were looking for.

The mom then told the story of the lost glasses. The guest said she would help look for the glasses, and noted that the tide was Extremely low–the lowest she remembered in all of her years here. She suggested that they pray and ask the Lord to help them find the lost glasses. They prayed, and literally, this guest said “Amen” and looked maybe 4-5 feet away and saw something gleaming in the sunlight. She said, “Oh look–somebody’s sunglasses.” The 11 year old boy who had lost his glasses turned and looked as she picked them up. He said, “No, they’re not sunglasses, they are MY glasses! I have transitional lenses! They’re my glasses! They’re my glasses!” He was so excited!

Boats had been going over that very area for a few days, and there was only a minor scratch on one of the lenses. GOD found those glasses!!! Then the mom said that right before she came back to Sandy Cove, she had received a call from an unsaved guy friend of hers, and she had told him about the lost glasses. He said, “Oh well, you will NEVER find those. They are gone.” She told him that she had prayed about it, and that God knew where those glasses were, and that just maybe, He would find them for her. She got on the phone with that guy and said, “Guess what GOD did? He FOUND my boy’s glasses!!!!” The guy couldn’t believe it!

But the story isn’t over. The guest who found the boy’s glasses–her son works at the Marina this summer–his name is Josh. He had lost his dad about 5 years ago or so, and he was able to connect with this 11 year old boy and let him know that he could make it, because he had been where this boy was. God had helped Josh, and Josh knew He would help this boy too. The mom said that Josh was SUCH an encouragement to her son, and she tearfully praised the Lord that she had listened to His voice and come back to Sandy Cove. “Because LOOK at what God did!!!”

I contacted my mortgage company, Chase Home Finance, as soon as I saw I would not be able to pay my mortgage. After 5 months, they came back and said I wasn’t qualified for Obama’s HAMP Program but they’d consider a Chase loan mod program.
To make a long story short, the “Chase Home Mod Program” was higher than my previous mortgage!

So I told Chase I was unable to pay it and hired a law firm to represent me through Chase. After 2-1/2 years, I was finally given a loan modification under the HAMP Program. It will be effective on December 21.

I thank God for His complete faithfulness throughout this ordeal! He is so good to us and He never fails! What is impossible with men is possible with God!

God throughout the whole time kept reassuring me that “I’m in control — do not fear anything your mortgage company says to you. I can turn the heart of the king to wherever I want it to go.”

PTL !!!!

My husband and I discovered Sandy Cove Ministries back in 1989 when we moved from New York to York, PA. Every year on our wedding anniversary we look for a place to celebrate what God has done in our lives. We met in June 1978 and were married in November 1978. My husband gave his heart to Jesus Christ in May 1978 and I gave my heart to my Lord Jesus Christ in June 1978. It was a really hard uphill journey for us since we both came from the streets of New York. I ended up in New York after New Jersey, Texas, Florida and the Bronx, which is a street all of it’s own. Spanish Harlem, SoHo, Maiden Lane, Bedford Stuyvesant, even the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan could not compare with the Bronx.

Needless to say when I met Jesus I was a mess. When I met and married my husband I was a mess. But the God that we serve has a wonderful reminder each and every day to us that IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST JESUS HE IS A NEW CREATURE, OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY AND BEHOLD ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW. What a joy to know that a Saviour gave His Life for us so we can be new in Him. As we walked with Him, He actually began to transform our minds, something only He can do, for no other can take the misery out of the memory but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Oh, but the scars, the wounds, the broken heart that remains can only be healed in His time through His people, through His creation. We met them both at Sandy Cove. We met God’s people, God’s creation! And most of all we discovered that Jesus Lives in The Hearts @ Sandy Cove! Won’t you come and find that out for yourself?

My husband and I attended the New Years Extravaganza for 2012. It was our first time at Sandy Cove and it will not be the last. We had a phenominal time. The food was unbelieveable. The place is amazing. Sandy Cove did an awesome job with the program. Paul Pitts was amazing as well as Daren Streblow, Jamey Turner, Michael Faircloth and his friend Jessica that played the violin. Thank you Sandy Cove for a great New Year. That was the way to start a New Year. Thank you!!!

Two years ago I rented a log cabin for my family and, as we do every year we took my two young children and to my surprise my 19 year old daughter came. We enjoyed our time and she asked to have a friend and I said sure! I came back from dinner with the young kids and there was 6 (count them, six) other older people. These kids are the same ones that influence my daughter to smoke pot and get into trouble. They built a fire, had smores and went on the college boat trip. They couldn’t believe that you could have fun and fellowship without alcohol and drugs! Thank you Lord for that moment that I overheard them say, “Hey can we come back here again?” That night the Lord was at work against Satan and won a moment that changed some of those kids!!!!! We haven’t been able to afford to come back yet but soon, God never lets us down. Thanks Sandy Cove, and to imagine my Grandfather tricked me into coming here when I was 18!

My family and I just returned from a Summer Together Family Camp at Sandy Cove. Ever since I have been blowing up Facebook trying to share with others about how the Lord so blessed us through this ministry. It was an amazing week of being refreshed, restored, and reconnected (the mission of Sandy Cove). It may sound like a catch phrase, but it is true! The Lord used our time to restore my husband and I not only back to Him but to each other. Last year at this time my husband was deployed overseas. We attended Sandy Cove’s family week through Operation Oasis. I get emotional every time I think about the willingness of Sandy Cove to bless military families that sacrifice so much and the standing ovation we received when asked to stand in the opening session of the week. I only pray more military families will have the opportunity to get recharged and reconnected at Sandy Cove. We have a 3 year old daughter and we were a little nervous about how she was going to do. It was an awesome experience for her. She loved her teachers and all the activities her class did, as well as coming home talking about Noah and how he obeyed God. Love it!! A vacation like this is priceless. Personally, as an at-home mom, I often feel overwhelmed or get down on myself about parenting. I don’t want to mess up and it is such an important job. My most memorable teaching this week was about the “Power of Dance” not being afraid to make a mistake or be so stiff that you can’t enjoy the journey. If we grow intimately with our partner (our Lord) and allow Him to lead us, we will dance through life’s journey (including parenting). Don’t be afraid to step on a crack…relax and enjoy the partnership through intimacy with Him. Love it! Feeling released from walking in fear of messing up as a parent. Thank you Sandy Cove and all those who gave that we might have a vacation through Operation Oasis. We are truly blessed beyond belief!!