Greetings family and friends!

The Ferguson’s are excited to share with you our special plans for this summer! At the end of June we both will be camp counselors (aka Big Campers) for Royal Family Kids Camp. As some of you may recall, last year Brian got to be a Big Camper the week before we left for Haiti. This year both of us get the exciting opportunity to do it together!

Why is this special and worth sharing on our site (and taking up your reading time)? This camp is special to us because of who the campers will be. Each year RFKC takes children, ages 6-12, out of the El Paso County foster care system, buses them up to a campground in the mountains, and for 5 days allows these children to be just that, children. While we are so excited to get the chance to hang out with these incredible kids, we also must keep in mind where these kids are coming from. As we went through training we were soberly reminded of the backgrounds of abuse and neglect these children come from. Something special about camp we both love is the birthday party. Many children who attend RFKC either don’t know their actual birth date or have never had it celebrated, so one afternoon all of the kids get to blow out candles, eat cake, open presents, and dress silly as we celebrate the miracle of their lives! Some of the kids may show up with physical signs of abuse, some may retreat at the sight of so many adults, some may inappropriately cling to us as they express “love” in the only way they have been taught. However the child comes to us, our job is to make sure they leave us knowing they are LOVED, they are VALUED, and that it is our JOY to spend time with them. While it is a faith-based camp, our job is not to preach, but to DISPLAY the love of Christ to them.

There are so many stories of redemption and restoration that come from Royal Family. It’s not uncommon for children to come to us as bed wetters (often a sign of physical or sexual abuse) and not wet the bed a singe night of camp! Allowing these kids to be kids and be supremely loved is a task we can’t say no to. And it’s a task we can’t do without YOUR help!

Royal Family seeks to make the camp as accessible as possible for the families sending these children. Part of this accessibility is making the camp free of charge for the families, which means us Big Campers have to raise money to GET OUR KIDS TO CAMP! It costs about $750 for one child to go to camp. Each Big Camper is assigned two Little Campers to be with for the week. This means each Big Camper has to raise support for two Little Campers, a total of $1500. With both of us having two Little Campers we will need to raise $3000 to send all four of our kids to camp! Will you help us?

RFKC is partnered with New Life Church, here in Colorado Springs, and fortunately New Life has made giving a tax-deductible gift super convenient! Here’s how:

1)    You can give online. Click on this link http://www.newlifechurch.org/inside.jsp?sid=8 and choose “Give Online”. From there you will prompted to create login information (no charges, it’s simply a way for the church to keep up with who gives). After logging in click “Give Now”. On the new screen that comes up it will ask you to verify where you want your giving to go. Make sure you select “Royal Family Kids” then select either Brian Ferguson or Courtney Ferguson. Once you’ve selected one of our names you can enter the amount you wish to give and submit!

2)    Write a check. You can make the check out to New Life Church and in the memo line include “RFKC” and whoever you’re giving for (Brian or Courtney). You can mail the check to New Life Church, 11025 Voyager Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO 80921 OR you can mail it to us and we can deliver it. Our address is 311 Elmwood Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80907.

You play a crucial role in getting our kids to this life-changing week of camp. We NEED your help! We are so grateful for all the support you have shown and the love we feel from you. Thank you for your considerate gift and thank you for taking time to love these children!

The birthday cake was cut and the coffee was brewing. We all sat encircling the two eldest women as though we were small children again. We listened intently as they relived stories from days long past: stories of childhood chores, bathing in a # 3 washtub, the festive day they got hot running water, and the youthful trouble in which they would sometimes find themselves. These two silver-haired sisters sat and laughed for hours at the opportunity to remember what life used to be for them.

We had gathered to celebrate the 82^nd birthday of Brian’s grandmother. A godly and well-esteemed woman, I see in her so many qualities I hope to someday possess. What struck me most about that day was not that we were celebrating her 82^nd birthday, but the subject which took up the majority of her and her sister’s conversation: their father.

A combined 160 years of life and the thing these two women most wanted and enjoyed talking about was their father, the man he was, and the legacy he left for them.

I think about the men who play the biggest role in my life. Men like my own father, my grandfathers, and my husband. These men, by life’s selection and circumstance, have been given the platform of influence in my life and the life of many others in their own lives.

The respect and admiration I have for these men and the thought of their legacies started me thinking about our Joel Home guys. Who will tell them about the platform of influence they too have? Who will show them what it means to be a man, a husband, a father? Who will show them how to sacrificially lead their families? Who will stress to them the importance of unconditional love for their children and how important is to them that they come to their child’s athletic games and school events?

How fortunate I was to have men who knew so well how to show their love for me. How fortunate I was to have men who knew so well how to show their support for me. How fortunate I was to have men who knew so well to teach how a woman is to be treated, honored, and cared for.

And what of our guys here at Joel Home? Who will show them? Who will teach them?

My prayer is they will see these things in my husband. I pray they see the godly, big-hearted man he is and how much he cares for them. I pray they see qualities in my husband that they too hope to possess. I pray they see me admiring and honoring my husband in a way they hope their future wives will. I pray they see the ways we serve each other, love each other, build up each other, and sacrifice for each other. I pray they see Christ in us.

I also pray there are others who will come along beside us and desire relationship with these guys. I wish people could see how incredible these young men are and how much heart they have. I pray people will join hands with us as we desire to teach these young men about legacies and true manhood.

If you are reading this I have some challenges for you:

First, for those in the Colorado Springs area, if you have any interest at all in serving alongside these incredible guys we need mentors! We need men, or couples, or families, or however God is calling you, to choose to invest in these guys and model for them what the life of Christ and the life of a man looks like. If you are interested in becoming involved or would like more information, please feel free to contact me at courtney@ferguson.pw

Second, if you are not in our area I challenge you to join Joel Home, Children’s Hope Chest, and us in prayer for these guys. Brian and I have three guys living with us in Joel Home II and there are three guys living in Joel Home I. That’s a total of 6 young men who need to be covered in prayer and be lifted up as men. Will you commit to standing with us in their corner and encouraging them, supporting them, coaching them, and praying for them?

Friends, I am so grateful for each of you who take time to read the words God imprints on my heart. I am thankful for all those men who shape and impact my life and I lift each of you up in prayer. Will you too lift those men who are special to you up in prayer and tell them how important they are? Will you remind them of the importance of their legacy? Will you build them up as men so they can become more like Christ and better lead your families, your groups, and your communities? Thank you friends for your commitment to the family of Christ and to the men in your lives.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous” – Psalm 1:1-6

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The band played and I closed my eyes and listened as the lyrics washed over my soul. Each Sunday finds us in this church auditorium, hands raised, hearts aligned, and lives laid down. Then each Monday finds us jumping back into the race of life and to-do lists.

It’s been too long since I’ve last written. Busy only allows for busier and I’ve bought the lie that somehow this over-booked schedule is some sort of goal to attain.

Last Sunday morning I was finally able to articulate to my husband what I’ve been feeling:

Imbalance.

We prayed about this while we were still in Haiti. Go back to our previous posts and read our hearts and you’ll know that this busy, mis-focused lifestyle was exactly what we wanted to avoid. In fact, our most previous post titled “Don’t Get Soft” was exactly about what I’m writing today.

It’s been 3 months since we returned to the United States. It’s taken less than 3 months for us to fall back into the routines and patterns of everyday America.

I don’t say this to claim it’s wrong or sinful to be American, be busy, have nice things, or enjoy the comforts our culture allows. I do say this to make clear that when the time we spend in communion with Christ (in prayer, reading the Word, and meditating on Scripture or God’s holiness) is bumped down a few pegs in order to allow more time for comforts (such as television, going out, and yes, even good things like spending time with family), we can know we have created an imbalance.

I can enjoy all of these things and more, but when I substitute good things for time I would usually spend with Christ, the natural repercussion is an imbalance.

For those of you who know us and stay updated with us, you may look at our lives and be surprised to read these words. We serve in ministry, regularly attend church, spend time in prayer, read our bibles, and give of our time and resources. But this life is not about checklists and spiritual to-dos. This life is about the condition of our hearts and dieing to ourselves. After all, isn’t the heart what God examines (1 Samuel 16:7)?

And if I’m being honest about the condition of my heart, I could summarize it in one word: Longing.

My heart longs for more of God and for more of the things of God. My heart longs for more time spent in awe of Him and meditating on His glory. My heart longs for the Presence of Christ to permeate every thought and interaction I have.

I don’t want to fill my schedule with more to-dos, more items to check off, or even more service opportunities if my heart isn’t fully aligned with God and my first priority isn’t time with God.

I don’t want more good things of this life if my life isn’t saturated with the good things of Christ.

My first choice must be Christ. I, like John, must daily be willing to say, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:3).

This life must be less about me and more about Christ. And the more my life is about Christ, the more my life will find its perfect balance.

What about you friends? What areas of your life do you find you are giving more of yourself to than to Christ? What things do you know you could rearrange or perhaps even eliminate in order to spend more time with your Perfect Creator? What are some ways you can become more aware of His Presence and spend more quality time in His Presence?

My challenge for you is not to go and spend 30 minutes in prayer or even 5 minutes in prayer. I don’t believe in putting numbers to a relationship that demands our all. I do believe in acknowledging the holiness of our Almighty God and falling in worship of Him wherever we are. I don’t challenge you spend a few extra minutes in your morning praying so you can check that off. I challenge you to ask God for more of Him and to fall in love again with the Savior you once were so enamored with. This, I believe, is a challenge worth saying “yes” to. This, I believe, is worth giving our lives to.

I want you to know dear friend that if you are reading this you can know you are being prayed for. I pray God highlights areas of your life where you’ve stopped surrendering to Him. I pray you are able to recognize any imbalance that may be in your life. I pray you fall more in love with your Savior and desire more of Him. I pray your heart longings are more for the things of Christ than the things of this world.

– Courtney

“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” – Psalm 40:16

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” – Matthew 6:19-21,33

Well folks, it’s getting closer. The countdown is officially at 3 days. Whoa…what? Yes, 3 days. Three days left to soak up our remaining time here and three days to finish preparing for our homecoming.

Home – what a sacred and comforting word. Home is that place where guards are left at the door and people are fused together through the workings of struggles and victories and every inside joke that falls between.

I can’t wait to see my family and hug my sister. I can’t wait to sit around a dinner table and laugh with them. I can’t wait to hear about all the life that has happened in my absence.

But there’s an apprehension that comes with the anticipation. The words of a once-met missionary pastor echoes in my head, “Don’t get soft…don’t get soft.”

He’s spent his last 26 years overseas and raised his family there. He may be from the US but his lifetime is notched elsewhere. He’s made the decision to come back to care for his dying father. And his words to me are “don’t get soft”?

Why would those be the words he chose to give us? Likely, because this man knows the ease with which it is to slide back into the comfortable habits and routines of American living. America is soft. Yes, you heard me: America is soft.

Back off overzealous patriots, I’m neither a flag burner nor a hater of all things America. In fact, I love America. I love the opportunities found there. I love the freedoms fought for there. I love the union of cultures as other people seek to make America their new home. I love that in a single day I can drive from a beach to the mountains and then to the plains. America is beautiful. Ok, America rant done.

But soft, yes she is that, too. We are far too complacent and far too accepting of mediocrity. We are more about our comfort and avoiding hardship and difficulty than about living a life abandoned for the King of Kinds (speaking here in mass generality).

Brian and I are going through the book of 1 Corinthians and yesterday were discussing chapter four. Paul is addressing the church at Corinth and how their efforts to escape ostracism, hardship, and maltreatment make them as if they were “living like unbelievers” (3:3).

Wait, did you catch that? By seeking to avoid these things, the Corinthians’ lifestyles were matching that of unbelievers! Don’t we seek to avoid these things? Aren’t we taught that suffering and persecution is a bad thing? Hmm…so if Paul says avoiding these things makes them similar to unbelievers, what should the life of a believer look like?

Let’s look back at chapter four beginning at verse 11: “Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.” (HCSB)

So you’re telling me, that according to Paul, our lives are to be flavored with things such as poverty, maltreatment, persecution, and want?

Well, yes and no. Is it wrong to have wealth and live in a nice house? No. Is it wrong to have wealth, live in a nice house and prefer those things over a life given for the sake of Christ? Yes.

And that’s the issue Paul was addressing. I don’t believe Paul had anything against working a well-paying job, having a nice house and raising a good family. These things that are the makeup of the American Dream are not evil. But the motives of the heart that cause us to chase these things instead of Christ are. The Corinthians were choosing to avoid struggles and looking different for the sake of their own comfort.

So how does this apply to us and our soon departure from Haiti?

Well, we’re working on it, praying through it, and writing about it. But somehow we have to move this from elusive concept to tangible. We need to put skin to this realization that, truly, we can’t get soft.

I need to desire, like Paul, to be the “scum of the earth” (look soon for Brian’s newest blog sharing the same title). My care for the shiny things of this world must be so diminished to that of my desire for Christ that it seems I hate them.

So forgive me for not wrapping this writing piece up all nice and neat for you. This writing, along with my life, is a work in progress. We’re learning how to live differently. We’re learning how to make our lives a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). We’re learning how to take Haiti home and not leave it and all of its lessons on the runway in Miami. Mostly, we’re learning how to not go soft.

– Courtney

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1-2

The dark parts of the morning find me breathing deep on the rooftop, waiting for the sun to awaken. I breathe to fully enjoy the moment, to savor the sights and sounds of Haiti. I think I’m able to see things a little clearer now; like that moment of sight right after you put on prescription eyewear for the first time. I close my eyes and feel the cool morning breeze on my face. I listen to the calls of the rooster (who thinks the sun has been coming up since 3am). I listen to the neighbors’ voices lifting early morning hymnal songs. I feel the sun begin to warm my face. My eyes take in the misty clouds over the mountain ranges and the green farm fields pooling under Earth’s giants. I release a deep, contented breath, thank God for the moment, and begin to pray.

This moment is so special to me and my prayer is that in each moment I am able to slow down, if only for a minute, to take in all that surrounds me. This is becoming more important to me because now I know just how numbered my days truly are in Haiti.

Yes, friends, the Ferguson’s are coming home.

These words are bittersweet. As my wise mother-in-law reminds me, to every “yes” we give, we give a “no” to something else. But we’ve prayed and weighed and prayed more and counted the cost on either side. We know where our next step will be, even if we are unsure of the steps to follow that one. In our moments of doubt and uncertainty God gently whispers, “It’s time”. And we know this.

God has given us a season of rest and refreshment coupled with opportunities of service and life-lived ministry. We are grateful.

Our hearts are full and we are ready to take our “cup runneth over” home to share our portion with others. We are excited to again share life with our friends and family and those we’ve yet to meet. We are continuously overwhelmed with how well we are loved by all of you.

The calendar is marked. November 26^th has reserved us a ticket back home, where our first stop will be in Sweet Home Alabama.

November 26^th means 25 days will be all that we have left here. 25 days to give wholly of ourselves. 25 days to dig in a little deeper, love a little harder, and hug a little longer.

Will you pray for us? Will you pray in our closing time here we will remain faithful to the work given us? Will you pray we remain faithful to the ministries God has placed before us here? Will you pray we will choose 100% engagement and to be fully present, not allowing our minds to take us to the future where worry resides? Will you pray for the tightrope we’ll need to walk of being wise about planning ahead while remaining in the moment?

With overflowing hearts of gratitude we say thank you. With anticipation pulsing through us we look forward to reunion with you. And with cups running over, we send our love your way from knelt prayers.

The Tentative Plan:

Our plan is to fly into Alabama on Tuesday, Novemeber 26^th. We plan to spend a couple of weeks with my family before flying to Kansas City. From there we will be celebrating our friends Zach Boyer and Sydney Staggs as they do the “I do’s” on December 14^th (whoop whoop!). Post-wedding we plan to rent a UHAUL and, with all of our belongings loaded, traverse the travel woes of I-70W through Kansas (pray for no blizzards this time!). We currently plan to settle our nomadic selves in Colorado Springs for the next season of life until God again asks us to pack up and move (cue “Colorado” by Paper Bird).

Peace and joy to you friends and cheers to sweet reunions soon,
Courtney

“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
– Isaiah 55:12-13