Ahlquists at Lost Timber

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Ahlquists at Lost Timber

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Watch on and participate as we live life as the Operations Director of Lost Timber Bible Camp in Chandler, MN.

07/17/2026

Today marks the last day of our camp programs. We always feel a weird combination of relief, sadness, and joy and satisfaction.

Relief because we get a little bit of our lives back and we can get back to normal working hours and a normal sleep schedule. Relief because we can step outside and not be bombarded with quite as many questions and things that are broken (although my list is growing today).

Sadness because the summer is winding down, campers are going home, and so do the staff that we have served and grown with for multiple weeks. After a few weeks of quiet we'll want more campers out here.

Joy because we saw God use this place that has been entrusted to us to make huge gains for His Kingdom. 125 campers made decisions to follow Jesus this summer! 125 out of 364, that's a 34% return on our investment. We know many larger, older, more experienced camps that see more kids and have more weeks of camp but they don't see that kind of return. Lost Timber is a special place that God continues to use to show himself to campers and draw them to him. We know it's not about us or something special that we are doing but there's something about the hearts of the volunteers we get and the focus we have that creates a place where people meet Jesus.

So we are tired and exhausted but we are filled with so much joy and satisfaction because we have made ourselves available for the Lord to use however he wants and he has proven time and again that he is using us. We can't think of a better place to be.

Thank you all for your prayers, encouraging notes and conversations, small gifts, restaurant gift cards, etc. They have kept us pressing on in this ministry this summer and we appreciate it more than you'll ever know. We are well loved and supported.

Now we move on to three weeks of guest groups. We get to take more of a back seat and have a more normal schedule, but we'll continue to serve with the Love of Christ and try to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our guests.

07/10/2026

Heading up to the last night campfire and couldn't help but stop and take a pic of this beauty! Creation shouts the glory of God! It's been a great week at camp, and I (Emily) have taken a couple days "off", relaxing and catching up on some house chores. It's been really nice, and we're ready to finish off the summer strong with our last camp next week! (Then 3 weeks of guest groups)

06/27/2026

This week ended in one of the most amazing, special ways possible for a parent. Our daughter, Tessa, chose to be baptized this week as a public confession of her faith and her desire to place Jesus as Lord and King of her life! What a sweet moment to witness. Our hearts our full! Praise God!

06/24/2026

Tonight, the dining hall has been transformed into a corn hole tournament extravaganza! The kids are loving it!
We are in week 5 of 11 of the summer, week 3 of Lost Timber programs. God is working this week and campers are being challenged to grow their roots in the TRUTH! Please keep praying that hearts would be softened to Him and that they would grow their roots deep into the soil of God's marvelous love!

06/17/2026

Another week, another group of campers. This week we are packed with kids in grades 6-8 and we do not have an open bed. They is so much laughter and fun happening everywhere, it's awesome and even chaotic. Sunday night, literally 5 hours into the week, I got a call, got out of bed to find a shattered door at our dining hall. Not the best way to start the week. But camp moves on and the door got fixed today. I can easily get frustrated and stressed about these types of things, but thankfully God had been reminding me of what really matters. Surprise! It's's not the door.

Tonight as I sit in chapel I'm reminded specifically of the ministry we get to lead. Worship in the barn never gets old! There is something special about Lost Timber that allows kids to worship without holding back. They love the upbeat songs that shake the floor. They equally love the slower, more reflective songs that they can sing to and connect with our Savior. The life-changing moments is what matters.

Tonight's another invitation night, and I'm excited to see what God does tonight and throughout the rest of the week. Im just trying to stay out of his way and not let frustrating circumstances cloud my vision. We'll keep you posted on how the night turns out.

06/11/2026

Good morning, a quick update from camp. As I've mentioned, we've been really encouraged by the way God is moving at camp this week. Tuesday night, 42 campers responded to the invitation to follow Jesus. That number is a combination of first-time commitments and rededications, either way, Tuesday night was a significant turning point for 42 campers who said "Yes" to Jesus.

Why give an invitation Tuesday night? By Tuesday, campers have had time to settle in to the camp routine and see Jesus on display through our staff. So when we share the Gospel and invite kids to follow Jesus, they already have been feeling the love of Jesus through the words and service of our staff. Then after responding to Jesus, we have three full days to disciple them and encourage them. You wouldn't give a 16 year old the keys to your car without teaching them how to drive would you? We think it's important to teach these kids what it means to follow Jesus before they go home.

Emily and I are both pretty tired, trying to get used to the summer camp routine and schedule again. I was up until 12:30 last night repairing an oven in the kitchen. We'd appreciate your prayers for rest and energy. Thankfully, it's a rainy morning which should allow for a little down time to recharge a bit.

06/10/2026

We are in our first half of Breakaway Camp with 6 & 7th graders this week. Tuesday night is one of our favorite nights of the week at Breakaway. It's the night kids hear the Gospel and have an opportunity to respond.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

We've learned not to limit God or rule kids out. So our prayer becomes simply, "God, blow us away." and every year he does! I'm sitting here in chapel right now as kids are responding to the invitation to trust God with their lives. When the invitation was given, kids jumped out of their seats and went to the front like a rushing wave. Seriously, only a handful of kids were left in the seats! We will get an official count (the only number we track closely at camp) and hear the stories from the counselors in the morning. But I'm telling you, I teared up when I watched the physical evidence of God at work through this ministry that we are blessed to run. This is a reminder for us of why we are doing what we are doing at Lost Timber. And this is what keeps us going.

Thank you for your prayers, keep praying, God is blowing us away right now!

06/08/2026

We have hit the ground running at camp this summer! We have already had 2 guest groups at camp who we've been able to serve in a variety of ways and being the hands and feet of Jesus. Tonight we welcomed our first week of campers for our program weeks. We have a full week of campers and can't wait to see what God does through our staff.

We'd love your prayers for energy, sanity, and intentional connection points for Emily and I and our kids. We don't do a good job of posting on Facebook, usually because we are too busy. But we will try to keep you in the loop as the summer goes on.

12/10/2025

We have the opportunity to attend the national Christian Camp and Conference Association conference again this year. Each year we have attended we come away feeling so refreshed, thankful for how God is using us, and excited to serve another year. One day in and we are feeling the same way already! So much good information, even better worship and teaching, but the friendships and community is the icing on the cake. We are excited to see what the next couple of days brings.

Address

466 Valley Road
Chandler, MN
56122

Telephone

(507) 677-2555

Website

http://www.losttimber.org/

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