2009 Year in Review

2009 has been a special year for us. As we reflect on this past year, we praise the Lord for His many blessings to our family. Most of all we are thankful for Christ and the privilege we have of a personal relationship with God through His work on the Cross. What privilege it is to serve Him!

Giving thanks to the Father, who as qualified [us] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:12-14)

Wishing you a wonderful 2010!
-Matt, Rachael and Benton

Enjoy a few pictures from this year!

JANUARY
Cousin Daniel was born. He eagerly waited three weeks for his cousin's arrival .

FEBRUARY

February 19, 2009-Matthew Benton Wilson, Jr. was born. A very exciting day for our family! Benton had a lot of visitors in the hospital and was welcomed by 380 guys in our Residence Hall.

MARCH
Gold Rush Daze 2009-Blue Thunder
We enjoyed a lot of fun activities with our Residence Hall and other friends at BJU. Benton slept through the Blue Thunder Pep Rally--very chilled, easy-going child!

APRIL
We were in Clemson for Benton's first Easter.


MAY
We finished up the semester at BJU and headed to AZ to work with Camp on Wheels. Matt and Benton spent time together in our travel trailer between duties.

JUNE
Benton had his first "horse ride" at the Alpine camp property in Arizona, and we celebrated Father's Day.


JULY
July was a busy month. We traveled to Canada with the Camp (pic 1-UT, pic 2-Banff-Lake Louise) and were there for a couple weeks before heading to D.C. for Monroe and Katie's wedding (pic 3).

AUGUST
We went to Matt's brother, Randall's wedding at the camp site in Arizona and then headed back to Greenville to begin the Fall Semester. (pic 1-wedding, pic 2- Johnson Residence Hall staff)

SEPTEMBER
After being away for a summer, it was fun to be back at our apartment in Greenville, where Benton had a crib to sleep in and fun toys to catch up with after taking a break from them!


OCTOBER
The pumpkin patch and apple picking with Cousin Daniel.



NOVEMBER
Thanksgiving at the new camp property in Arizona. Benton enjoys snow with his Grandparent Wilsons!


DECEMBER
Christmas in Clemson--Benton and Daniel were not as interested in their presents as they were in all the bows and paper!

Camp Update 4

Yesterday we finished our week of Junior Camp. We had a really fun week and enjoyed the young campers. One of the staff wives reminded us of the importance of decisions made when children are young. It is exciting to see the Lord change the heart of a child and witness the childlike faith that the Bible talks about. We praise the Lord for several children who were saved or made assurance of salvation. Matt reminded the counselors to be very sensitive about not pushing decisions, and it was a blessing to see the Lord work in the young hearts throughout the week.

Junior camp always brings interesting events to the campsite--lots of visits to the nurse for scrapes and bruises, although most of the time a band-aid will do the trick. And there is home sickness--it runs rampant through most of the girls' cabins. And then a lot of fun--laughter and silly antics all the time. It was nice to have a group of kids that didn't need to be entertained all the time simply because they could entertain themselves on their own. Of course, the counselors loved the nap time and will miss that immensely during our last week of teen camp which begins on Monday.

Matt, Sarah and I drove to Phoenix yesterday to drop off someone at the airport. Benton did pretty well in the car. He has discovered his voice and wants everyone else to know that he has discovered it as well. He would decide to chat (more like a friendly scream) every thirty minutes or so at length with Sarah in the back seat of the truck. It was really funny, but at hour 6 I think he decided that he had had enough. Thankfully we were just 10 minutes from our stop. He welcomed a trip out of the car seat and was just fine once he was able to wiggle around.  We will stop every 3-4 hours on our trip to Canada, so hopefully he will not fall apart too often. 

We have enjoyed a little rest over this weekend and are excited about the last week of camp in AZ before heading to Canada!

Camp Update 3

The rains are here but thankfully it is Junior Camp week and the younger kids are easier to entertain in the rain! The Lord has given us a wonderful week. We are enjoying feeding off the enthusiasm of the young kids that are here this week--they just LOVE camp and practically worship the ground their counselors walk on. Pretty weighty but the counselors are doing a great job!

We are living in a little travel trailer this summer and are enjoying having a little home of our own at the edge of the AZ camp property, right behind the horses. Last night we were awakened around 3 am by a counselor knocking on our door. A camper had fallen out of bed, and thankfully he was ok, but we had to help look into things. Benton woke up but went back to sleep until he was awakened again, so we had a little family time before he finally went back to sleep until a more desirable morning hour! He is doing great and has adjusted well to camp life. The junior campers this week just love him and all want to hold him. He is definitely not lacking in attention.

We had a wonderful Father's Day weekend. We spent Saturday afternoon at Big Lake, which is just a half hour drive from the camp in Alpine. On the way there we saw a small herd of elk and a baby with them. We see a lot of wildlife this time of year. On Sunday we went to church in Nutrioso, and our staff did the music service. It was an encouragement to worship with this small body of believers who are just 10 minutes from our camp property. This coming Sunday we will be in Show Low doing the same thing. It is a privilege to meet the pastors in the West and see the works that God has raised up. It is our desire to introduce our Summer Staff to the needs in the West and it is exciting to see them minister in such a special way!

The Lord is teaching us a lot and we are thankful for the opportunities that He has given us to invest in lives. Please pray that we will be faithful in our personal walk with the Lord and that we would be sensitive to opportunities that the Lord brings our way to encourage those that we are working with.

God is faithful and will accomplish the work that He has begun in us. We have one more week of camp in AZ before we pack up and head to Canada. Thanks for your interest in what is going on! 

Camp Update 2

Below is our first supporter update that will go out sometime this weekend--a sneak preview for you:

Dear Friends and Family,

We are excited to send out our first personal summer update. First of all, thank you so much for your generosity. We we were overwhelmed as we saw God provide all of the financial support that we needed and we appreciate your prayers for us each week.

This summer is different from past summers in several ways. Of course having Benton along is a joy, and we love every minute. We always loved the kids at camps where we worked during high school and college and looked forward to having our own “camp kids” at some point should the Lord have chosen that, and we are so thankful that He did. Working with two new families has been a blessing. We are so thankful for the team the Lord has brought together and appreciate so much all that Brian Olsen and Andy Dalporto add to what is going on here. When we arrived the week before our staff came in on June 1st it was obvious there was a lot to do before we would be ready for camp, and while it was overwhelming, God was gracious and allowed it to come together. Staff training week was very busy and although we were physically spent, we came away spiritually recharged and refreshed.

This first week of camp went really well. We had churches from Colorado and the Phoenix area. It was a blessing for us to spend time with the sponsors from the different churches. We had a large group of kids from a Hispanic church in Phoenix and a large group from a church in Denver, and it was neat to see the teens mix and mingle. Morris Gleiser was our speaker and really connected. Many teens made decisions, and from follow up that Matt was involved in, it really was exciting to see the teens making solid decisions, not just surface issues being dealt with. Please continue to pray as the youth workers follow-up.

Because we have to travel some distance to church on Sunday, we have an evening service at camp for the staff. We are enjoying the staff--most of them are Sophomores and Juniors in college, so it is a younger group than what we have had the past two summers, but they exhibit a lot of maturity.  Thank you for your prayers for safety. Matt has been busy coordinating all the efforts to make things happen. Rachael has spent a lot of time in the Dining Hall helping train the hostess and work with the two waitresses. It has been a challenge feeding people in 2 shifts, but things have been going well.

We finish tomorrow our second week with Mike Manor and are looking forward to Junior camp next week. Thanks for keeping in touch!!

Camp Update 1

First of all, a picture of the little guy since that is why most people look at this anyway :-)

We are in the middle of our first week of camp and are having a wonderful time. Last week we had staff training, with most of our summer staff arriving on Monday, June 1st. We are always excited to have everyone in one place. We are so thankful for how the Lord is already working in our own lives as well as in the lives of staff and campers.

Benton has been great so far--he still takes regular naps between meals, so that helps us balance the load. Although, he is growing a lot. It is hard to imagine that next year we will be chasing him around. He is a big smiler and loves to talk--responds to any type of personal attention and has lately developed a social cry. We wondered how people knew what different cries are, and we have enjoyed figuring them out!!

We have churches from Colorado and Phoenix at camp this week. This group of campers is great, and they are really enjoying themselves. Morris Gleiser is our speaker for the week, and the Lord is doing a work in hearts. It is a joy to watch the counselors invest in each camper individually.

Rachael has found a home in the dining hall and is enjoying working with three girls. They are serving all the meals and helping out with a variety of other things including a special time with the children of sponsors and staff during the evening services. It is just fun to watch the younger kids and see the excitement that they have--they all cannot wait until they can be campers themselves. Matt has continued to do a little bit of everything.

There was a lot to do over staff training to get the campsite in shape and ready for campers, but it all came together. It is fun to have the camp full and things underway. Thank you so much for praying for us! We know that it is God Who is working and that any good is of Him. We appreciate your continued prayers for safety and wisdom as we continue to do the next thing God has for us today!

Travels and Camp

Well, we have officially traveled with our child, and to be honest, the airports are so helpful and it is so much easier when you are traveling with an infant as far as checking in and security go! Thankfully, Benton traveled well. We spent some time in Clemson with Rachael's family and then a few days with them on vacation in FL before flying out to AZ. Vacation was actually somewhat of a business trip for Bert, so the little grandsons stole the show. It was a time of wonderful memories.

We flew into Phoenix over the weekend,  are picked up some additional people who came early to help out with preparations for camp. We have been working on finalizing a lot of little details over the past couple weeks and are excited to see the Lord bring everything together. 

Matt is the assistant to the director and will be helping run everything. Rachael will be Mom to Benton and then working in the office and helping out wherever she is needed. Benton will be tagging along but cannot wait until he is old enough to help out. He is excited to spend the summer with his friends.

We are currently at the camp site in Alpine, AZ and are enjoying the beauty of the mountains, crisp, cool air, and a rain shower every afternoon. Matt's parents packed up their home in Sanders on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be permanently relocating in the Fall. We are working with Matt's parents, the Noggle, Dalporto and Olsen families. The rest of our summer staff arrives on Monday, and we look forward to having everyone together!

The End and New Beginnings

Well, the end of the Semester is in sight. Since we have been in an academic setting for the three years we have been married we pretty much live from semester to semester, and as all the students do, we greatly anticipate summer! Things are always busy whenever the end of the semester comes, but it does help it to go by quickly!! We are working on preparations for camp this summer. It has been a blessing to see the staff that the Lord is bringing together. We are excited about the opportunity to invest in them in a small way. It will be new having a third family member along with us, but we look forward to the grand adventure that it will be.

Benton has stretched out his sleeping time and is giving us an extra half hour or so, which has been a really nice thing. He is getting stronger--we don't have to worry as much about his neck flopping backwards, thankfully! He wakes up pretty chipper in the mornings and will chat a little before he tells us that he is hungry. He is quite a patient little fellow!

Between the end of school and camp we will be in Clemson, working some and spending time with the Campbell side of the family before we head out to Arizona. We spend 5 weeks in Arizona and then 3 weeks in Canada, with several days of traveling at different intervals. Camp on Wheels is getting a new name at the end of the summer--more to come on that as things are being developed. We are excited about the progress that is being made and the clear evidence of God's hand at work in the camp ministry and in our own lives personally.

Life in Johnson

We love the work that we do at Bob Jones. In fact, we feel like we are getting wonderful parenting training with 300 overgrown teenagers. Benton has a ton of Uncles, and he is loved very much. In fact, we had to attend a funeral viewing, so we left Benton at the Resident Assistant desk. When we returned he was drinking a bottle and behaving himself beautifully. I wonder though if he is always as good for them as they say, but they seem to enjoy having the chance to spend time with him.

Benton is all smiles and quite communicative these days. He loves deep, lower voices and responds to those readily with smiles and all those cute baby noises that just melt your heart. It is a lot of fun! I know some people take a second look when our apartment door is open--we had some men visiting in our Residence Hall last week, and one commented that he did not realize families lived in the residence halls as he had walked by and seen the baby room. I did not tell him that was our living and dining area :-) It is amazing how a little guy can practically take over. We do let him cry it out at times and he plays a lot on his own--finding the balance can be challenging. We pray every day that he will grow up to know the Lord and serve Him. We see a lot of joys working with college kids, and especially with our staff, it is a privilege to work with guys who truly love the Lord. The responsibility is huge, but God's grace is abundant and sufficient--it is exciting to be channels of that grace in Benton's life, and we look forward to what God does!

Exciting Firsts--Golf, Holidays, Big Jobs

Well, this past week was a lot of fun for the two Wilson boys. While Benton went to work in Clemson with Mommy, Matt joined Bert, Dan and Sarah, and went to the Masters. Benton is smiling and talking all the time now. He is growing like a little plant, which is good considering the fact that he is the resident spitter-upper in our family; his cousin Daniel does not share the same skill!

We are enjoying parenthood immensely. It does not come without challenges, however they are a lot of fun. Benton is sleeping for 6 hours or so a night. It can be hard to get out of bed at 5 am, but I am convinced that the Lord gives a little extra measure of grace to mothers :-) That time has become a special prayer time for me, so I actually look forward to it.

Easter was our first major holiday as a family. What a privilege to know and serve a Risen Savior. We rejoice in that. And even this Easter experienced it a little differently as now we have our own son. What a gift God has given us in His Son. He willingly gave His Son that we might have eternal life. What amazing love! We celebrated with corporate worship at our church in Clemson and then enjoyed a delicious lunch with my family. We spent the afternoon at Grandma Campbell's where Daniel and Benton received as much attention as possible. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures soon from the events of the day!

Smiles for Daddy

Pictures from Benton's First Few Days

These are not in chronological order... however, enjoy!

Arriving at home--Johnson Residence Hall

Benton's 300+ uncles are excited to meet him!

All loaded up at the hospital, waiting for the nurse to come in and tell us we were all set to go.

The best hospital helper ever! People think that this Grandma is the Mom. She is the best!!!

Great Grandma Kline dropped in. We love our Great Grandmas!!

Great Grammie Campbell along with Daniel (on the left--Daniel brought Benton his very own blue lollipop. It is bigger than Benton!)

Benton got to meet the Pooh his Daddy bought him before he was born.

Benton was very alert from Day one--this is the second day in the hospital, and he is less than 24 hours old.

Welcome Baby Wilson!

Matthew Benton Wilson, Jr.  was born February 19, 2009 at 4:44 p.m. We are so excited that he is here, and although I am 8 months since my last blog and 6 weeks into life with our newest family member, I have decided to take on the challenge of keeping you up to date! The picture to the left is from his one month birthday :-)

Benton is a great kid--he is already sleeping through the night, and he is as pleasant as they come. He is our resident spitter upper. His cousin, Daniel, who is three weeks older than he has been having a lot of fun with Benton. We are so excited that they will be great friends!

Of course these first few weeks they change so much--today Benton looks a lot older. He is really starting to fill out. In his first month, he gained 7 pounds 2 ounces. Today he is well over 10 pounds. He is a good eater for certain. He enjoys chatting with Mommy and Daddy and he is working on his real smile. I am pretty sure he has found it finally.

Matt and I went away last night and Benton stayed with his Grandma Campbell. He was an angel. He did have a major blowout, but everyone in our family is getting really good at handling those!

We are about the wrap up our semester at BJU and will head out to Arizona again to help out with Camp on Wheels. We are excited about our summer staff and cannot wait to share Benton with everyone. We truly are thankful to the Lord for His blessing in our lives and are looking forward to what He has in store!