Just a few things I loved about AIMSTOCK

So… our first AIMstock just ended. (Why the red underline, MS Word? This will be in your dictionary soon enough…)

And to be honest, I hate camping. I hate sweat and bugs and outdoors when they are all at the same time. But for good people… I will do it. And so this was a weekend I would do it for. I had no clue how appreciative I would be by the end of it.

So here are some of the reasons why I loved this weekend, and what I loved about it:

*When Jason called me to tell me that the place hadn’t been cleaned as expected and they had to bug bomb it on arrival, I knew immediately that this was a group of friends who could handle it and wouldn’t freak out. They’d already been taught to be flexible. And besides… most of us lived in less than Hilton conditions on the field.

* Arriving late to a campfire and familiar faces I don’t get to see nearly enough. Waves and smiles from people I dearly love… realizing we’re about to pick up where we last left off… no matter how long ago it was.

*Sitting under the stars and talking about how big God is… And seeing it at the same time.

* Our kids… playing together like no time has passed.

*Hannah falling asleep in my arms.

*Singing around the campfire. Singing. Singing. Singing.

* Singing Alabare, and No Hay Dios, and Solamente in Cristo. Then someone asking if we could sing something in Russian or Thai. Nope… can’t.

* Smores. Glowsticks. More Stars.

* Walking up to the cabin in the dark and overhearing the kids have this conversation with each other.

“Won’t it be so cool when we grow up and we’re all missionaries together?”

* And hearing the rest of that conversation:

Her: “When I grow up, I’m going to go to AIM, and then do whatever God wants me to do.”

Him: “Yeah. Or you could be a wrestler.”

* Seeing the little girls set up their bunks. Together. And Tonya gets mom of the year for sleeping on the top so the girls could be together.

* Walking out the cabin door to see all the tents neatly lined up. Knowing those tents are filled with more people I love. Every single one.

*Early morning mist.

* “A cow woke me up.”

*”There were wild animals. And I think I heard three gunshots.”

*Seriously yummy sausage gravy.

* Walking in and seeing friends reading their Bible, getting up early to go pray, alone or together. And no one’s making them.

*Remembering why I have such deep love for these people. Even the ones I don’t know well…yet.

* Discussing how AIM, for many of us, was our spiritual parent…the first real experience of discipleship, by which we judged all other experiences, good and bad. Appreciating more that simple but profound reality, and it’s place in my walk with Christ.

* Seeing Kris and Barb walk in. Then learning they’d taken a motorcycle 8+ hours to see us over lunch, and then head back another 8 hours.

* Knowing in this crowd… even if a job isn’t delegated…everyone pitches in till whatever is done. Serving is ingrained. It’s fruit of a life lived loving Christ.

* Listening to mountains and valleys...

* Talking. About stuff that matters.

* Watching friends relax. Watching my friends hang out with my kids. Realizing this really is more like family.

*Getting to know people I knew I’d love… and loving them.

* Watching a second generation of kids learn to “be flexible”. Little Piper and Michael could take a nap on a concrete floor with the best of them.

* Being out on a beautiful lake with my husband and kids in a rowboat.

*Hearing, (while in that rowboat…) “Mom, go right! Go right!” Now left. Left. LEFT!!!” Realizing they’re too freaked out and we have to do this more. THEN realizing the last time I said those same words, I was in a dugout canoe in the rain forest with a 12 year old Ecuadorian boy leading us to find caiman… in AIM.

* A huge slip and slide. Smiles all over kids faces.

*Seeing Cory dump his kids off in the middle of the lake.

*Tigger getting back in the lake just to help Eli and Allison get on the floating dock… jumping back through memories from years ago that I never knew would lead up to moments today that I appreciate so deeply.

*Being especially content and more relaxed than I’ve been in a long time. Coming to a mutual realization that in AIM, we learned to have very deep, intimate, friendships…. and that most of us have a hard time ever finding that quality of friendship again.

* Steak and Chicken for dinner. Cajun Shrimp boil for lunch. Seriously? Who EVER gets that while camping?!?! De.Lic.ious.

* Sunday worship… a meal together. Hearing our children ask questions about our relationship with Christ. Sitting around the tables… a family of almost 40… and yet every bit intimate.

* Breaking bread and communion within our families. Explaining… to my kids, as my friends explained to theirs. Knowing they’ll remember.

*“Time for a drawing!” It’s the FORD family. It’s the FORD family. And again… it’s the FORD family!

* Nerts. I still liked the loser table.

* “It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it… It’s the end…”

* Taboo.

Cory… thanks for ruining this game for me forever.

Chris… playing so well... After it’s over. “Stupid.” You were the best part of the game, friend.

Donovan and Brandon’s faces… caught in pained silent laughter and tears as Katie tried so hard : “It’s when you’re in a car accident, and you don’t wake up , and your uh, …. and you don’t remember anybody…. “ “COMA!” “Yeah! “Oh wait…. it’s’comma’.”

*Our poor kids actually putting themselves to bed…whether going to the cabin by themselves, or bringing up sleeping bags to sleep on the floor in the dining hall while we played and laughed and played.

* Realizing it felt so late… and it was only 9:30.

*Cheese crackers. Twinkies. Guacamole.

*Morning on the lake.

* Smalel groups. Question #8: “Is anything keeping you from sharing the difficult parts of your experience like Paul did?” and sitting there, choked up, wiping tears from my eyes, praying that God will help me figure out how to say ‘pride’ and ‘judgment’, and it make sense, and not make a fool of myself…and not being able to do it. Then Alisha says “Pride and judgment. Does that make any sense?” Ummm..yeah. Thanks.

* Mountain and Valley notebooks. Okay. Who didn’t rip into those like a 3 year old at Christmas? God knew us when He said to encourage one another….

I could go on and want to… but I’ll wait for next year. It’s on my calendar. :-)







- Heather Pitney Thornton

Aimstock

This Year's Aimstock was a hige success. Here is a video to see what the week was like.

One Person's Brain Child Is Another Person's Labor

We are just hours away from AIMSTOCK. While I must admit that it was fun sitting with Tim and Jason last year "dreaming up" this brain child of ours... now a year later I watch as the labor process comes to an end. A lot of hard work has gone into this year's event. Just for an idea, here's AIMSTOCK by the #'s...

41 attendees
2042 acres
15 lbs of steak
10 lbs of chicken
12 lbs of shrimp
16 kids
$1200 in donated goods
60 ft long slip n slide
10 rotating and box fans
7 bags of potatoes
5 eskimo jugs for lemonade
10 gallons of juice and milk
80 fruit filled pastries
..... ok.... I need to stop typing this so I can't start loading..... you get the point...

AIMSTOCK IS GOING TO BE A BLAST
You should join us next year (Labor Day Weekend) for AIMSTOCK 2011!
- Chris Johnson








Aimstock 2010 Schedule
Saturday
1:00 - Move in and set up camp
2:00 - Starting Matters: In the Beginning - Pavilion
Kid’s activity
3:00 - Refreshments and M/V stories
4:00 - Free time
6:00 - Dinner - Cherokee
7:00 - Size matters: Your God is bigger
Kid’s activity
8:00 - Bonfire and singing

Go to tents/cabins whenever your family needs to.


Sunday
7:00 - Lakeside devo - Meet at welcome center
8:30 - Breakfast in dining hall
9:30 - Inside Matters: Your inner world - Dining Hall
Kid’s activity
12:00 - Lunch in dining hall
1:00 - Free time
5:30 - Dinner
6:30- Communion Matters: Finding unity in the body and blood
7:30 - Refreshing Matters: Let’s Celebrate!

Go to tents/cabins whenever your family needs to.

Monday
7:00 - Lakeside devo - Meet at welcome center
8:30 - Breakfast in dining hall
9:30 - Perspective Matters: Seeing clearly is hard
Kid’s activity
12:00 - Lunch in dining hall
1:00 - Final goodbye and prayer
2:00 - Clean up

Where AIMSTOCK Comes In

I have recently had the privilege and difficulty of working with multiple marriages that are on the brink of divorce. Though the arguments have different words and the wounds have distinct patterns, it is clear that there is a theme that runs through each situation. As each couple’s individual relationships with God go, so their relationship with each other goes. This is rarely clear when you’re the one going through it, but it is painfully obvious when you are looking for it from the outside. Each person is in desperate need of healing and renewal. Though the devil tempts them to think that the main issue is communication or behavior modification, these are simply a symptom of the bigger problem. Each one of them must fully embrace their relationship with God and allow Him to heal them. Then they can work on the specific issues in their struggles.

But you don’t need to be struggling in your marriage to have the need for healing and renewal. You also don’t need to be experiencing reverse culture shock and identity shock to need healing and renewal. We all need it and we all need it often. No matter how great my life is going, I am still experiencing the devils’ schemes which often wound me. These scrapes and abrasions that wear me down, not even considering the massive direct hits that I sometimes take, need healing. Jesus is clear that if we open our eyes and hearts to him and then turn to him, he will heal us. (John 12:40) But we are constantly tempted to think that if we just keep moving surely things will work out. Until they don’t.

We all need help and God meant for it to be this way. We need to periodically take time to break free from the distractions of life, surround ourselves by people who have the same focus and give our attention fully to turning to Him. In a perfect world, we would experience this often with our local church, but too often more attention is paid to keeping order than to mutually seeking healing in these gatherings. Even if we do receive this regularly from a group of Christians, the 1 or 2 hours we get barely gives us time to begin to connect.

That is where AIMstock comes in. All of us have the common theme of AIM as a connection (whether we were an AIMer for a minute, for years or we joined the adventure by marrying someone with this experience). We have been wounded in various ways. We want to take time to break free of distractions for an extended period of time and mutually encourage each other to put our focus on God and His work in our lives. Whether you feel strong in your relationship with God or are struggling with whether He even cares about you, this is for you. The organizers of AIMstock know that we are not big enough, smart enough or powerful enough to make this work. We are simply stepping out in faith based on what we have witnessed God doing and we are praying that God will take our meager efforts of faith and create something that is so much bigger than us.

Whether you are able to be part of AIMstock this year or not, I encourage you to make it a habit of seeking renewal and healing. In my recent reading of the minor prophets, a consistent theme was that people had tremendous problems in their lives, but failed to make the connection that these problems were ultimately the result of their failure to stay connected to God. Thus the need for the prophets to tell them. I run into people that have this same blindness regularly and often one of those people is me. Renewal and healing is critical and only takes place when we make time to be connected with our Father. My encouragement to us is to make that time: Adjust the calendar, modify the schedule, prepare to sacrifice some other things that we would love to do and make some plans to connect to our Father who longs to heal and renew us!



- Jason Thornton

Final Details On AIMSTOCK

It looks like details with AIMSTOCK are almost completed. So far, we have 31 people attending, meaning this year's event should be very successful and a whole lot of fun. Even though we've made a deadline for signing up, we are still accepting last minute reservations. If you'd like to join us for the retreat... don't hesitate to call us and make reservations (405) 312-0092
Again, what makes AIMSTOCK a success is alumni participation. We'd love to have you here with us!


- Chris Johnson

New AIMstock Deadline Approaching- August 4th

When AIMapalooza first started, the goal was to bring together those “few” AIM alumni that were at the Tulsa Workshop. We were shocked to have over 70 attend the first time and over 40 each year since. Every time I am part of AIMapalooza, I am struck with the immediate connection among those that are a part of it and am blown away by the singing. I sing all the time, but there is something about singing with those that have been part of AIM that is somehow distinct. I can’t explain it, but it is amazing. A consistent conversation that comes up at AIMapalooza is how great it would be if this could be for more than just a few hours and that is where AIMstock comes from. We know that many won’t be able to attend based on location and availability, but we hope that this first retreat will be a model for other retreats in other parts of the US.

For more details you can check out the info at AIMstock on its FB page. One thing that we do need is to get a solid count on who is coming and where they will be staying (tents, cabin or lodge). We need this info a month in advance, so we are now asking to receive registration forms from everyone by August 4th in order to lock in the facilities and space that is needed. We would love to receive payments at that time, but are flexible as to when those are received. The real issue is simply knowing how many to plan for.

If you have any questions whatsoever about the retreat, email me at Jason@memorialdrive.org or call me at (918) 838-1621. There are no dumb questions. One question I have heard pertains to non-alumni spouses. I do want to point out that most AIM alumni didn’t marry an AIM alumnus (I believe that is a true statement, though it may only be 51% true). We want non-alumni spouses to come. We are primarily connected by the blood of Christ, not AIM, so consider yourself doubly welcome!

I cannot wait to see everyone that is able to join us. I am super-thrilled just thinking about it!

Jason Thornton
"Let the Chains Fall Away"
March 23-26, www.tulsaworkshop.org

Go Camping With Other AIM Alumni!

Looking forward and thinking back

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel…”. As Paul sat in prison, he drew tremendous comfort from remembering the shared experiences he had with a group of Christians who shared the same focus. One can surmise that every time he was reunited with this group he would add to his storehouse of memories and draw ever increasing encouragement from them.

In March I was greatly privileged to have two such reunion experiences with those that I share a partnership. First was the AIM Reentry and graduation. Despite the fact that there were many who I did not know, the connection was instantaneous and the experience was chock full of renewing conversations and inspiring realizations. A special thanks to Tim, John, Joe, Kim and Angela for their input in to what we would want shared with the graduates and those who prayed for God to provide the right words. Despite much frustration in my preparation, when I actually presented the message God’s Spirit clearly spoke to many and I was so thrilled once again to witness His ongoing work in the hearts of those who want His will fulfilled in their lives. As you yourselves have experienced, at the conclusion of graduation they had all AIM alumni, present students, and future students stand and encircle the audience. It was staggering to think of what God has and will continue to do through that group and then, to realize that I am connected to this unique work that God has on earth was genuinely overwhelming. “I thank my God every time I remember”.

Literally, two weeks later, at Aimapalooza, I stood in a room again surrounded by people with a shared heritage and purpose. After all shared together how they saw God working in their lives, we drew in close and begin to sing. The videos will never be able to convey the tangible power that was in that room. It was as if God was restoring my spirit with each passing note. It was amazing and exhilarating! “I thank my God every time I remember”.

In James 1:17, God shares with us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…”. So when we experience things that are truly good and perfect here on this earth, a sliver of heavenly light is perceived for that moment, a tiny signal of what is coming for us in heaven. The result is that we carry this small fragment of God’s glory (in the form of a memory) with us to provide encouragement for future days and to serve as a motivational reminder of where we are headed. Though we experience good and perfect things all the time (since God is so good and faithful), these reunions stand out as very potent reminders of God’s love and work among us.

The AIM Alumni Association wants to be a catalyst for creating as many of these opportunities to reunite as possible. Since we are spread out across the world, none of us could attend all of them, but if every once in a while we could connect, how much richer our walk with God would be! This coming September, Labor Day weekend, we are inviting all that can to reunite with those who share a unique heritage and a common purpose. Join us for Aimstock! If you aren’t able to make it, especially if it is too far to travel, I encourage you to begin dreaming about creating an event in your area. We envision a day where events would happen all over the country that would provide a focal point for restorative community that comes from these events.

All of these special experiences of course are a hint. It is as if God is winking at us saying, “If you think this is good, you are going to be blown away by the final reunion.” So, especially if you are discouraged today, I pray that God fills you with courage as He reminds you of the good and perfect memories He has placed in your mind and heart and how those serve to tap you on the shoulder and remind you that the best is yet to come.

- Jason Thornton

What we're cooking up next...

If you were unable to attend AIMAPALOOZA this last month, you missed a great party. The event reunited Aim Alumni from over three decades, bringing together multiple Aim teams and allowing for wonderful conversation and discussion. Much was discussed this year, opening the door to some exciting possibilities for the future.

One item that was brought up at AIMAPALOOZA was the birth of a new annual Aim event called AIMSTOCK! Starting Labor Day weekend on September 4th, Aim Alumni will join together in Oklahoma for two days or relaxation, devotion, fellowship, and fun. The purpose for the event is to offer yet another arena for Christian bond to occur between Aim Alumni and their families. We want you to be part of our experience! If you are interested in attending AIMSTOCK, leave your calendars open for Labor Day weekend. We are looking up details for the best possible location and price, to accommodate all of our Alumni, regardless of financial availability and family size. Also, if you know of some possible retreat options, please feel free to shoot them our way on the AIM ALUMNI Facebook page. We look forward to making this event a spectacular one. Your partnership in that task might be just what we need. Let us know, and we look forward to seeing you in early September.

-AIM ALUM
(more details coming soon)