Summer 2008

Hey Friends and Family,

Alright, if you're still following along, thank you for your faithful blog devotedness. It has been a busy summer, its amazing how much faster paced things are here in the states. We had another incredible experience in Mexico with students that we are serving with in our college/career ministry, recently named "SOLD OUT"! We have both been busy working, Kealy was given a short term job at Newport Restaurant as a hostess and I have continued to work at Best Buy Costumer Service. We are preparing for the school year, looking forward to getting into a normal routine. Kealy is continuing to wait for a job to open up and I will be starting seminary school two weeks from tomorrow. We are excited for our future here in Keizer and the upcoming school year.

We celebrated our fourth year of marriage together on August 1st, with a fun weekend at Detroit Lake, a wonderfully romantic dinner and a fun time sharing and remembering the last four years of our marriage. We can't believe its gone by so fast. We love being married so very much.

God has continued to be faithful to us and we are enjoying immensely our service and experience with the college/career ministry at Salem E. The students and staff have been so willing to share their lives with us and we have done lots of things together this summer: A trip to Seattle, Mexico, Beach Trips and camping at Detroit Lake. We also got to enjoy a Thornberry family reunion (Kealy's side) and will be heading to Sandy this weekend to spend time with Ryan's family. We thought we'd share some pictures with you of this summer so you can get an idea of what we've been doing.

Keep an eye out for this blog, as we strive to be more consistent in our posting. Thank you, as always, for your love, prayers and support.

In Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Ryan and Kealy with her brothers:


Kealy with her cousins and new second cousin, Jaden


A trip to the beach:


Fun in Oaxaca:


Ancient Indian Ruins:


Detroit Lake Fun:


Our anniversary:

Mexico...Here We Go Again!

OUR OAXACA MISSIO '08 TEAM:

Hey Friends and Family,

Well, in less than 7 hours we'll be on our way with a team of twenty three to Oaxaca, Mexico to serve for one week with a feeding program, vacation bible school and construction. We are going to have a hard time sleeping tonight, that's for sure! Please pray for us and for our team, that we would be strengthened and protected, and that God would work through us and in us while we are there. You can check out a blog we have set up for the trip and you can find the site to the right of this post. We'll have internet access and will be able to post pictures and daily blogs chronicling the experience while we are there.

We hope each of you are having a great summer. Thank you always, for your love and support of us and each of our adventures. Your prayers and love are always felt.

In Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Living Each Day

Dear Friends and Family,
It has been quiet some time now since our last blog, I applogies. The last few months we have managed to find work; Ryan is working at Best Buy and at our church as the College/Career Pastor. We feel blessed to be apart of such an wonderful group. I substituted until school was out in June, the last month was at South Salem High School as the freshman P.E. teacher. I'm now working at Newport Bay now known as Newport Seafood and Grill. When we are not working we enjoy hanging out with friends and family. Monday's I get together with the girls and Ryan on Wednesday with the boys. Last week my grandparents celebrated their fiftieth anniversary at the beach with the whole family. G&G are great examples of a good marriage. Yesterday was my b-day, on Sunday I celebrated with family along with Ryan speaking at his Dad's Church in Sandy. I felt loved on my Birthday, thank you. This coming Monday we leave for Oaxaca Mexico for a mission trip with the college/career group. Ryan is going to start George Fox in the Fall to get his Mdiv.


I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own: it is not for man to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10:23

It has been interesting being back and where God has taken us in what we are doing. We want to follow God's footsteps wherever He might lead. God's plans are far greater then our own. That is were we find hope and joy. We are so thankful for many things and know that he will give us the desire of our hearts if we follow Him.

In Christ,
Kealy and Ryan

Continuing the Adventures

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope you are doing well and experiencing the very best God has to offer you as Spring arrives this year. God has been so faithful to us since our arrival back in the states and we wanted to share about His goodness to us with you. Since arriving back from teaching English in China this past January, we have renewed our commitment to continue to serve as a part of the Salem Evangelical Church in Salem. We are so excited about the things God is doing in our church and we are so honored that God has given us a chance to be a part of the ministry there. Ryan has been asked and has accepted a position as the new college/career ministries director at SEC, working with college students and young adults as they strengthen their walk with Christ and search for His call on their lives. We are so excited to be serving in this ministry and are dedicated to allowing God to use us as He will in this next adventure.
We would like to humbly ask for your faithful prayer during the beginning of this ministry, that we would seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in relationships and ministry and that we would stay focused on what God has planned for this incredible ministry in Salem. As part of this new adventure, we have been asked to help lead a group of twenty young adults, along with four other staff, to Oaxaca, Mexico this July 7th through 13th. We will be serving in the city of Oaxaca for one week, doing construction, building relationships with believers there as well as reaching out to youth and adults in the community. We are extremely excited for the chance to be a part of this trip and have the opportunity to serve Christ through missions, as well as help develop young men and women in Christ and build relationships with them. We too, would covet your prayers as we prepare for this mission.
If, as you commit to praying for us, you are able and guided through the Spirit to contribute financially to our trip as well, we would humbly accept any gift you are willing to give. We are trusting that God will provide the funds to be able to serve Him as we believe He has called us to do. Our cost for the trip will be $2400. Any amount you are willing to give would be a tremendous blessing to us. A financial gift can even be tax deductible if made out to Salem Evangelical Church at: 455 Locust St. NE Salem, OR 97301, with a separate note signed by you expressing your desire to support Kealy and I on this trip. We are excited to see God provide for us financially, but more important, we request your prayer as we prepare to serve God in Mexico. Thank you for your love and support. May God continue to “...let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts” and “the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives”.

In Him,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

A Defining Mission

Hello Friends and Family,
We are back from Mexico safe and sound, a more blessed and at peace than we could have ever known. It was an incredible week and we feel so privileged to have been able to be a part of God's work down in Ensenada with senior high students from SEC during the week. As some of you already know, on our trip down to Mexico our team was involved in an eight car accident just outside of San Diego. Praise God that no one was seriously injured and safe. But what we are praising God for all the more was the way that the staff of the trip, our fearless leader pastor Garrett, and the amazing students who responded to the unexpected obstacle in our mission with a renewed desire to continue the trip and serve the people in Mexico we believed God was calling us to reach. God stripped us of any unpure motives or shallow desires for a 'spring break vacation' and turned the week into an amazing time of service and fellowship. Kealy and I were blown away by the maturity and joy of these senior high students, the love and patience that the staff showed them, and the way that the approximately 100 kids we put on VBS for in Mexico welcomed us and desired to learn about God's love. As much as Kealy and I were looking forward to helping serve on the trip and being an encouragment to students and staff, we found we were blessed even more by the students and had such an incredible time building relationships with such godly young men and women. It was a week we will never forget and will never be able to fully give testimony to, but God was great. He was there, He was active, and He was evident in the lives of our students and in the smiles and hugs of kids that we had a chance to love. Here is the trip in pictures. Have a great week.

In Christ,
Ryan and Kealy

Andale!!! Off to Mexico

Hello Friends and Family,

Happy Easter! He is Risen! I hope that each of you is having a great weekend with family celebrating and remembering the hope that we have for eternity! I've been reminded this weekend that without Christ, life on earth is boring and pointless, but with Him and his conquering death for our sake, we now have HOPE! While we've had the chance to be in Sandy this weekend with family and attend a Saturday night service, we will be unable to be with family on Easter Sunday. But, we will have the chance to be with 'extended' family during Easter and the week of Spring Break as we have an opportunity to go to Ensenada, Mexico and serve the people there with Senior high students from SEC!


We are extremely excited to leave tomorrow, not so much for the 21 hour, two day drive to Ensenada awaiting us, but the chance to spend time with some amazing students and be able to learn how to serve them and the people and children in Ensenada we are going to serve. We will be helping the students run a vacation bible school with 50-75 mexican kids, do minor construction on houses of pastors and people in the area who need construction done, as well as being able to visit an orphanage (which Kealy is most excited about) and love on kids who need love the most. It is going to be an incredible week, not only to serve and be able to share Christ's love with people there, but to be challenged and stretched in our own lives, and watch God work in the hearts of the students that are going that we care so much about. We'll be out of radio contact for a week, but will be sure to get pictures and information to each of you still following along about an exciting week in Mexico. Please pray for safety for the group and that Christ would challenge our hearts and faith so that we may grow closer to Him! Happy Easter.

In Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

soda, shamrocks, hockey and cherry blossoms

Hello Friends and Family,
Its been a great weekend and early part of this week. The weather's getting a little wetter, but its springtime in Oregon so what's new? We've had a great time enjoying the rain together and enjoying our new apartment. Its a great location in Keizer and not too far from any place that Kealy has been substitute teaching. Our exciting weekend began on Friday when I got to go down to Monmouth and watch my brother Mark work out for some NFL scouts and he did a great job. Then, on Friday night, we had movie nights with students from our Church and watched some classics like Mr. Deeds and Transformers, as well as drank a lot of pop. Alex Noble and I did most of the soda-binging, as you can see below.


After recovering on Saturday from the late nights on Friday. We got to have lunch at two of our favorite restaurants; Red Robin and Olive Garden. Kealy's brother Casey had his birthday this week so we had dinner with the family. Sunday was another great day when we got to go see a Winterhawks game again with some new friends and the game went into overtime and a five round shootout...and there were three fights!!!



Last night, in celebration of St. Patrick's day, Kealy and I drove down to Papa Murphy's pizza and bought a shamrock pizza to have for dinner...okay, it was pepperoni and olives, but the shape was a shamrock!



I know am talking a lot about food, but it is mostly for the benefit of our friends in China, who we miss a lot, that said they would live vicariously through us as we get to eat all of the foods they miss while they are in China.

Another of my favorite things about Spring in Oregon (besides the rain) is the incredible cherry blossoms that are beginning to pop up around Salem this month. It reminds me of David Crowder's song about spring arriving to 'heal the ground'. This vibrant colors remind me of the beauty of God's creation and his desire to redeem our world from the winter we live in. I can't wait for that day, when every day will be spring and the vibrant beauty of cherry blossoms will be seen in everything as we worship the King together. Have a great Holy Week!

In Christ,
Ryan and Kealy Thorson

Some pictures of the beautiful cherry blossoms in the Salem area: