Last month we had an exciting event! Two of our staff, Angel & Leah, who met at Oakridge were married at The Ridge on April 21. They are our fifth Oakridge staff couple to get married after working together at the camp. Here are their words!
Angel: I came out to Oakridge full-time in March 2015. I was introduced to Brian and Oakridge through a friend. My friend literally came to my house, picked me up, and said, “I'm taking you out to Oakridge today.” I came from a “bad boy” background, so it took me a while to build trust and grow in my responsibilities at Oakridge. But as I committed myself each day to follow the Lord and to work hard for Him, God was faithful to give me more advanced tasks. I have grown a lot spiritually through our staff's daily Bible reading and discussion and also through faithful church attendance. Last year, I was joined at Oakridge by my two sons, who have lived with me here for about a year now.
Leah: I came to Oakridge in July 2015. I had graduated from John Brown University in May 2015, and I had a job for the first part of summer, but not the last half. And then no full-time job in sight for the fall. So, on my days off during the first half of the summer, I went to the local library to search the Internet for either a job for the second half of the summer or a full-time job for the fall. I was interested in everything from being a group-home parent to working at a Christian school to working at a camp. Finally, I googled “camps that need someone to work the second half of the summer,” and Oakridge popped up. I sent in my application and got the job! So I finished out the summer at Oakridge and decided to stay on for a year. One year turned into two, and now, this upcoming July will mark 3 years for me being on staff at Oakridge. At first, I mainly worked in housekeeping and would help with food service and activities on the weekends. In 2016, the opportunity arose for me to become a cook in the kitchen. They started me out with smaller groups and worked me up to be able to be the main dinner cook for 100+ people. That with a lot of helpers, though! I feel like I already came to Oakridge as a decent person, but the Ball family and all of the awesome volunteers that come out showed me that I could still grow more as a person. Especially on longer, harder work days, it is the perseverance and joy of other staff that challenges me to keep on going with a good attitude.
Angel and Leah first expressed interest in each other in the fall of 2016. Like every relationship, they have had their ups and downs since then. Angel saw in Leah a humble, hard-working, sacrificial, servant-hearted gal; Leah saw in Angel a hard-working man, love for the Lord, and an overcoming spirit, which was important to her when considering someone with whom to spend the rest of her life. Finally, after much prayer, Angel proposed to Leah in February 2018. With a busy summer camp season looming ahead, Leah didn't want to wait until after summer to get married. So they got married on April 21. They have both served well at camp as singles, and they are anxious to serve the Lord at camp as a married couple.
We are so THANKFUL for Leah and Angel. They have both been an answer to prayer for Oakridge and we desperately wish we could clone them and have ten of each model! Please keep them in your prayers as they launch a new season of ministry as a couple and family of four. They love the Lord and testify to the Spirit's presence in their lives through their incredible attitudes and heart for service! - Jaime
Leah and Angel got married at our new conference and event center, The Ridge! Check out theridgeok.com for information about hosting your next party or event there!
*All photos by Captive Moment Photography