Mike and Maija Booth

Operations Team

Greetings from Northwest North Dakota! We are in the process of raising support and look forward to when we can move out to Plains and begin serving at Camp Bighorn!

Update as of April 2011

Mayauna Lanae Booth, our new daughter, was born on March 16, 2011 at 6:26 am, 8 lbs 4 oz, 19.75 inches. 31 1/2 hours of labor…but well worth the work We are all doing very well,  and we are enjoying our baby girl. Being parents of a newborn definitely requires a lot of adjusting, but God is faithful and is giving us the wisdom and strength we need for each new day. (Mayauna is pronounced May-on-a)

Update on the girls

Cheyenna and Haanna, Maija’s nieces, went home to live with their mom and grandmother in Missoula, MT  in March of 2011. It was a privilege to have them with us for almost a year, and we are thankful for the spiritual and emotional growth we saw in their lives…God be glorified.

Here’s a little history…

Mike spent most of his growing up years in North Dakota where he participated in Child Evangelism Fellowship’s CYIA program as a child evangelist and camp counselor. Maija grew up in New Hampshire where she served many summers as a camp counselor, lifeguard, horsemanship instructor, etc. Maija attended Philadelphia Biblical University as a Christian Camping Major, and for her senior year participated in the LTD (Leadership, Training and Development) program at Camp Forest Springs in Westboro, WI, a year-long internship program that helps prepare participants for effective ministry in Christian camping and other related fields. Having completed the program, Maija stayed on staff as a summer wilderness trip leader, then served in a full-time administrative assistant position. She spent her third year on full-time staff as the assistant to the director of the LTD program, which was the same year that Mike came as a participant. We were married at Camp Forest Springs on August 29, 2008.

Mike spent the summer of 2008 as the manager of Camp Bentley in Drake, ND. The following summer we served as managers together, and Maija also took on the role of lifeguard. We had participated, as individuals, in the LTD program because we both have a passion for camping ministries and a desire to serve at a Christian camp full-time. Specifically, Mike’s passions have been redirected from a traditional residential camp to a program that is focused more on using the wilderness and adventure camping to evangelize and disciple people. Maija also has a passion for this sort of ministry, but also has a passion for using horses to grow and minister to individuals, specifically young people. Mike has talents in the area of maintenance, so we set out on the internet looking to see if there was a Christian camp that was focused on adventure and wilderness ministries, had  a need in the maintenance department, and was located in an area where we could participate in the recreational activities that we enjoy.

Our search brought us to the Camp Bighorn website. Not only is it a camp focused on wilderness and adventure, it had a need in the maintenance department, and is located in an area where we can enjoy skiing/snowboarding, hiking, camping, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, white water activities, etc. AND, it has a sister camp that is a horse ranch! So, after sending in an application, visiting the camp to see if it was a good fit, and praying and asking God if this was where God was taking us, we decided to accept the position on the Operations Team.

For now we are living at home in North Dakota until we have 100% of our support raised. We are excited to see how God is going to provide for us and who He will bring along side us to be a part of the ministry of Camp Bighorn by supporting us financially and through prayer. Please pray for us as we journey through the adventure of support raising and begin the process of moving to Montana.

If you would like to receive our newsletter by mail or email, please email Maija at maijab@campbighorn.com. We will also be updating our blog now and then: http://mikeandmaija.blogspot.com/