As we look back on 2025, our hearts are full of gratitude for all that God has done. Here are some of the highlights we praise Him for last year.
January began with a beautiful partnership between the Kansas–Nebraska Conference and the Rocky Mountain Conference for a youth rally at Glacier View Ranch in Colorado. It was cold, majestic, and unforgettable. Not long after we’d arrived, a moose walked through the camp and we excitedly watched it and took pictures as long as it was in view. Nick had the opportunity to speak to many middle school and high school students. Shortly after everyone arrived, snow began falling and didn’t stop. By morning, the camp was a winter wonderland, and the snowfall was so heavy that a large tractor had to clear the road for us to leave at the end of our stay. While in Colorado, we also recruited summer camp staff at Campion Academy and spent precious time with the King family in Estes Park. One special moment stood out: after praying that God would allow us to see elk, our GPS unexpectedly led us down a random road—and right there was an entire herd of elk, more than we had ever seen before. We were filled with joy and gratitude for that simple, unexpected gift from God.
February brought joy and connection at the Wichita Convocation for youth and young adults. Nick invited his former youth pastor, Pedro Perez, to speak, and he was as inspiring as ever—both to the teens and to the adults—while also leading valuable trainings on local church youth ministry. Later that month, we traveled to San Antonio for youth director meetings, where we celebrated Ezra’s 11th birthday on the Riverwalk with a boat tour and an amazing vegan restaurant. That evening, several youth directors surprised Ezra by getting everyone to sing to him, bringing him extra dessert, and gifting him Pathfinder pins—something he still treasured after the International Camporee the year before. We also visited the Alamo and recruited at Southwestern Adventist University, enjoying their impressive dinosaur fossil museum.
March took us to California for Deanne’s cousin Jenny’s wedding to Trevor on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Eden and Ezra were part of the wedding as flower girl and Bible boy, which made it extra special. Around the same time, Ezra received one of the best birthday gifts he’s ever had: Deanne’s former drama teacher and associate pastor at her childhood church, Des, surprised us with two tickets to a Lakers game. Nick and Ezra watched LeBron and Luka defeat the Knicks during overtime at the Staples Center—an unforgettable night for both of them. We also welcomed a group of teens to Broken Arrow Ranch over spring break to help prepare camp by painting the lodge basement and staff lounge. Their hard work and joy were inspiring. Later in March, recruiting continued at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, where we reconnected with dear friends and Deanne’s uncle, aunt, cousin and his family.
April allowed Nick to visit his parents in Michigan while attending youth and young adult ministry meetings. Being home during such a beautiful season with family and mentors was very refreshing.
May began with a large Pathfinder and Adventurer Camporee in Nebraska. Jean Clouzet and Nichole Broushet did an incredible job connecting with the youth and younger children, and the Menard family led fun and enthusiastic worship. We’ve never seen such cajon playing before! At the end of the month, we gathered with people from across the conference for camp meeting—a time of reconnecting with pastors, families, and friends we’ve grown to love.
June and July were filled with summer camp—our best year yet. Salem turned nine and celebrated with a Mongolian grill meal, and going to his favorite building currently: Walmart. With his current obsession with flags, we never noticed how many buildings have flags or that Walmarts almost always have an American flag. Eden celebrated her 13th birthday with a one-on-one mother-daughter meal with Deanne at a Vietnamese, and Deanne celebrated her birthday at a Japanese restaurant. A special highlight for Nick was baptizing the first campers he’s ever baptized at summer camp, a really special moment.
August brought some rest after camp, and with our local Adventist Academy allowing homeschoolers to join their sports teams, Eden decided to join volleyball. She discovered a love for team sports that has continued and increased. She’s already improved a ton and we look forward to many more games.
September included a joyful family reunion in Tennessee, filled with volleyball in the yard, games, great food, and meaningful time together at Grandma’s house and at her church where Eden got to play piano and Nick got to preach.
October was busy at Broken Arrow Ranch with a youth rally and a young adult retreat. Nick heard from speakers he hadn’t known well before and was deeply encouraged, gaining new friendships and a mentor. Saturday nights were full of laughter with rap battles, costume runway shows, and fall-themed fun. This month also held deep sorrow as we experienced a miscarriage while anticipating our fifth child.
November brought both ministry and family joy. Nick led a group of young adults on a mission trip to Peru, partnering with Quiet Hour Ministries. He preached while the team and another conference member led VBS at a church together, and one young adult chose to join the Adventist church. Visiting Machu Picchu was spectacular, and Nick is especially grateful to Deanne and her parents for caring for the kids while he was away. Relationships started with some Peruvian friends continue via WhatsApp and Nick can keep practicing Spanish with them. At home, Ezra joined basketball and is loving being on a team. With his right-sided weakness and being the youngest and smallest player on the team, this decision continues to take a lot of courage and we are very proud of him. Eden also joined basketball, enjoying playing with many of the same girls from volleyball. On team picture day, we were surprised that Eden was the second tallest on her team. She has had major growth spurts the past couple of years and Deanne is now the shortest gal in the family. A favorite day of the month was Thanksgiving with the Shields and Shaw families, who generously hosted us for a day filled with amazing food, football, a zip line, and lots of fun in the playroom—especially for Judah and Salem.
December wrapped up the year with Judah turning three. We traveled to Michigan to celebrate an early Christmas and his birthday, spending sweet time with Nick’s parents and the Miller family. It’s always too short. Back at home, we tried something new this Christmas by making tamales on Christmas Eve, which we think will become a tradition, along with baking Nick’s dad’s (and grammy’s) cookie recipe—a sweet way to keep her memory alive.
On the very last day of 2025, Judah accidentally rolled a office chair over his foot at an awkward angle and cried out in pain for an unusually long time. To us it only looked like he skinned the top of his foot. Over the next few hours, he would walk around and occasionally cry out in pain and ask to be held to move around the house. After a nap we noticed his foot looked swollen and had some bruising. He continued to cry and say his foot hurt. Deanne decided to take him to urgent care and after checking him in was notified that it would be a 1.5-2 hour wait. With several people in the waiting room coughing and very sick, Deanne decided to take Judah to the car and wait there. Nick called soon after and prayed that God would heal Judah’s foot. Deanne decided to go home (only a few minutes away) and wait most of their wait time there. When they got home, Eden, Ezra and Salem were playing in the back yard. Judah enthusiastically asked if he could go play too and requested to go on the trampoline. Deanne thought this odd considering his foot, but agreed and was amazed to see him jumping fully on the trampoline for a long time with no pain. The next time she examined his foot, there was no evidence of swelling or bruising and he didn’t complain about pain again. Praise Jesus!
Perhaps the most exciting news as we close the year is that after our miscarriage, God blessed us again. Deanne is now 14 weeks pregnant, and we’re joyfully expecting a baby in June. We’re thankful that our camp cabin is expected to be expanded by then, giving us more space and making the season ahead feel more manageable. We also celebrate the three more new cabins will be finished by this summer. If you ever have the chance, come visit us when we’re at home in K.C. or out at the beautiful Broken Arrow Ranch.
God has been incredibly faithful this year, and we look forward to what’s ahead—even with a full schedule that includes mission trips to El Salvador and South Korea, another summer of camp, and a new middle school youth rally. Please keep us in prayer as we seek to abide in Jesus, grow in His Word, disciple our children and the young people of Kansas and Nebraska, and pursue dreams of sharing His love more broadly, kind of like this blog but more than once a year. Stay tuned.
We’re also starting a family Bible reading plan and would love to share it with you if you’d like to join us. It’s not too late! Here’s a link to see what the first two months look like: 2026 Family Bible Reading Plan
We’d love to stay connected this year.
With love and gratitude,
-The Snells
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