June 2026

Dear Friends & Family,

Hello again from Camp Oak Hills! I was really on the fence about whether I would work another summer, or take a much-needed sabbatical, but I have decided to come back as the Health Office Director on a part-time basis for this summer.

It has been an eventful season for our family! Three years ago in August, we moved from Duluth to Bemidji so that I could attend Oak Hills Christian College. I graduated on May 9 with my Bachelor’s of Arts in Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Pastoral Studies. I feel very gratified by my accomplishment. My graduation meant that we would finally be moving out of student housing. Our plan to build on the land we purchased changed to buying an already-built home in Solway, about 10 miles west of Bemidji. We closed on our home about 3 weeks before graduation, and moved in a few days after graduation, just in time to host our open house and graduation party there. I was very thankful to have my mom drive up from northern Arizona and Renee drive up from Green Bay to attend my graduation.

We learned in March that Paul is going to be deployed next February. This led to the decision to ask Jordan and Dylan to move back home and live with us until he returns from deployment. They had been praying for an answer to their housing situation in Arizona, and so it was kind of a no-brainer for them; they moved back in May and we are all learning the ropes for how to care for the house when Paul is away.

Paul’s upcoming deployment also means that he will have lots of training in the next 8 months that will take him away from home. In fact, Jordan and I were able to join him for his Soldier and Family Readiness Group Training in Minneapolis earlier this month! We are learning what it might look like to give some support to his unit and their families before, during, and after their deployment.

Between going non-stop with school the last three years and all of the preparation needed for Paul’s deployment, I felt the need to take a step back from the camp ministry this summer. But I did not feel the liberty to just walk away either. So I am working with the directors on a schedule that is much lighter. What this means is that I will not be lifeguarding on a regular basis, and I will not be overnight for most of the summer. I still did some of the waterfront and CPR training for our staff, and I will still be helping to teach swim lessons, but most of my responsibility will be as the daytime camp health officer. I was able to hire another overnight health officer for most of the summer. The other thing this means is that I will only be receiving about half my guaranteed salary, and so I am hoping that I can make up the difference in the support-raising. 

Raising support is more critical this summer since we have the new house and since I will not be receiving much from the camp. Paul has been teaching at the tech school for the last three years, and does not receive a regular salary from that job during the summer. My goal is to raise an additional $4000 by August 1, so that we can pay our mortgage without dipping into our savings. I hope you will partner with me this summer, both in prayer and financially, as I serve to keep our campers and staff healthy and safe here at camp.

Blessings,

Launa Schlador

launabug@gmail.com

218-600-6204

How to pray for the Schladors this summer:

We are both so thankful for God’s faithfulness in sustaining us through the last three years that I’ve been a student, and thankful that I was able to finish well.

Please pray for Paul’s job situation. He has been working at the school without a full-time contract, and their policy dictates that they need to re-post his job. He has interviewed for the position, but with the upcoming deployment, he is not convinced he will be re-hired. He has many marketable skills, but the uncertainty is stressful, especially for him.

Please pray for our family as we anticipate Paul leaving us for a year next February. Also be in prayer for the opportunities for serving this may open up for Jordan and I to work with other soldiers’ families.

Please pray for me as I navigate my next steps professionally. The college education I have received is a gift that I want to steward well, but I am not sure yet what this will look like. Ultimately, I want to teach, but this will mean a Master’s degree at a minimum. In the meantime, I am interested in hospice chaplaincy, so I am considering a unit of CPE before tackling grad school.