Enjoying Our Summer

The boys and I are trying to cram a summers worth of relaxing into the ten days we have left before school starts! We've been staying up late, and sleeping in even later! Poor DH had to go back to office work as soon as we got home, but the boys and I are living it up! :)

I went to an LNS earlier this week that is clearancing all of their cross-stitch! Is that a word?! My youngest was at a sleepover, so I dragged my oldest to the store with me. After we were there about twenty minutes, he said, "Mom you said we'd only be here a few minutes." To which I replied, "I lied!" He had fun pulling some threads for me, and enjoyed his smoothie at a nearby shop! I got GREAT deals! When I got home, I realized that instead of giving me 50 % off the sticker prices, they had actually given me 50% off twice. You see, when she scanned them into the machine they scanned in as 50 % off. Which either she didn't know or forgot about. So then at the end of ringing it all in, she gave me the 50% off. She said it was easier that way.

Because I was randomly adding stuff to the pile, I didn't really think much about the price, except for thinking what a great price it was. So after I realized their mistake, and after I felt very guilty about it, I emailed them to see if I should come back in and pay them what I owed. She said it was their mistake, to enjoy my stuff! So I certainly will! :) I'm hoping they'll mark down to 75% off someday soon, and I'll go back childless and really look around! I'd love to tell you where the shop is, but then you'll go buy all the goodies and I'd have to kill you! :)

I've been stitching so many little things, that I'm at the point where I have got to do some of the finishing work. Which I HATE to do!!! So instead of starting a new "smalls" or actually having to finish something, I picked up Flower Power! I was shocked to see how far along I was. I wasn't remembering how much I had actually stitched on it. I'll try to get a few pictures taken soon.

Today we need to get haircuts and school supplies bought. That's our only goal for the day! :)

Family Missions/Summer End

My family basically does family missions all summer. At least, that's my DH's job: to run summer mission camps for teenagers. Since we're there as a family, basically it's a family mission trip....But really, I think most days it's more like a job! Not only for DH, but for me and the kids as well. I mean it's an awesome job, in fact it's DH's dream job, but some days (especially when you are dealing with 450+ teenagers and their leaders) it's a job!

This past week we have done a Family Mission's trip. The first one in NCBaptist history, as far as we can tell. It was a group effort between a lot of different teams at the office, but DH had a huge part of it. Partly because this is the first year, some was probably for economic reasons, we had quite a small group. In fact, including the staff we only had about 60 people here.

They all arrived on Monday afternoon. We did a little mini training to show them what would be expected of them and Tuesday morning, we sent them on their way. Only this time, we got to join them! Sure DH has had to do a lot of running here and there, but we've done missions as a family.

Today DH and Luke (9) took a new friend (10 or 11) and went to put a DOORKNOB on the back door to a lady's home. We're not talking a porch door, or a screen door, we're talking THE DOOR to her home had NO KNOB! Seriously folks, this is a beach resort area we are in! DH took the two boys and he held the door and THEY got to put in a doorknob for the lady! HOW COOL IS THAT?!

We have groups on the beach, talking and playing with the families there. We have families going to cook meals for service people (firemen/Coast Guard station, etc) We have families going to nursing homes and we have MANY families working on a construction site.

This has been one of those experiences that I will not forget. We have grandparents and aunts and uncles, and cousins and church families and single moms, and parents with no children,etc. etc. And at our construction job site, really, it's hard to tell which child belongs to which parent! The real construction men are replacing the floors for this lady in her bathroom, laundry room and kitchen. Apparently, she's had to shower at her neighbors house for the past YEAR, because she falls through the floor in her own bathroom, just by walking on it! Anyway, even these guys take time to talk to the kids, show them the work they are doing! How many kids get to see a real, lived in home, with no floor!? :) An older lady took a young boy (9 yrs or so) out to the grape veins and taught him how to trim those back. Another lady took a girl to help scrub off the lady's deck furniture.

I even get some of MY family here! My sister came down for the week, from Alaska. And honestly, I thought she'd rather stay here and get some sun while we fulfilled our obligations during the day. Instead, I have spent the past two days working side by side with her, and I loved it! Today we even shared a ladder while painting the trim of this ladies house. One of the older gentlemen walked past us as we were sweaty and stinky, painting the house. He paused as he walked by and said, "Looking good Ladies, looking good! And the paint's not bad either!" ha

It's just so incredible to see the way people are working together to make a difference for other people. I think this is the way God meant for the church to be! I'm telling you, it's gonna be hard to go back and sit in a church pew!

We have a fun little worship service each night, and tonight the speaker reminded us of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. And asked us, what are we willing to sacrifice for Him? God loves each of us dearly, but not only does He love us...He loves people of every nation and ethnic group! And our responsibility is to share His love with those around us. Not only those where it's comfortable to go, but to those around the world. I can no longer sit by and do nothing, when I know what is going on around the world.

The question is: what am I willing to sacrifice to be a Christ follower and join Him in reaching the nations?

Ft. Caswell, NC

A few days in the sun and sand, and we're loving it!! We're more exhausted than relaxed, but it's a good exhaustion! :) We came down to camp a few days early, and are just enjoying being a family again!

Our four college kids will get here tomorrow evening. DH keeps telling me to stop calling them kids, but they seem like my kids half the time! Then we'll be joined by 450+ campers on Monday! This is our biggest camp all summer, but my part is the most easy! This is an established camp, so I don't have to worry about meals or clean up, or changing trash cans, or anything like that! We (Mike) just has to make sure all his mission teams work! The rest we don't have to do, which makes it much more simple for my part!

Can't believe we only have two weeks left to the summer. After this week, we are doing our first Family Missions camp, open to all ages of families. We were expecting 100 at least, but looks like our numbers are quite small, closer to 50. But it will feel much more like "family" and we'll have a great time! Plus my sister will be here, so I'll get to have some family too!

We are in two hotel/motel rooms...connected by a galley style kitchen. We've certainly made ourselves at home and about took over the place. On Monday we get to move into a little house, called Little Pier. We're so excited, we'll actually have a kitchen and living space for the two weeks we are here. Nice blessing to end the summer with!

When I get home, I'll be able to post some pictures. And we'll get back to stitching! :)

Greensboro, NC

The strangest thing has happened to our family! We're home, in our own house, for FIVE DAYS!! Shocking, I know! Luke (9 yrs old) saw me unpacking all our stuff and in shock said, "What are you doing?!" I said, "We're gonna be home for a week." And he said, "A WHOLE week??!!"

We've had a great summer so far, the easiest two weeks are ahead of us, the hardest one is done! :) While we were in Greensboro, NC we stayed at a huge church. In the 70's, it was located in a rich, white neighborhood and was the largest Baptist church in NC. Today, it exists in a poor, black neighborhood with twenty members: average age 85, youngest age is 62. The church still exists in it's same location!

A few months ago, we went to help clean out this old church to make room for air mattresses, sleeping bags and 200+ teenagers to spend a week! There were supplies that any church would be thrilled to have! More cribs, than most churches have, and all covered in plastic. They haven't been used in YEARS! Classroom upon classroom, piano upon piano. We found at least 15 pianos, 3 of them baby grands. Only one of them used for Sunday service.

We moved in this past week, with about 200 students. We had several local churches join us for the mission work, so we were dealing with over 300 people each day. But probably around 200 stayed over night. All I know, is I got up every morning at 5:30 (5:00 if I wanted a shower) to get bagged lunches ready for 315 people! What a job that was! :)

We did a million different jobs there in Greensboro, the same type as we have at all the previous locations. But the main difference, was we were involved in mission 24/7. Some local youth ended up hanging out with us, round the clock. And by local, I mean local neighborhood kids. These were tough kids. But we fed them, played basketball with them, and loved them the best we could. I know we made a difference, at least for that week, they had a solid dinner each night.

One young, tattooed guy stepped in to get some supper the first night we were there. And he looked around and said, "whoa! Is this a church or something?" When we assured him it was, he said he hadn't stepped foot in a church in eight years. He said, "I believe in God and all, I just don't believe in church." Such is the said commentary of our days, I'm afraid. I told him since he's stepped foot in a church, he may as well go to our worship service. And he did, every night we were there. One night, he even recommitted his life to following Christ. I pray he can surround himself with people who will support him! His name is Mike.

I met lots of Mike's this week. I met a recovering drug addict named Mike. He was there to be seen on the Medical Dental bus that was being housed out of the church we were staying in. He got his teeth cleaned, and then miracles of miracles, made it onto the list to get a nasty tooth pulled. Usually, there are so many people that you can only have one option. But the dentist that day was only wanting to pull teeth (they are all volunteers) and we ran out of patients who needed their teeth pulled! So we called Mike back and he got to get that fixed at least. I hope it made a difference for him, to know people cared.

We also had our first outbreak of illness! It started with one girl vomitting, and by the end of the week we had sent six kids home and five more were in bed sick, there at camp! :) So far, so good. Apparently, just a bad virus..but by the time I had emptied my 2nd GARBAGE bag full of vomit, I had had about enough!

So we're home until Friday. We're debating taking a few days family trip to the beach. Luke wants to go, Andrew wants to enjoy time at home. So we'll see who wins out!:)

Wednesday will be 14 years of marriage for Mike and me!! Life gets sweeter, let me tell you! There were some rough years! Being poor, and in college, with a new job and a new baby and not enough money to last until the next paycheck can be rough!! I think we're finally getting it after 14 years! :) He's a great guy!

No stitching here! I tried the other day, and some today too...But I don't feel like stitching anything I have started and nothing new is catching my eye. I think I'm just tired!!

My sister comes next week, during our last week at camp. Then she leaves on a Thursday and my mom comes on that Sunday for a few days. That'll be nice!

Red Springs, NC

I'm sharing space with over 200 teenagers. The building where we are almost always together, is an old Sara Lee plant. (didn't they make cookies?) It basically a big square building with rooms built in the one area. They have a warehouse full of any type of tool you'd ever need. A huge kitchen, big eating space and a worship center. But except for the rooms and warehouse, it is all one continuous room. And let me tell you, the noise level is incredible!!

Last night around supper, after every single camper was back...one of our college workers and I stood and listened in amazement to the loud humm of noise!

We have 18 different teams doing all types of things! Red Springs has a huge population of Lumbee American Indians, second in population is African American and 3rd is Anglo. We are working at three boys and girls clubs in nearby towns and it is awesome. Today, one of the clubs is going to do an old fashioned Friendship Powow Dance, in full costume! It'll be awesome! As usual, we're doing a few Bible clubs. We've got seven different construction teams out and we have three teams that are going to Senior Centers to sing and visit with the residents there. Hopefully we are making a Deep Impact around Red Springs!

Red Springs is also home to MILLIONS of fire ants, and I think this building was built right on top of all of them. Poor DH got into a mess of ants! they were in the trailor drawers!! nasty little boogers! Got rid of them, finally and woke up the next morning to a camper who had a bed full of them! So I got rid of all of them for her... so far, so good today! :)

Thanks for following along with us this summer. We head to Greensboro, NC on Saturday. We'll have 350 youth there!!!

p.s. I have taught three people how to stitch so far this summer! :) The first one I taught is on her 3rd project already! So I haven't completely abandoned the art! But all my stitching time (which isn't much) has been spent helping them! Ah well..

East Stroudsburg, PA

We are loving the town of East Stroudsburg, PA! The best thing is the temperatures! :) It's low to mid 70's, and so cool in the mornings you need a sweatshirt! (very strange for us, this time of year!) Have no fear, next week we will be in Red Springs, NC where the forecast is upper 90's, not counting any humidity! Maybe we'll finally warm up a little bit!

We are working with a church plant here, and the work is not our usual type of work! So that's taking some adjustment, but we are having a good time and hopefully making a different here in the town! We are working with an environmental project and carefully removing weeds from their riverbeds. I figured little, vein type weeds...oh no! These weeds are 10 ft tall, actually they look a lot like a corn stalk!

We have to remove the seed head with scissors, to prevent the spreading of the plant. Then we knock the things down with our feet. Another crew that comes in will cut up all the stalks that are laying flat all over the ground, and then as a final step, they will remove them by their roots. I guess they really are disrupting to the local wildlife and also does something to the ground soil. SO, we are helping to remove them!

Yesterday Luke and I helped. Luke had a ball knocking those things down! In fact, he chose to keep doing that in place of going to the pool!

We saw a momma duck and five babies fighting the rapids in the river. The kids we were workign with saw two baby deer across the river! Wah, I missed it! The college kid who is running the project this summer said the five in our group did more yesterday than the 12 boys scouts he had all last week! :) Course they were probably 8-10 yrs old and we're highschool and 30+, but we still were proud of ourselves!

Andrew came home from working at the Salvation Army yesterday and fell asleep at 7pm and woke up at 6:30 am for breakfast! Luke went to bed at 12:00 am (as is usual for our summer schedule) and didn't wake up until 10:00am! Think our kids are worn out?

We get to spend the day tomorrow (my birthday) in New York City! I'm excited about that. We're taking the 65 youth+leaders with us, but I'm hoping they will all explore by themselves and we can wander around with our family! Friday we head back to NC for a board meeting for Mike, and then to Red Springs for a week and then Greensboro, NC for a week. THEN a five day break! Then two more weeks!

The summer is flying by, but we are having a blast and we pray we are making some type of difference along the way!

I noticed my blog went over 10,000 the other day! Yahoo! I'm excited about that! Wish I knew who you all were personally! But thanks for reading my blog! I'll do some type of drawing when I get home to celebrate!

Deep Impact

Curious as to what we do all summer?! Here are two articles that were written about DH and what we do! :)

This report was written by a lady that came down and spent two days wiht us at our first camp.
http://www.ncbaptist.org/index.php?id=convention_news_article&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=240&tx_ttnews[backPid]=469&cHash=9dd422ecdd

Mike was interviewed by this reporter, the day after we got back from Honduras.
http://www.biblicalrecorder.com/post/2009/06/30/Team-home-safely-from-Honduras.aspx

We head to PA tomorrow. We'll just drive a little bit back to our house and hit the sack, and then get up bright and early on the 4th to drive up there to spend the week.