Living in Community

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”  Acts 2:42,44-46

Twice a year, Memorial Day and Labor Day, we have the opportunity of “living in community”, if you will, with friends.  We eat together, play together, worship together, fellowship together, cook together,  swim together, compete together, and laugh together.  This year was a bit hotter than usual and with the limited electrical capacity of the camp we had to find ways, without A/C to cool off…the boys here enjoyed Megan and Greg’s hillbilly attempts.  I think three was the max that could fit in this tote of cold water. 

Thanks to Keith, Joe, and Greg for doing the grilling for 30 people!  This of course added to the 90 degree heat as we pretty much had to keep the grills and fires going the entire day as  it seemed we were constantly eating!

 We did our best to eat together…but 2 picnic tables can only hold so many!  We were often found spread out beneath whatever awning or tree was providing the most   shade at that time of the day….unless the pool was open or some competition was going on.

Most of the kids had the opportunity to practice their archery skills, which proved to be a lot of fun for everyone!  Even the adults snuck a shot in here and there.

Thanks so much to sweet MaryAnn for holding London during the archery session…MaryAnn, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you without a smile on your face! 

 

 Sitting in the shade enjoying popsicles, watching the men compete in the infamous volleyball tournament is a must.  This years’ game was so intense that it was exciting to watch and gained many spectators as our men beat the repeated champs, the Eichorn family.

There is probably not a family that is quite like the Eichorns in their sportsmanship, skill, and character.  They are definitely a family that is admired at MCSC.

So here’s a picture of the filthy bunch jumping for joy over their hard work as they ended up playing 3 LONG games in a best out of 3 set.  Way to go group!  Note to the readers:  the sand/dirt was actually so hot that one member of an earlier team had blisters on his feet!

 

Of course we found time for the slip-n-slide…Christine I couldn’t resist:)  Kudos to you for being one of the kids and bumping your way down…way to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided it wouldn’t be camping without Twizzlers!  So, those that  were not able to (or chose not to) participate in the slip-n-slide enjoyed a Twizzler in the shade.

 And of course there were the spontaneous games of dodge ball…a game that is played and enjoyed by virtually every age.  Thank you Brandt family for providing the dodge balls every year, I know it’s a favorite in our family.

As you can see it was an awesome time and we look forward to Labor Day where we’ll do it all over again! 

Jackson

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5

6 years ago, on June 6th, we were blessed with this bundle…our first son, Jackson Joseph, weighing in at a healthy 9 lb. 9 oz. Now here we are 6 years later and once again I sit back and wonder “where has the time gone?” People tell you so often that your children “grow up so fast.” You just don’t know how true that is until it happens before your very eyes…like the blink of an eye, or so it seems. Often times I don’t even fully realize how much has changed until I stop, at times like these, and reflect. I look back at pictures and remember, things that I wouldn’t otherwise have remembered if it weren’t for my memories being packaged so nicely in digital files. Then as I look at the pictures the memories flood back and warm my heart as I’m reminded of how I have been blessed.

Thank you Jesus for Jackson and the blessing that he has been to our family for the past 6 years. He is full of compassion and a sweet spirit that melts the hearts of his parents. His smile and energy are contagious and I thank you Lord for him. May he grow to be a man of God who seeks to do Your will in all circumstances. May the fruit of Your Spirit shine through Jackson as evidence of You in his life. We thank You Lord for the opportunity to raise and train Jackson up according to your will. May you grant us wisdom and strength in this endeavor, and may we find peace in knowing that You are God, and you are in control. Amen.

Here are a few pictures that reminded me of the years that flew by…enjoy!

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Happy Birthday Jackson!

Thank you Sharpie

 This picture is not posted for you to notice the cuteness of my daughter but rather, for those of you with children, to appreciate her “artwork”.  This is what happens when a 22 month old is left unattended for several minutes…..and a sharpie is nearby!  No, this is not washable Crayola markers…of course not!  It’s permanent Sharpie marker.  I can be thankful that the only place it ended up was on her arm and the front of her well-worn outfit!  She proudly told me “I did dat!  I tolor, tolor, tolor.”  Her cuteness saved her any harsh punishments:)

14 Years

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”  1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Happy Anniversary to us!  It’s been 14 years that have been truly blessed….although at times it didn’t always seem so.  We have been through death, births, several apartments, 3 houses, financial highs and lows, starting new businesses, finishing college, I could go on, but you get the picture.  We can look back on our life together at this point and say, “God is good…ALL the time”.   

As many of you have experienced, life happens.  Thanks to our sin nature we don’t always handle life as the above scripture commands.  Even as I typed it out I was reminded of how easily I fall into being self-seeking which in turn leads to all of the behaviors that love is NOT.   Yet, thanks to the example our Savior set, there is mercy and grace.  I want to thank my husband for all the years of love, unconditional love that loves when it’s easy AND when it requires a bit of mercy and grace.  Thank you honey for being a man of God who seeks to love his wife “as Christ loved the church”.  

As life continues to take us for a ride I look forward to a lifetime of growing and learning together.

Holland

 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,” Proverbs 15:30

My question today is…where has the time gone?  This is a picture taken just after the birth of our second child, Holland Rachel, born May 26th, 2002.  Today she turned 8!  I can’t believe it!  

Happy Birthday Holland…we love you so much words will never do justice to the feelings in our hearts.  We pray that you will grow up to be a woman of Godly character who first loves the Lord her God with all her heart!  That you will find JOY in all circumstances and happiness in knowing the Peace that passes all understanding.  That you will be a witness of the love of our Creator as well as being His hands and feet in everything you do.  We pray for strength, wisdom, and grace in raising you as it is a journey that the Lord has blessed us with and we give you entirely to Him!  Thank you Lord for blessing our family with Holland. 

Enjoy my walk down memory lane…

 

 

 

 

Grillin’ an’ Chillin’

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”  Acts 2:46-47 

 

The weather was beautiful on Saturday!  A perfect day to be grilling with friends….thank you Eric and Natasha for your friendship and hospitality!  We missed Megan and the boys as they were out of town, but were glad that Greg could man the grill:)  Natasha and Eric were kind enough to have us in at the last minute even while her mom was in town!  It turned out to be a beautiful day and this was a great way to finish it off.

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Working Outdoors

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23

The past week was a busy one.  Life doesn’t appear to be slowing up any time soon…but for now I thought I’d add a little glimpse into some of the busyness of our lives.  Sydney snapped this picture of one of our many blooming Irises.  We actually had so many that we transplanted them into the garden simply because we didn’t have anywhere else to put them!  Last Thursday the ground had finally dried up enough to get into the garden…which was desperately in need of attention.  So the kids and I ventured out first to our personal garden.  We hoed the majority of the dry areas and planted corn, beans, onions (bigger job than I expected), more tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, and a few extra peppers.  All of the kids helped in this venture, whether planting, weeding, mulching, or for some…digging in the mud:)  After we felt that we had accomplished enough for that day we headed on over to our “community” garden and had to replant some of the plants that we lost due to all of the rain we have been having.  We also were able to finally plant the sweet potatoes.  It seemed like a long day and we were glad to be done that is for sure.  I can honestly say that everyone “pulled their weight”.