What Now?

If only one could see all that is flying around in this small little head of mine. Seriously in the past week, I've been sad, confused, excited, sad again, lost, found, stressed, sad again, relaxed (not too much of that), and on fire. I've literally run the gamut of emotions. Who would have thought? But mostly, I've been praying for vision. I feel lost without one. I'm still not sure what role I'll play in new church, at least not in the long run, but I'm excited to do whatever I can to help. In the meantime, I feel like I need something to pour myself into. But what?

My first thought was my family. I know, it seems like a given right? And it should be, but pouring myself into my family would isolate me from the rest of the world. I'm not much of a loner. Okay, I really don't do good at all when I'm away from "adult" human contact. Yes, I am that strong of an extrovert. So i started thinking of ways that I could invest in my family and still have strong, interpersonal relationships with other moms, women, human beings.

Then I get an email from evite. It's the RSVP summary for playgroup. Playgroup, huh? And I started thinking? What if playgroup wasn't just a playgroup? What if it was more purposeful, more defined, more about supporting each other than just playing? Hhhmmm, this certainly gave me something to think about. But what would it look like?

So I started praying, and brainstorming, and chatting with others, and more praying and came up with More than Moms. Define it how you will, whether it opens us up to dads and nannies or implies that we're not just moms, but strong, intelligent women created by God to love Him and love others. Aside from continuing to host playgroup and creating a Facebook page for the group, I'm still in the brainstorming phase. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I see so many possibilities, such potential.

Please continue to pray for this new venture, and where ever God would have me long term. Also, pray for Camp as it evolves without me. Not that it's going to suffer, but there will be some changes and I pray that the Vision Team and leadership will have the wisdom to know how to move forward.

I also covet prayer for the new Fusion Church. This Sunday we're back at Grace. Pray for those still undecided as to where their community lies, where they want to invest. Pray for the interim elder team who are discussing things like name, location, doctrine, etc...! Wow, there is so much to pray for, I could go on and on for days. Let's just say...PRAY!

A Break in the Silence

I know I've been quiet lately, not in person so much as in my blog. There's been so much going on in my life, very little of which I could even discuss, much less blog about. Today I received some closure to the largest issue and not am able to open up a bit. Writing is like therapy for me. It allows me to drain the chaos swirling around in my brain, and ironically provides an opportunity to process what's there. I warn you though, I'm not sure how or what may come out, so be on the look out for road blocks, sharp curves, and abrupt stops.

A huge chapter of my life came to a close today, and it happened to be the chapter that spoke to my passion & ministry in life...Grace Adventures Day Camp. Shocked? I was too. Well, maybe not as shocked. It's not like I didn't see it coming, but sometimes no matter how much we prepare for a particular situation, we can never project exactly how we're going to feel when it happens. I knew my dad was dying, but when it actually occurred, when my heart and my mind met, it was devastating to say the least. Today I am heart broken, literally. Camp was a precious gift wrapped up in a glorious vision, given to me many years ago. I had the amazing opportunity to watch it come to fruition, to be part of something so big, it was doomed to fail lest God be in it, a small glimpse of heaven on earth. Please don't get me wrong. It is not camp that is coming to an end, just my role in it.

You might ask why? Why, Hillary, are you leaving something so precious to your heart? I've told you about the new church we're planting in our community, a branch off of Grace Community Church. Honestly, there was no question in our minds if we'd go, a no-brainer I'd say. We would probably have never left GCC on our own, never even crossed our minds. Sure, it's a trek down to Fulton, but that's where our community is, that's where we call home, our family away from our family. However, God decided to move our "community" to our actual community...like I said, no brainer.

It then came up that it might not be okay for me to remain in leadership over Camp and go with the new Fusion. I've known this question was out there for about 5 weeks now, and I'm happy to say that it's drawn me to the Cross, allowed me to lay down my fears, anxieties, and insecurities at His feet, but grappling with the choice of passion vs. community? I mean, how do you chose between two callings? Ultimately though, there is no real choice. I can't ask my family to uproot itself from their community in order to follow my passion. So when the choice was put before me today, I could, with confidence, chose my family, my church, my community.

Of course just because it was my choice does not in any way mean that I'm not completely devastated. Camp was my baby, my vision, my ministry. Leaving it will be one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do, right up there with moving to MD and watching my Dad slip away. But God is still God, sovereign, faithful, just. And it's clear to me and even to those around me that He is doing something big in my life. I have no idea what it could be, but in the midst of my sorrow, I'm excited to see what He has in store.

Throughout my life there have been many monuments, even before I was a believer, that I can look back on and see God's hand. It's in this time that I will choose to look back and see what He's done, to know that He's faithful, and that He is good. This summer I was given a verse, just days after these issues arose, a verse I cling to still today. "I am CONFIDENT that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Be strong; Take heart. Wait on the Lord."

I feel like the theme of my Summer was confidence. All my life, I've struggled with that very word. What is confidence? What does it look like? How can I be confident without being arrogant or self-righteous. I've realized that I'm not to be confident in myself, but in the Lord and who He has made me to be. "Being confident of this that He who began a good work in you WILL carry it on unto completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)" At first I thought that I was to be confident in my position at camp. After all, I'm 100% sure God called me there. And He did, but now it's time to move on. Does that change my confidence? It shouldn't. I'm to be confident, not in my circumstances, but in my God. Whatever road lies before me, whether I'm to focus solely on being a mom, or to dabble to bit in other interests such as writing or politics, or take on a huge role in this new community...I have no idea, but I'm confident it's going to be a bumpy and joyous ride.

For now, I'm going to focus on the positives, and doing what ever I can to close up shop in such a way that ensures success to my successors. I covet your prayers in the days to come. As I mourn, I ask that you lift me up, especially when the enemy comes and attacks my securities, and lies to me about the circumstances. It's so easy for me to buy into the pity parties. Please pray that I remain confident in Him who is good. And while your at it, lift up Camp. Pray that it too continues to be a glimpse of heaven on earth, that the vision will live on.

If you're a parent, you can probably relate to how I've been feeling lately (or at least I hope you can). Can I just say that Satan certainly knows where we are the weakest, and for me, it's my worth? This has been a challenging week for me, one I wasn't going to even blog about because of the fear of what people might think. Isn't that just down right silly? Believe me, it probably keeps me writing half of what I would write (and sometimes that's a good thing). Ok, Hillary, get to the point, right? I have to open camp this morning, so I only have about 7 minutes to get this out.

So Monday, Owen's sitting in assembly looking a bit sluggish. I get down on my knees and beckon him over where he sits on my squatted knee and gives me a giant hug. Uh oh, he's warm. Immediately I take him to the nurse. Yep, Owen has a fever. Normal people with normal jobs would probably leave right away, but given that he had absolutely no other symtoms, I let him hang with the nurse for a while and then take a nap. By the time we got home that day, his fever was gone. It must have been something he was fighting off and he won...not so fast. On Tuesday, Neil stayed home with him half a day and then brought him to camp. Turns out that the church's policy is that if he had a fever in the last 24 hours, he can't come to camp. Being the calm, cool, and collective person that I am, I totally freaked out on Michelle, Karin, and Amy D when I realized that Owen was pulled from his group. But there was a bit more going on than just Owen's symtomless illness.

Moments prior to this, I had just arrived back at camp from Madison's six month check up. It seems that not only is she still tiny, but she's actually lost a pound since her 4 month visit. The whole way back to camp, I was kicking myself for not knowing. Of course, I'd noticed that she was tiny, but how did I not see that she'd actually lost weight? Needless to say I was already in a vulnerable place, and then to come back and see Owen sitting in the big green chair (that is the coolest chair ever) in the nurse's station, I just lost it. It had nothing to do with whomever was in the room. I was feeling like a failure and easily went into fight or flight mode. Suddenly I felt the need to protect myself and my family.

We went straight home. It'd been a long time since I was home at 2:30 in the afternoon. I wasn't sure what to do with myself or my kids. How sad is that? I could tell my patience was thin, and this nagging feeling in my gut would not go away. Satan kept feeding me the lies. "How could you not have known?" "A good mom would have kept her kids home all day today?" "You're just not enough for either of them."

Oh but it gets better. My symtomless kid starts complaining that his ear hurts. Oops, maybe he is sick and has an ear infection. I decided that a good mom would take her son to the doctor, and that's just what I did. I even asked for a strep culture even though his throat wasn't even the slightest bit pink. The doctor thought I was being overzealous, but since he'd been exposed to it at camp, I thought it was best to be sure. Never in a million years did I expect that test to come back positive. I mean his hurting ear turned out to be a mild case of swimmer's ear, and let's remember that he has no other symptoms. Seconds after I got the prescription filled for the ear drops, the nurse calls...positive for strep. Are you kidding me? Let's just stab another dagger in my heart. Immediately I turned around, marched back into the pharmacy, and got him some amoxicillan (which he took right away at 12:19). Of course this means he has to be away from other kids for 24 hours. He'll be at camp today at 12:20 (or somewhere around there), after my more than awesome hubby hangs out with him this morning.

Actually when it comes to sicknesses, I don't get all germaphobic, but I see how people respond to sick kids. It's like they have leprosy or something. Owen got strep from another boy at camp, and somebody may get it from him. I get the whole not wanting to get sick thing, but considering the incubation period on most illnesses, there is no way, we can protect our kids from everything. Owen had strep and it was barely noticeable, if at all. Normally, he's a pretty healthy kid despite my lack of germaphobia.

And when it comes to Madison, the doc thinks it's simply a caloric thing. We went through this with Blake, not this extreme, but still the same thing. We are going to beef up her solid intake and recheck her weight in 2 weeks. Right now, I am focusing on the calories and the recheck, trying desperately not to think about what happens if she's still not gaining in 2 weeks. I'd appreciate your prayers for all my kids as well as myself in this time.

Gotta go...or I'm going to be late.

So Totally Stoked; This Entry May Seem More Like Rambling

About a month or so ago, I blogged about some exciting stuff going on in our lives that I wasn't able to talk about...yet! Well, as of last night, this very same exciting stuff has become public knowledge so now I can talk about it all I want. To be honest, I'm not a very good secret keeper in general, but when the secret is this huge, I'm more of a secret keeper failure. I may have let it slip on more than one occassion, but I chalk it up to more of an outburst of the overflow of my heart then anything else.

For five years, Neil and I have been attending Grace Community Church. More specifically, we go to Fusion, a young adults service that meets on Sunday evenings. In all actuality, to us atleast, Fusion is more than just a service. It's our church, our community, our family. So when I heard that TJ was moving towards "transplanting" Fusion to the Catonsville/Elkridge area, it was a no brainer. Hello, we live in Catonsville. We love Fusion. Basically, we're changing the location of where we worship.

I don't really have a lot of time to go into all the details of the whys and hows and what nots? But I will say that my first response to TJ was "why didn't we do this 3 years ago?" It's a good move for TJ, for Fusion, and for us. I'm so excited, I can barely keep it together. Seriously, I felt like I was going to explode last night as TJ & Mark Norman were making the official announcement to Fusionites.

So what comes next? People will have to decide whether they stay at Grace and join a movement to shepherd the young adults left behind or to go with Fusion, or whatever it's new name might be, on an exciting adventure in the Catonsville area.

Can I just say that Grace Community Church is 100% behind this move, prayerfully and financially? There have been some rumors floating around that are simply not true. And even if they were, who cares? It's clear to me that God is all up in this. And in case you're wondering, this decision in no way impacts my ministry at and through camp.

Speaking of camp, if you want to know what's going on, check out www.graceadventuresdaycamp.blogspot.com!

I bet you're wondering what happened to me? Here I was blogging every morning and then poof, there she goes again. Actually, it's not that I haven't thought about it (constantly actually). It's more that I was choosing to blog instead of spending time with God, and it was taking a toll on me through out the day. So I thought, since I'm blogging about camp, I'll just find time during camp to blog. And here we are on Wednesday morning and I've yet to write about anything this week. Solution? The only one I could come up with is to have my quiet time and then blog, all before I leave the house. We'll see how it goes.

So, week 1; not technically the first week of camp, but since it's the first full-day week of camp, we're calling it week 1. We'll rethink that for next year. I just have to get this off my chest, so bear with me for a moment...we have the best staff ever. From the leadership to the counselors, I see people hungry for the Lord and excited to be on the "mission field" at Grace Adventures Day Camp.

Getting to know people in a camp environment is no easy task. Sure we spend 11 hours a day together, but how much time do we have to go deeper? I'm so thankful for our devo times, but in all honesty, most of us are still waking up so the depth can be a bit shallow (& not in the conceited way). But those that I have had a chance to spend some quality time with have been nothing short of an encouragement to me. To see their character lived out on the soccer field or back deep in the "non-woods" we call the hollow, or their hearts lived out in during camp song in assembly...it's a privilege to be in a position where I can observe, and hopefully exhort.

Now God has not made exhortation a key gift for me, but I know of it's great importance, so I'm at least attempting to use it regardless. I'm also trying to encourage the staff to lift each other up through prayer, notes in boxes, etc.... As the weeks go by, and bonds continue to form, it will be cool to see the different ways that they carry each other through the summer.

I wanted to highlight one counselor in particular. Iman was one of the first people to apply to camp, way back in February. She was also one of the first we hired. From the get go, I could see her excitement for this summer. But it wasn't until staff training that I began to see her heart. Granted, I haven't had much time to spend with her outside of camp, but because of a particular circumstance, I've had a couple opportunities to get to know her better.

During staff training, Iman came to me and asked about the room I had for rent. She had heard me talking to Amy about possibly renting out Mat's room when he goes off and gets married. Neil and I had decided if God sent someone to us that met our criteria, then we'd love to have another roommate. Of course Mat's shoes are hard to fill. He's like family.

So I told her about the room, the basement, the house, and the chaos, and it didn't scare her away. Then I told her about our expectations like the fact that we want that person to not just be a tenant, but part of the family (oh and they have to keep their bathroom clean). Iman seemed intrigued, but moving out of mom's house is a huge step for her, for anyone. On Monday, she came over after camp for dinner and to see the room. It was so much fun to have her there and to be able to hear more of her story. She fit right in, and yesterday let me know that she was pretty sure she wanted to do it. Yay! I'm actually pretty stoked about having a girl live with us. Fun girl time without leaving the house? Yay again! Plus Iman does have the gift of exhortation, so I can totally learn a bunch from her. I hope she rubs off on me.

Oh goodness, I so have to go take a shower, or I may never get to camp this morning.

A 4th I'll Remember...especially my achy body.

By the time I rolled into bed last night around 11:45, I was exhausted to say the least. Oh what a day. Let's see, it started off with both boys parading around our room at about 7:00 am. I'm thinking they haven't mastered the idea of sleeping in on weekends. It's cool though, it was still sleeping in to me considering I get up around 5 am during the week (at least during camp time). I made breakfast for my family (and Neil's uncle, aunt, and cousin...which I'll tell about later), good old cheese grits, eggs, sausage, and fresh fruit. Then Owen, Madison and I took off to Target for a couple necessities like pop-tarts (they make camp mornings so much easier), snacks for lunch, and a birthday present for Tucker. Owen actually picked out a remote control tarantula which I thought was pretty cool, but decided that it was better for Michelle's family then my own. Plus it just so happened to be on clearance. Have I mentioned how much a love a good deal?

After Target we were off to Michelle's house to celebrate Tucker's 4th birthday. Of course Owen was confused by this. "Mommy, why isn't it my birthday. My birthday is next." Yeah, I'm starting to rethink my recent strategy to divert his attention from Blake's birthday by making sure he knew that his birthday was coming up next...in our family. Oh well, we're in the why stage anyways, so really any topic would have annoyed me at that point. The party was great/ Lots of friends, both mine and Owen's. Lots of food, enough to make me feel glutenous (but that faded later). And even a little camp talk, though we tried to keep it to a minimum.

Oh goodness, I have to tell you about the phone call I got earlier that morning. So my phone is ringing and I look down and notice it's not a number I recognize. Now, on any other day of the year (except maybe Christmas), I would answer it "Grace Adventures Day Camp, This is Hillary. How may I help you?" Since my cell phone doubles as the camp phone, it makes sense. But yesterday, when I saw this number, I thought, "oh it's the 4th and no one would call camp on the 4th." Sure enough, it was a mom wanting to sign her three kids (not the same lady whose message I deleted) up for camp next week. From now on, I'll make sure to stick to my self=imposed policy.

We left the party around 1:30. I had almost decided not to go to the parade. I was tired. Owen was tired. Madison was teething and cranky. So I went over to Old Navy to see if I could find some shorts. They had 1 pair in the whole store in my size, so I bought it. We roll up to the dressing room and I realize Owen is asleep in the back of the cart. Great, now what? I get him into the car and decide to wait a few minutes, still on the fence as to whether to walk in the parade. Around 2:30 Owen wakes up. "Mommy, are we going to the parade now?" That sealed it. But the parade started at 3:00 and we were supposed to be there at 2:00 to line up. I called my friend Leslie who is the secretary of the republican club (and also lives in my neighborhood) and asked if it was too late. Nope, she just told me where I needed to go. Since we live so close, it was easier to just go home and walk then it would have been to try and find a parking space. In super hero speed, I parked, went potty, got out the stroller, loaded up the kids, and literally ran (in flip flops) about a mile to where they were lining up.

Owen was intrigued, to say the least. He'd never seen a parade before. Since our float was about half way through the line up, we got to watch the first half of the parade from an up close and personal vantage point. When it was our turn to start walking, I asked Owen if he wanted to walk and wave. He said no, and he literally sat in the stroller the entire time. We were walking with the Patapsco Valley Republican Club. Surprisingly enough, we weren't greeted by many boos. Actually I only heard one from a loony looking guy who looked three sheets to the wind and a little off his knocker. Mostly we were greeted by enthusiastic cheers and even a few people who joined us in the parade. Once we got to the end of the parade route, it was time to walk home. I'm guessing it's about a two miles. Keep in mind, I'd already walked that if not more. By the time we got home, I was utterly exhausted, aching even, and no longer feel glutenous.

We were home for a few hours, ate dinner, relaxed, and then got ready to head out again. This time were going to see the fireworks at the high school. We figure it's about 2 1/2 to 3 miles to the school. Since we were walking we didn't have to deal with traffic or the hassle of finding a parking space. But it was a long walk, and of course, we still had to get home. But we got there, found a place to sit, and waited for the 'works to begin. The kids were beyond tired, but the excitement and anticipation kept them up for a little while.

The show began around 9:30. Blake was intrigued, Owen was scared and Madison cackled at the sparkly fun. I'm not sure exactly how long the show lasted, but by the end, we had three sleeping children and two sleepy parents. On the walk home, Blake was snoozing in the little red wagon, Madison was snoozing in her car seat, and Owen was trying to snooze in the back of the stroller (but it's really not that conducive for snoozing).

All in all, I'd say I got plenty of exercise yesterday. In fact, my muscles will attest to that this morning. The kids had a lot of fun being exposed, for the first time, to all the 4th festivities.

Today I'm taking a Sabbath. This is the first Sunday, in so long I can't remember, that I haven't had to go in to work. So we're just chilling out (except for the grocery shopping). This morning, we're going out to breakfast, and then off to run some family errands, maybe a park for the kids, and then home to rest. I'll pick up tomorrow with a few more camp stories. I want to tell you about our picnic on Friday and Neil's family's visit, but right now I hear the sound of a very hungry baby.

"Друг"

"Я имею друга, который говорит на русском языке." One of our campers went home and uttered this phrase to his mom. "I have a friend who speaks Russian." See, Ethan was recently adopted from Kazakhstan, along with his brother Alex, by a friend of mine, who just happened to be part of our orginial curriculum team for camp. A few weeks ago, I saw her name pop up on our registration software, and I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to see it. Immediately I gave her a call. Were they really thinking of sending their children to camp. I mean, they've only been back in the States for a few weeks?

They decided to try out the Taste of Camp week to see how they do. Alex is 4 and the most adorable little thing you've ever seen. His smile literally lights up the room. He and his brother know very little English, but I'm thinking being immersed into an environment with 35 other kids spitting out 500 words a minute is a pretty good way to learn. We placed Ethan in HJ's group. Poor HJ, I kind of forgot to clue him in on the language barrier (and a few other things), but this guy rose to the occassion. Tuesday afternoon I noticed he was reading a Russian/English dictionary. Now this was after Ethan had already gone home for the night. Can I just say that it's this type of behavior that makes me so proud of the staff we have at camp? The next day Jaclyn (the mom) told me that Ethan had come home and said, "friend, I have a friend who speaks Russian." As a mom myself, I know how that would make me feel, confident, safe, and proud. I'm not saying that's how Jaclyn felt, but I'll bet it made her glad she had decided to send them to camp.

They're thinking of coming back another week in the summer so Ethan and Alex can go to camp with another family, who are also adopted and speak Russian as well. Alena came to camp last summer and loved it. This year, she is bringing her brother along with her. What a picture of our vision. We're buiding bridges. We're creating a "safe place" for people to come and be loved. It's for this reason that I know I'm just where I'm supposed to be. And I'm so thankful that God has made that known to me.

Today we're having a cookout and inviting all of our camp families to join us. From what I've heard, most will be, even those with working parents (most people are off today...most). I'm excited to hear more stories and be able to share them here. Hopefully I'll get up some pics too.

The scene was just how I had pictured it in the shower. Campers, parents, staff, and friends hanging out, eating, playing, and chatting it up at Chick-Fil-A. I'm not sure exactly how many came or for that matter how much money we made, but I'm pretty sure we accomplished what we set out to do...facilitate building community. I had the opportunity to meet the rest of the families of some campers and talk more in depth with their moms about how they were liking camp. Everyone I talked to was super stoked about camp in general, and all said they were interested in coming back for a full day camp either later this summer or next. Sweet! That's why we did Taste of Camp week, to entice campers to want to come more.

It's safe to say that I'm starting out the morning on the right foot. Camp is going great, and I don't just use that word lightly. Of course, it hasn't been without it's surprises, kinks, and splinters, but for the most part, I have no complaints.

My deleted message still hasn't called back, so if you guys could continue praying for that. I'd greatly appreciate it. And there are a couple ladies either on our staff or in our "camp family" who are pregnant and in their third trimester. Please join us in praying for them to be able to carry a healthy baby to full term. Of course we're excited about expanding said family, but we'd like them to hold out until they're fully cooked.

So funny story, and I'll have to post the picture in the next couple of days, but my oldest is so stinking shy. I've just never seen it before. He's always so comfortable around me and most everyone else in his life, but I'm telling you, that boy is like a turtle. Yesterday was the first day he started to come out of his shell at camp, and yesterday was not picture day. So on Tuesday's we take group pictures. In his picture, he's sitting on his counselor's lap (probably unwillingly) turning his body as much as he can away from the camera. All the other camper's in the pic are smiling, having a great time, and here's Owen fleeing from the spotlight. What a wake up call. Hillary, your seemingly outgoing, fun loving son is an introvert (just like his dad). It's not a bad thing by any means, I just didn't see that coming. Maybe Blake will get my personality. I need at least one more extrovert in this house.

Also, I'm pretty sure we're going to start a camp blog. That way we can send everybody to it, and our other director's can add to it as well. Most likely, I'll continue to write about camp here and then transfer it there. Seriously, what else am I going to write about. I pretty much eat, sleep & breathe camp.

Also, on a side note from camp, could you all pray for my BFF Jo and her family? Just pray that their Jehovah Jireh will provide for their every need, abundantly according to His glorious riches. Thanks!

Today, I hope to out more amongst the campers and not stuck inside either in meetings or doing much needed paperwork. But I'd love to be able to tell more specific stories about camp in general. And don't stop praying for our scholarship fund. We still need about $2000!

Even in the Stupidity

You know when you do something, and the second you do it, you realize you shouldn't have? Yep, I had a moment like that yesterday. I was listening to a voicemail from a mom who wanted to sign 3 (count them 3) middle schoolers up for our SIT camp. While I'm listening to this message, I'm also conveying to Michelle what I'm hearing. When I got to the "3 friends" part, I put up my three fingers to Michelle and we both started freaking out, because 3 more SIT campers will bring us to a total of 20 for week 1 (which fill us up). In all the excitement, and in one wish I could replay moment, I took the phone away from my ear, pushed the number 7, and hung up.

It wasn't even a second later that I'd realized what I had done...deleted the message. In desperation, I got back into my voicemail hoping there was some sort of holding box for deleted messages...yeah, not so much. Caller ID isn't an option because the call was forwarded to my phone from the church. So it's gone. All we can do is hope the mom calls back. Please pray with us that she calls back. This is definitely not an example of good customer service. But somehow I know that even in my stupidity, God will be glorified. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, I was in the shower the other day thinking about Chick-Fil-A, and I had an idea. Of course all shower ideas are good ideas, right? Anyways, I ran said idea by the leadership team, got a go ahead, and made the call. The end result? We're inviting everyone to join us as Chick-Fil-A on John Hopkins road every Wednesday night from now until August 5th. The folks there have been so gracious as to allow us to do a fundraiser along side their kid's night. So here's the deal (and there is a deal). For every combo meal you buy, you'll get a FREE kid's meal (assuming you have a kid) and 20% of the proceeds will go to our scholarship fund. All of us that have kids were planning on being there anyways, but this way, we can continue to build relationships with camp families and the community. So come on out tonight or any Wednesday through August 5th. We'll also have camp bumper magnets (though magnets don't normally stick to bumpers) & water bottles available to purchase (and hopefully hats soon). The proceeds of all of our merchandise goes directly to our scholarship fund.

Until tomorrow!

You know what is so amazing about God? He's not at all surprised by what surprises us. Yesterday, he reminded me of this truth. So, it's the first day, right? Everything is supposed to run smoothly, right? Really, why is it that people say that? Rarely does the first day or moments of anything run without hiccups. In fact, it's actually a blessing to be able to get out the kinks in the beginnning before they become tangles that are difficult to remove.

For the most part, camp ran smoothly, and hopefully to the parents and campers, we looked organized and prepared. And in reality we probably were...for the most part. And the surprises we had turned into awesome opportunities to live out our vision.

7:36 AM: Michelle and I had just arrived at the church. Owen is changing into his clothes right there in the foyer (seriously, no one else was there). Blake is swinging his blanket around like he's lassoing a cow. And Madison is desperately crying out "feed me, mommy." I look up and see a little girl bouncing towards the door, followed by her mom loaded down with a backpack and lunchbox. Perplexed, I go for the door. Clearly there has been a mix up. The mom thought we started full days this week, but that's cool, we just rolled with it. We'd already made arrangements for a couple of our all summer kids to stay, so we'll just add her to that list. I took her in and got her aquainted with our nursery staff and she hung out with them until it was time to "go to camp." That was surprise #1, which really turned out to be more of a blessing.

8:34 AM: Suddenly, I realize we have no banners up. These are what let people know we're a camp. So I get a couple guys working on it, but we run out of time. Scrap that for later. By 4 pm, they were hung and ready for tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they all knew they were at camp yesterday, but just to make sure....

9:36 AM: A mom approaches me and asks if this is where her daughter will be dropped off after lunch. After lunch? Camp is over after lunch. We do have a girl starting next week who is coming from summer school, but...yep, you guessed it...there's been a minor mix-up. Well, since I'm used to rolling with it by now, we just rolled with it. I assured the mom that we would take good care of her daughter, made sure she knew that since this was a half day, that she would be simply hanging with our staff all week, and sent her merrily on her way. Again, a blessing.

10:01 AM: Radio sounds off ;"Hillary, are there any cups at the pavilion?" Oops, cups would make it easier for the kids to drink from the water coolers. Off I go down to the pavilion with the first stack of cups I saw (which I stole from the coffee bar). When I get down there, a counselor stops me and says her campers needs a band-aid. Oh no, we're not even an hour or so into camp and we already need band-aids. Nah, it was just a girl who picked a scab. Yuk (though I totally used to do that as a kid).

11:21 AM: Radio sounds of: "Hillary, are you going to be ready to teach during assembly?" I glance down at Madison chomping away, pick up my radio, and say "yep, I'll be right there." Shoot, I'd forgotten that I told Michelle that morning that I'd teach about Mary & Martha. I finished up with Madison, who was done anyways, handed her off and started down the hallway. I prayed the whole way that God would take away my words and replace them with his. When it was time to go on, I talked a bit about Mary & Martha engaging the crowd along the way, however I still felt like a deer in headlights. My bad. I realized later that they had really studied about the Bible this morning and that Mary & Martha didn't really get introduced until tomorrow.

Most of these were minor surprises, but let me just focus on our added blessings for a moment. How many other camps would have just sent these moms away? How many other people would have stuck to their agendas instead of thinking about the familys' needs? Sure, there was a mix up, but the best customer service is the kind that accomodates the person, not the program. Unlike Office Depot who told me yesterday that they couldn't honor my state issued tax exempt card because there computer said that Grace Community Church was not tax-exempt. Um, sorry O.D., but I think my state-issued card trumps your computer, and I had just bought some stfuf the day before at a different O.D. with the same card. Anyways, the guys working there (one who was truly apologetic and the other who was a little too stuck to the policies) simply gave me a card with the number to call. Totally didn't mean to go down this path, but it's just an example of what not to do. Allright now I need to go take a shower or I will definitely be late.

Two or More

Talk about tunnel vision. I'm so enthralled in camp that I have absolutely no idea what is going on in the world around me. My mom calls me tonight and says, "Did you hear about Michael Jackson?" I'm thinking, oh great, what did he do now? "He's dead." It's amazing how your tune changes when the death enters the picture. No matter how you feel about a man, you still mourn for his humanity. She proceeds to tell me about Farrah Faucet as well. Did you know she was 62? My dad was 62. Not that there is any tie in, just stuck out in my mind. What a week for Hollywood. Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, & Farrah Faucet...big names and they're all gone. Isn't that just a bit surreal? And to think that I was hanging out with 20 people all day long and not a one of us had a clue. We're literally in our own little world. It's called camp.

Today began with us fingerprinting our entire staff. Yep, it's actually required by law for us to fingerprint all of our staff. While we were waiting for the last few to finish up, we dove into the Word, studying our theme verse for the Summer, John 4:14. "But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst. No, the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Let me tell you what I like about our staff, they really dove in with me. Sure, it took a few minutes to warm up, but by the end we had participation. Jesus said that where two or more are gathered, He is right there with them. I'm telling you, He was hanging out at Grace Adventures today. And that's really all that I can ask for. I mean, it doesn't even really bother me that I literally lived in a bubble today (except that I forgot it was my mom's birthday).

Happy Birthday Mom. You're absolutely the best.

Oh & so long Asuka & Jonathan on So You Think You Can Dance. You weren't really my favorites, so I'm not too sad. Aren't I mean?

Bedtime! 5:30 comes early. Let's hope I have enough energy to go running in the morning.

At the Gates a Knockin'

It's an overwhelming feeling when you see a vision 9 months in the making lived out in person. As I approached the church this morning, I could literally feel the emotions welling up inside and they hovered there through out the day. No, camp has not officially started but staff training has, and what a fantabulous staff we have. Right from the get go, you could see that our staff got it. They got why we do what we do. They caught the vision on camp. You couldn't ask for a better group of people. Now, of course, I understand that God called these men and women to their various positions at camp. But when you see people "get" that their called, it's a whole other feeling...connection.

Yesterday I was stressed. Today I'm uber stoked. Tomorrow...well, that's tomorrow. But all in all, I know that no matter what comes down the line, God's got this one. He confirms that everyday. In fact the things, we stress the most about always seem to work themselves out, for the best. Gee, I wonder if that's because it's all part of some greater plan. For instance, a few days ago, we were stressing over budget. It's seems that our forecast is a little in the red (or quite a bit). But as it so happens, God's in control of that too. And in every new surprise, I can see His fingerprints.

After a long day of training the kids and I met Neil at the nearby Chick-fil-a for Kid's Night. Normally we go to the one near us on Thursday night, but for the summer, we're hitting up the CFA close to the church. It felt like the perfect in to an amazing day. Amy D & her family were there, which provided some fun fellowship. Then I ran into a lady I use to do yoga with when we lived in Laurel. While I'm talking to Sharon, a woman points to my shirt and says "Oh Grace Adventures, my daughter is coming there in a couple weeks." Score! I tell you. It just tickles me silly to see people recognize camp, especially since we're so stinking new on the seen.

But wait, it didn't end there. I also had the opportunity to see one of our servant team kids who happens to be serving all summer long. I actually had the opportunity to hang out with Rikki a little at the church picnic and I have to say that we are darn lucky (not that I believe in luck) to have him on our team. Needless to say, I spent most of the drive home praising Jesus for a fantabulous day.

But wait, it's still not over. Now, if this news had come a day or two earlier, my perspective might have been entirely different. But not 20 minutes after I got home, I received a phone call from one of our counselors. Turns out, she isn't going to be able to work with us this summer. She's decided that she is being called in a different direction. My response? Girl, you gotta do what God is calling you to do. I've said this before, but tonight I feel like whether I believe it or not was tested. God already knows who He has at camp this summer, and He knows the outcome of this situation. I'm sad to see Kelly move on, but I'm excited to see what God does in her life as well as in the "life" of Grace Adventures Day Camp. It's not exactly fun to be shuffling around staff on the first day of staff training, but it's a good thing and I'm confident that it will be all good in the end.

So Hillary, what can we do? Wow, I'm so glad you asked. I covet your prayers. As we go into this summer, there are many ways that the enemy can attack. And quite frankly I have something to say to Satan..."bring it." If he's not attacking, then we're doing something wrong. Pray for sound relationships among staff. Pray we will be outside the box thinkers. Pray that we'll be connected to the Word and to the Body. Pray that we'll have the wisdom to know how to put out the fires. Pray that we'll stick to our vision by actively building bridges to our community through a program that is excellent, safe and fun. Really just pray!

Thanks!

Here Comes the Sun

It officially feels like summer to me. Now that I'm at work full time, I can literally smell camp like it's almost here. Wait a sec, that might be because it is. Less than two weeks until our first day. I tell ya, things just sneak up on you. It seems so far off for so long, and then one day I'm running around in a panic because it's here and I'm not quite ready. Of course, now that I've dealt with reality and laid my neurosis at the foot of the cross, I feel ready to take on the next 8 weeks.

That might be easy for me to say, though, considering where I am now compared to where I was this time last year. Let's review. Going into last summer, our first year at camp, I had just lost my Dad to cancer. Let's just say I wasn't dealing as well on the inside as it may have looked like on the outside (which wasn't great). I was in the first trimester of an unexpected pregnancy and experiencing all the "junk" that came along with it. We were moving across town, which was another thing we weren't exactly expecting. Yes, we put our house on the market in mid-May, but in this economy we assumed it would take months to sell, not 24 days. So not only was I packing up a house, our first house might I add, but we were preparing to move to Catonsville right in the middle of camp. Needless to say all this stuff going on in my life had a profound effect on my experiences at camp, mostly in relationships. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't laying a thing at the foot of the cross. Spiritually, I was struggling, but God sent a wake up call around the first week of camp, and gave me a second chance to come to Him. Thankfully, there is a way to get through this thick skin.

Fast forward a year. Today, I am a slimmer and healthier (both physically & spiritually) mother of 3 beautiful children. We've settled down into our new home in a fabulous community in Catonsville, and are super excited about what God is doing in this area (more to come on that after Sunday). But most of all, I'm in a good place with the Most High. I'm in my sweet spot. Of course, I have to be careful, because it's in this place when I am most open to attacks from the enemy.

I'm stoked about our staff, our campers, and all the stories I'll get to tell. God has shown up at Grace Adventures and we haven't even had our first official day yet. Today I get to have lunch with 4 of my specialty counselors, and my prayer is to begin to build relationships with them that will impact all of us for eternity. Specialties are new this year, and I'm convinced that God called each of these counselors to their positions. If you get a chance, pray that they see their calling as clearly as I do, and that they take ownership over their areas and run with it.

Yesterday was Day One. Day one of me as a full time working mom of 3, and I think I did pretty well. I got up and ran (which I can now barely move), made it to work on time, and managed to have a very productive and satisfying day. This is Day Two. Okay, I didn't run this morning (b/c my legs are still burning from yesterday), but I'm sitting on the couch dressed & ready to go with Blake resting on one side while I empty my brain into this blog. I'd say I'm doing pretty good. It's 7:30 now, time to pack the lunches, dress the kids, and hit the road.

Shameless Plea...Again

This week has been amazing. Normally, camp registrations slow down at the end of May, beginning of June, but not at Grace Adventures. In the past two days, we've had 7 kids register for camp making up 20 weeks of camp. Plus I know of 3 more (11 weeks) coming in the next day or so. And the most amazing part of this is that most of these kids are not connected to Grace. They are friends of friends of Grace members, or they randomly found us online. This is our vision lived out, and it's the most amazing thing. I know, I'm saying amazing a lot, but sometimes I'm dumbfounded by the very grace of God.

With this influx comes some even more exciting news...an increase in scholarship requests. Now Hillary, how in the world is a scholarship request exciting? Because when people (especially those not connected to the church) request a scholarship, you get to meet them and have the opportunity to invest in their lives on a deeper level. Duh, you have the unique opportunity to build a relationship with the entire family.

Michelle and I, along with our entire vision team, feel like it would be wrong to turn people away just because of a little thing like money. And so far, we haven't, but as I finished a conversation with a single mom today, I panicked. How are we going to pay for these scholarships? Granted, we don't just give away camp. We require something of everyone who wants to come to camp, and the vast majority of these moms are digging into their mattresses to be able to have their children in our program. The least we could do is meet them halfway.

So here is where you come in. Please pray with us that God would provide the money we need to make sure that everyone He wants to be at camp can and will be there. I believe in providence. This is God's camp, always has been and always will be. I believe He has sent these families to us, and I am excited to see what He does in their lives as well as mine because of it.

Also pray for us as a leadership team, that we would have the faith to trust in His provision. Man, that is hard sometimes. I'm such a problem solver. I want to fix things, but sometimes (okay, a lot of times) God puts us in situations that are purposefully beyond our control. So please pray with us, and if you feel God has called you to give a little, you can do so on our website. Not that I'm asking, but yeah, I guess I am.

Thanks for joining me in this effort. If you know me at all, then you know that my heart is eternally tied to camping ministry, most specifically Grace Adventures Day Camp. I can't wait to be able to blog through out the Summer about all that God is doing. I hope you'll join me on that venture as well.

Nagging in my Gut

You know those nagging feelings you get down deep in your gut. It's funny because when I get one of those, I typically ignore it thinking it will eventually subside. Maybe it will, but much like a wretched kidney stone, it's going to get worse before it gets better. This is how I've been feeling for the last few weeks about our price increase for camp. With the economy the way it is (even given the fact that I think it's a bit over exagerated), I just kept feeling like we shouldn't do it. Of course I ignored my feelings. It's just fear, the fear that some people wouldn't register if camp costs $25 more. Fear or no fear, that pesky feeling just wouldn't go away. So on Saturday, a day after the hike went into effect, I called Michelle. Turns out she's been feeling the same way. Funny how that works, huh? We tabled the discussion until Sunday when we could talk face to face (and not over screaming kids in the background). I prayed all the way to church on Sunday, asking for wisdom and direction. Guess what happened? That nagging feeling grew into a nagging voice in my head. That's it...we must rescind it.

It's not that we think it's wrong. Eventually we're going to need to stick with it, but, for this year, we've hired our staff based on our specialties and still have some spaces. We'd like to fill those spaces and we don't want a little thing like money to deter people from signing up (especially since we are so new to the scene). I don't know what God is going to do now, but I know it's going to the be great. Seriously, when does he do something that isn't? And as for those gut feelings...maybe I won't be so quick to dismiss them as "cold feet."

Our official statement is below. Let me know what you think.


Not Registered Yet? Read This!

We have some very good news. We’ve decided to rescind our price increase from May 15th. Why, you ask? We’ve hired our staff and still have some extra spots for campers. Given the status of the current economy, we didn’t want to discourage anyone from coming to camp. So our prices will remain at $200 a week for regular camp, and $100 for SIT camp and Taste of Camp. We hope that this will give you a little more time to find out whether Grace Adventures Day Camp is the place for you for the Summer of 2009. Remember that we also offer Sibling Discounts up to 7.5% of the total cost of camp and Bring a Friend discounts of $10 per registration for both you and your friend.

If money is still an object, let us know. We can work with you to provide payment plans or scholarship assistance if needed. If you’re still working out the kinks in your summer schedule, don’t worry about it. As long as there is space, we will continue to take registrations. However, our limits are now set and we can no longer guarantee space, especially in Junior Camp or specific specialty areas.

Not sure whether a full day of camp will work for your children, try the Taste of Camp (June 29th- July 3rd). This camp was specifically designed to give kids the full experience of camp in half the time. They’ll enjoy an introduction to sports, creative play, drama, creeking, fort building, and water play, as well as Bible time and all camp assemblies. By the end of the week, we promise, they’ll be begging for more.

Always Amazed by the Amazing

I'm just going to call this "Camp Week." We're jam packed with activities all week, from counselor interviews to our Chick-Fil-A fundraiser for camp scholarships (which was tonight). Tomorrow is all about planning for staff training, and Thursday is a day long seminar on state licensing. You envy me, don't you? Well, with the exception of the state stuff, you should. It's in the details of camp that God meets me and blows me out of the water. Seriously! I guess that's how it should be, right?

Let's start with Monday night. We held our first ever group interview. This is an interview unlike any other. We play games, sing songs, and act like a bunch of kids, but really, it's appropriate considering we're hiring camp counselors. Last year, we had just enough applications for the number of positions we had available. Thankfully, God provided fully for our every need and we had a kickin' staff. This year we actually had more applicants, especially girls, than we could hire. How awesome is that? Of course that means we have to make decisions, and sometimes that means choosing the best over the great. I'm not going to get into the details. I just have to say that in this process, God has shown up. It's amazes me to see how he meets our specific needs, for skill sets, age groups, and spirituality. We're blessed, and I don't mean that in the cliche way. We're seriously blessed to have the absolute cream of the crop at Grace Adventures Day Camp.

And then there was tonight. When we first thought about doing a fundraiser night at Chick-Fil-A, I have to admit I was skeptical. How much money could we really raise? Would it be truly successful? Well, let's just say I'm currently eating my own skepticism, and it sucks because I'm already full of yummy chicken. I can't tell you how many people came, but I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of their customers were there for us. Can you feel the love? I know I can. I should know soon what the total number is, but the people are what ultimately encouraged me. We had staff, campers, Grace church goers, random friends of friends of friends. Heck, our middle school group opted for chicken nuggets over their usual pizza just so they could contribute as well (Thank Shaun & Light Company). We gained a friend on our Vision Team, gave out a few "bumper magnets" and even gathered a couple registrations. This was a key moment for me, encouraging and uplifting. For me, when the going gets rough, I'll be able to look back to this night as a reminder of our vision lived out. We're building bridges, people. They may be small bridges right now, barely covering the creek in the backyard, but it's still a bridge.

It's in the small moments such as these that I stand amazed by the "amazing." And I'm glad that I get to see God in the details, no matter how small they are.

My Shameless Plea

We all find ourselves in need at certain times in our lives. Maybe it's not a financial need. Maybe it's an emotional one, or a physical one, but regardless...we all have needs.

At Grace Adventure Day Camps, we meet needs. Granted they are mostly of the spiritual kind, but we do have the opportunity to meet someone's physical needs as well. Our best way of doing this is through our scholarship program. Last year we were able to support the demand with our supply, directly from our budget. As we grow, the need grows as well. We are no longer able to self-sustain the demand. At the same time we would never want to turn away a child from camp simply because their parents were unable to pay. So, Hillary, why not just petition the church for money? Well, it's not that simple. As a church, we've decided that church-wide, broad fundrasing is not an option. So we've gone the path of sponsorship. This way anyone can feel like they are being a part of camp by "sponsoring" a child. This isn't like Compassion International where you get letters from your child. In fact, it's completely anonymous on both sides. But it does give you a sense of ownership over where exactly your money is being used.

Typically it costs $250 to send one child to camp for one week. I say typically because this is assuming that they need both early and late care plus the cost of a normal week of camp. A sponsor can supply any amount they would like, from ten cents to ten thousand (man, wouldn't that be awesome). So far though we have no sponsors which has forced us to look in other directions. (however, if you would like to be a sponsor or know a business that would like to be a sponsor...you just let me know)

On May 5th we are "eating our way to send to kids to camp" at Chick-Fil-A on John Hopkins Rd in Laurel, MD. 20% of all the food eaten (well at least the money spent on the food eaten) will go to Grace Adventures Day Camp. So the more people that eat at that CFA that night, the more kids we are able to send to camp. See the correlation. The event is from 5-8 pm. Drop in any time, and bring some friends with you too.

Interested in learning more information about camp, or need a summer job?? Email me at graceadventures@gcconline.org!

By the way, have a mentioned how much I love Chick-Fil-A? Seriously, we eat there every Tuesday night. If you don't know this yet, you should. Most CFA's have a special Kid's Night where you get a FREE kid's meal with each adult combo purchase. Where else can you go and get free food, let the kid's play, and even meet and mingle with other parents in the area? CFA is totally an ally in my war on poor customer service.

The Burden of Excellence

When planning for camp, I am one of the biggest advocates of excellence in our programming. We must strive for it in every area, because this is what will translate to our community and set us apart as a different kind of day camp. But my question is, how does this same excellence translate over into my home life? I'm reading a book right now called "The Excellent Wife" Notice how it's not entitled "The Perfect Wife." There is no such thing, and if there were, I'd probably be in a long line of women waiting to take her out.

So what is excellence? Webster's defines it as "very good for it's kind." Dictionary.com says it's possessing outstanding quality or superior merit. I like the "very good for it's kind" definition even though it uses a word that is very much overused...good! But the part I like is the "for it's kind." Now I am not suggesting that wives delve into a competition to be the better wife. Not at all. In fact, I think that the only opinions that matter are that of her husband, her kids, and her Lord. The reason a wife should strive for excellence is not to impress the other women at Mom's group. It's not even so she can impress her husband. It's so she can bring glory to her God.

I can tell, in my own marriage, the times when I am pitting Neil against myself, comparing his efforts to mine. "I watch the kids all day long, sometimes without a break (no nap days). When you get home, I simply ask for a bit of peace and quiet so I can get your dinner on the table and prepare for an evening of continuing to raise your kids." Now you have to imagine that as I'm saying those words, my hands are placed skillfully on my hips, head titled to the side (not sure why that happens) and my voice suddenly changes into this "I Love Lucy"esque high-pitched tone with a slight handful of nagging on top. It's quite the sight to see, and it accomplishes nothing.

On the other hand, when I take 15 minutes to straighten up the house before Neil arrives, go to the door to greet him (with the kids), and give him 10-15 minutes to wind down, put his clothes away, and possibly take a dump, Neil will emerge ready and willing to take on the kids for as long as I need. It's amazing to me how my attitude can make or break a situation, and yet more times then not, I'm standing at that door when he arrives, not to greet him, but to throw the kids at him and retreat to my room for a pity party from hell. Whoa is me, right?

I think being an excellent wife is more about attitude then actions. Sure, I could go through the motions, but what reward would it bring? My husband should be my first priority outside of my relationship with God. If he were, my attitude would stem from love instead of selfish pride. So in this first week of reading this book, I've realized some of my priorities need to change. But here's the kicker, I'm not sure I can change them, especially not in an instant. So I've been praying that God would change my heart, giving me a deep love for my husband and desire to be an excellent wife to my husband.

Oh and Poo Poo Update: Owen hasn't had an accident since he first went poo poo on the potty, and now he's refusing to wear a diaper at night and surprisingly staying dry. WOO HOO! Now off to the Zoo for some fun!

Part Two: From Vision into Reality

Four years ago I was working at Camp Sonshine in Silver Spring, and slowly getting acquainted with our new church, Grace Community. I had several issues with Camp Sonshine, mainly two things. One, I was working an average of 82 hours a week during the summer leaving me no time for my husband, and two, I never really saw their vision and mission lived out in the camp itself. To me, it seemed more like a regular camp that happened to have Christians working there. In December of 2004, I rendered my resignation ready to take on the world. A week later I found out I was pregnant with Owen. Shortly there after I went to work part time for the middle school ministry at Grace. All along I had this burning desire to start a day camp, maybe at Grace, but most likely wherever God took us next (preferably way down south in the land of cotton.) I even shared that vision with Shaun Smithson over a meal of bottomless fries at Red Robin. At the time, Grace was meeting in a warehouse with little to no land to speak of, but they had already purchased the property we now meet on. From the first time I saw that piece of land, I could see the kids playing in the fields, but surely God was going to take us home, so it must have been someone else's vision (I know, stupid thinking).

Then last summer everything changed. During a quiet time one day, I felt pressed to pursue the vision. As silly as I felt, I emailed Tim Siemens, a pastor at Grace, and told him my idea for this day camp at Grace. Within the hour, he responded, excited to hear more. We met in September and the rest is history.

Flash forward to July 7th, 2008, the first day of camp. I have to say that Michelle and I both were quite emotional. To see something come to fruition after 9 months of hard work and four years of dreams was more than even my words could explain. We had 38 kids, 8 staff, 7 servant team, and no nurse during the first week. Despite a few hiccups, the feedback from campers & parents was phenomenal. There are a million stories a could share with you, but I'm going to focus in on three.

Over the weekend between the first and second week, Michelle told me that we'd gotten a registration for a girl named Charlotte (Charley). Turns out she was invited to camp by a Grace family that was attending camp that week. Here's the kicker: they had just met Charley and her family two days before. So Charley comes, and despite a rough first day, has a great time at camp, so much so that she wanted to return for another week. But given the fact that her family had just relocated from Arizona the week before, finances were a little tight and she wasn't going to be able to come. Well, Charley was actually going into 7th grade, making her a little old for camp, so Michelle suggested we bring her back the next week on our Servant Team. We typically don't take 6th graders, but thought we could make an exception for Charley. At the parent assembly on Friday, Charley was visibly upset that it was the last day of camp. As her mom & sister, Chloe, arrived, we pulled them aside and asked if Charley (and Chloe if she wanted) could come back. Her mom was floored that we would take such an interest in her family. We told Charley right away and those tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy.

Charley and her sister Chloe finished out the summer with us, and found a new church home in the process. That's our vision right there. The family that invited them had no idea at the time that a simple invitation would be so fruitful. Charley and her family felt safe at camp, and because of that gave the church a shot. We couldn't have asked for a better story our first summer, but wait, there's more.

During our second week we had a little girl named Rebekah come to camp. We knew she came with a friend, but that's about it. A little over a week later, I received a note in my mailbox, actually a copy of the "let us know" sheet from morning service. On it Rebekah's mom praised camp profusely, and then I saw the box checked "new to Grace." See Rebekah's friend, Emily, had invited her to camp, and in the process, they decided to check out camp. Again, that's our vision played out in person, in lives.

Lastly I have to tell you about Karin, our camp nurse. Originally she signed up to work week two, half days, in exchange for her daughter, Victoria, coming to camp. After just a few days at camp, she decided to come back, and ended up spending the rest of the summer with us. She was just like one of us, even stayed with me until the last camper was gone each evening. And what a blessing she was when she brought Michelle and me a soda each day when she arrived. I believe God sent her to encourage and "heal" Michelle and me, and we hope she will be back next year as our official camp nurse.

Not really a story, but I feel obligated to tell you about our staff. From the moment we hired them until the last day (and beyond), it was clear that God called each of them to be there this summer. Several jumped in before camp and helped out as much as they could, as well as offering to be involved in the planning process for next year. Without a stellar staff camp could not have happened this summer. It's because of them that kids wanted to come back from week to week, and the kids that came all four weeks can't wait to come back next summer. God certainly knew what he was doing when he sent these 8 people to us. From Cree who coordinated assemblies & ran servant team (who is now in Austria for good) to Amy who managed to work all four weeks pregnant and with a 10 month old to Chris who despite his physical age blew us all away with his maturity and patience. From Nick who was challenged with two autistic children and never let it get him down to Meghan who saw a need and met it with grace and the heart of a servant to Thaise who cared for all the children with a gentle spirit and passion for the Lord. From Phil who was ready and willing to do anything and everything asked of him to Roya who worked another job outside of camp but never let on to her fatigue and allowed herself to be used. And then there was out support team: Matt who flourished as a worship leader and Ben who grew in this new experience. Then there was Blair and Aaron who caught the vision long before the summer and never ceased to amaze us with their acts of service. And all the volunteers who gave their time, energy and hearts to camp, even if only for a moment, helped make camp the success it is today.

There's so much more I could tell you, and maybe someday I will. God is continuing to work in and through camp, and I'm excited to say that we will be back next year. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Oh and we officially own the house we live in. We closed last night at 5:00 pm. It was shocking how smoothly it went.

Lost Between the Fog & The Ray of Light

I'm not really sure if I'm lost or if I'm found. It's simply been a crazy last few weeks. Forget the drama of house shopping, I've also been preparing for camp which starts MONDAY. This is the last day of staff training. (By the way, our staff rocks.) Today we'll be doing much of the set up for camp itself, which did I mention, starts MONDAY. I'm not sure that has set in yet. At the same time, I'm making preparations to sell a house and buy another house. We did the inspection on the new house on Tuesday, and most is good, no major issues. I, of course, went to the inspection, and spent the entire time talking with Amanda, the homeowner. Can I just say that I love this couple? They too are believers and that alone excites me. To put our two stories together, sounds more like one.

I can't write long this morning, because I slept in til 6:30, and I need to leave in 30 minutes or so. But I wanted to give you all an update of sorts, and ask you to pray for the start of camp.