Our Camper...

Yesterday was a HUGE day at our house! We took Anli to Camp Pinnacle for 2 days and 2 nights! We started the morning with breakfast with Grammy and Granpa as they had come into town for a little while this weekend. It was so special to have them with us as we all prayed around the table for Anli's week!

Then the girls and I headed off for our 2 hours drive into the North Georgia mountains! Jay wanted so badly to come...but he had to work. So, we enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL drive together. As we pulled in they had all kinds of counselors to meet and greet us from the first turn into the camp until we registered! It made the excitement grow and grow!

The very first counselor we met on the road...was Anli's counselor Kay...she is precious!

Anli was a little nervous that morning and along the drive. She has never been away from us overnight without it being family. She had no idea what to expect. But, once she saw all those girls milling around and met some of the counselors...she was hooked!

Camp Pinnacle is all about MISSION! I am so thrilled that she will be surrounded by those that love embracing God's work around the world...and right here at home! They have real missionaries and even those who were born in other countries to share with the girls. I can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Then, we met sweet Danielle. She is the friend God brought to us a few days ago through an email to a friend. God worked it out that we were right next to each other at registration! The girls hit it off immediately. They were holding hands and walking together before they even got in their cabin! God is so good!

Finally, after registration, a quick stop at the camp store to buy our new Camp Pinnacle backpack, purchasing the DVD and cabin photo, health check, lice check, med check...whew...it was time to find our cabin!

OK, this camp is NOT like the camps I used to attend every summer! These things are AWESOME! They are brand new with air conditioning, a huge attached bathroom with 6 showers, 6 potties, 6 sinks (only 12 girls!) and the counselors have their own attached room and bathroom! It was amazingly nice.

Each girl even has their own little closet with their bunk number on it! She had 4 drawers, a shelf, and hanger bar. Here she is organizing all her things...she LOVES to organize. So, I was able to help her unpack, get her bed ready, and meet her counselors before they were taking all the girls to their first activity!

Anli got the top bunk (since she sleeps there at home anyway)while Danielle is on the bottom. Their cabin was all decorated with verses on the ceiling for each girl on the top bunk! Their cabin colored bandana was this right here. Their camp verse is on it and they wear their bandanas all week.

Anli and Danielle were already like best buddies! Look at those cute bandanas on their little heads...they look so grownie! Her bunk was number 5...in the back ground is her "closet." I am so thrilled that she is able to go and enjoy this amazing camp centered on God and missions!
Too soon, it was time for Virginia and I to make the 2 hour drive home. But, I didn't shed a tear (amazing for me since I had already cried that morning!) because I just felt a peace about this precious camp. You can feel the love for God and the nations at every turn. She will be so blessed by this time away to hear from God personally. I pray for a lifetime harvest!

We miss her, but have been able to send her "bunk notes" today that she will get. They are one-way emails that you send to your camper that they will get as mail during their camp stay. It's so cute! You can add little borders and everything. The grandparents and all of us sent her some bunk notes...she will get 6! She is just loved by so many people.

We pick her up tomorrow morning...so I'll have lots to share from her time...and hopefully she took lots of pictures I will be able to post from her camera!

Clarkston

Today my family was blessed to visit the city of Clarkston, GA. I was able to attend a women's group and had a chance to share my personal testimony with them. We began the time with singing together. I was in heaven when they brought their African drums out and we began clapping! It was in Kirundi...but I loved every moment of it!

God was so kind to me in allowing me to not only meet some amazing Burundian and Rwandan women...but the ladies who lead this group each week. My girls enjoyed playing with their children and they even came in to enjoy the music for a while...then it was off to play again!

Alicia offered her home for the meeting and I LOVED meeting her...as she said...we are "kindred spirits" (Anne of Green Gables quote!). It was so encouraging to meet these awesome women who were all about sharing the love of Christ with refugees who literally have left everything...and are starting over with NOTHING.

Jay had an amazing meeting with World Relief too. He got to literally meet EVERYONE there and hear all that they are doing. We will prayerfully be praying to see how God will lead us and our church to be involved with the ministries in Clarkston.

I will be going to Clarkston again to actually be In the homes of families in "the village." I can't WAIT...I would MOVE to Clarkston if we could take Noonday church with us:) There were lots of ways to be involved and I just can't wait to see where!

A few of my favorite things!

For the next couple of weeks I will be sharing some of the resources and ideas that have really encouraged and challenged our family in our relationship with God, prayer, parenting, outreach, etc. There are so many wonderful resources God has brought our way that I want to share them with you!

I will be sharing off and on all summer...along with keeping up with our families fun through the summer too! I pray that God will use some of these resources in your own families to lead you closer to Him.

Please realize that MOST of these are NOT my ideas! I know how easy it is to look at other people's families and see the things they do and think how creative they must be...well, I totally agree with Ecclesiastes about there being nothing new under the sun! At least I never seem to think of anything new...but God has brought amazing resources to our lives that help us to follow the command in Deuteronomy 6:6-9:

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

I'm excited to not only share with you...but to leave a record for our children and their children of the ways God encouraged and challenged and trained us as a family through His Word and His servants.

But...here's the rule. These are just resources from our family. You have LOTS of resources you use every day...God brings to our families what He wants! I pray these will be an encouragement to you as they have been to my family and myself.

But...God's Word remains the ULTIMATE resource for our lives!!! It is the daily "manna" our family feeds off of every SINGLE day. Without our foundation resting in His Word alone...these resources are simply more things to fill our time doing. So, seek God before you use ANY resources to your life. Make sure that He is the One leading you to them...and not a desire to just be "better." We can't. We're flawed in our core with sin. But, through God's Word and the power of Christ...we are OVERCOMERS!

These things have helped our family live out what God says in His Word. But...they can NEVER be substituted FOR God's Word!! Trust me...I've lived that lie for far too long. Freedom rests in the yoke of Christ! Even though I have so many resources and the Word of God in my life every day...I NEVER get it right!

That's the beauty of a Gospel-Centered life. A sinner mercifully saved by grace...every moment of my life. So, seek God prayerfully before using any resource other that His Word (we KNOW He wants us to use that!!). See them as simple tools to help along the narrow path.

I'll post the first one tomorrow!

Lessons learned from the heart...

During our final worship time, we were encouraged to write something that summed up our time ministering together as families. We were given the chance to share what God had taught us, how we had been changed, or what was the testimony we would share about our time in Helen, GA.

It was a very powerful time as I watched family after family come up together to pin these "cardboard testimonies" onto the black cloth. Dads, Moms, grandparents, aunts, children and teen all made their way alongside their families to share the goodness of God.

What a legacy!

Anli's cardboard testimony.

Virginia's testimony. Do you see a running theme our family really meditated on this trip?

Jay's sermons this week were talking about "BUT GOD" moments. Those times in our lives that seem to be going and doing one thing...BUT GOD changes everything! I am so grateful that God loves us enough to change everything!

This week...was truly a gift. Jay and I have been on numerous mission trips here in the United States and literally around this world. But, to be on mission with my children and my husband as a FAMILY ON MISSION...is heaven on earth. It fulfills God's instruction to us as parents in Deuteronomy...that we are talk about Him with our children as we sit at home, lie down, in our homes, in our yards, as we walk and minister along our daily paths...all the time.

If you have never been on Families on Mission...I would ask you to seriously pray about taking a week our of your year and go on mission with your family.

Mentor your chidlren in service...and being a servant.

Love them through their tired and selfish moments.

Bless them with praise as they become molded into the image of Christ.

Let them see you weep in worship.

Dance before God in praise with them.

Laugh in the dark when you should all be asleep.

Let them hear you share the Gospel with others.

Show them that ministry is hard for you too sometimes.

Let them pray for you and with you...eyes opened in the car.

Surround them with other families that are hungry to be on mission together.

And...delight in God together as you become servants together in the fields ripe for the harvest.

This was our week...

and this is our life as a Family on Mission...

forever.

*Update*

Please take a minute to read this article about how a Southern Baptist Church is reaching the nations in its own town. There is a video you can watch on this page also...check it out! This article was in the NY Times!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/us/22church.html

*Be sure to read the post below to join in prayer as our family heads to Clarkston!!

Please Pray!

Oh...I am just having a fit over God today! He's been too, too, too, too good! Here's a quick recap...and a big prayer request!

1. Anli is going to our Georgia WMU missions camp next week. We don't know a soul that is going! So, this morning I asked God if He would send her a friend. She is not at all anxious, but my mommy heart wants her to have a friend. Many groups bring their GA groups and and so they have a built in "cabin buddy" already when they get there.

So...this morning as I got an email from Beth Ann Williams who works at WMU/WEM part of the Georgia Baptist Convention. She has invited me to go on a vision trip with about 10 other ladies in August and so we have been emailing back and forth. I mentioned Anli would be going to camp Pinnacle...and she shot me back an email that HER DAUGHTER is going the SAME week and ALONE too! GET OUT!

So...she got right on the phone and MADE SURE that our girls would be in the same cabin together. God, you are too, too, too good!

2. Then, we headed up to Lifetime for me to work out (getting in our new summer schedule!) and then we headed out to the pool to swim. Well, as I was playing catch with the girls in the pool, a lady and her daughter swam up to us. She asked how old my girls were and if they would mind playing with her daughter! Um..SURE!!! She and talked for a while and she is from Germany.

We made plans to meet together and let the girls play at Lifetime on Tuesdays! I talked about church and she never made a peep about her faith...so pray that God will use this time together to share the love of Jesus. Pray for Susan and Isabella! God, you bring countries right to us...You are too, too, too good!

3. Lastly, I got an email this morning inviting me (and my whole family!) to Clarkston, Georgia. There is a government run refugee camp in Clarkston, GA. There will be over 1,500 refugees come to Clarkston THIS SUMMER from Bhutan, Burundi, and Iran (many other places too). Almost ALL those in Clarkston are Muslim.

There are several churches, ministries, and relief agencies working in Clarkston and I was told about this about 2 months ago. I connected with a lady there through WMU and a lady who has a Burundian outreach in a home contacted me! Talk about amazing!!

I can't WAIT to go to Clarkston! I can't wait to see thousands of women, men, and children from all over the world in ONE place...talk about HEAVEN!

Jay will be meeting with one of the leaders of World Relief about church involvement. The girls and I will be going to a meeting of Burundian ladies and I have been asked to share my testimony! Please pray as I will be speaking through an interpreter from Rwanda. I just can't wait to go...and it's TOGETHER as a family. LOVE IT!

*Pray that the girls will surpass the language barrier and just have fun with African kids.
*Pray that I have the words to share that God alone desires.
*Pray that God will clearly show us the ministries He wants us to join in Clarkston.
*Pray for Jay's meeting with Joshua and that he would discern God's plan for our church.
*Pray that God will keep Susan and Isabella coming on Tuesdays as we planned.
*Pray that we will be constantly aware of opened doors to share the love of Jesus!

Thanks for praying! I'll update as soon as I get back...can't WAIT!

Oh...African ladies...God you are too, too, too, too good!

But, I am SO glad you are!

Wonderful Friends!

We made some amazing friends this past week! The girls loved that this trip had LOADS of girls who were so sweet and they all just had a blast together. At night when we would head to the pool to hang out with everyone...it was a pool filled to the brim with precious little girls! This is just a small handful of them that were super close.
This is our team for the daycamp. It was our family and the Bickley family. We had a great week and Virginia, Anli, and Jackie had a blast together. We really enjoyed working with them!

This is Lauren our amazing Project Coordinator for Helen, GA. She did an awesome job and we just loved her servant heart. She is a doll!

This is Jonathan who is serving for his second year as a summer missionary with NAMB. We spent lots of time with him during the week cleaning the river and he is great!

A few more special friends...we are richly blessed!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful daddy in the world...OURS! We let Jay have the day yesterday to rest and relax...and read! He so enjoyed having a wonderful day just to hang out and do NOTHING...that's Jay's type of Father's Day celebration.

We enjoyed making amazing BLT sandwiches from the fresh tomatoes from a stand on the way home from Helen on Thursday...yummm! They were absolutely awesome!
Then, since we bought a gallon of fresh strawberries from Dhalonega also...we made homemade strawberry ice cream. Anli loved helping Daddy get the ice cream salt into the machine and get it started.

It was AMAZING!!! Here is the soft serve version...and today we enjoyed the very frozen version. Both were awesome!

First thing this morning the girls wanted to give Jay their cards and gifts. Virginia gave Jay a beautiful card she made. So pretty!

Anli made Daddy a present and a card. She is very creative!

Look at this bracelet she made for him. She asked his favorite colors and this is what she made. I thought it looked just like something Jay would wear...and he did! It even matched his VBS shirt he wore for the VBS recap in the service.

Jay asked for a Bible marker that had at least 5 ribbons to mark several verses at a time. So...since Jay is our money man...and he said we were out of money for the month (Families on Mission!) we had to make him gifts. But, that means more to him he says!

So the girls and I spent the afternoon picking out beads that both of the girls liked and getting it put together. He loved it and I hope he gets lots of use out of it!

Anli wanted to use the Gospel colors for her part(the bottom beads), I wanted him to have alphabet letters so that he could put them in order...and then Virginia did the top beads. So, it is literally from all 3 of his girls.

When we got home from church...Anli and Virginia put on a cute little play!

Happy Father's Day Jay! We love you so much! You are such a wonderful father and husband...and we are so incredible blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for putting God first and then our family right behind that. We love the way you make us laugh. You are our stable force and you are one brave man to daily love on three girls!

You are just the best ever!

Families on Mission moments...

Here are just a few of our mission moments this past week we shared together...

Sharing the Gospel...using a frisbee! Encouraging our family and friends all week.
Jay's awesome messages and visuals! They were aresome!

Painting faces and sharing the love of Jesus downtown with others.

Missions offering!

Our family's bag...decorated with all the things God allowed us to be a part of that week.

Raising over $1,000 in one night with 35 families!

Worshiping with all our friends!

Serving the families of Mountain Lakes Resort.

Fun games at Day Camp!

A surprise visit by LOTS of cute bunnies the last day of camp!

Friends!

Bunnies!

More friends!

Precious children we won't forget!

A sweet family of boys!

Super friends!

Washing windows in Helen!

Jay and I had an amazing 30 minute conversation with Brian in the Tatoo shop! The Georgia Resort Ministries will be following up all summer with those guys and sharing God's love every day with them!!

Learning to serve instead of being served!

Priceless.