Summer Time Goodness

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Am I still here? Are you wondering? If you aren’t I won’t be hurt. I know you are probably just as busy as I am trying to fit every ounce fun, responsibility, rest, more fun, and craziness into the very short 24 hour days as I am. I have been so incredibly busy that I can’t remember all that I have done.

We led our church junior high camp a few weekends ago. To say that the weekend was amazing would not come close to describing it. We spent each night in a different location and found ways to bless those around us everywhere we went. God’s glory and power was evident every step of the way.

P52 Week 30 - Sunshine

Cotton Candy Ice-Cream

The first night before hitting our camping destination we stopped for ice-cream. Little G ordered cotton candy flavor and showed everyone how to savor every last lick as she became one with the cone. I think adults can take a lesson from littles. We often forget to savor every moment as we get so caught up in doing what needs to get done and moving on to the next thing.








Little G got to go camping for her first time that weekend. She absolutely loved the whole experience of staying up too late, sleeping on the hard ground, waking up at the crack of dawn and getting dirty without having to take a bath right after. And the older kids got to go tubing on the lake for the first time. They all had a blast and loved every minute of their time on the lake. That weekend is our favorite part of the summer so far.

P52 Week 32 Summer Favorites

Another first for Little G this weekend was her overcoming her fear of dogs. She has been afraid of dogs since she was tiny. Looking over and spying this moment made me smile big. She fell in love with this dog and as G petted and played with her, so did I.

P52 Week 31 - Dog Days of Summer

PB&J with Love

One afternoon we gave sandwiches to homeless people in town. Little G insisted that she had to make a sandwich to give away also. I have never seen her make a sandwich so carefully before, and she has made her share of sandwiches. She clung tightly to the baggie while we walked around and she intently looked for that special person she made the sandwich for. She rejected all my suggestions of whom to give that sandwich telling me each time that the sandwich she made was for someone special. And she was right, that sandwich made its way into the hands of someone who was hungry. All of the students we had with us and even my little ones who tagged along got to see God move like that everywhere we went.

Never underestimate what God can do through even the youngest of kids. And never underestimate what a young person can do when they are walking in their gifting.

I got to see my kids grow in every way imaginable while we were camping and I was stretched in ways I didn’t expect. A long time ago I learned to stay teachable and over the summer I have been learning to hold my plans loosely (Thanks Kendra for that bit of wisdom.) and allow God to direct my steps. That weekend was like taking a final exam in that lesson, as almost nothing went as we had planned it. God had much bigger plans than we did and His plans are always better. Always, even when we don’t think so, they are.

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps. 

Life is still going full speed ahead and I have been learning so much about who God is and how He works recently, I wish I had time to write it all down so I don’t forget any of it. I will leave it at that for now as this post is longer than planned, but know, there is so much more to come.

This post is linked up at Project 52 with Kent Weakley.