Happy Fourth of July!!

Well, for the first time in 4 years, I spent Independence Day with my family! My grandparents, Dan& Amber and the boys and my parents were all there. Dan and I set off some great fireworks while we blasted I'm Proud To Be An American from the boat on the dock. It was great fun and the boys loved the sparklers and fireworks...it was quite the show! I am a blessed woman to have spent such a special time with my little nephews. I have wanted to be close with them, and never expected God to set aside such a wonderful time to do just that. It has also been a wonderful time of connecting and building relationship with Amber, my sister-in-law, and getting to know my brother more now that we've both changed so much!

I have had some wonderful conversations with family that have really done so much to open doors and heal wounds from time past. Although I have struggled at times, I am doing my best to be content with this time of rest and trust that when God aligns the pieces, I will be ready to sign on and have the patience to wait for that timing. I would never have anticipated such a peace in being away from camp during the summer, but it has allowed for some wonderful time of recognizing to what the Lord has called me. Camp ministry literally fell into my lap, and it was only in leaving, and believing I was leaving for good, that I could realize God is calling me to that ministry. I am doing my best to wait patiently for what is next, but often fall short of that patience.

God told me He would take care of finances during this time...He told me not to work, and He has provided more than I could imagine...I am astounded and now have only to wonder what the money He has provided is for...

Road Trip!

Nicki and I just had way too much fun these past couple weeks driving to Saskatchewan. We stopped at numerous places be it student homes or the Enchanted Forest or a long vacation at Brandon's house. The Lord seemed to bless us with each place we visited and site we saw. Before leaving the beautiful rocky mountains, we decided to spend one crazy night sleeping in the car! Sooo very funny!

Originally I had suspected that this could be a stressful trip as we would be traveling and living out of suitcases for two weeks and then begin to relax as I came back to the states, but in truth, this trip brought so much refreshment. I was pleasantly surprised at the restoration that the Lord brought during this trip and what a blast we had. With each new place we visited, the Lord brought more grace and joy. I was so blessed by the people we visited and felt often that I was being looked after and cared for wherever we went. All of you that we got to visit...thank you, it was such a joy to see you and to spend some in your homes.

Although a very large part of me wished that I could stay in Canada, the Lord gave me peace about returning to the states. The past few days at my brother's place have been wonderful. I had planned to head to Idaho today, but when I started to pack Carson gave me a sad face and little Brady asked me to stay, so here I am! Who could say no to that?

Blessings

Fun Times!!!

Can't help but remember with a smile on my face the last two weeks of Kaleo 5!

A Day at the Beach

It's been a blessing to be back in Washington with my nephews; we had a wonderful and relaxing day at the beach near Seattle on Sunday. It was the perfect afternoon adventure filled with black sand dollars and hikes up the mountain. I can't explain the great joy that comes when a little 6 month old reaches for you smiling ear to ear! I just love these two little boys so much, and what an incredible blessing to be able to spend this wonderful time with them. I can remember often thinking that it was unfortunate I did not get to spend more time with my nephews and now here I am!
I'm excited for some time spent in Idaho this summer...a little nervous for so much time without responsibility but trusting that the Lord will direct the time and bring just what is needed when the time comes.
I'm not gonna lie, I feel a bit numb towards all that is happening, and I'm having trouble discerning whether it is just that or peace. It may be that my heart is so trained for leaving things and people behind that it has thrown up a wall between me and my emotions. Part of it too could be that my heart is exhausted, it needs a break. Either way, I'm looking forward to a good book and some sunny days.

A Pirate and A Princess

Who wouldn't love this face? I am so in love with my nephews...what a joy to be here with them! Brady is laughing and cooing and totally on the move and Carson is the most brilliant 3 year old I've ever met (and that's not Auntie bias, I promise!). These boys are such great medicine for my heart. I was having a rough afternoon about a week ago and Amber handed me a naked baby in a diaper to ease the heartache...who wouldn't love that??!!
My heart is continually moving from contentment to longing. I think what plagues me at the moment is the question of if I had the community that the Lord brought to me in Canada, would I be happy doing something else? I want to do occupational ministry...I guess the question in my head is what ministry I want to do. God opened incredible doors for me in Canada, and I have loved every minute of it, granted it's been difficult at times, but I need to take the time to decide if this is the kind of ministry my heart yearns for. Truthfully, it's the only kind I've known...camp ministry. Before I commit long term, I think I need to know if that's truly my heart. It's hard to make that decision in the midst of that ministry, because I do really love what I've been doing. I'm curious to know if this is a long term desire in my heart or if the Lord has other plans for me...

Wow, it has been way too long! So much has transpired since the beginning of the year that I don't know where to start...I'm leaving Canada. After 3 incredible years up here, the Lord is calling me to a time of rest. I must say I never expected to be doing this and really it came on quite suddenly. In a matter of one week I went from stepping out of Kaleo next year to leaving camp at the end of April. It has been astounding how the Lord has prepared my heart for this transition. Although I lament saying goodbye to this place, He has brought me to such a place of grace and peace that I am ready to go. Anyone that knows me well knows that this could have been an impossible decision for me, but the Lord has been so gracious in making it impossible for me to choose anything else. He has made it so clear that my time here has come to an end...at least for now. It is time for me to experience refreshment and allow the Lord to restore me. I love pouring my whole heart into whatever I am doing and right now I can't do that; I need to be restored...I need to made whole. I want to be an effective minister of the gospel, and I believe that in order to do that God has brought me to this much needed time of rest.

I am so very excited to be heading down to Washington where I will be staying with my brother, sister-in-law and two wonderful nephews! They have so graciously offered for me to live with them and truthfully there's no other place I'd rather be. Although I do believe that moving on from here will be quite difficult at times, I am excited for where the Lord will choose to use me next. I have such an incredible opportunity to pour into my family at this time and look forward to what He will have for me beyond this. I could use your prayers as I make this transition starting this weekend. I will be moving down to Washington this weekend and then returning for the final two weeks of Kaleo in a month.

Truthfully I find it hard to describe the peace I feel at this decision; honestly, I could not have made it unless I felt this incredible peace and God has been so faithful in giving me the grace to have confidence in the decision and readiness to move on.

Love you all

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe another year has come and gone; it is so incredible to think of all that God has accomplished through this year and all that there is to look forward to. We had a wonderful staff retreat here at camp where many from the summer were able to gather together and reminisce over the wonderful work of our Father this past summer.
I took off for Washington a couple weeks ago and spent a bunch of time with Dan & Amber and the boys! Christmas was so much fun with Carson running around and Brady's bright eyes looking on. I enjoyed the break, but in truth I was a little preoccupied with Tim coming in on the 26th...I could not wait to for him to get here! We had such a blast this week going to a hockey game, visiting with summer staff, welcoming the new year, and then finished our week yesterday in Tofino. It was amazing. Thought I would leave you all with a beautiful photo of us on New Years taken by Jordan Nielsen...

Happy 2008 Everyone!