Family Camp

Family Camp is held at Somerset Beach Campground every year. We just spent the week "camping" with most of Trent's family. I use the term camping very loosely as Trent's parent had a room at the Applewood Lodge. Air conditioning, a real bed and our own bathroom is our camping experience. I know, really roughing it, but I'm just not much of a camper. His parents volunteer for the week and my wonderful sister in law was gracious enough to offer to keep the girls while Trent and I worked the beginning of the week. I stayed out there Wed-Sat and we had so much fun. I feel blessed that my kids were able to spend the week there.
Luckily she can just jump in the lake to clean off!
Playing in the sand is a big part of the day
Sawyer, Cecily, Ally, Wittaker, Lanie, Grammy and Roarke

Saturday was a yucky rainy day, we had planned on staying but the rain sent us home, it gave me a head start on laundry and getting back to life.

The best of the week:
The beach and the beautiful weather
Bible school for the kids
Time with family
Nightly Church service
Learning how to play speed Scrabble
Catching up with friends
The worst of the week:
Hoards of attacking mosquitoes!

Letter to my pastor...

I just wanted to thank you for the grow survey. The timing for me could not have been more perfect as my lowest scoring area was missions. Honestly, I have in the past dreaded "missions month" and it is probably my most missed month of church in the year. I know that sounds horrible...
This year after the survey, after talking with my small group, I have tried to examine my heart and find a new perspective. I think I personally feel so insignificant sometimes here in my own little world how could I impact someone across the universe? I guess I didn't think that my prayers or pennies counted. It didn't seem like it was a big enough sacrifice, but I guess every baby step counts. When I was in Florida I came across an article about Haiti's poorest eating dirt to survive. I thank God for putting that article in front of me, when I got home we got the hand out that outlined missionary family's and different church projects. Lo and behold our church has a program with goats in Haiti! It was exciting and pointed me towards a way to reach out. So I guess I just wanted you to know that my heart has been touched by the missions focus and thank you. Without that survey, without the missions focus I would be none the wiser and probably would have just glossed over the article, and gone through the month only half in to it. I really enjoyed hearing Blake Wood yesterday and learning more about Mel Hayward's adventures. Sometimes new perspective is all we need.
Thanks again, Maria

Struggling to Survive, Haiti's Poor Eating Dirt

Reading the Tampa paper this morning I came across an article with this title. Recently our church took a quiz called Grow, it asked 3 questions in 14 key areas and allowed you to score yourself on different aspects such as prayer, bible knowledge, evangelism etc... My lowest area, Misssions...It's not that I don't support missions, or want to help. I think I feel so insignificant in my own town that to tackle the world seems next to impossible. However, as I read that the people of Haiti are forced to eat "cookies" made of dirt, salt and vegetable shortening it made my heart just ache for these people. Food prices around the world have spiked due to the higher oil prices and prices for basic ingredients such as corn and wheat have also increased due to the global demand for biofuels.
The most depressing part? At the market in the La Saline slum, two cups of rice now sell for 60 cents. 60 cents? I am sure most of us can find 60 cents in our cars, pockets, couch cushions, the washer a variety of different places. So what am I going to do now that I have this knowledge? First I will pray for the people of Haiti and second I will search for an organization that helps these people. I never read the paper, thank you Lord for putting this article before me and opening my eyes to greater issues than my own...