Lake Champion photo highlights

Quetta and I harnessed and ready for our ride on the "zip line."  Joy stayed at the lake and cheered us on.

Splash down in the lake at the end of the zip line!  What fun!

The "blob" is in the distance.  One camper jumps onto the inflated object, crawls to the end, another camper jumps from the platform and if you look closely you can see what happens next.  More fun!

Kim and Quetta during a few minuets of free time.  I really enjoyed getting to know these two sisters better and working along side of them. 

Camp during free time.

The childcare volunteers of the "ladybug pod."  We spent it all.

My week at Lake Champion, NY was unlike any other week of my life!  Each day the childcare volunteers were encouraged to "spend it all."  We did.  I was especially impressed with the camp leadership, a group of humble, servants who love Jesus and want to give others the opportunity to meet Him.  I was impressed with the large group of young adult "work crew" volunteers.  They cooked and served food, cleaned bathrooms, helped campers on the ropes course and in the pool and stopped to play with babies.  They were polite, helpful servants.  I NEVER heard any of them complain, even when the intestinal virus traveled through our cabin area requiring our bathrooms to need extra cleaning.  They loved Jesus and worked to give others the opportunity to meet Him.  I was impressed with the other volunteers in the "ladybug pod," the group I was privileged to lead.  We worked well together, worked hard, cried a little and laughed lots. 

The best part of the week was all the hours spent with our group of eight "ladybugs."  I won't post photos of them since I did not get permission from their parents to do so.  Just imagine a group of precious almost-two-year olds with large dark eyes and faces that light up in huge smiles.  Imagine warm hugs and boundless energy.  There were 160 children under the age of three in camp last week.  What a treat!

On the last day of camp, all of the campers and volunteers were invited to the final meeting where we heard the testimony of the many young ladies who had met Jesus that week.  Young Lives is a fruitful, worthwhile ministry.  They are worth the investment of a week of my time and a few hundred dollars.  I was blessed to be there.

Abby inspired me to write an update, although I don't have any news that is anywhere near as exciting as hers.

Larry and I have been having a great summer, full of lots of great time with each other, our children, grandchildren, parents and siblings.  We went to the pirate game on Friday.  The Pirates won!  I still love baseball and love watching baseball at PNC park.

We do live in a beautiful city!

We have had lots of good times with Larry and Emily and the boys.  In June, Daniel, Brietta and their family visited and we traveled to TX where we visited with Abby and Ryan and their family and my extended family.

My attempt at getting a picture of 6 grandchildren at one time.  Pretty funny!

Idlewild fun!

backyard picnic with AK and many Paladins

sideways in Eagle Pass

right side up in Eagle Pass

Dad and Mom celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past December.  We gathered at Mo Ranch, TX where we visited with six out of seven siblings and many children.  It was especially fun to have Abby and her children with us! 

Beth is doing well, working in a lab on the Pitt campus and preparing to begin graduate classes in just a few weeks.  She is living in an apartment about 5 miles from here with three wonderful young women.  Larry and I are living in an empty nest.  It really is different.  Different isn't all bad. 

Tomorrow I will leave for a week at Young Lives camp.  I will miss Larry.  I am sad that I will miss the REACH conference.  But I am very excited about my week at Lake Champion.

I love camping!  This week, we spent a few days at one of our favorite local parks with Larry, Emily and the boys.  While it was a little damp, we had a wonderful, relaxing and refreshing trip.  A few of the reasons I love camping include:

-being outdoors

-campfires

-cooking over campfires

-walking in woods, especially along PA mountain streams and lakes

-lots of time with Larry and others I love.  How blessed I am that Larry and Emily invited us to share this time with them

-sleeping in our tent, close to the earth

-seeing animals in their natural habitat.  We saw several snakes on this trip.  Snakes are very beautiful animals.  I loved having the boys with us as we watched three snakes slither into a drainage ditch under a road. 

-Swimming in a PA mountain lake.  Freezing cold and refreshing!

-taking walks with the grandchildren

-coming back home ready to rejoice and be glad in this new day that the Lord has made.