kayak trips, sunny days, and heat lighting.

summer is here.

ok so technically it's not here until tomorrow, but we had a group from grand rapids (hollah!) come in this week so it feels like it's officially begun. that and the fact that it's eighty bagillion degrees outside.

john, rachel and i got to hang out with the kids from grace episcopal church all week on a kayak trip.

look how excited we are as we anxiously await their arrival. :-)

sunday night we did kayak training with them and tried our best to prepare them for the days to come. monday morning we headed out on our trip!

classic awesome group shot of us being... well, awesome.

we had fun as a group, lots of good times paddling, camping, and playing mafia.
oh and also BIFfing... yep, that was fun too. rachel and i were BIF buddies.

i'm soooooo glad rachel joined our team for this trip. i couldn't have done it without her.

our second night was spent at voyageur point. i liked that site a lot. it's surrounded by lilly pads.
here's a lilly pad flower.

our last night was at miller's cove. i think a lot of people liked that site best, despite the early morning rain shower. here's me and maddie with our angry faces on after playing a rousing game of mafia. she was totally mafia... :-)

kids come on monday for some of the programs (advance camp, some trips, res camp, service team) and more the next week. once things get going around here it will all be over before we know it! that's how camp goes.

3 weeks from today tim and frances are getting married! i'm excited for that.
4 weeks from today kevin and courtney are getting married! i'm excited for that too.

last night i sat outside in loberg parking lot watching the heat lightning in the distance with stars overhead. it was breathtaking. i can only remember watching a storm just like that one other time in my life...
it was beautiful.


"everything i knew of love, i was a long, long way off.... thank you for opening the window, the sky is clear as my mind is now... and i think i like how the day sounds" Greg Laswell- How The Day Sounds

wait for it...

every time i say "i'm done looking for jobs" i get that same urge to start searching again.

i don't even know what i want to do anymore, so how is looking for a job going to be helpful right now?

i like working in ministry. i like working at camp. i like working in camp ministry. i could probably like a lot of other jobs too.

the "where?" question is still there too.

last week at HRC church the speaker brought up the story of jacob and esau- jacob tried to manipulate God to make sure he got all of his promises fulfilled. i think i do that sometimes too. or at least try to. i know God will provide- i trust that. but i also like to do everything i can to make sure it all happens. is that really trusting? i'm not convinced it is.

but then where is the line between being responsible and having faith?
it seems pretty blurry to me...
because i don't believe God calls us to be apathetic and lazy either. if i pray "Lord give me a job" i don't think one will just fall into my lap. i have to be proactive in some way at least... but what does that even look like?

i have no idea.
i just watch the incredible friends i have who continue to step out in faith and watch as God continually provides for them in the most amazing ways.

i say i'm done job hunting for the summer.
i say i'm done worrying about what happens when i leave here in 10 weeks.
but maybe another fall sabbatical i just what the Lord has in mind for me again. i have to be ok with that if it's the case.

i want to be patient
and wait on the Lord.

"sing with your hands up, with your eyes closed, not because you love the song, but you love to sing..." copeland, you love to sing

so we went backpacking yesterday
and it was rainy
and cold
and it's a good thing my AMP friends are lots of fun, or we would have hated our trip due to the aforementioned rain and cold. :-)

i took a nap all afternoon.
cuz i needed it.

also i have newly developed painful blisters on my toes... which will make it difficult or impossible to go running tomorrow.
hmmmm.

5 weeks till fran's wedding
6 until courtney's.

i'm excited for both of these events.

2 weeks till campers come.
yikes.
i'm excited for that too.
camp's always more fun when there are kids around.

i don't have anything exciting to say.
i don't even have a song for you.

sometimes i get distracted by my job and don't post here.

whoops.

most exciting things as of late:
-all AMP kayak trip. that was fun.
-road trip to the soo with courtney, robyn, and heather.
-cutting kimmy's hair in the dark :-)
-going to see UP!
-upcoming backpacking excursion tomorrow with the other AMP camp girls
-lots of new music. happy.

yeah that's really it for now.


still no idea what happens when i'm done here in 2 1/2 months.
5 weeks till frances' wedding. woot.

"for you i sing, i dance. rejoice in this divine romance. lift my heart and my hands to show my love..."- phil wickham, divine romance