Epic Eight...plus one!: Mishewah

baseball didn't happen for our boys this spring/summer. not enough guys to field the team Jeff was all set to coach. it is a bit of a bummer, and i miss the evenings at the ball diamond watching my three boys. one of the perks, however, was that it freed us up this summer to volunteer at Camp Mishewah. my dear friend has been bugging us to come for some time. she is Head Cook in the camp kitchen all summer long. i could go on and on about her and the amazing job she does with camp meals, with her kitchen staff, with her volunteers, etc....simply put, her heart is just beautiful and she shines in her role. she is open handed and willingly being used by God to impact lives every day that she serves...praying for you, Leisha, as you slide into the second half of the summer...💜

so off we trekked to Round Lake for one week. it's a beautiful second half of the drive, as you truly enter cottage country with a shift in the landscape to evergreens and rocky cliffs and gorgeous lakes...last time i'd been there was for Senior Teen week way back when i was, well, a teen! back in the day when i packed only for myself and literally that consisted of my coolest clothes, lots of hair product and some suntan lotion. it was a time of scouting out the cute boys on the bus ride up with my best boy-crazy friend, Karen. so hilarious, and i have the pictures to prove our awkward place in time, but we had a blast and no real harm was done. lifelong friendships were made and memories shared as we were smack dab in the middle of "becoming". Camp Mishewah shaped those years in the best possible way...

so the week our family went this July was bliss. every part of it. i loved working in the kitchen each day. i loved watching Leish work her magic (she would hate that, she does not like the credit at all) and being a small part of it. i loved getting to know some of the staff and the directors. i loved the beauty of Camp Mishewah, literally~ the gorgeous lake views with the sunsets in the evening by camp fire~ to the beauty of a week away with most of our family to reset, regroup, refresh (we did miss Joelle and Hannah of course). it was also the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded followers of Christ and be reminded of our purpose and worth. to see other parents and families slugging it out, staying true to their convictions in a shifting culture and world. it was a beautiful time for Jeff and I that we really needed. one small piece that hit me deeply was a description of God i'd not often contemplated. the image of God as the "lifter of my head" from Psalm 3:3. it sunk deep in my heart as i was reminded and encouraged by this picture...miss Z. had an absolute riot at the beach and she was in the lake for hours each day. there were lots of little friends to play with and even one dear kitchen staffer who spent so long with Z, swimming and hanging out, just because she wanted to. there were lots of late night laughs shared with L&T too, the best kind of fun...

so as is often the case, serving at camp ended up feeling like a giant gift, a timely blessing. so grateful! if you think of it, pray for the Camp Mishewah directors and staff as they shift to a month of ministering to kids, of all ages, and that many hearts and lives will be forever changed because of the message of Hope that is shared in that place....

oh, and a couple pictures, for memory's sake!