Perhaps this year home feels hotter because I had the opportunity to escape the heat not once, but twice in Ju
ne. First, was a trip to Prescott to attend UCYC (United Christian Youth Camp) with Emma. As some of you may recall, I did not attend last year and spent the week crying on her bed missing her terribly. So off we went together this year where we spent at least one day crying together missing Daddy and Jilly. At least our misery had company. But, to call the week misery would not be fair. We did indeed have a fantastic time and our group of girls, 7 in all, got on brilliantly. We zip lined, shot 
paintball guns, did archery, climbed a rock wall and played kickball. But perhaps the scariest moment we had to overcome was playing pool games in a thunderstorm and sixty degree weather. Despite a slight chill on entry, we sucked it up and ended up even enjoying that part! Spending time with Emma, you can't help but make some pretty grand memories. She does everything, even if she's done it a thousand times, like its the first time ever and sees it with these incredible brand new eyes. I envy that and I pray she never loses that awe and wonder for life. Emma and I had so much fun, we convinced Erik to go next year, with Jilly, and make UCYC a family event.
My UCYC girls on Wacky Wednesday.So, home from Prescott for 5 days and then Erik & I were off to CIY (Christ in Youth) in Durango, CO with our teen ministry. 700 teenagers + 70 coaches + 13 buses + 6 days = not enough bathrooms. No seriously, it added up to an amazing week and a ton of fun. The hardest part was leaving Emma and Jilly, despite knowing they were in great hands (thanks, mommy!) The best part was my girls - my students. God is soooo good. I have the most awesome group of students and the best part is I get to do life with them here at home. I am honored, truly, to have the privilege to be a part of a small group bible study with these girls each week, to hang out with them, to laugh and to cry and to witness the amazing transformations Christ is making in them and through them. Upon return, our group grew in size as a few more girls who were unable to attend camp joined our group here at home and they are equally terrific. I am so excited to see what God is going to do this year in the lives of our students and humbled and honored that I get to be a small part if it all.
God is sneaky like that, isn't He? Just when your life feels small and you've lost your purpose, He brings you through these life changing experiences that remind you that you may be small, but you have a vital role in His big picture.
Jilly at the cabin for Mother's Day.
She is an illustration of being small and big at the same time. A small little girl, with a huge personality and the ambition to match. She just makes me smile, she is brilliant. I love, love, love that she is mine for a little while.Alright, I'm going to seek some accountability here too, if you don't mind. Wow, I've never done this quite so publicly before. Have I ever even asked for any accountability before? Hmmm, there's another blog....Okay, as most of you by now know, I love to write. It's sort of a passionate hobby of mine. What you may not know is that I started a book about a year ago, and promptly convinced myself no one would ever want to read it, so I quit. I quit doing something I love because I thought someone wouldn't like it. That is tragically sad I think. So, I've decided to finish my book. And maybe no one will want to read it, but I'm okay with that. I want to finish it because I love to do it and I really feel like God has asked me to see this through. So, if you think about it, ask me how that's going from time to time. Knowing You might ask, motivates me to be able to say that I'm hard at work on it, chipping away everyday. Thanks.
In His Service
