BBC Family Camp

Our chapel (Believers Bible Chapel) had our first Family Camp this last weekend; we rented Dayspring Bible Camp.  Though Papa spoke at Dayspring when I was younger, he didn’t take Mama, Eric, and I because it was so primitive back then!  So this was the first time there for all of our family.  

It was a special weekend of fellowship for our chapel family.  John Jimo from Emmaus Bible College came and shared with us from God’s Word.  He was obviously led by the Lord as his messages were very much what we needed, both as a body of believers and as individuals (at least it was for this individual!).

Jonathan and I both were drawn to Dayspring, and I expect that you’ll be hearing more about it from me in the future.  As many of you know, Kansas Bible Camp is home to us, and I don’t think that will ever change, no matter where the Lord leads us in the future.  I found myself surprised by the tug on my heart toward the camp itself.  I don’t mean the grounds, but the Dayspring staff and the feel that I got about the camp and the way the Lord is at work there.  Hard to describe…

I’ve posted pictures in a couple of Picasa Albums – One for pictures from the weekend that include People, and one for pictures that are of the beautiful grounds and Scenery.

Here’s one of my favorite pictures from the weekend, just for a teaser…

The BBC Nursery Project

Last fall, my dear friend Sue and I started working on re-doing the chapel nursery. I forgot to take an official “Before” picture, but here is one in the midst of stripping the old wall paper:

The plain white walls looked so much better!

In April, the upper portion of the walls were painted:

On Saturday (a year after we started!) we finished painting, and on Sunday, Jonathan put the trim back up for us. We’re not totally done, but close enough to show off some pictures:



We love the feel of the room now.  It is a wonderfully warm, comfortable, relaxing room for mamas and babies.  

There are some lovely faux wood blinds behind the beautiful valance Sue made. One of the things we still need to do is make a curtain for the window, for when privacy is needed (for brides using it as a changing room and such). I’m sure I’ll post pictures when we’re completely done, but, as you can tell, we’re giving ourselves (as mothers of 6 and 7 children) lots of grace on the timing of this project!

BBC Work Day

Last Saturday was Work Day at our chapel. I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked, but here are a few (click for larger versions, of course):

A Special Day

Last Saturday, I met up with one of my dearest and longest-known friends at Forest Park in St. Louis for a fundraising walk. Tracy was walking for NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), and Stephen and I walked the 3.1 miles with her. It was a great opportunity to visit and enjoy the company of a super special friend.

The walk was well organized and well attended. Here’s a shot of a very small portion of the walkers:
After the walk, we went to the zoo for a bit. Stephen was tired, so I carried him in my wrap. It was great for him, but my hip didn’t make it long with the extra weight. We made it through the River Walk portion of the zoo, and saw neat things like Giant Anteaters:
And Asian Elephants:
Then Stephen and I headed for home and Tracy enjoyed the zoo for a couple more hours. But before we left, some nice young ladies took our picture for us. Can you tell Stephen is tired? 😉
Thanks for a wonderful time, Tracy!

BBC Mother Daughter Tea

Last Saturday was our chapel Mother Daughter Tea. It was quite the family affair this year, as Jonathan’s mom planned it, my Mama spoke, and I sang. It was really lovely, and we had a great time.

Here’s our table:

Friends:

More friends:

And still more friends!

I did my best with this song

And Mama’s talk was a blessing!

At Shaw Nature Reserve – Part 3

We were witness to many of the glories of the handiwork of our Lord!

A nice view near the beginning of our walk –

We believe these are bluebells of some kind. Anyway, they look like blue bells.

Except when there’s a clump that’s varicolored –

More lovely flowers –

At Shaw Nature Reserve – Part 2

Ellie is becoming a young lady, isn’t she? I think one of the reasons she enjoys hanging out with GracieT is that she’s light enough to carry around – unlike her own baby brother!

The stepping stones were a big hit.

I carried Stephen in a wrap most of the way, but caught this sweet shot when Jonathan was carrying him –

This picture is too funny. You must click on it to get the full effect.

They have a wonderful newer area that I think the kids could explore for hours. The girls loved the tables and chairs.