Fun with "old" Friends

When James and I met, we were part of an incredible youth group. We were both Air Force "brats", so having somewhere to belong was really a unique experience. Both of our fathers ended up stationed around the St. Louis area and our families resided in O'Fallon, IL. If you have never lived in a small town in the midwest, you are missing a treat.

We ended up at First Baptist Church, O'Fallon, IL. James had been there for 2 years and I was just a part of the group for my senior year (having 3 high schools and moving between your junior and senior year does not kill you!). The youth group at this church was VERY active and accepted me and my sister right away - practically dragging us to every activity. We got there in the summer, and there seemed to be something going on every night. It could have been extrememly overwhelming, but God used it in a powerful way to draw me closer to Him.

For many years, several of us that were in the youth group together, began to talk about having a reunion. Just a time to get together and catch up. This last year, James and I took the bull by the horns and dove in to get it done. So, after lots of help and some hard work, several weekends ago we had a reunion. What a blessing to our lives this was. We got to see friends we had not been in touch with in years. One of the highlights was seeing all of our kids playing together as if they were long time friends!!!!

Our schedule for the weekend went something like this - Friday was family day - each kind of made their own plans and several families did activities together. We ended up at the City Museum in St Louis and then the boys went up in the arch. We went with Sheila and her family and Chip and his family. What a blast!



Friday evening, many ladies of the church provided dinner for us and we had a casual gathering at the church. Tim L. brought up the tractor and gave the kids tractor rides around the church property.



Saturday, a great couple from the church offered their home and pool to us to have a pool party. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and swam for 4 hours. The "show" came with several of the dads, James included, decided to join the kids and show off on the diving board. Chants of belly-flop, belly-flop could be heard for blocks followed by splashing and cheers!



Saturday evening was the "adults only" dinner with childcare provided by the church (thanks FBC for all you did for us). We spent 2 1/2 hours sharing the impact the youth group had on our lives and what God is doing in our lives now. What a powerful evening it was! I really believe God ordained this time. We had people who have continued to serve faithfully to those who had fallen away from church attendance. But I believe both were impacted in a life changing way and were reminded how important it is to be in God's Word and to be in fellowship with other believers. I give God all the praise and glory for the work He did that weekend. We continue to hear stories about how families were changed! Thank you God!



Sunday we attended church together and had "leftovers" and pizza for lunch. What a blessing to be together for this great time of worship. Sunday evening, about a dozen of us had the opportunity to share with the current youth group about our experiences. We had a great time worshipping with them and answering their questions. It was great to see so many youth interested in what God has done and will do. Again, thank you to FBC for providing us with that opportunity. We ended the weekend eating at Red Robin with a big group of friends.





I cannot think of the weekend without giving God the glory and credit for making a difference in our lives. These truly are friends that will be forever friends, because we have a God that bonds us for eternity.

Summer Time Fun

I hardly know where to begin. Our summer has been so full of so many things - all different from our "normal" school year routine. We started off the summer with James, G, and I going to Children's Camp at Falls Creek. This is where I got hurt (btw, still going to PT for that and wearing an oh so fashionable black brace on my knee)- see my previous post.

G then went with a friend to CrossTimbers camp - also in OK. He was away from home for a week with no family - a 1st for him. We heard from him every night and had a couple of "I want to come home" conversations. He did stay all week, had a great time, and is looking forward to going again sometime.

We also got a brief visit from my sister, Anji, and her family as they were traveling across the country, moving from Virginia to California. It was the first time we got to meet our niece/cousin and she is a cutie pie. Here are the cousins all together.


In between the two camps, G tested for his orange belt in Karate. He was so nervous, but did a fantastic job. I was so proud of him - he has worked really hard to get to this point. We have taken a break for a couple of weeks, but will hit it hard again soon.



After coming home from that, both boys went to spend a week with my parents in Texas. This was their cousins camp week - or as my parents like to call it, Cousin's Concentration Camp. They have a blast with the cousins - the highlights being going to Schittlerbahn(twice) and tubing the river.
While the boys were gone, I spent my time preparing for VBS at our church. I was the director for 2nd - 6th grade for the 2nd year (I had directed preschool for the previous 5 years). This is always quite the undertaking and the week before VBS is usually just as busy as the week of, so I was grateful the boys had someplace to be and something to do while I "lived" at the church. The boys returned the Monday VBS started and what a week it was!!!! Our enrollement ended at about 1600 and our average attendace for the week was about 1250. I give God all the glory for the week and how smoothly it ran. No major problems! We also had 80 kids make decisions for Christ as well as 20 others who wanted more information. Praise the Lord!!!!!!

The 4th of July was filled with watching fireworks and hanging out with friends and family. Friday the 3rd, we went to Yukon to listen to Tony(brother in law) play with a group out there and watched a fantastic fireworks show. Saturday the 4th, we were at Liz and Randy's house for a cookout and to set off some of our own fireworks. Believe it or not, it stormed on us, but the kids had a great time anyway and we were able to go inside after dinner. The following are pictures you get when the teenagers get a hold of the camera!!



We have just returned from a great youth group reunion in Illinois. I will post on this later. Just suffice it to say WOW!
We are looking forward to another Cousins camp next week and in the meantime are camping and swimming as much as possible.
Hope your summer is full of fun and laughter!