Sundry Summer Shindigs-- July

And then we come to July... the month in the summer that always seems the craziest (am I the only one who experiences this sensation?).


For the 4th of July I was able to go to Columbus, WI to spend the evening with my sis & bro & niece... Craig, LeAnna, & Rebekah. We had a lovely time at the church picnic, then spent time with their friends, and then went to the fireworks! It was so fun! Bekah did great... she even got brave and wandered over to her "Auntie" Ashley during the fireworks show! They are such a blessing to me... I love spending time with them!


This is Bekah wearing her "Uncle" Scotty's cowboy hat. Yes, folks, this is where the cowboy hat story begins. It seems that he left the hat in the Comstock's van. Craig then decided that yours truly needed to possess the hat AND Jeremiah's guitar. As the weeks progressed more things belonging unto Scotty began to surface in Wautoma. Thus, a ransom note was issued for the redemption of said items.

Isn't Bekah the cutest thing?! I am so hopelessly biased.... :-)


The week of July 16-20th we had VBS at church. I was so excited to be one of the teachers, and I was even more excited that Verity was coordinating VBS through RBC! She spent the week at my house and we had much good fellowship and much tea! :-) We averaged about 23 kids each night at VBS-- praise the Lord! There were 3 children counseled for salvation during the week-- again, praise the Lord! It was a very stretching week as the older "Junior" group was a handful. That week on Thursday Verity and I were able to drive to Madison to visit her uncle, which was also very fun. It was a great week of ministry... I'm so thankful the Lord allowed us to work together! I think my favorite memory of that week was the day I was teaching about Noah's ark to my younger kids. Their eyes got big as I explained how God had mercifully given the people 120 years to repent, and they did not. By the questions and comments they had, I knew that they were beginning to understand the relationship between God's mercy and God's judgment. It was very exciting to watch the lightbulbs go on in their heads! Another day, one of the boys started asking deep theological questions about God... the Lord gave me the words to say, and I found myself being so thankful for all of my college theology classes! :-)



The weekend after VBS found us in the midst of a very fun "snibling" reunion at my house! My parents planned a pizza party/ campfire and Jeremiah came over from MN to visit (yay!), and I invited Alex and Savannah (two of my older students) to come, too. Scotty was unable to come at the last minute, which was sad. It was a memorable evening, to be sure. Jeremiah changed the oil in his car (twice), leaving evidence of that in our driveway. (Another story for another time). Then, Jer, Ver & I headed out to the campfire to make s'mores and talk and sing our favorite song, "Fade, Fade, Each Earthly Joy." It was so fun to be together again... though we missed Sara and Scotty's presence. (Please note the official "Whaa!" t-shirts :-) ).

Here the infamous cowboy hat comes into play again... we took several pictures wearing the hat and posing with the hat. This one is my favorite-- it illustrates Jeremiah's and my "bother/ sinister" relationship perfectly. :-)

Well, that was pretty much July. I know you won't believe this, based upon the fabulous photos, but I actually worked (a lot!) at Heartland House in July. :-) And, of course, the blessing of being involved in ministries at church and having much fellowship with the church family! It was good to spend time with my own family as well, though some days it didn't seem like I saw them much!


Oh yes... one other "minor" detail about July. :-) I had started praying several months before school let out about whether or not I should return as a teacher. In July, I was convinced that I was headed to Bob Jones University for a Master of Arts in Teaching English degree. It was a painful decision (I would have to leave everything and everyone I know and love), but I felt that it was what the Lord wanted me to do to prepare me for the mission field. Well, let's just say that in early August I found out differently.

Stay tuned....


alc