Finally!

Well, Hello again.  It’s been a very long time, I know.  Our new home is so perfectly situated amid tall trees and mountain ridges as to render cell service and internet connection impossible.  I had already figured there wouldn’t be much need to continue blogging now that there isn’t a giant ocean separating our boys from those people who have a keen interest in their daily activities (mainly their grandparents).  What I hadn’t figured is that during our four years in Hawaii we would acquire other “Ohana” who now want to be kept informed about what’s going on in our new neck of the woods.  So how does one go about keeping in regular contact with various acquaintances spread about the planet?  In the olden days, we wrote letters or newsletters and sent them in the mail.  Thankfully we have a handful of friends (Hi Labuns!) and family members (Hi Idaho cousins!) who still indulge in such old fashioned antics.  Now days I hear Facebook is the best way to keep in touch.  I’ve never had a Facebook account but the other day a friend showed me what it looked like and some wise lady had just posted a quote that said, “Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.”  That is so true!  If Facebook is full of wisdom like that I can see why people are so addicted.  But alas Facebook requires internet, as does email and blogging, so I’m struggling to find a way to keep in touch with folks.  And boys grow fast and uncultivated friendships fade and there are so many of you that I want to keep a part of our lives.  Of course, the best way to keep in touch is with a good, old-fashioned face-to-face visit and we really appreciate friends from far and near who made the long, winding trip up to see us.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So I just wanted you all to know that I haven’t forgotten you and if you have the time try to remember us in prayer here at Hartland Christian Camp.  We just said good-bye to 200 homeschoolers who spent 4 days fellowshipping together at our Fall Homeschool Family Camp (there’s another one in May, if you’re interested, click here for some reasons why you should be).  This afternoon the sky is brilliant blue but this morning, just as it has often been for over a month now, the sky was a smoky reminder of the 100,000 acre wildfire burning just miles away.  The Lord graciously spared a sister camp (Hume Lake) and we pray for His protection over Hartland as well.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When the internet provider was trying to explain to me why we couldn’t get service I said to him, “So the bad news is because of the trees we can’t have internet but the good news is you just saved us $60 a month.”  I really, really don’t want to suddenly make an appearance on-line and announce, “The bad news is the entire Sequoia National Forest just burned down but the good news is with all the trees gone, I now have internet connection.”  So please pray that this camp which has been ministering to families just like yours since 1946, and the homes of all the staff members who serve here and the beautiful Giant Sequoias which have graced this rugged landscape for millennia would be spared.

As for future updates, I’ll just have to figure something out.  In the mean time, here are some pictures of the boys in there new stomping grounds.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Oh, and “Happy Fall Y’All!”  This is the first time I get to experience my favorite season in four-long-summer-filled-years.