If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

A friend of mine from Africa suggested that I take some time and read through Psalms after I called her yesterday to chat.  So, I read through the Psalms yesterday--skipping the happy ones.  I love the things that stuck out to me and I thought I'd share. Psalm 11:1a In the Lord I take refuge . . . . Psalm 13:1-2 How long , O Lord?  Will you forget me forever? How long will you hid Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 18:2b . . .My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge . . . . Psalm 18:28-29 For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 20:4a May He grant you your heart's desire. . . . Psalm 20:5b . . .may the Lord fulfill all your petitions Psalm 22:2-3 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest,  Yet, You

Maggie has been at K1 for more than 2 weeks now. Sweet thing--she is having so much fun!  She looks happy and relaxed in all of the pictures.  She loves living with friends and being surrounded by girl friends all the time.  I think kamp is her happy place! I get a letter almost every day from her.  She is so thoughtful.  This weekend our family received a letter and it made me so happy.  Below are excerpts: Dear Family, Please write me.  I want to know what is going on in Colorado. . . .  Last night I cried becasue I missed all of you.  I told myself that I love each and every one of you for who you are!  Now I know that you are all probably laughing because I cried about you.  What can I say?  I'm a girl.  I realized something now.  All of my friends like me for me, not because I'm Joe White's granddaughter.  That was really big for me. . . .  I'm watching all of my friends write to their parents and family and thought I have a way better, funner family than th

(Andy shared this article with me and I thought it was good enough that it needed to be passed along!) By Rachel Held Evans , S pecial to CNN (CNN)   –  At 32, I barely qualify as a millennial. I wrote my first essay with a pen and paper, but by the time I graduated from college, I owned a cell phone and used Google as a verb. I still remember the home phone numbers of my old high school friends, but don’t ask me to recite my husband’s without checking my contacts first. I own mix tapes that include selections from Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but I’ve never planned a trip without Travelocity. Despite having one foot in Generation X, I tend to identify most strongly with the attitudes and the ethos of the millennial generation, and because of this, I’m often asked to speak to my fellow evangelical leaders about why millennials are leaving the church. Armed with the  latest surveys , along with personal testimonies from friends and readers, I explain how young adults perceiv

Part two. . .did you go read the blog yesterday like I suggested (several times)? If not, go HERE ! Sophie and her parents (as I said yesterday) are teaching me so much about celebrating every single day.  Why does it take tragedy to remind us to make each day count?  Last year when Chase died (read HERE and HERE ), it was terrible. But it was such a great reminder for me to make each day count and I feel like I made the most of each day this year with my kids as a result.  It was my "yes" year--my year to not have any "what if's." I was talking to Andy yesterday about worry.  Right now he has a lot of things on his mind and a lot on his plate and he is worried and stressed about some stuff.  I was reminding him that these summer days with teenagers at our camp are his favorite days of the year.  He gets to teach every morning and counsel and bike with them every afternoon.  These are his best days and he is wasting them on worry. I was trying to encourage

This is going to be a two part post because I know how much most people hate reading posts where you have to scroll and scroll and scroll. . .and I have a lot to say on this subject! The title of this "series" should really be "Thank you, Sophie and Lindsey and Kevin" but that makes it too long and then the title gets pushed to two lines and that really bothers me.  Before you read any further, click HERE to read the full story behind this post. . . just keep reading and reading and crying and reading.  Don't forget to read this post from Mother's Day ( click HERE ), but for sure have your Kleenex box handy.  If you're the type of person who is just too busy to read, then I will sum up the story in just a few sentences and then get to the meat of my own post--but you really should take the time to read the blog I'm recommending (and you need to check your personal calendar and make more time in your day--more on that subject at a later date)! L

I feel like I have been so blessed this summer to be surrounded by such amazing friends!  Aside from the fact that I get to live and work at a summer camp with my family, God has placed great friends almost fully in my home all summer long! The first half of the summer the Blackwell family lived at Kivu with us.  Kelly is one of my dearest friends.  Kevin is a fun friend and biking buddy for Andy to have around--those two really enjoyed one another.  And their three kids are three of my kids best friends.  We got to spend more than a month together this summer!  Then I went to Uganda all by myself and made some of the neatest new friends from around the globe.  When I came home another one of my dearest friends (for almost 20 years) was here living with us at Kivu with her family.  I absolutely love being around her.  Our kids get along.  And my husband loves her husband--they laugh hard together and bike together.  I feel so blessed by friendship this summer! Last weekend on our

Happy Birthday, Andy!  I didn't know this little guy in the top of this post, but I know the man he became.  He grew up into a scholar, an entertainer, a business man, a visionary, a husband, a father and many many other amazing things.  Andy is so unique and that is one of my favorite things about him.  He is a deep thinker who also has this wonderful sense of humor that often turns into this super laugh that I love.  He is a man who enjoys his alone time, but who thrives in front of a big crowd and who missed having me around when we are apart.  He is a gifted musician who is a great author who loves to do lawn work.  He is my best friend and I feel so much more complete when we're together.  I'm so thankful for him and I love him so much.  He works so hard on everything he does and he strives to do it all to the very best of his ability.  I love his diligence and his commitment to finishing a task.  I love love love that he missed me so much while I was in Africa!  An

Yes, I used all caps in the title.  I can't help it.  I feel "all caps" when I talk about or think about my weekend on the Nile River.  The.  Nile.  River.  As in Moses.  I rafted the Nile.  I rafted Class V rapids (for those of you who don't know what Class V means. . .it means that people die on Class VI so you have to walk around Class VI. . .I rafted fives).  Wow! The Nile was beautiful!  We spent our first night in a backpackers tent camp overlooking the river from a cliff high above.  Breathtaking!  I'll post more pictures once I get back to the States because internet isn't so great here. The rafting was exhilarating!  I was petrified and excited all at the same time!  My mouth was WIDE OPEN in every picture. . .I was so excited!  That also meant that when we tipped over (and we did), I swallowed most of the river (and all the snail eggs and parasites that come with ingesting a river in Africa).  I wish I could describe the experience more than I a