How sweet it is...

This past week was quite possibly the best week of my summer. There is something about the Kids Great Getaway down at Camp Quaker Haven that continues to hold a very special place in my heart. This was my tenth summer to be a counselor or on staff and I am continually amazed at how the Lord is always faithful to show up at Kids Camp each and every summer. I was reminded what a privilege it is to be a part of giving students the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel. (Thanks Jordan for reminding me of that!) I love seeing the counselors love on their campers and give their lives away to them for a week. JWad did a great job of challenging each of us to put our yes on the table. Dale continues to challenge me. It is such a privilege to serve alongside him for a week. I could go on for a while but for now I'll let some pictures do the talking... my "voice" is shoot, thanks to "da accent."

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week.

It's the end of the world as we know it... actually it's just the end of a pretty great summer.....

Here is the progress on the list of "The Summer of Mandy!" There are a few things that I had accidently left off and just had to add! :)

• Sand Volleyball (Check!)
• Play Mexican train Dominoes
• Drive-in
• Wing-nuts game (Check!)
• Sushi-party (Check!)
• Music Theatre Wichita (Check, one more show to go!) :)
• Thursday night jazz at Bradley Fair
• Sailing (Does canoeing count?)
• Movie at the Old Town Warren
• Putt-putt
• Camping (Check!)
• Eat gellato at CHILL!
• Bowling (Check! Have I mentioned that I have THE best summer job?)
• Watch the OLYMPICS
• Kids Camp (Check!)
• Watch Spiderman 1, 2, and 3 (Check! Check! Check!)
• CHALLENGE in Salt Lake City (Check!)
• Scrapbook (does sorting pictures count?)
• Get a library card/visit Eva’s library (Check!)
• Shopping trip with the gals

Road trips to…

• Cedar Vale (Labor Day)
• Manhattan
• Concordia/Newton
• Springfield (Check!)

Read some books...

• The Shack (Check!)
• 4 Loves (Check!)
• The Last Lecture
• The Great Divorce (almost finished)

Bonding at Bramblewood

So my friend Brooke posted this link (http://wordle.net/) on her blog and I just had to try it out.... It was a lot of fun to play around with the words! Try it out sometime.



My roommate, Kara, (who is fantastic by the way) and I have started a little thing called "Bonding at Bramblewood." It has evolved into something that anytime someone else is over at our house, "bonding at Bramblewood" is in session. It is a great opportunity to hang out with the people we know and love and a good way to get to know other people a little bit better.

I passed...

I just got my results from the ESL praxis test and I passed, YAHOO! That test was maybe the most ridiculous test that I have ever had to take but hey its over and I am one step closer to finishing my master's....

I leave for Kids Camp early Monday morning. When I was at my parents house this weekend I found all my old t-shirts from my days as a counselor. It was pretty funny to read what people had written... and I also realized why I will never be able to shake the nickname, "Macho Mandy..."

I am looking forward to camp...it takes so much time and energy to get everything ready but it is worth it because the Lord has always been faithful to show up and do some amazing things during that week in the lives of the campers and the staff.

More after camp!

Updates all around...

Challenge Recap: Challenge was great. I loved getting to experience it with the students from First Free. I am blessed every opportunity I have to be around my junior girls, yes they are mine, I am a tad possessive! :) Starfield is even better in person, I love all three of their cds, but their newest one just might be their best yet. The speakers were amazing. I am currently reading Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love." (check it out, read it and lets talk about it.) It was awesome to be a part of a week where students made some pretty big decisions and commitments in regard to their relationship with the Lord. I walked away with a better understanding of prayer and a clearer picture of what the Lord wants to do with me right where I'm at.

Pictures are worth a 1,000 words so maybe these can do some talking....

Dad's surgery/recovery update: My dad's surgery went well. The doctor said that he had a really big neck, which cracked up me. He is at home, recovering, probably anxious to get back to work. My dad really isn't one to just sit around for too long. Thanks for praying.

School starts in a month...In exactly one month from today, a couple thousand students will once again be walking the halls of Southeast. I am actually looking forward to the start of the school year. There is something very refreshing about starting the school year and not having to worry about coaching.

Kids camp is in a week, lots of work to do but I am really excited to see what the Lord has in store for that week.

I hate hospitals...

I am spending most of the afternoon at the hospital. My dad is having surgery on his neck (they are fusing something together between disk 7 and 8 in his spine.) That's all the medical lingo you are going to get out of this kid.

Really I am just going because I love my dad and I don't want my mom having to sit in that dreadful place by herself while he is in surgery. Honestly I don't know where my dislike for hospitals came from, maybe tomorrow will help me deal with that issue. I am excited though to hang out with my mom because this verbal processor needs to process the past week.

Challenge was amazing. The one thing that I took away was the power of prayer and the opportunity we have to see what the Lord is doing when we are in communication with Him... there are so many other things that I heard that I want/need to talk about while its still fresh. After the verbal processing is done, then comes the part where I make sense of it all and write it down.