Sonshine, children's camp and still waiting!

So here it is nearing the end of July and nothing new to post as far as the adoption, but don't think I haven't been busy!  Starting at the end of June I spent a week as a counselor at my parents' church associational camp.  My niece is diabetic and is not yet at a point that she can manage it completely independently so without someone there she wouldn't be able to go, so I went.  It was a fantastic week.  At the start I was a little dispirited because I ended up not having my own cabin of girls as I had been expecting, but then I read Gal. 4:27 "Be glad or barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband." Yes, I have a husband! LOL.  Yes, I know that Paul is speaking allegorically.  But it spoke to me at that moment and I realized that each and everyone of those children at camp are mine to cherish and love on for the week that we are together.  So that is what I did.  Seeing those kids smile and light up knowing that many of their homes were far from perfect was deeply satisfying.  I didn't have to preach to them about God or Jesus or try to convince them to become saved, I just loved them as Christ loves them.

My niece, Tori, playing Truth or Dare with her cabin mates.  Razzberries up the arm!

Bus ride to the pool, we sang the entire way there and back!  I was leading of course!

So, then after an fun and exhausting week at camp, I spent the Fourth of July at my parents house celebrating my sister's birthday.  Jeff and I went home the following Monday and spent a week at home.  Then we headed back to my parents on Sunday and Jeff and my dad layed ceramic tile in their bathroom.  On Tuesday evening I hopped a train and headed to my brothers home(less) --he actually moved out of his apartment in Warrensburg, but had to stick around for a few days afterward-- and the next morning He, five teenagers from his youth group and myself, loaded ourselves into a 15 passenger van and drove 11 hours to Minnesota and the Sonshine festival.  There we spent four cold, but none-the-less awesome days camping and rocking out to Christian bands, such as Skillet, Toby Mac, Hawk Nelson, Matthew West, Barlow Girl and that is just a few!  We experienced three very different kids of preachers and locker room showers with strangers and many other strange and new adventures.

The youth group with a wandering preacher man, Bart, front and center.

Less than half of the tents that make up what is referred to as Tent City at Sonshine Festival.

HAD to stop in Auburn, Iowa and get a picture with the "World's Largest Bull", Albert!  My brother, Jon and I holding up the bull.

During the Hawk Nelson Concert, Toby Mac's band--Diversity and David Crowder were standing off in the wings watching and Hawk Nelson called them out on stage.  I only got a video of part of it with David Crowder, but I don't think David Crowder quite knew what was going on!

So now I am home and not real sure what to do with my time, but I am sure something will come along, it usually does.  Until then I will just keep on waiting and watching.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1