natalie’s blog

For my final four days in Oregon, Nicole, Andy and I decided to tour the Oregon coast. Aside from a bit of rain, the weather was beautiful and the trip was wonderful. Here are some highlights:

Arrival at the coast!

The lush green backdrop against the ocean water was gorgeous!

Nicole and Andy take a romantic stroll along the beach…

Camp site #1. We didn’t have any reservations or specific agenda for our trip. We just headed North along the coast, stopping at little seaside towns when we felt like it and praying that the Lord would provide a place for us to camp each night.

Nicole cooked some beef the night before we left and we placed it on some foil and Andy cooked it over the fire for some delicious beef sandwiches. Yum!

Day Two. We stopped at Seal Rock State Recreation Site where we had a nice visit with the park ranger and explored some of the sites along the beach…there were dozens of seals frolicking in the waves just beneath the surface.

…hundreds of pelicans lined the ledges of the towering crags.

…and a dead shark graced the beach below. Ugh!

We continued our trek northward with a short stop at the Sea Lion Caves lookout point.

Andy’s brilliant idea of requesting scrap lumber from a lumber yard produced a trunkload of dry wood beams that were perfect for our remaining campfires. Andy bought a hatchet for the purpose and had nice-sized firewood in no time at all!

Camp site #2. We had a much more difficult time finding a vacant camp site the second night (due to the holiday weekend and beautiful weather), but entrusted our need to the Lord and eventually ended up at a nice campground, complete with hot showers!

Leftover chicken fajitas that Andy made earlier in the week served as our meal for the second night once we heated them over the makeshift grill. They were delicious!

It just wouldn’t be a camping trip without s’mores.

The third day, we stopped in a quaint village for a scrumptious feast at The Pizza Garden. The sun was warm and the views breathtaking as we enjoyed our alfresco lunch.

We stopped in Cannon Beach for a smoothie and to get a view of the famous Haystack Rock.

We rolled into Fort Stevens State Park in late afternoon and were thrilled to learn that they had just had a cancellation and had a spot available for us. The park resembled a small village with the massive amounts of people enjoying their Labor Day weekend at the campground. You know the expression, “they brought everything but the kitchen sink”? Well, these people brought everything including the kitchen sink. It was quite the sight! We enjoyed our relatively quiet corner at the edge of the last loop.

Fort Stevens is at the very tip of the Oregon coast where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. In the background of this picture, you can just barely make out the 4+ mile Astoria-Megler bridge that spans the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington.

My new house…

We ended the evening by watching the sunset on the beach and then roasting hotdogs and chasing away raccoons back at our camp site. (Andy discovered a dual purpose for the 2×4s from the lumber yard. I won’t go into details, but I will say that one raccoon went to bed the next morning with a splitting headache…)

We drove through Astoria and across the afore-mentioned bridge into Washington, where we continued our journey along the Oregon coast and into Portland. Nicole and Andy were kind enough to let me visit Powell’s Books - the largest independent bookstore in the world. A booklover’s dream, to be sure! I managed to emerge with only one book in tow and Nicole and Andy survived the ordeal in good spirits.

Books lined shelf after shelf and shelves lined room after room in the multi-story book emporium. We stayed our final night in a hotel just across the river from the airport and I ended my two-week visit with an early morning flight home to rejoin the rest of my family. I had a marvelous time and am so grateful for Nicole and Andy’s hospitality and friendship. What a great end to the summer!

Upon arriving at the house, I was greeted by this cleverly designed scrabble-style message. It’s good to be back home and I look forward to jumping back into the swing of things this fall.

A couple of years ago, I was at a group get-together and during a game of volleyball I got to talking with one of the guys who was playing. He was unmarried and was not a Christian. We continued conversing after the game and got into a discussion about various outdoor activities and the Electoral College. We obviously had some similar interests and he invited me to go run the stairs with him at the WSU stadium some time. I thanked him for the invitation, but declined. The next week, I received a phone call from him (how he got my phone number is a whole different story…). We carried on a casual conversation for a while and then he invited me to go and run the stairs with him later that week. Again, I declined. Not because I didn’t want to do it, but because of what the Lord had just been teaching me about prudence, which I will define as “choosing not to do something because of where it may lead.”

Proverbs 14:8 – “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.”

Proverbs 16:20-21 – “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.”

Proverbs 22:3 – “A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”

It may sound ridiculous, but I had been wanting to run stairs semi-regularly just to change up my workout routine a bit. When this guy invited me to do just that with him, I really wanted to take him up on the offer. I had no interest in a relationship with him, but the prospect of running stairs with someone else was appealing! But the Lord impressed on my mind the realization that to take him up on his offer would be the first step in developing a closer relationship with a young man that could potentially lead me into a situation in the future that was not a path I wanted to travel. Prudence required honestly evaluating the decision before me in light of where the path could potentially lead. A quick journey of my imagination led me to quickly see how far this one decision could lead me to stray from the way of the Lord. All these thoughts flitted through my mind as I ended the conversation, resolute in my rejection of his offer.

Many times, we find ourselves stuck in a hard place or experiencing the heartache of a situation gone bad. Far too often I think this is the result of making careless decisions earlier on without weighing the ramifications or imagining the future situations that may result from those decisions. We reason that if something is not expressly forbidden, it is implicitly allowed; and the result is a foolish decision that ultimately leads us down a path of destruction. Here are three steps that I think will help any Christian avoid placing himself or herself in situations that often result in a great deal of unnecessary pain and heartache.

1. Acknowledge your innate sinful disposition and specific areas of weakness. (See I Corinthians 10:12)

2. When faced with a decision, consider carefully where the path will lead based on which choice you make. (In general, people need to think more. Follow beliefs and actions to their logical conclusion and see if where it leads is where you want to go.)

3. Act prudently, even if it means foregoing pleasures or activities that seem harmless.

Here is how this can play out in practicality:

* I know that I am susceptible to be led astray by false teaching; therefore I choose not to enroll in a university course where I will be subject to inordinate amounts of teaching that is not consistent with God’s Word. [this is a guard against unbelief]

* I know that I can easily become emotionally attached to young men; therefore I choose not to spend time alone with a young man outside of a commitment to marriage. [this is a guard against immorality]

* I know that I have a propensity to overeat sweets; therefore I choose not to eat desserts or high-sugar foods. [this is a guard against gluttony]

* I know that I am easily tempted to become discontent in my singleness; therefore I choose not to read romantic novels that incite unrealistic romantic desires in my heart. [this is a guard against discontentment]

* I know that certain styles of music can lead to emotional instability or draw my heart away from God; therefore I choose not to listen to music that has a heavy rock beat or is excessively dissonant. [this is a guard against backsliding]

No doubt there are hundreds of other applications, and prudence will look different for different people. The important thing is that we present ourselves honestly before the Lord and commit to doing (or not doing) whatever it takes to walk in wisdom and righteousness. Jesus Himself said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That means that every day I will tell myself “no” to things that I want to do, or I will force myself to do things that I don’t want to do. I will find the strength and power to do this by “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

The presence of Jesus Christ within me enables me to say, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:16-18).

Someday I will dwell forever in a glorious heavenly paradise where there will be beauty and pleasures beyond my wildest imagination. I am living for that day.

Today we did something I never thought I’d do: mountain biking. And I’m officially hooked! It was a thrilling experience! We woke up to a beautiful morning, loaded our gear and made the short drive to Tumalo Falls. Nicole and Andy have some really nice mountain bikes and borrowed another one from a friend to use while I’m here.

We made it all the way to the top of the trail - a 2.5 mile ride.

The majestic falls!

Here’s the view looking back down the mountain from the top of Tumalo Falls.

Looking over the edge to get a close-up picture.

Once we got back to the bottom of the falls, we decided to try hiking/climbing our way up the river to see how close we could get to the waterfall. There was no path, so we resorted to wading through the water most of the way. Here Andy helps Nicole maneuver the very cold mountain water.

Getting close!

We made it! Now this is what I call a shower.

After a fun ride back down the trails, we grabbed a bite to eat and then embarked on a favorite Bend pasttime - floating down the Deschutes River. The perfect way to relax and soak up sun in the late afternoon!

Friday night, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather by taking a sunset hike at Smith Rock.

We met up with my friend Kelsey, whom I haven’t seen for five years, and had a great time catching up in between gasps for breath while climbing up the trail.

Nicole and Andy pose for a picture part way up the trail.

The view from the summit was absolutely breathtaking!

We explored around the top of the rock for a while until the sun set.

The ultimate man-shot.

We finished off the night with an appetizer and drinks with Kelsey and her husband Cory at a cozy Italian restaurant in downtown Redmond.

Pilot Butte State Park is right outside Nicole and Andy’s back door and provides the perfect motivation and setting for an early-morning excursion.

Self-portrait…

Last  week, I was incredibly challenged by this statement I read in the book, With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray. It reminded me of the importance of praying specifically and having confidence that God will answer - clearly and unmistakeably so.

“It is one of the terrible marks of the diseased state of Christian life in these days, that there are so many who rest content without the distinct experience of answer to prayer…There may be cases in which the answer is a refusal, because the request is not according to God’s Word, as when Moses asked to enter Canaan. But still, there was an answer: God did not leave His servant in uncertainty as to His will.”

The more we pray and experience answered prayer, the more we will see life’s happenings from God’s perspective. What specific things have you prayed for this week? How has God answered? How can we declare God’s wondrous works to others if we do not live and pray in such a way that we are even aware of how He is working?

UPDATE: After visiting with some friends this morning and learning more about the candidates for Sedgwick County Sheriff, I am placing my support behind Dal L Astle. Astle is not a politician, and is committed to restoring principles of integrity to the Sheriff’s office and the Wichita law enforcement field.

Tonight our family attended an ice cream social hosted by the Pete DeGraaf campaign. There were numerous other candidates in attendance and I had the opportunity to talk with a number of them and ask some questions I’ve had about them and their campaigns. It was very informative and I am much more confident now about who I want to vote for. Plus, we also loaded up on signs so that all of our friends and neighbors who drive by our house will know who to vote for!

For anyone who cares to know which candidates I am supporting, I am listing them below. These candidates are specific to my address, so you will need to check to determine which candidates are running in your precinct, county, district, etc. This Kansas VoterView website is a great place to look up which voting areas you are in. Plus, you can also view your own voting record for all previous elections and your polling place. After you know which voting areas you are in, head on over to the Upcoming Elections Candidate Listing on the Kansas Secretary of State website. (Unfortunately, this list doesn’t include Precinct races, but I think it lists candidates in every other race. I’m not sure where to find a precinct list, so if anyone reading this knows, please share!)

Here are a couple of other helpful resources:

Election ‘08 Voter Guide - The Wichita Eagle conducted an extensive survey of all candidates running for offices - they even included us lowly Precinct Committeemen and Committeewomen - so this guide is a collection of answers from each candidate to specific questions posed on the survey.

Kansans For Life Political Action Committee Pro-Life Voter’s Guide - click on your county to download a PDF file with the corresponding endorsements.

Kansas Republican Assembly Preferred Candidate List -  Click on your county and then on the link to download a PDF file with the corresponding endorsements.

And…here are my endorsements for the August 5 Kansas Primary Election:

United States Senator - Pat Roberts

U.S. Representative 4th District - Todd Tiahrt

State Senator 26th District - Dick Kelsey - Dick is a long-time friend of our family and he has been a staunch and faithful conservative for many years. Plus, he gave away cool pens at the Derby parade!

State Representative 82nd District - Don Myers - Don and his wife Mary are also long-time friends of our family. Don has courageously and faithfully stood opposed to gambling expansion and other critical issues and remains a champion of godly and constitutional principles of government.

18th District Judge Division 1 - Phillip Journey

18th District Judge Division 10 - Bruce Brown - I had a chance to visit with Bruce and his wife, Rachel, for a little while tonight and was very impressed with his thoughts on different issues. I also had a chance to observe him on the streets during the Derby parade and appreciated the way he interacted with people and answered their questions. Not to mention that he has, on more than one occasion, chased down dogs that escaped from houses while he visited with the owners.

18th District Judge Division 27 - Jeff Syrios - I also spoke briefly with Jeff tonight and appreciate his personable, honest and down-to-earth demeanor. I have several friends who have worked at his law office over the years and they have always spoken very highly of him as well.

18th District Judge Division 28 - Eric Commer - Eric was at the ice cream social tonight, but I didn’t get a chance to meet him. However, based on the recommendations of people I respect and the information I’ve been able to learn about him, I’ve decided to vote for him.

Member, State Board of Education 10th District - Marty Marshall

County Clerk - Kelly Arnold - I had a chance to talk with Kelly for a while tonight to get a better idea of what the County Clerk position involves, why he is running for the position and what his plans are for it. He has some great ideas and I think his experience and personality will make him very effective in this position.

County Treasurer - Ron Estes - Ron is running unopposed, but I wanted to put him on my list because I think he’s such a great guy. He’s very friendly and patient in answering lots of questions - I know, because several years ago when we first met, I peppered him with all sorts of questions to find out more about the County Treasurer position. He and his wife, Susan, have done a lot to build the Republican Party in Kansas.

Sheriff - Dal L Astle

Precinct Committeeman - Norm McGeeney

Precinct Committeewoman - Natalie Wickham -  Yes, I’m voting for myself and I hope anyone reading this who lives in my precinct will vote for me too!

This has been an exciting campaign season thus far and we have some really wonderful candidates running. As the Lord brings the election to mind, please pray for these candidates and their families.  It’s a lot of hard, exhausting work to run an effective campaign and it can take a toll on a person - mentally, emotionally and physically. Of course, we are also praying for victory, but trust that God is Sovereign and the outcome is in His hands. Just don’t forget to do your part and vote on Tuesday, August 5!

I think the following analysis of Barack Obama is one of the most insightful and concise I’ve read. It was in today’s FRC Action Update. If you are interested in receiving these updates, you can subscribe on this page of their website. You may also be interested in subscribing to the Washington Update - a daily e-mail sent by Family Research Council with usually 3-4 paragraphs of current happenings in the political world. It’s very informative and is a quick read.

Obama: In the World and of It

Hearts are still thumping from Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) rock tour through Europe, but back home the trip has prompted more than a few uneasy Americans to wonder what, exactly, the Illinois Senator is running for. The man campaigning for President appears to be more consumed with becoming world sovereign than leader of the United States. These days, it’s easy to become confused about Obama’s agenda as nations trip over themselves to throw out a welcome mat for the unconventional nominee-to-be.

Using his uncanny ability to touch hearts without ever touching on policy, Obama has perfectly choreographed the trip through Europe’s progressive hotspots, where his biggest selling point seems to be his ability to distance himself from the nation he’s vying to lead. In his speech yesterday, the man whose campaign is already calling him president spent more time apologizing for America than he did representing it. With the crowd cheering and cameras flashing, Obama talked of “hope” and “change.” He spoke of disarming America of nuclear weapons and addressing climate change. He dreamed of a nation “where every language is spoken,” and every culture leaves “its imprint”–an America that puts global citizenship ahead of its moral identity.

As David Brooks said in today’s New York Times, “When John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan went to Berlin, their rhetoric soared, but their optimism was grounded in the reality of politics, conflict, and hard choices… Reagan didn’t call for a kumbaya moment… Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn’t eloquence. It’s just Disney.” The problem, of course, is that a lot of Americans live in a Disney world.

July has been a change of pace, with not quite as many piano lessons and more time to work on other projects. Much of my focus has been on the book I am writing and on learning everything I can about the field of self-publishing, since that’s the route I plan to take. I’ve been reading and researching a lot and have gotten quite a bit of writing done as well. Both of these aspects - the writing and the business side - of self-publishing require a great deal of work and concentration and it’s been challenging to switch back and forth between them so that I don’t neglect one area and focus exclusively on the other! I’ll be announcing the title and topic of my book soon, so stay tuned…

If you haven’t yet heard about Inspiring an Entrepreneurial Vision - A Christian Family Training Seminar, then you are out of the loop! Caleb Hayden and his family are organizing the event and it looks like it will be a wonderful time of learning and fellowship with other entrepreneurial families. Wade Myers of New Venture Lab is the featured guest speaker and he will be joined by several other local entrepreneurs to inspire and equip attendees to successfully build their own businesses. Our family is planning to attend and we are really looking forward to it!

Our family just spent last week in Branson for the Defending Your Faith Christian Apologetics conference hosted by Answers In Genesis. The week was occupied with a visit by Nadine to celebrate her birthday, a picnic under the stars, a couple rounds of miniature golf, lounging in the sun by the pool, playing tennis, reading books and sitting through inspiring sessions at the conference.The three main speakers were Ken Ham, Doug Phillips and Voddie Baucham and every message was wonderful! Through this conference I was challenged, in part, to embark on a study of A Biblical Approach to Marketing. So far, it’s been fascinating and amazing to see what the Bible has to say about this area! Thankfully, Naomi has taken on the task of reporting about this trip in more detail, so you can view commentary and pictures on her blog.

Last Saturday, we finally held the much-anticipated Music Olympics festival that our local music teachers association has been planning for months. It was a great day of competition, fun and games that was an overwhelming success, thanks to visionary committee members, adventurous teachers, motivated students, committed parents and numerous corporate sponsors. I have lots of fun pictures from the Team Competitions, Ensemble Play-Offs and Game Carnival. Perhaps I can talk Naomi into doing a blog post for this too…

And with less than two weeks until the August 5 primary, we can’t escape a mention of the upcoming elections! I found out several weeks ago that I have an opponent in my race for Precinct Committeewoman, so I had to do a little more work than usual this year - sending out letters and setting up a website to help inform the voters in my precinct (btw, if anyone reading this is a CSS expert, perhaps you can help me figure out why the alignment for the main body text is distorted in Firefox 2, but fine in IE and FF3…). There are a lot of great candidates running this year, but I’ve been most actively involved in the campaigns for Pete DeGraaf and Don Myers. They are both wonderful, godly men and we are praying for their success! Remember to vote on August 5!

“Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.”

Psalm 119:27

This verse is my latest challenge and inspiration. I think Psalm 119 is my favorite chapter in the Bible - it is just beautiful. As I’ve been meditating on this verse, I’ve been impressed with the realization that when we understand God’s ways, we will have a perspective that allows us to see God working in the daily events that transpire. And when we see how God is working, we will be able and compelled to talk of them to everyone around us. As best as I can tell from studying the Hebrew roots and looking up cross-references, God’s precepts seems to be those commands and examples which instruct us, especially in the face of false ways and when others try to lead us astray. Contrasted with the word, intercept, it would be that which directs a course of action ahead of time, rather than that which alters its course partway.

God has given us precepts to help us know how to do things His way. Commands and biblical examples may both fulfill this purpose for us. So I have been inspired anew to dig deeply into God’s eternal Word, mining from it that which will help me chart the course of each day so that I may continually talk of His wondrous works!

My students and I had a great time this past week during our summer Piano Camps! One of our local music teachers associations is sponsoring a Music Olympics festival in a couple of weeks, so we spent a lot of our time at Piano Camp training and preparing for this event. It was a ton of fun! Here’s a video I put together last night to capture some of the memories from the week:

After hours of work, I am excited to announce that my amazing little sister, Naomi Anne, now has a home on the World Wide Web! You can visit her blog at www.NaomiAnne.com.

Naomi is one of the most disciplined, self-motivated people I know. She has a true heart for the Lord and loves spending time in His Word - reading, studying, memorizing and growing in her relationship with Jesus. I am confident that her blog will be an inspiration to many and I look forward to reading her posts! I know it would mean a lot to her if you would drop by and leave her a comment to encourage her in this endeavor.

Here is a helpful list posted today by the Kansas Republican Assembly of candidates they chose to prefer for the 2008 elections.

While the front-runners in the 2008 Presidential campaign do nothing to excite me, quite the opposite is true of Peter DeGraaf. The DeGraaf family have been friends of ours for years and I was thrilled when I learned that Mr. DeGraaf, after considerable thought and prayer, decided to run for the Kansas State House Seat for District 81. Former District 81 State Representative Ted Powers passed away unexpectedly last month and Mr. DeGraaf was voted in by his county’s precinct committeemen and committeewoman to fill the remainder of his term. Now he will run a tough race against three opponents in the August primary before advancing, Lord-willing, to the general election in November.

There is a great team of people already working on the campaign and the website I’ve been developing for him is up and running. I’ve still got some work to do on it, but feel free to stop by and check it out. Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for improvement. And, as the Lord brings it to mind, please pray for these upcoming elections. May God continue to raise up godly men to serve in positions of leadership throughout our nation!

Yes, it’s true. Naomi passed the test and can now drive legally with her learner’s permit. She is very excited…but this is how the rest of us feel about it…

It’s official. Here’s what I’ve been working on. Check it out…

This year of AIC was one of the most amazing ever! Despite my initial objections, God clearly directed us to go with a Western theme and it turned out to be a blast! I even have my own cowgirl hat now…

The group that made up our staff team this year:
Mark, Cori, Joel, myself, Seth, Kayla, Tiffany, Emma, Aaron, Lisa. We had a wonderful time working together and it’s neat to see how God used our strengths and skills to complement each other. Here we pose under the perfect entrance sign designed by Seth and Kayla!

The incredible bunch of teachers and assistant teachers that worked with the students throughout the weekend (click on it for a bigger image). I was so impressed with the vision and maturity of this dedicated group of young people:
(L-R) Row 1: Seth, Ariel, Abigail, Lydia, Lauren, Kayla, Mirriam, Julie, Leah, Kerri, Sarah, Rachel, Naomi, Susan, Corinn, Noelle, Leah, Michelle, Tori, Libby, Emma; Row 2: myself, Andrea, Abby, Amy, Bethany, Julia, Olivia, Anne, Lisa, Faith, Celeste, Riley, Mary, Riley, Hannah, Rachel, Katie, Joel, Lisa; Row 3: Cori, Tiffany, Titus, Jynae, Mason, Kayla, Ryan, Josiah, JJ, Tiffany, Prestyn, Jesse, Cale, Sol, Tyler, Cade, Isaac, Chad, Colin, Josh, Kody, Benjamin, Mark, Aaron.

Dr. Jay Wile, one of the keynote speakers for the TPA 2008 Convention, spoke Thursday evening to all the AIC workers. His session title was, The Bible: A Great Source of Modern Science, and was very interesting and informative.

Our doors opened Friday at 12:30 and shortly thereafter we were filled to capacity. About a week and a half before the registration deadline, our registration numbers were low - just a little over 100. I sent an e-mail out to our Prayer Warrior list, asking them to pray for more children. We were specifically praying and planning for 300, but trusted that the Lord would bring the ones He wanted to be there. At the end of the early registration deadline day, I received an e-mail letting me know that our count was now up to 265! By the time our doors opened on Friday we had over 300 and our final count was 329 - the most we’ve ever had! All praise to the Lord who so graciously answers the prayers of His people.

Apparently, the onslaught of children was too much for our Registration Supervisor…

The drama got off to a fabulous start, thanks in huge part to the drama director, Aaron, and the rest of his family who handled all the props and scene changes. All of our actors and actresses did an outstanding job and the children loved the drama!

All the actors and actresses gathered in prayer before each scene to dedicate it to the Lord.

My brother, Joey, enjoyed playing the part of Peter, and the role of Garrett-our key character-was providentially filled at after the last minute by Kyle. The “voice of God” narrated each day as we followed the journey of a group of settlers to the West where they began to build a new life for themselves. They faced numerous obstacles and set-backs, but learned many valuable lessons along the way and ultimately learned that every event - both the good and the bad - was orchestrated by God for a very specific purpose.

My sister, Naomi, also finally landed her big role as Peter’s sister, Jenny. This was her big scene with Nellie, who played the part of…Nellie.

Last year’s drama director, Laura, and props manager, Justin - now married to each other - joined us as Ethel and Wayne in the drama this year!

The mysterious Sylvester, played superbly by Luke, captured the childrens’ imagination from his very first appearance.

We couldn’t have asked for better cronies than Colby and Sol - and we didn’t even typecast these parts this year!

Having a lot of characters on the stage for each scene was a huge feat, but the actors and actresses handled each scene very well.

Rich E. Lands faces the reality that everything he has worked for his entire life has been suddenly destroyed. Our gifted actor, Bryce, masterfully portrayed this rich landowner and the transformation God brought about in his life.

The drama concluded with a stirring rendition of “The Solid Rock”, accompanied on the guitar by our talented drama director, Aaron.

The students got right to work completing the games and activities in their student workbooks, excellently designed by Tiffany to correspond with the theme this year.

Miss Lisa, Miss Abby and Miss Sarah line their team up for the next assembly.

Mr. Cade leads his team toward the assembly in a controlled, orderly manner - just like all the other teams…all weekend long…

AIC would not function without these two amazing young ladies. Seriously. Cori is the Materials Coordinator and she and Ariel stay one step ahead of everyone else all weekend long, making sure that all the teams have the supplies they need, tracking down extra supplies and taking care of so many little details that I’m sure I don’t even know about!

Nellie, one of the characters from the drama, reads a story to a couple of teams for one of the teaching sessions. The AIC students love getting to meet their “stage celebrities” in person!

Former AIC staff members are doing their job to keep AIC populated with children for years to come.

Mr. Joel and Miss Emma hold down the fort - Fort Wisdom, that is. They are available throughout the weekend to work with AIC students that will benefit from one-on-one attention. As an extra perk, students can crawl through the teepee or go for a ride on the saddle.

Kathy…

…and my Mom are the queens of snack time! They handled all of our food needs and kept us well-stocked with lots of goodies throughout the weekend.

Miss Libby, the official AIC Piano Virtuoso, accompanied our singing, ran the drama soundtracks and even pitched in to help teach on one of the teams. We couldn’t have done it without her!

Our traditional Saturday morning exercises were a hit and served as the perfect diversionary tactic for the strategic water gun attack executed by all the staff girls on all the unsuspecting staff guys.

We employed the assistance of several AIC students and teachers and the plan worked beautifully!

Miss Chandler joins Miss Jynae, Mr. Mark and me on stage to be a judge in our showdown. Mr. Mark is still recovering from the wounds he sustained in our previous competition as the students tried to blow him off the stage by reciting their memory verses as loudly as possible.

Miss Jynae and I pause for a quick photo with the Bradshaw kiddos and Mr. Prestyn.

The weekend concludes with a special presentation for all the parents of the songs and verses the students have learned and a short video capturing highlights from the weekend.

My favorite picture this year - a shot from behind the curtain on the back of the stage (click on it for a bigger image). What a privilege it is to get to know the many children, young people and parents who are a part of AIC. It is our constant hope and prayer that God would use this ministry to impart His truths to these children and to encourage families in their homeschool journey.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

1 Corinthians 3:11-13

May we continue to labor, with all of His strength, to build our lives according to God’s design!

(A huge thanks to all those who captured the pictures that contributed to this post…Naomi, Kayla, Lisa, Cori.)

This is another tough one…I’ll post some hints if no one can guess it!

Hint #1: It’s in downtown Baltimore.

I’m betting that no one will get this one!