Summer has come and gone. And boy, what a summer it was! Although we have no concrete number of decisions, we got to witness work that produced over 30 salvations and many other life-changing decisions. (Now let's pray for churches to follow up with them.) It's amazing to be part of that work!  I (Mike) work with the teen camp, and there were so many cool stories from this summer that I think I have to plan to write a separate post just to encapsulate them all. We had salvations that were hard-prayed-for, decisions that we saw finally break through, and even some truly heart-rending discussions late into the night.

 

God worked, and we got to see it first-hand. Again, to fully grasp the scope of the summer, I'd need to spend substantial time just writing. However, to summarize one of the more impactful moments of each teen week of the summer, Jon and I worked on a senior campfire that saw the campers building a world out of paper, cardboard, and other materials. The campers worked hard at their worlds, only to then burn it at the end. Only that which was metal (which they could earn from various selfless tasks) would last. Everything else vanished. It was a beautiful object lesson of the things we build in this life and how God will one day torch it all. Only what is done for Him will last while what is done for self, while perhaps beautifully done, nonetheless will be burned up.

The Waiting Game

As I write this, we eagerly await the coming of our second little boy. Although he was due on Saturday, he is taking his time arriving. Of course, Deb and I are both ready for him to make his appearance. So are his two grandmothers who have both come to help with Drake.

We hope to have exciting news very soon!

Our Firstborn
Drake is 16 months old. He's big for his age and is very observant and seemingly (at least to these proud parents!) intelligent. He doesn't walk yet, but he can practically open our front door and climb one step of the loft ladder. He has as many teeth as he is months old and loves to eat--a lot. More often than not, we have to limit how much he eats. (We're already dreading our food bills once he becomes a teenager!) He greatly enjoys playing with the little rocks in our walkway, going for "walks", seeing animals, and playing with balls. Music excites him, and he knows that dinosaurs roar (and he can roar like the best of them).

Overall, he is a joy and a blessing from God that we still marvel in thanks over.

Prayer Requests

Praises

Love from California,
Mike, Debbie, Drake, and the soon-arriving little one