Wow! It's been almost two months since I updated the blog, and SO much has been going on since then. We've had an extensive summer tour during the month of July and are finally having some down time. Basically, Brett and I met up with a girl from TN on our way to TX 3 weeks ago. Brett had an event at a church the day after we left, one more the next morning, and a full stage show plus the first camp session at Highland Lakes camp that night. Four events in 24 hours. Whew!
Our 3rd crew member, Jessica, did a wonderful job relearning a lot of the routines. She's got so much energy on stage! It really shines. So it was exciting to teach and work with someone who is so eager to learn!
We spent 10 days total on the TX tour, and I felt like we were running the whole time! One of the highlights for me was showing up to an event, realizing that we were helping with a VBS family night at a Hispanic church...then realizing we were staying in host homes that night. Oh, happy day! I'm not sure if Jessica enjoyed that night as much as I did, but I got to have some wonderful conversations with the wife of our host family.
The kicker for the TX trip was the drive back...all the way to MD...straight through. It was a 26-hour drive, and, while we did stop to rest on the way, that kind of trip is just draining. We arrived in MD just in time to catch a nap then set up for another full-stage show. The event went really well, and we were able to work with Genae and Patrick since the event was in the Northeast. Brett parents even drove out for the event. But, honestly, I don't remember all the details from that day. I felt a bit foggy for sure. :) I do know that it still felt like TX weather! Over 100 degrees with crazy-high humidity. But thank God for air-conditioning! Seriously, I'm spoiled. But it did feel so good to step inside after being out in the trailer unloading.
After that event, we went out to Dallas, PA, for our 2nd camp of the summer. This was a week-long camp with 6 sessions overall. The kids were great, and we were able to build relationships with some of the staff from Camp Orchard Hill, but one thing that really stands out from that camp was the Wednesday morning service. There were over 50 kids that came forward to either commit or recommit their lives to Christ! Brett claims that it was his first time giving an altar call (though he has presented the gospel countless times). But whether it was or not, I'm so proud of him, and I'm thankful to God for allowing us to serve in a way that fills us with life and makes a difference on an eternal level. What a way to live!
So the summer has been exhausting at times, invigorating at others, and overall quite fulfilling. I really will try to update more frequently so that these posts aren't so long and fact-based. But thanks for reading! Love to all :)
