in the no.

i heard a sermon this sunday that moved me. i have to admit i have been in a spiritual low lately... you know the kind where things just feel heavy?? it's been like that a while.. hard to pray, less sensitive to the Spirit's leading, and just not "feeling" much.. i am not sure exactly what brings times on like these.. maybe it is just me and my human fault, but maybe it is just part of life.. but, this Sunday i was challenged to evaluate my yes' and no's.. how am i living my life in the margins? the time on the outside? i realize i thrive on my life with people and those relationships.. that means i tend to say yes to everything and everyone. but, a quote my pastor said really caught my attention.. "the quantity of my no's determines the quality of my yes'." mmm, that is the truth. i have already started saying no to not just time with people, but to "things" as well that grab my attention in life. saying no helps me to grow in my spiritual life by weeding out distractions and taking time for relationship...Lord, i pray that you will help me to evaluate my yes's and no's in life and help me to prioritize my life in a way that honors you. thank you that no is not always a negative answer. thank you for not leaving me and teaching me in those valleys. amen.

shine.on.

beth.

new.

i am going to try to write more.. i forgot how much i enjoyed it and i haven't really had the time to do anything.. not even think.. ok i know it's an excuse, but things have been hectic.. anyways.. i'm starting new... in a lot of things.. i am starting a new job on monday. i will be the volunteer coordinator at Sandy Cove. yes, i am going back to the place where i fell in love with camp ministry.. i am floored that i am blessed to start a new journey at a familiar place.. am i nervous? well, yeah.. and there is a battle i fight of self-doubt, but God is bigger than all that! i am sad to say I am leaving NorthBay, but a new opportunity for me to move forward is something i can't turn away. i have loved working with the kids and staff, but it is time for me to move on.. i start a new life with my best friend in just 5 weeks.. i can't believe it. Stephen and I will be married on January 16, 2011. our journey has been a beautiful one told by the Lord himself.. if you ever want to hear the story just ask! i can't fathom that i am so priveledged to marry this wonderful man of God. i can't help but to ask, why me? i know it is because the Lord loves me so much, but isn't that hard to swallow sometimes when i know how filthy i am?? the Lord knows all of this and still loves me through my sin. i pray to honor God with Stephen and i pray we will never lose our love for each other, our love for people, and our love for our Heavenly Father. a lot of things are new in my life, but man i wouldn't have it any other way and God knows that. He knows my love for adventure and new journey's.. so here is to my new life of being a coordinator and wife.. Lord, may i serve you well and with all I am.

back at it..

im back!

summer camp is over.. my time at rvr has ended and my new life in cecil county maryland has begun! so much has happened in my life since i have last written.. a whole summer of camp! camp was great and so challenging.. i am happy to be "home." i have learned that home isn't where you are from, but where the ones you love are. during the summer i was in pursuit of a job and at times worried that i wouldn't have anywhere to live or any income at all.. well, God always provides and i now live with an amazing family and i now have a job at a wonderful organization called NorthBay. i am part of the outdoor education program as a member on the night operations team. my goal is to one day be an educator, but as for now i am just blessed to have a job at a place that offers that! i can learn and gain experience at an organization i can possibly work my way up in. i love it already. so God is good all the time..not just because i have a place to live or a job to work, but because He always takes care of his children.. He made a way for me to come "home" to the people i love.

blessed,
beth.

graduation, vacation, and the start of summer sensation!

ok summer sensation means summer camp... i just wanted to keep the theme going :) yeah so it's been a few weeks and i hate to say i think it is going to become a summer trend. i get internet access around once a week now that camp has begun. the first week of actual campers doesn't start till sunday, but after that i won't be blogging much because i will be crazy busy working and serving the Lord at RVR!

i graduated from the internship about 2 weeks ago. it was a special evening! we were allowed to invite guests and of course i invited my camp family from sandy cove. my cove family and the ranch family together.. it was lovely. watched a slide show, ate some good food, gave some speeches, and gave some gifts! i am going to miss being a group of 6 with those guys. some of my greatest friendships are coming out of this program.

after graduation stephen and i headed on a road trip throughout virginia! our first stop was lynchburg, va where i went to college and played ball! visited my softball coach and then met up with my pastor and his wife, one of my best friends! dinner with Donna and Darren was so needed and so refreshing.. i was reminded of how much i truly miss them and valued their friendship and example in my life. on our way to Powhatan after dinner we stopped to visit my grandmother who lived right on the way. it was a lovely visiting and we had some much needed quality time.

got to powhatan and spent the next day and a half with mommy. got to see my best friend since 1st grade! kristin was our waitress for lunch so it was a great way to get to see her even though she had to work. after lunch we had some down time and reading time. waited for mommy to get home and then we made our way to my other grandparents side. had great time with them and then ate some dinner with mommy at a bbq place.

the next morning mommy and i made some breakfast before stephen and i made our way to dad's bay house. for our last day and a half we spent time with daddy and some other friends as well as my sister. we rode jet skis, laid out, got some sun, went swimming, through a softball, did some reading, walked around, ate some ice cream, ate some good meals, and enjoyed some time of my dad's story telling.. i missed those days!

what a great vacation to start off a great summer... it is now orientation week at the Ranch.. last week was leadership week.. things are going great.. there is still a lot that needs to be done, but i have released it to the Lord.. i am struggling between freaking out and trusting Him completely, but i can do it! my counselors are solid and i cant wait to see how the Lord uses them.. i am just praying i can be a help to that and encourage them as well. please be in prayer for me throughout the summer that the Lord would work through me and give me wisdom and strength to run the program well!

Lord, you are in control.. control me.. be my focus and take my stress and anxiety away.. give me wisdom and direction to lead this program well. i love you! amen.

back from Italy! :)

what an adventure these past few weeks have been..

before i left for italy, i spent some lovely time with a lovely gentleman. it has been a pleasure learning and growing by his side.

my trip began with a very bumpy flight over to london.. thankfully i was traveling with my friend val who i could grab if i got scared.. i love flying, but every time i have to get used to going through some rough terbulance. i got over it :) we made it to pisa safe and sound, but there was one problem.. we were traveling separate from the other part of our group and their flights got delayed. while we were supposed to meet them at the air port we ended up meeting them 4 hours later at our B&B in the town of Lucca. needless to say, val and i found our way around and made it to the B&B.. we are quite the travelers :)

we stayed in Lucca for a night and toured the city and had our first of many great meals. from Lucca we went and stayed in another B&B in Levanto, which is a city outside of the Cinque Terra. did some sight seeing and hiking the next few days. italy is full of beautiful architecture and beautiful landscapes. a highlight of my time in Levanto was a morning at breakfast when i was reading my Bible and was interrupted to my friend Kat giving me a gift Stephen had given her to give to me on our 6th month anniversary. i know, he is a special man! another highlight was hiking the via del amore (the lover's lane). it is a cute little hike full of graffti all about love. there is a seat where couples can sit and there are many many locks locked all over the fencing and wires to symbolize their love locking together forever :)

we stayed in Vernazza one night and did some shopping and had a beautiful meal on the cliffs of the city. next, we traveled to Venice for 3 nights.. it is a beautiful city, but full of tourists. i guess i can't be mad because i was a tourist myself. haha stayed in a beautiful B&B that was 1,500 years old.. they don't make em like that in america! haha experienced the beauty and romance of the city. it was a wonderful trip. i loveeeeeeeeeeee the italian way of eating and sitting for hours at meals. had my first dish of wine and cheese.. of course if you know me i fell in love.

british airways in fact went on strike causing val and i to be possibly be stranded in italy, but thankfully Lori's hubby Mark came to our rescue and had our flights switched.. we were on a better airline and arrived 4 hours earlier back to the states, which allowed me to have dinner with my love and get back to the ranch at a decent hour to catch up on my sleep. man, it is so awesome to look back and see where the Lord's hands were at work... it could have been a disaster, but he turned a not so good situation into a wonderful one.

Lord, thank you for providing for me and my trip and having you hand at work every part of the way. Amen.

beth.

what an adventure..

it is the first day back to work after our intern camping trip.. i don't even know where to begin with this trip. it was exciting and adventurous and full of many different surprises in many different shapes and forms. the first day we got to Assateague we were supposed to canoe out to our campsite but the wind was too strong for us to paddle through the water so we decided to hike 5 miles to our site. we packed up gear that would be good for one night and food as well and started our hike on the beach (sand) to our campsite called pine tree. we were back country camping so you could not drive to your site. like i said our site was 5 miles away. well we got lost. real lost and we couldnt find our site anywhere. well we went off the beach towards the bay and hiked through marsh, creeks, horse poop, and everything else you can imagine for an extra 2 miles.. we didnt find pine tree. we ended up having to set up camp in a random place that is prohibited for people to be on.. we made jokes that not even chuck norris would camp there.. haha it was cold and windy, but after close to 7 hours of hiking we set up camp and had a good meal, a short devo, and hit the sheets.. we were completely exhausted. the next morning the boys left us girls at camp to clean and pack while they searched for our camp site.. turns out that our site was a mile down from where we were.. they came back got us and we picked up our gear and headed to pine tree to drop our gear off. we set up camp and turned around and hiked back to our canoes, but we did not have to walk the last mile or so because a nice couple gave us a ride!! woohoo shout out to bill and inga! got the rest of our gear and food and loaded up the canoes and canoed 5 miles to our site.. we were so tired that the next day we did nothing but sleep, eat, and read the whole day..haha the next day we packed up camp and canoed another 5 miles back.. we drove down to great falls va and ate some outback for dinner!! :) the next morning we went climbing and site seeing at the falls.. the day started off a little rocky when we found out we had to pay more than what they advertised, but it turned into a wonderful day. it was a great trip full of fun and growing as well as tiring mentally, physically, and emotionally. i am so happy that i was with the group i was with.. everyone kept good attitudes and stayed calm. we went through a lot and made it out alive together. i am going to miss this group... a whole lot.

grateful,

beth.

heading out for a little while..

as we speak i am in the middle of hosting a retreat. this group is great and i am very thankful for that as the weather may hinder parts of our day. leading up to this retreat i could see how the devil was trying to ruin plans and bring me down.. funny how times we can see that and other times we can not.. i prayed so much that the Lord would give me strength to resist freaking out. :) i must say it has worked.. i rode the line at times, but God always pulled me back. clinging to the fact that His joy is our strength.

tomorrow morning the interns and i will pack up the van and head down to assateague, md for some canoeing and camping for 3 nights.. we will then head to great falls, va for one night of camping and 2 days of climbing.. so i will be gone and away for this next week and then when i get back i will work 3 days and pack up again and head to the fisher's house for a few nights and then head to italy for 8 days!! sad ill be missing my 6 month anniversary with Stephen, but hey it still counts ;) this month of may is going to be great.. hoping to blog about my adventures as soon as i return from both trips..

love,
beth.

learning.

i've been learning things all my life, but it seems that has been the theme of these past 10 days. i have been learning patience, learning to trust more, learning to stay positive, learning to have faith in all things, learning how to work in different atmospheres, and learning a lot about myself. maybe it's part of the first year after school and on your own kinda thing. i have really been anxious about what's next for me.. what is the next step of my life after the internship? i've been weighing a few options and most of them are jobs you can work without a college degree.. do i care? not really. do others care? yes, they do and i know it isn't a judgmental care, but the kind that they just want better for me.. but what if that is better for me? what if a few part time jobs is the right thing for me next? i understand and appreciate people wanting more for me, but i want what God wants for me and if that means working in housekeeping, at a starbucks, for ups, or anywhere that doesn't require a college degree, than i am ok with that. of course my ideal next step would be into a full-time salary paying job, but like i said before i am learning to have patience and that means if the next few steps aren't in a full-time job that is ok because i know those steps will lead to the next steps and to the new doors that will be opened.

thank you Lord for being patient with me when i am anxious about my future. i know you are writing my story so i need not to worry. forgive me when i do because that is showing my lack of trust. i trust you and help me to trust you more where i fall short. Amen.

an odd feeling..

i am sure everyone has heard about Jennifer Knapp being gay.. well, if you hadn't she was a very popular Christian singer who has now come public with her sexuality..yeah, starting this blog off with a bang.. haha anyways, my heart has been struggling with the news. in the baby days of my faith i would have judged and i would have condemned. now, i find myself breaking on so many levels.. breaking for her and her struggle, breaking for our world that is so confused (this doesn't help), breaking for our Lord.. what she argued on Larry King Live was legitimate.. why is this sin any different? she is right, it's not. sin is sin no matter how big or how small. we are missing the point. the point isn't if she is going to heaven or hell because she is gay.. the point is, is that her(or anyone's) struggle? now, before i go on i want to clear up that i think homosexuality is wrong, but i feel as if we are missing the mark on issues like this. i believe that people with a same sex attraction can be saved just like i believe that someone who struggles with lying can be saved. the key word is struggle. if there is no struggle with the sin or no belief that the sin is wrong then i hate to say that i have a hard time believing that they are a believer. i then find myself struggling with the verses that are thrown back at us in this argument. Verses like John 8:7..When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her," and Matthew 7:3.."Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" it is so true, i am not even close to being without sin so how can i even judge??? it is just that, i am not judging if she is going to heaven or hell, i am breaking for a world that is full of people that are like her... that are struggling with a sin and giving in. if they could just believe that it is possible to struggle with something and not have to give into it, if they believe and put their faith in the Lord and realize that He loves them through their struggles... what is important is not what we struggle with, but how we deal with those struggles and who we run to for help.. so this blog was more about me talking about my struggle with how to deal with these issues rather than the issues themselves..

Lord, help us to love and not judge.. help us to see the bigger picture loving people into knowing you.. help us not to try and take the place and the job of what You said You could only do. forgive us when we try to be You.. give us wisdom in all that we say and do and act.

forgiven by His mercy,

beth.

smiles.

in the past 5 days i have...

gone to LBC to recruit for the internship and got to see some good friends who i worked with at sandy cove.. smiles

gone to chic fil a, rita's, and starbucks all in the same night with sarah, taco, and dess.. smiles

played some good competitive volleyball.. smiles

worked in the kitchen a lot.. smiles

gotten my nose pierced.. smiles

bought seasons passes to six flags with dess..smiles

gotten paid to work in a tree for a few hours with kids.. smiles

gone on multiple pain free runs.. smiles

talked to mommy.. smiles

had one of the best most joyful, most fun, most wonderful dates of my life with the most wonderful man of my life.. big smiles


i realized looking back at all the things i "smile" about are really most of the things i am thankful for in my life. when im down i just need to look back at the past few days that the Lord wrote out. i need to look back and be reminded of all the things he has placed in my daily life that make me "smile." thank you for the smiles Lord.

smiles really can change the world.

:)
beth.

encouraged.

it's a rainy day. it's our day off. that means no going outside or running for me. it's a good thing because i wouldn't have had this conversation that showed how big God is. us girls just had an amazing conversation. one of our co-workers just shared her story and where God is taking her in her life. the way her story has played out was totally and only a God story. when God was taking away in her life He was writing another part of her story to give to her in her life. there was no way she could have wrote this part of her life and there is no way it could have just played out the way it did. without coming out and saying whats going on in her life i can just say that it is a huge testimony to the God who provides! and with hearing her story it is an encouragement to me that God will take care of me. He has the next part of my life planned. there is a door that will open for me. not sure when and not sure what, but i know He is in control. He took care of her in a way she could never imagined and i am encouraged to know that He does that for all His children. it may come in a different way or a different process, but it's coming. i may have to wait, but He is leading. i don't have a problem following a God who leads and takes care of me. i can handle that. God, thanks for encouraging me through your other children. thank you for revealing your provision through other people. i trust in you. Amen.

encouraged,
beth.

a week of greats.

this past week was my spring break.. yeah as an intern we get breaks.. so blessed :) anyway i will try to write about everything that took place.. it was probably one of my favorite weeks in a long time..it was a week of great friends, great family, great fun, great conversations, and great hurdles overcome..

after my weekend spent in ocean city and sandy cove, i made the hike down to home sweet home in powhatan, va. you know when you have plans in your head that you would love to do, but know you won't be able to do all of it? well, it was one of those weeks of plans except instead of not being able to do everything, i was able to do it all and more! sometimes break doesn't feel like time off because of how busy you become, but it was still refreshing.. had lunch with a friend who i have known since i was a baby, spent time with my grandparents who i never get to see, spent some quality time with mommy, had a good night with my daddy and charlie, got to see my sister for a bit, visited my softball coaches from high school, went to a few liberty softball games, and got to see some college friends.

i couldn't sleep well friday night. i think my mind was racing from the day. so, i was up at 4 getting ready to head back up to maryland at 5. mommy got up with me and made me some coffee.. i have a wonderful mommy. on the road by 5 to avoid traffic on 95.. it's the worst! got to see the beautiful sunrise! spent the next 3 days hanging out with friends from the cove. Easter day was spent with my boyfriend and his family.. got to meet them for the first time :) loved every minute of it. had some wonderful meals and some very meaningful conversations.. passed the point where i usually run in relationships.. living out honesty is the best policy.. and growing! i am loved! excited to see where God continues to lead us!

in conversation i had this past weekend, i realized how much deeper my attachment to the game of softball really is.. it was really a huge part of my identity. although, i don't rely on softball for my life, i realized i relied on it a little too much. it was an escape and a safe place for me to go and to channel my feelings when things weren't so great off the field... now i am forced to face the exact things i was running from. it's been a beautiful process of heartache and growth. in my senior season at Liberty i was in an article in a magazine called the Liberty Journal.. the author concluded the article with, "Bennett identified herself primarily as a softball player. These days she views herself as an athlete, on God's team, seeking His will, one play at a time." it's funny he chose to end the article with this.. although, i have to admit that i wasn't fully there, i can now say that it's true. it may be cliche or corny, but i am not a softball player. i am a daughter of the king who was used in her softball career. now i am identifying myself as fully His seeking where i can next be used to glorify Him best.

His daughter,

beth.

rain.

so the past 2 days it has been raining..most of us complain, me included. i've been more aware of my thoughts lately and so after complaining to myself about the rain, i started thinking about it. so many of us call rainy days yucky, blah, down, gross, or bad weather, but without rain we wouldn't have life. we sing that silly song for the rain to come back another day, but when are we really ready for the rain to come back another day?? pretty much never..we are spoiled by the sunshine. the rain is what makes the sunshine days so beautiful. it makes me think and compare it to trials in our lives.. without the trials how could we appretiate the life God has given us. we have to go through the fire to become pure and we have to go through the pain to feel His love and healing power. and just like the rain is a reason to be grateful, so are the trials. they open are eyes to the beautiful life God is giving us... and so when i thought about it, i questioned my complaints and realized that i should be grateful for these days. these days are the precurser for the days that bring us so much joy. and with that said, rainy days can bring us joy knowing that the next day will be bright and beautiful. so go play in the rain and enjoy it :)

finding joy,

beth

preparing for a new season.

so 2 weekends ago was the end of our 5 weeks of winter meltdown. this was our rescheduled winter meltdown from the one that was canceled back in feb. it was kind of weird having it when it was so warm outside, but it was certainly a positive for running outdoor activities. i even got to wear shorts and a tank top to run our field games and the zip line. it was middle school weekend, so the kids had a harder time focusing, but it was a great weekend nonetheless. on sunday of that weekend i got to meet my mom, her boyfriend scott, stephen, and sean in the inner harbor of baltimore to spend some quality time in the warm weather :) i am glad to have been able to spend time with my mommy. i love seeing her and it's no fun being away from her, but that's why we have phones :) we had a wonderful day of shopping and eating outside. then stephen, sean, and i went to watch our friend, Matt, play arena football in baltimore. we met his wife suzanne, who works at the cove as well, and got to eat dinner with them afterwords. just a wonderful day of connecting and building on relationships.

with the ending of winter meltdown season starts the spring session of our internship. we will now be planning for summer camp, our intern trip, and gearing up for the spring session of our outdoor education program.

last week really consisted of a whole bunch of cleaning. i mean a whole bunch. haha fort roller (where i will be for the summer) had to be cleaned for the open house, which was last weekend. the cabins hadn't been touched for 6 months.. i will let you use your imagination as to how much dirt was in those cabins and is now in my nose and lungs. haha. the cleaning was finished, so the lady interns and barb (our registrar at rvr) went on a trip to ocean city, md to recruit summer campers. it was a YFC conference with bands pillar and hawk nelson. it was super fun to get to go down to the beach and work with just girls :) kind of a little getaway even though it was for work. :) we ate some pretty good food, had some good conversations, and a lot of laughing.. us girls are good at that. we woke up pretty early and headed back to the ranch for the open house. the open house went really well and i was in charge of leading tours for fort roller. it was nice to work with large groups of people and get a sneak peak of what summer will be like.

now, i am sitting in my room at sandy cove at the beginning of my Easter break. i am so thankful we get breaks as interns. it is such a blessing to be able to spend time with the people we love, but are far away from. i've been thinking about my future and my life after the internship come august and i have many different plans i could take and many different doors i could go through and be happy doing, but i have realized in the past few years that all i really want to do is serve the Lord. it isn't about finding a place you love or about being somewhere that feels like home. i have found that home and doing what i love is serving the Lord no matter where i am. those 2 things fall into the same category of my desire to serve Him in whatever job i take. i don't know where i will be and i am not worried. i can say without a doubt that if i am following His leading and following the peace He has put in my life that i will be happy and doing what i want to do. i have tons of things i want to do in this life, but the one thing that will satisfy me and does satisfy me, is following Him and serving Him wherever i end up. nothing compares to His peace and so i will run hard after that and follow that peace because there is no greater feeling than knowing you are right where He wants you to be. and i don't mean where as in a place, but where as in where you are in following His path and not a path of location, but a path of serving and loving and following hard after Him in any place and in any job. so i lay it down. i trust You Lord for guidance. i trust my life and future is in Your hands. guide and lead me in these next steps of my life.

surrendering it all,

beth.

the past 10 days.

i mean really? 10 days? they went by so fast! haha well i meant to write earlier because there has been so much to write about! :) what a fun past week. ok here goes,

so last week the interns worked monday (our day off) so that we could get wed. off and head up to philly for another chic-fil-a opening. there were 20 of us either from the ranch or associated with the ranch in some way. needless to say there were over 100 people there so we had to do the drawing and we all got it! guess what, i was number 100 again!! for the 2nd time in a row i waited for 99 names to be called to hear mine called! it was so awesome, but so nerve wrecking! ugh, but yay! so that was a fun night and morning when i got my 52 free meals! i love chic fil a and their food! :)

friday evening hannah, taco, ryan, sarah, and i went to the baltimore blast soccer game to recruit some campers and get the name of the ranch out in the city. it was a youth group event sponsored by shine fm and liberty university. so there was a soccer game and then a hawk nelson concert. so when the concert started hannah and i were up front rocking out :) it was a fun evening! dess and bill were hosting the retreat so they weren't able to go. saturday we just cleaned 3 cabins up at fort roller.. they were filthy and it was pouring down rain so it was chilly and wet. we pretty much cleaned all day.

sunday i was able to go to church again for the 2nd time in a row! woohoo.. i have been going to a church called Mountain Christian Church in joppa, md. ;) i love the church. it's huge like i mean huge! i never really enjoyed big churches because i felt like it was hard to make a family. i realized you have to plug yourself in and join small groups and other groups to meet more people. i don't have the time for it, but i now see how it works. i love the preaching. i was pretty spoiled back in lynchburg because my pastor there preached expositionally (not a word) so i was being fed the word and lots of it every sunday. mountain church pastors normally do topical preaching which is great too, but a lot of times pastors lack the word. not at mountain.. i am fed the word while relating it to certain topics so i am very grateful for that.. this sunday i went to a class they offer for people interested in knowing more about mountain and becoming members if that is what people would want to do. i am interested in joining if i stay in the area. so it was an informative class and a nice way to meet people who go there as well as the pastor. :) that evening some of the girls from the ranch met me for shopping, dinner, and grocery time. i love buying groceries.. i eat so much healthier and we went to trader joe's which provides the healthiness :) haha

this monday was our day off and very enjoyable and relaxing for me :) i have been running a lot lately with this amazingly nice weather.. 70 today so i will be out right after work getting a nice run in :) thank you Lord for this weather! with this gorgeous weather means no more snowboarding :( we were going to try to go this coming monday but the slopes are already closed for the season! gotta wait til next year!

tuesday, matt took us on a surprise trip to the inner harbor of baltimore. it was a "thank you for all your hard work" trip. we walked around downtown, shopped, and saw the catholic church. it was so nice to get away. i am learning to love cities.. they fascinate me :)

today, my goal is to plan some of our intern trip, find a cheap Easter dress, and go for a run :)

go enjoy this day!

in Him,

beth.

a taste of spring..

loving this warmer weather.. i am sure it's not here to stay so i'll soak it in while it lasts.. it was a good weekend.. our first winter retreat since winter meltdown was here. worked the zip line and high ropes saturday. pretty nice day, but still snow on the ground.. it made everything so much more difficult, but i didn't mind because i felt like i was getting a work out :) sarah's birthday was friday and her sister came up and surprised her. we had a good weekend with her. we celebrated her birthday thursday night and ate some delicious goodies, all which i am running off now. haha.. saw a couple movies this weekend.. valentine's day and alice and wonderland. i could take or leave the first movie, but alice in wonderland was surprisingly good :) had a wondeful day yesterday out with some special people. :) today the interns and i decided where we will be spending our intern camping trip in may! for the first 3 nights we will be spending it camping on assateague island in maryland! the last night and day we will be at great falls, va-dc area! i am pretty excited.. it will be a blast.. especially spending it with such fun people! can't wait.

it's been so nice out these past few days.. so nice i got to wear a dress and a jean jacket yesterday :) spring is so beautiful when it finally comes around, but for me it comes with such an odd feeling. it's not a bad feeling, just weird.. i love it though.. watching everything come back to life. like a new beginning. it makes me think about each new day the Lord gives me. lately i have been realizing more and more negative things about myself.. sometimes i wonder if it is even possible to live a strong christian life.. i fail multiple times daily and i see each time i fail now. i guess on a positive note it's great to finally see those failures so i can work on being the person i want to be for the Lord. sometimes it's overwhelming trying to do everything right. i think it's impossible, but then i am reminded that each day is a new day. each day is a gift from the Lord. a gift that i want to try to give back each day. a new day for me to work on who i am and grow closer to Him. it's not easy knowing how short you fall and i feel that stronger than ever. that also means that i am feeling how much grace the Lord gives. boy, i don't deserve it, but He gives it and oh how i am so grateful He does and doesn't give up on me.

Lord, make me more like your Son. Holy Spirit, give me the strength to pick myself up and try again after those many times i fail.

beth.

what a past few days!

well, this week (so far) has been full of quite the adventures. :) we usually have sunday's and monday's off, but this week we had to work monday so we had sunday and tuesday off instead. every monday at the ranch their are program meetings.. that is why we worked that day. it is somewhat of our programming week at the ranch. so we sat in on our first programming meeting. it was nice to see how a meeting is run and what the meeting entailed. even though i am not participating in the meetings it is still very beneficial for me and my desire to be full-time in camp ministry. i am trying to absorb every experience i get! later that evening we played in our usual monday night volleyball pick-up league. with this weather keeping me locked up inside, going to volleyball is a very good thing to keep me from going crazy.

tuesday we had off, but i needed to earn a comp day so that i can go to italy in may! a little vacation i have been saving for. i figured i would be working on our summer program and a book report we have due on friday, but matt suggested i go recruiting for summer staff with the recruiting team at Messiah. being in an office all day or recruiting summer staff?? i think you know which wins. hahah it was nice to go to messiah.. i got to see an old co-worker who might be interested in working at the ranch :) she also might go on our vacation! a girl i met at the ccca conference was there as well. that's the 2nd recruiting trip we have been right beside each other! too fun. sandy cove was also there. the head of the HR department was there and so was the director of their summer camp in WV. he is a real cool guy and has tons of connections to camps in austrailia. so, i guess i will confess that i have been thinking about working at a camp(s) in austrailia for a few months next winter. it's exciting to know that it could possibly work out if the Lord wants it. after talking to Tim, i realized it is a real possibility! if it doesn't work out, no worries. it was fun to think about it :) it's nice to have a connection who could really be a huge help if i do go down under. so i will be praying and researching this little idea..

wednesday... sarah and i had the opportunity to go to downtown baltimore for a marketing meeting. i am very grateful for this opportunity and although i still have a lot to learn about marketing, i really enjoy it. i think i need to narrow down a field of camp ministry i want to work in, but i have a problem. i like them all! haha maybe i will just wait and see where the Lord leads in that area. it was vaguely a meeting on how we can bring more campers to RVR. too me very beneficial. i think the meeting was very successful.. a plan was devised and details were made. people were placed in charge of certain areas and all in all a good day. the plan can now go into action back at the ranch.

last night.. oh where to begin.. sarah, taco, dess, and i were going to meet some friends down in annapolis for an andy mckee concert. he is an acoustic guitarist. it was at a tavern so we had some dinner and then walked over to the concert. well, our friend who got all our tickets didn't see where it was a 21 and up show. bummer, cause dess isn't 21. they wouldn't even mark her hands to say she was under 21.. it was weird that rule was in place just for a concert.. we heard that annapolis has some pretty hard core laws about drinking and concerts and underage people.. so her and i ended up not going to the concert. since we were an hour and a half away from the ranch we couldn't just call someone to come get us. so we tried to sell our tickets and with no luck decided to walk the streets to find a coffee shop and sit for a bit. well we chose the wrong side of town to walk towards and saw some sketch places and people so we turned around asap. and went towards the other side of town. much better. since it was 8 and on a week night, not much was open. we ended up finding a little ice cream shop that said they had the best hot chocolate in town.. so we, being frozen, thought this place sounded good and looked safe.. we were right! haha we each got a little ice cream, which was homemade.. delicious. and we split a hot chocolate.. delicious! the place was real cute and real mom and pop shop like. a tradition they have started is allowing people to decorate spoons. they will be hanging them all over their walls soon. so dess and i colored our spoons and then left them there to be placed on the wall. he closed at 9:30 so we had to leave and go into the cold again. haha we ended up walking the levels of our parking deck for the next hour and 15 mins and just talked. it was great to get some exercise after that ice cream.. not gonna lie i was really happy.. there were 6 levels and we walked up and down and up and down the stairs.. on our way home i read my daily reading from my one year Bible out loud.. i felt like i was reading to my little kids.. :)

now, its thursday and the week has already been so eventful... we will see what the rest of the weekend holds.. like sarah's birthday tomorrow.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

joyful,
beth.

change of plans.

life is full of surprises. this being one of them. well, sorta. i had decided to be a counselor here at the ranch this summer. i did have an interest in another position, but it had already been taken. i voiced my interest in the position a little while back and again just recently. after some good honest conversations i was offered the position.. i have some things to work on before the summer to prepare myself. i am excited and nervous. i really wanted this position, expected not to get it, and now i have it. so nothing to complain about or be worried about right?? ugh, well that's the way it should be.. haha but i am doubting myself. i am sooooo excited to work this position, but at the same time i find myself thinking i may fail..this is where my trusting in the Lord comes in.. he brought me to this position i had desired so much, in the hardest way, but in the end the truth is that He knew i was going to be in this position. He is going to prepare me for this summer. no matter how much i doubt myself it can't stop the Lord from doing His work. so that means i shouldn't doubt myself because He is in control, right? RIGHT! well thanks for listening to this conversation to myself. that's how i roll.

full of hope,

beth.

i should not be good at this..

we are about halfway through our internship here at RVR... pretty crazy, pretty awesome. along with many many other things i have discovered about myself at the ranch, i have discovered that i am very good at catching every sickness that comes my way. in the past 2 months i have been sick probably around 5 times.. something is not right.. as soon as i stop playing softball and start life in the real world i stopped catching softballs and started catching colds.. (drums please) i know horrible joke, but i couldn't resist. :)

the past 2 days the interns and i spent our workdays in the barn with biz and morgan learning about our horsemanship program and our horse aspect of camp. it is the first of our "rotation" of working the different aspects of camp that RVR has to offer. i am pretty excited about this part. i want to be able to relate to everyone in camp ministry no matter what field they are in. so this is the beginning of that :) our past 2 days included tacking up the horses, grooming them, training some of them, scooping poop, feeding, trail rides, and learning how to ride them better with lessons and games. i grew up around horses so it all wasn't new to me. i still learned a lot more than i did about horses and taking care of them. i really like riding horses even though i am horrible at it. horses are funny and each have very different personalities.. that is very evident when you ride multiple horses in a day. all in all, i have enjoyed the past 2 days.

on a personal note.. i wrote about things being heavy lately.. still don't really know why, but i think i can blame the weather for some of it.. it's snowing again and i am just ready for sunshine! this may sound a bit funny and minute, but i have really been missing softball, being a student, and just being able to work summer camps in the summer. it's something i think graduates hit soon after they enter the real world.. i guess it took me a few months.. the transition is now hitting me. i love where i am and i love growing up and growing in my faith, but i think it is always hard to leave the consistency of life. going to school, playing softball, working at camp, and then repeating. it was normal and it was consistent, something that became somewhat of a routine for me, my life. now, things are different. not bad different, just different. different is good, but sometimes takes a little while to grasp that life changes and moves on. it's hard to believe that something i have been a part of since the time i was 4 is done. over. finished... just like that, it didn't gradually stop, but just stopped. i knew it was coming, but wasn't quite prepared for it. season started a few weeks ago for liberty.. maybe that's why i am now feeling it because I find myself working instead of being on the field. God used softball in my life and now it is time to move on to something different. i used to be a softball player, but i am still a vessel willing and waiting to be used by Him.

stumbling along,
beth.

this weight is heavy..

another week gone and another week in this internship of learning and growth. last sunday was valentine's day.. the interns and i went out with my boyfriend stephen..we had plans to go to outback, but a 3 hour wait was a little much.. we went to ihop instead. a wonderful alternative when you are all dressed up :) i had such a wonderful time. i love seeing people i love all together.. it is one of the biggest blessings in life. later that evening, stephen and i went to grab dessert at one of our favorite restaurant's. the table next to us was a family that had gone to the cove for a few summers and were one of my favorite families that really impacted my life. i hadn't seen them in a few summers so it was such a blessing how God places little wonderful surprises in our lives.

winter meltdown number 4 finished today.. another successful weekend of sharing Christ with teenagers. something wasn't right with me.. i felt the weight of everything in my life the whole weekend.. it turns out that i have a big decision to make about the summer and i am at a loss of what to decide.. for some reason it's weighing on me heavier than i thought. i think it may have carried over into the weekend.. i am still feeling it now. i believe that spiritual warfare is a real thing.. a thing that most of us don't like talking about, me included. satan attacks in many different ways, shapes, and forms. this weekend i felt under attack. when it came time to recite my long poem i was feeling extra hot and my mouth was abnormally dry. i didn't think too much about it.. that doesn't really effect me because this was my 4th time saying this poem.. i wasn't nervous.. close to a 3rd of the way through i was so hot and my mouth was so dry i didn't know how the words were coming out of my mouth. i was speaking and thinking different things.. in my mind i was freaking out, but the words of the poem were pouring out..i finished and i was shaking.. i know it wasn't nerves because i would have stopped and i would have not been able to finish.. God was the one speaking, He was the one moving my lips and speaking the words...in my head i heard mumbling.. in the speakers i heard words.. words of His poem.. satan didn't want people to hear it, God had other plans.. God had BIGGER plans.. thank you God for picking me up for being my Savior and for being my Hero.
it almost happened again today.. it was starting to happen, but stopped when i was finished.. i don't know what is going on, but i know i have someone protecting me and fulfilling His plans regardless of what the ruler of this evil world wants..

loved,
beth.

snow, recruiting, snow, winter meltdown, snow!

well in the past week and a half there has been more snow to go around for the whole winter! we ended up having to cancel our 3rd weekend of winter meltdown and move it to a later date in march due to 30 inches of snow we got that weekend! it wasn't so bad being snowed in at the ranch with everyone else.. we had games and community meals and some time to play in all that snow! after a weekend of relaxing and being stranded i headed down to liberty with the recruiting team to try and recruit some summer staff. it was a great week and great experience for my passion to grow in camp ministry. we were there from monday to friday. talking and standing are more exhausting than you would think! there were times when 4 interviews were going on at once. it was nice to sit in on a few interviews and see how it's done. i got to see the burg again and visit with some good friends.. for the first 2 nights i was blessed to have stayed with a couple that i met a little over 4 years ago at liberty. we actually worked together at sandy cove for 4 summers as well. it was so fun staying with them in their cute house. the next night i got to stay with my pastor and his wife. first donna and i grabbed some dinner and then headed to our church's ladies Bible study that i haven't been able to attend for a long time.. it was a breath of fresh air. i do miss liberty, softball, the burg, and discover church, but i really just miss the relationships i made there.. i am convinced it's the only downside to growing up and moving away.. the relationships are still there just not face to face..after our last day of recruiting we jumped back in the van and drove back to RVR where an hour later we kicked off our 3rd weekend of winter meltdown. talk about being tired.. yeah, my eyes are heavy as we speak.. haha since we have close to 3ft of snow on the ground we had to cancel our outdoor activities..BUT we ended up having basically a huge snow festival.. i was curious as to how it would look, but it was so much fun.. we had a snow man building contest, a snow cone station(the kind you eat), broom ball on our frozen pool, football games, and tubing!! while i was in lynchburg the rvr staff created 3 tubing paths on our massive hills here at the ranch.. it was soo much fun and so fast!! i stood at the top of the paths watching people walking up the hill, people tubing down, and people laughing at the bottom of the hill and it brought me so much joy seeing people enjoy their time. that's one of my favorite things about camp ministry. we just ended the weekend a couple hours ago and i believe like every weekend it was a huge success.. some more children came to know the Lord.. what could make a weekend more successful?? nothing..

during the recruiting trip i figured out what i will be doing this summer. i am going to be the teen adventure camp girls counselor.. it's somewhat weird for me to picture myself being a counselor after 4 summers of experience in other fields, but it is a humbling one as well. i know it will be tons of fun, i just want to make sure i stay positive and open to what the Lord may want me to learn. when i say humble myself i am not saying that about being a counselor, but humbling myself dealing with my own selfish thoughts. i know the first lesson is to humble myself, be less selfish, and follow...

beth.

take 2!

winter meltdown weekend number 2 is done! it finished up 2 days ago.. i wanted to blog about it earlier, but i got busy doing some stuff around the house so i am now :) it was once again a great and fun weekend. it was jr and sr high this weekend, so it was harder to get the kids to focus and listen, but i know the Lord was working regardless of that. i was a little more tired this weekend and therefore it was harder to stay energized... glad i got my girl LaDessa to help me with that! haha more importantly the Lord was giving me the strength and energy to help run the program well.. for some reason i felt a little distracted this weekend, but the Lord brought me right back where i needed to be every time. i think i was a little dehydrated as well so reciting my poems was a little more difficult.. well, i guess all that was to say that the Lord is my strength!! :) winter meltdown is such a cool program. it has some pretty powerful skits, dramas, poems, videos, and other ways kids can see the Lord. it is great to see it all come together.. another cool aspect is that our staff all comes together. we are growing so much closer and with the staff families as well. it is very unusual to see all the ranch families together and i am loving it! it is a cool thing that we get to reach kids for the Lord all while growing as a camp family. i like this camp ministry stuff. :) the Lord is good. i am reminded that He is in control daily. in a conversation i just recently had i realized this truth yet again. Lord, thank you. just thank you for being in control of my life and for being my Savior. i need only You.

humbled by His grace,
beth.

oh man, what a night! wait, i mean weekend!

sometimes we experience things in life that just blow us away. some things are so simple and some so complex. either way it is hard to put into words how exactly you felt. i am relaxing on my day off after an awesome weekend of the first winter meltdown program. i am reflecting on how much God showed up, how much He used us as a staff, and how much i grew as well. i must admit that i was excited for winter meltdown, but i was also so nervous that i wouldn't have minded if it never came. don't get me wrong i really couldn't wait, but you know how nerves can make you feel sometimes! i really had no idea what to expect because we weren't told too much, but we had the big picture just no little details. i guess that is a good thing so we wouldn't go into it with expectations! my role was to recite poems...4 of them to be exact. a few short and a few long. one was about 2 and a half minutes! well, now you see why i was so nervous.. i love being in front of people, but memorizing stuff isn't my thing. now, looking back after the first weekend i am so grateful, thankful, and honored for the opportunity the Lord placed in my hands. i was so far outside of my comfort zone, but so grateful for it because outside of that zone is where you grow and experience God in ways you can't inside your comfort zone. you wouldn't think something as simple as having to memorize some poems would make such a huge difference in my walk with God. i was in constant prayer the whole weekend for the children and for the Lord to be my memory and calm my nerves.. He showed up so big.. each poem went so smoothly and i had no problems! it was not me at all, but the Lord speaking through me. man, i am so grateful for Him in my life! my coworkers and i were in constant prayer for each other as well. it helped me grow in so many ways praying for each other and for the Lord to use us. we grew so much closer as a group. it is amazing when you do something for the Lord. it is easy to get lost in doing things for ourselves, but i pray that i will not get lost in that and that everything i do would be for the glory of the Lord. not only did i grow in my walk, but i also had fun! just because i was working the program didn't mean i couldn't participate with the youth. haha it was a blast. the kids had so much fun as well. the Lord was really moving in their hearts.. around 5 people got saved and some rededicated their lives. we can never truly know the hearts of people, but i so believe that some of these kids came to know the Lord and experience Him in ways they had never before. i am blessed to be a part of this ministry and honored that the Lord would use someone as imperfect as me to give Him glory. i am unworthy and so so grateful.

Lord, thank you for using me for your glory! may i never get lost in giving the glory to myself. keep me humble and continue to use winter meltdown to bring children to You and Your Son!
Amen.

walking in His footprints,
beth.

firsts.

this past weekend i hosted my first retreat.. i was sick as a dog so i was honestly dreading the weekend.. i was afraid i wasn't going to be able to serve the group like i wanted to with the spirit i wanted to. God proved to be big again. why do we even doubt!? why are we even anxious and why do we even worry?! sometimes i don't get why we do all these things when we KNOW he is in control. i guess thats the flesh in us. the group was so easy to take care of. they were so organized and so easy going. it was such a blessing to me because it made my work load light and stress levels low. all which helped my sick body heal. i thought i might not be prepared to host a retreat, but God proved other wise. i may not have been ready, but He was ready to serve through me. He made things smooth and prepared me to work out the details and the requirements that were needed to be done to host a retreat.. what a big God we serve. what an AWESOME God we serve.

the interns and i just got back from our first CCCA (camp and conference center association) sectional conference. it was 3 days and 2 nights in northern pa at tuscarora inn. the camps that were in the region all came together to meet, talk, fellowship, worship, learn in workshops, learn from speakers, and to connect with each other. i was very excited to experience the conference because i knew i would learn a lot from like minded people who were already in the camp ministry. i hear encouraging, honest, real, discouraging, sad, hopeful, and glorifying stories about the lives of people and the situations of some camps. i realized i have been blessed to work at 2 very healthy successful camps. it may not have always been that way and there may be hard times in the future, but i have been blessed to be part of the great times. i have learned so much from sandy cove and rvr about camp ministry and i am so thankful for that experience. i am also thankful to have been able to go the sectional and learn more about other camps and how they run. i went to a marketing class for the fun of it. i have no experience or really knowledge of anything that marketing entails except for the obvious things. the workshop was led by gregg hunter who is the new CEO/president of the CCCA. he definitely knows his stuff and i took 3 pages of notes in the class! i was a little nervous to go to that workshop because i knew it was going to be an interactive one and i knew with my little knowledge and experience with marketing that i wouldn't have much to offer the group or the people. i ended up just listening to the other directors and workers share their situations and the others giving advice and it was very informative. i didn't contribute to the conversations, but i was surprised that i could actually relate and that i did have experiences to share if needed or i wanted to. i guess i sell myself short at times.. another bad habit. :) it was an overall great experience that i got to share with both the interns from rvr and my previous boss' from sandy cove. both groups i consider family so what better way to spend time at a conference. on a side note they brought in a husband and wife who had this hilarious game show set up called the brain show. it was so much fun and i got to participate with 2 other interns.. my previous boss' were chosen to participate as well.. TOO FUNNY.

today we got back from the sectional after a 40 min stop to change a flat tire.. eh, no biggie for these ranch boys.. glad it wasn't my car or it would have been a few hours.. we ran through our winter meltdown program that starts tomorrow night! yea, it was the first time we ran through it.. crazy i know. my role is to recite 4 poems (from memory!) to a couple 100 kids each session.. yeah, im pretty nervous. ok, really nervous so if you think of it please say a prayer for me! the poems are memorized, but you know sometimes how your mind can blank when you are nervous.. this is something i am trying to trust the Lord with that He will speak through me.. well, here is to tomorrow! Lord, please give me the memory that is strong enough to remember the poems that i have memorized. thank you that they are already memorized.. i know that was You. please use this winter meltdown to touch the lives of the youth who come through and may it all be used for your glory! i love you!! amen,

following Him,
beth.

what hope is found in this..

so, i have been reading a one year Bible every day that takes me through Genesis, Matthew, Psalm, and Proverbs each reading. i have realized i am a huge fan of this. keeps my mind occupied. i must admit that i am excited when it comes time for me to sit down and read. i have never been much of an old testament kind of person (which we should be a whole Bible kind of people! ha), but i have always had a desire to learn from it and know the history of it. yeah, i know the sunday school stories, but i have never taken the time to really sit and read it all. there are certain old testament books that i love and have read and studied quite a bit, but the time has come that i need and want to learn about it all. i didn't really have any expectations about how i would feel or what would be spoken to me reading through Genesis, but i didn't expect to have a passion and desire to read more and more of it. i am loving reading through Genesis. i have loved reading about abraham and his wives and children. when reading about him and his journey i have come across some odd and somewhat disturbing facts about his life and at the same time these facts give me and believers everywhere hope. see abraham lied and said that his wife sarah was his sister. (i know she really was, but he wasn't telling the truth by not saying she was his wife) i realize this was done out of fear and in hopes of protecting both of them, but it struck me as odd. didn't abraham fully trust that the Lord would take care of him?? wasn't that what he is known for? wasn't abraham a man that was so close to the Lord and one that the Lord loved and trusted and saw his complete devotion to him?? yeah, he was. abraham made some weird decisions and mistakes, but the Lord still loved him, called him to greatness, used him, trusted him, blessed him, and called him one of his own! what a hope is found in that we too can be all those things even when we lack faith and make mistakes! abraham was still used by God and was blessed and used immensely. when realizing this my mind was directed to the life of david. david was considered a man after God's own heart after all the horrible things he did!! that should give all of us believers hope that we too can be men and women after God's own heart no matter what we have done. it matters where your heart is now.. it matters what your actions are now.. not what you have done and where you have been. i have a hope that means it is never too late to live for the Lord with a heart that is completely devoted to Him..

Lord, thank you for these reminders through your word and your truth. may i continue to see hope and truth through my readings through all you have written. may i never forget that you love us through everything we have done. may i never look back on where i have been, but rather look forward to how i can grow and serve you better.

filled with hope,
beth.

His joy is our strength.

this is this months pathfinder, check it out!!
https://mail.wrbs.com/owa/WebReadyView.aspx?t=att&id=RgAAAAAhrzljgNRzSb%2fi1T2kCxaVBwA2tLD5crKZSrBQK9Ap54jJAAAO9NnZAAA2tLD5crKZSrBQK9Ap54jJAAAZVObvAAAJ&attid0=EACQqntpy%2bPGTbUmxwptSiIo&attcnt=1

i am a blessed girl. i am learning how to be patient and put my hope in the Lord. if He is for us, who can be against us? i mean really, who could possibly match up to our Lord who always take care of us? absolutely no one. take heart in that. no one is bigger than God. no one is bigger than the plans He has for us. what an awesome promise to stand on. keep standing on His truths.

in Him,

beth.

ringing in the new year.

man, it's 4 days into the new year already.. the past week has been a very fun and eventful one. we got back to the ranch last sunday and started work the next day. we did some cleaning and preparing for winter meltdown as well as the rvr staff reunion that was also last week. we had to come back so soon after Christmas because we had a huge group that came last monday as well. so we also helped host the retreat. as soon as the retreat group left we cleaned up camp so that the rvr staff who were coming for the reunion would have somewhere clean to stay :) our job during the reunion was to be present and to have fun/ hang out with the staff. we had so much fun, but let me tell ya i am still tired and haven't caught up on my rest yet. the first night the staff was here was new year's eve.. we made dinner and then we headed down to the inner harbor in baltimore.. it was sooo much fun.. cold and rainy, but still so much fun.. we danced around and walked around.. got some good coffee and the watched fireworks while dancing/ welcoming the new year in. they were the best fireworks i have ever seen. totally legit. the next day we had the traditional flag football game and dodge ball tournament.. dessa and i were 2 of 4 girls who played.. we tore it up. yeah girl :) not to mention we got a little muddy..ok a lot muddy. us 6 interns were a dodge ball team and we tore it up as well. we got 2nd place, but it was a great fight and a really big deal.. :) haha ok it wasn't, but it was still really competitive. haha that night the traditional ranch coffee house took place.. some pretty great acts and pretty funny acts were performed. dess, sarah, and i sang girls just wanna have fun in ridiculous outfits.. yeah, we had fun if you were wondering.. the next morning (sat) the staff ate breakfast and then went back home... as soon as they were gone sarah, taco, and i loaded up my car and headed over to sandy cove for my summer staff reunion there. we were allowed to bring guests and i wanted to show them the cove and spend time with them as well. so, i was in charge of the whole reunion.. i must say that it was a lot more than i thought and i don't usually get stressed out, but i was feeling the stress without being stressed out if that makes sense. we probably had about 50 people show up.. it was such an awesome time catching up on relationships made during the summer. even though part of planning an event is stressful, it is very rewarding.. watching people laughing together, talking together, eating together, and re-connecting was such a rewarding feeling. it did bring me great joy that everyone else was enjoying their time. some of us played games, some just talked, some played hide and seek, some walked around, and some played signs.. i thank the ranch for introducing that game to me.. we played till midnight and had so much fun.. the next morning we had breakfast and then a small service i tried to put together.. Stephen led worship for me, which was great and so helpful to me and then we did a small devotional on living a different story.. living like Caleb who stood out among the others who doubted the land that the Lord had promised them.. hopefully, it spoke to them as much as it spoke to me when i did the devo. i spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching football with Stephen :) for dinner i met on of my bestfriend's danielle and her family.. it was great to catch up with them. they were a 2nd family for me during my senior year of softball at liberty. this brings me to today, which is Taco's birthday! happy birthday Taco! we went snowboarding/ skiing for the day, which ended up being 2 hours because carly got hurt pretty bad. so we got vouchers for a free day later on, which is sweet because we got a few hours free of boarding.. it was almost like the Lord knew what we needed. i haven't sat and relaxed and just spent time reading/ spending time with the Lord in a while.. i have really been on the go for a week straight.. not to mention driving a lot. i don't want to look at this situation as a good one because it's not good she got hurt, but i like to look at it like good things can come from any situation. so the gang were all good sports about it and we decided to leave early. it's like we all needed some rest and down time.. man, Lord thank you so much for working all situations for your good and ours as well. may we always look for the good in every situation. up next is another busy week i am sure, but i know i will be getting more rest! i will make myself! :)

grace and peace,
beth.