Brooks' Baptism

This past Sunday we had the joy of watching our nephew, Brooks, be baptized at his church in Birmingham. It was a great time of being reminded of the blessing and responsibility of raising a child under the Lord. We love our family and we are probably the proudest aunt and uncle you could find. Above is a picture of us with Andrew's parents (Mr. James and Mrs. Libby), Patrick (Andrew's brother) and his wife Leslie, and then sweet Madelyn and Brooks!

On the other side of our family, we have some world travelers at the moment. My mom and sister are currently in Nicaragua with our church back home. They are working with a local school and also an orphanage. We can't wait to hear all their stories when they return! It was Mom's first flight ever and both of their first time out of the country. I was worried about how Dad would be getting along, but I called yesterday to find him eating a grilled steak, asparagus, and baked potato. I think he's fine!

Meanwhile, Andrew, Samford and I are enjoying are summer back in America... catching up with friends and family and getting prepared for the fall when all the students will be back! We can't wait to see them again!

The Nook

This past Friday night, Andrew and I had the pleasure of revisiting the place we first met: Camp Marannook! It truly was a joy as we both count our summers there as some of the best in our lives. The teaching we received, the friends we made, the values we solidified, the reality of the gospel were all priceless benefits of this brilliant place nestled away in the woods of Lafayette, Alabama (of all places!)

We were able to volunteer on Friday to help with the camper pick-up and the program/dinner thereafter. It was a blast! Stepping onto the trail that leads to Manna Deck feels just like stepping on my driveway at home in Kentucky... like I've never left. I was reminded, again, of how blessed those children are to attend and made a mental note to start saving for our future children to go!

It was also a blessing to reconnect with friends! Andrew got to visit with one of his best friends, Matthew (a fellow Murray State Racer, in fact!) who is a vital part in keeping the camp alive. And me... I had a real treat! Two girls that I had as campers for two summers in a row are now at the Nook as counselors! It made me feel old... but it also made me so proud of them to hear about how they are thriving there. The first thing they said as they ran up to me was "We are so thankful for you!" They went on to tell me the frustrations of trying to talk about the Lord with the girls as they in turn are more content talking amongst themselves about which boy is cuter. I had to laugh, and they did too, because they knew I had the same frustrations with them. My infamous line with Ramsey was always "Where is your focus?" and she said she had found herself using the phrase numerous times this summer!

It was fun to think of how Andrew and I were there together FIVE years ago (sounds like forever)... and we were just friends. We like to joke about what we would think if you told us five years ago that we would end up married. We would think you were joking.... funny how the Lord works. I'm totally glad He's in charge and not me!

... And after that we were off to my Old Kentucky Home! It was really great to visit with my family... we went because I thought I was saying goodbye to my old house, as they had put it on the market! However, the "Cottage" they were hoping to buy has been taken off the market (by a college student... don't get Mom started on it!) So it looks like for now we will return back to 138 Flint Rd. I'm happy with that. :)

Stop the bandwagon please, we'd like to join!

In the beginning there was email.... then there was the discovery of instant messenger, followed by the short-lived xanga craze and wrapped up by what I thought was the end-all: facebook. I was wrong! It seems that now the flavor of the week is a blog. And we have given in!

Actually, Andrew and I are very excited about what we hope will be a great way to keep all of our friends and family updated on our lives. We truly hope to be committed to this.... but that's what we said about our webpage, too. We'll see what happens!

So, a quick update: We are so glad to be back in America! We just spent six weeks in East Asia leading a summer project of 10 amazing students. Living in dorms, learning a new language, practicing our kung fu, and sharing the gospel with those who had never heard were the elements that made up our lives for the first part of our summer. We saw 5 students experience the love of Christ in salvation, and over 60 heard the full gospel! It was truly humbling to be a part of God's plan to make Himself known to every nation.

Not only did we grow in the Lord, we just had a ton of fun! Eating with chopsticks, getting stared at and feeling like movie stars, walking on the Great Wall, playing nerts every night, reading hilarious "translated in English" signs.... who could ask for more?

The whole gang on a field trip

The girls on our project

But now we are back in the USA... eating with forks and drinking tap water. We love the summer! We especially love weekends at the lake. This past weekend we had the joy of spending time with both of our families at the Harwell's lake house. My parents and Allie came down, as did Andrew's brother Patrick and his family (Leslie, Madelyn and Brooks). We had the best weekend skiing, tubing, eating, and even doing some crafts. We love our family and it's so fun to watch sweet Madelyn and Brooks grow. I love being "Aunt E"!

My favorite little girl, Madelyn