dumpster visits

It's overwhelming to even try to catch up on the blog time that i've lost.

you see, my laptop adapter drowned in sewage water, so i hadn't been able to use my laptop.

and it's just not the same, uploading pics and using someone else's laptop to blog.

so i usually just avoid it, unless i get to use my mac.

Ryan ordered a new adapter and I got it yesterday!

so now, i'll just catch you up on the last couple of days.

The past few days have consisted of moving our stuff out of the apartment, hauling it to the recycle center, and throwing it away.

Needless to say, it's been an emotional ride.

There's something about throwing away things that i love and still use (used?),

that kinda makes my throat all tight, and maybe a tear here and there.

especially when i go back to the house, and it's empty.

and smelly.

I've been reminded numerous times the past few days

what a blessing I have in a husband.

He knows exactly how to comfort me.

and then how exactly to cheer me up.

he keeps reminding me that those are all just things.

and replaceable.

but it still kinda pained me to look at the pile of garbage at the dump,

and see the blanket I made for Ryan while we were dating,

or the purses my mom and sisters got me,

or the couch that we just bought.

and those things just did not belong on that pile.

they looked out of place.

it'll be a slow process of getting everything back to normal.

we'll be back in our house after the carpet is replaced and everything is decontaminated.

could be a while.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!

(should have been posted on July 27th, but due to the fact that I just recieved a brand new cord for my laptop, i can now blog!)

I love you and all the fun you bring to my life.

I love that you are so stylish.

I love that you look SO young (and apparently, passed that gene on to us!)

I love that you love daddy so much, and showed us that.

I miss you and wish I could have been with you on your birthday!

count it all joy

well, here are some quick pics i took of the apartment when it was flooded with sewer water.

i never thought I'd wake up with Storm Lake in my home.

most of these pics were taken after the pumps were put in to take the water out.

imagine it before all the pumps got there.

everything in the closets, under our beds, all those things, are gone.

if you look closely, you can see the toilet still gushing out the water. it was coming out of of the toilet and the shower drain. there was nastiness floating everywhere.

most of the things in the living room we have to throw away.

because it was all in contaminated poopy water.

the electronics were saved, but all their cords were fried.

ryan got shocked a couple times unpluggin all the electronics.

in the bedroom especially, the water was warm because of the electric currents going through the water.

Praise the Lord we didn't get hurt by the electricity.

i think it's hitting me more and more than the next time I got home, we won't have hardly anything.

in fact, we are kinda starting from scratch, with less that what we had before we came here.

and yes, it makes me sad.

but I can't help but acknowledge that God is still in control.

and He is still so great.

and it's not as bad as what others might have experienced.

and we have a place to sleep and places to eat.

God provides for our needs all the time.

and He's also the one that decides exactly what those needs are.

and we're willing and wanting God to work in our lives.

Even if it's taking some things too.

here are some pics after they got the water out. the house is in disarray.

count it all joy.

count it all joy.

count it all JOY.

reasons to praise the Lord

there are many reasons today is memorable.

one reason:

first time ever in my life, that I woke up in the morning, put my feet on the floor to get out of bed, and heard a splash, finding out that we had about 8 inches of water in our bedroom, and then opening our bedroom door to find our entire apartment flooded...with sewer water.

another reason:

we realized how much of the stuff that we have purchased over our almost one year of life together, is destroyed from all the sewer water that invaded our home.

we've got to pitch most of our things.

everything else that we own that wasn't contaminated with poopy water is now in our car and in the church's office.

but the best reason:

i think i will choose to remember this day because it is the day that Luis asked Jesus into his life today.

we hadn't seen him for a couple days (usually we see him every day) and he climbed into our car and said, "i have something to tell you."

then he got shy.

his brother told him, "c'mon, tell them what happened!"

So luis looked up, said, "last night, when I got home, I asked Jesus to wash away all my sins."

Praise Jesus!

He'd been asking questions the past couple weeks, and since Bible Camp, he had been praising Jesus through the songs that he learned and remembering the lessons I'd taught from camp. He'd talk about the different colors that we'd learned and the gospel message.

It was cool. Ryan and I have been praying and praying for him.

and on his own, last night/early this morning (it was after midnight), he decided on his own in his house, to ask Jesus into his life.

July 22, 2010.

Happy birthday luis!

Please join us in praying for him! we're so excited about this decision!

His brother is aware that he has not asked Jesus into his life...he's not ready yet.

so you can also keep praying for him and their sister.

but praise the Lord for this lil guy and his excitement to know Jesus:)

what to do

Camp is over.

I feel kinda...free.

after a year of planning, praying, and preparing, it's over and there I've got nothing on the agenda until school starts!

I'm trying to figure out what to do with my time now that it's over.

But it's been kinda great just hanging out with my husband and the kids, with nothing on my chest to plan for! Since the weeks before camp, things were crazy in our house with camp material everywhere.

Right now, i'm gonna work on a couple things.

i'm trying to figure out how to really deep clean my floor.

With the kids coming in and out of the house, shoes or no shoes, the kitchen floor has a consistent sticky feel to it.

they like to slide across the floor, dance in the kitchen, do handstands, eat, drink, and do all that fun stuff there.

My swiffer is not doing what it should be doing, no matter how many times a day i run that things over the floor. it doesn't seem to help.

so, i'm moving up to an actual mop.

and then down to my hands and knees.

i really don't mind.

i enjoy the cleanliness of the house for the few hours of the day that the kids aren't here.

the other thing this week is this lil man,

is determined to learn how to swim.

because he wants to go down a certain slide at the water park that goes into deeper water.

and he wants to jump off a diving board without a life vest.

so this week we'll be practicing.

let's see, something else that's been happening...

the Bible Camp made it to the front page of the Storm Lake Times.

which was really pretty cool.

We have no idea how they heard about the Bible Camp.

some one told me that when the Times heard about the Bible Camp, they dropped the other story they were working on and hurried on over to take pictures.

however, we weren't too happy with the title "BAPTIST CAMP" on the front.

because, well, it wasn't a BAPTIST camp at all.

it was a BIBLE CAMP, all our volunteers were from churches and denominations from all over the area.

that's what made it unique and a definite Bible Camp.

some that we have talked to said that people in this area are used to titling things by denomination. and since it was taking place at the baptist church, that's why it was label as such.

i don't know. i'm not used to all these labels of denominations.

Born again, Bible Believing. Saved by Grace.

I'll leave it at that:).

but on the inside of the paper were more pictures.

and for some reason, it was called a Bible Camp on the inside.

we thought the pictures were really pretty sweet:).

I think back, and I get excited.

God is really so amazing.

super mario, luigi, and baby mario debut

this video clip was too cute to not show you.

i needed an object lesson for Green day-growing in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

these boys were more than willing to be the actors.

what enthusiastic lil men they are.

so let me present, Super Mario, Luigi, and Baby Mario in

"Best Friends...Forever??"

Green

What a great last day of camp.

I can't express how amazed I am at the way God works.

It was a smooth day transitioning, from ceremony to games to crafts and snacks, to lessons and closing.

WOW.

I can't believe that a year of planning for this camp is all over.

Here are some pics from this beautiful last day of camp.

it was quite an effort, but we got the entire camp of campers, snack people, drivers, crafts people, and counselors in this one big picture.

before you look at this picture, remember that we belong to a church with only one child in the congregation.

and that child did not even come to Bible Camp.

and look at the evidence of God working in this town.

He brought this group together for the week.

Isn't it incredible???

5 churches are represented here as well...the body of Christ working together is such a privilege.

Our stage game had to do with our counselors racing to drink all their juice out of the babysitter's baby bottle.

We had one last day of outdoor water games.

"may i get you wet, Princess Peach?" (how polite, he asked before spraying.)

crafts with Pikachu

our lil campers.

here's one of the songs from today:

today, i was sick with a cold, cough, and sneezing.

i did not think i could last the day, but it was so cool getting the energy to finish through. i prayed about that.

after camp, a couple of the counselors came over to our place to hang out until we met up with

a family whose kids went to our camp.

they wanted to do something special for the counselors, and invited us to a picnic at the Kingspoint park.

it was so cool to sit and talk with this family-we wouldn't have met them if it weren't for Bible Camp! They were great!

they cooked TONS of food for us.

it was incredible and so sweet of them.

I told Luis he could bring one friend to the picnic with us, and we brought his buddy with us, jang, who was a great camper and good listener.

but they ended up having a bunch of their friends from school there, and they even got someone to letthem borrow their lil boat.

we ended up playing a bunch of games with the kids, talking with the parents, and the kids even requested we sing some of the camp songs.

it was a long, crazy, but fun day.

I am so thankful.

God so evidently worked this week in our church, community, and in my heart.

Praise God for a successful week of worship and serving Him.