Feel Good Friday ~ Some Good Worship!

I’d like to thank Laura, I mean, Erika (or so she says) from The Girl Next Door Grows Up for hosting Feel Good Friday! She holds this meme every Friday! She has 5 prompts from her original Feel Good Friday if you’d like to join in and link up.
The past week has been a whirlwind.

My boys met up with their aunts & uncles from IL and headed up to Aitkin, MN to spend the 4th of July with the extended family. Then on Monday the boys, their aunts & uncles, and grandma & grandpa headed to Canada for the week.

When they were gone to their sister’s for the weekend about 3 weeks ago, I thought those days lasted a month! Sheesh. This week has flown by. I asked my boss to schedule me as much as he wanted so I could keep my brain busy. Well, it worked. My boys will already be back in 2 days! WOW
My 2nd daughter had been gone just over a week at something called Training Camp for Royal Servants, a ministry of Reign Ministries.
Saturday was family day so we drove down there from Central Minnesota. Altogether, we drove 23 hours in 3 days. LOL It was crazy, but so worth it.
Smooch’s BFF is hysterical and had me laughing constantly. Baby drove, and terrified us, part way. Can’t even begin to tell you what that experience was like.

Now, if you are a Christian, you might recognize the song. I’m not sure of the name, but we called it “He Loves Us”. The words are easy for the chorus:
“He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves”

You can’t even begin to imagine how powerful it was to be in that huge tent with all these teenagers singing their hearts out to the Lord of their lives. They were singing with complete abandon.
I was so thankful to have been there to experience it. I love being with the youth. I used to be a Youth Leader at our church until my husband and I separated. They asked us to step down from leadership for a period of time. As hard as it was, it turned out to be perfect timing.
Being there, I can still tell my heart is towards teens. I would love to go back down there to help with Training Camp. What an awesome way that would be to serve these kids who are going into the world to serve the Lord.

Feel Good Friday ~ Smooch Is Heading To Training Camp

Laura at the girl next door grows up hosts the weekly Feel Good Friday. You are given 5 prompts to use each week. This week I've got lots to smile about! My oldest son, Buddy, turned 11. But the most exciting thing is about my girl.

So my 2nd daughter, Smooch (17, in the black shirt), is heading to Training Camp in S. IL this afternoon.

Training Camp for what you may ask?

Smooch is heading to India this July with Royal Servants, part of Reign Ministries. She will be gone July 5-31.

Training Camp is basically a boot camp for anyone going on a mission trip this summer with Royal Servants. From what I've heard, it's super intense, but amazing. Smooch enjoys taking daily showers. Well, she better enjoy stinking because their hygiene is tossed out the window for the week.

It's all good and very enriching. They will learn about the skits they will do, how to share the Gospel, etc. It really is a camp in every sense of the word! They stay in tents and use porta-potties, and get nice and nasty! Ah, the great outdoors!

When she is in India, they will be working with orphanages and schools. This will be so good for Smooch and the rest of the team. Royal Servants hasn't been to India in 10 yrs!

I'm excited and scared all at the same time.

I know that this is where God wants her to be. It's just not easy as a mom. I've seen the Lord provide through friends & family the over $4000 to take this trip. Those funds were raised in about 4 months. I figured with this recession, there'd be no way. But, He provided and she's going. Even tonight as she was getting packed, a gal down the road that Smooch has babysat for brought her money for the trip! Isn't that spectacular?

Over 4th of July weekend, Baby and I will be heading down to S. IL for Family Day. We'll get to see her one more time before she leaves. We're hoping Smooch's BFF will be going with us, but with work one never knows.

If you are so inclined, I would be more than happy to have you praying for her while she is at training camp and in India. My prayer will be that Smooch comes home with a heart that is healed and ready to be loved.

God's will be done!

Nationals In California ~ Feel Good Friday

Just over a month ago I announced on a Feel Good Friday that my 17 yr old daughter and her team had won the State competition in their division for Business Professionals of America!!

Well, she flew out on Wednesday with the team and instructor to California. They competed today, Thursday. Now I think they have tomorrow to do whatever they want. I believe during these 4 days they'll be going to Disneyland and Universal Studios.

The last time my daughter went to Disneyland she was about 4 yrs old. We had a really good time. The weather was gorgeous and the girls had some great character encounters. I wonder if she'll bother this time without mom saying, "Wow, look, there's Ariel, go stand next to her Smooch so I can take my 100th picture of the hour." I can only hope!!

I would love it if you would pray for my daughter and the team while they're gone. Please pray they'd be safe while traveling and that they'd have a great time no matter the results. If they win my prayer is that they will be ecstatic yet humble. If they don't make it in the top whatever that they would be proud of what they have accomplished!

Saturday is the day they find out what the results are. I'm not sure if the instructor will find out ahead of time like they do for Regionals and State. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! I'm proud of my girl no matter what!