The Calm Before the Storm

They tell us that it is the calm before the storm here. Retreat groups start today, and it will only get busier from here on out. So we should enjoy the relative quiet and calmness of this morning and afternoon, because it won't last!! Today is the first cloudy day this week. And interestingly enough, it is the day the work team working on the girls bath house returns home. They worked super hard. Some of the men were up at 4am!! The men did the lifting and gluing, tearing out the old and putting in the new, etc. and the women cleaned and scrubbed until their hands were red (and then some). God gave them perfect weather to work in while they were here. They were a huge blessing to Echo Ranch and to us personally. God even used them to answer an unspoken desire of my heart! When we left our home in Missouri, I wasn't really all that sad about leaving OUR things but I was upset by having to leave the boys favorite toys that were too big to pack, like their push cars and "bike". While the team was here, they asked what we wished we could have brought with us, and we told them about the push cars and bike. As a gift to us, they want to purchase ones for us to use here. I started crying when they told me. I can't describe how special that is to me. They also watched the boys so that Josh and I could spend some precious time together. We got to walk along the beach and explore the camp a little more, which was fun. So thank you Lakewood EFC in Baxter, MN!! God definitely used you to encourage and inspire us!!