I'm dreaming of Camp. .

I'll admit it. .I'm living a bit vicariously through my sister Jenny right now. As I read her and Josh's updates about their experiences at Double H ranch in NY- I wish that I was there!! Double H ranch is a camp for critically ill children, 6-16 years old. At this camp, the staff strives and succeeds at giving kids the opportunity to have a summer camp experience and do things that they never thought that they would ever do before. For example, they had a special "inspiration week" for children on respirators, and they took them on horse carriage rides, swimming, etc. And all I can do as I read Jenny's accounts at camp is sigh and occasionally blurt out "I want to go!" or "I wish that I was there".
So Last night, I told Colin that I wanted to go and must go to Double H Ranch next summer. As we were standing in the home where Colin boards at,Julie, homeowner and former Double H camp counselor's eyes got as big as frisbees. She told me before that there are two things she would never trade for the world: her salvation, and her time at Double H Ranch. And as soon as I told Colin about the opportunities there are to talk to the kids one-on-one about Jesus, he was all for it.
So now, we have somewhat of a one year plan: Mozambique from October-December and camp from June-August. Sure, there's some gaps to fill in still- but that just makes life exciting!
But of course I should mention that I don't regret staying here in St Catharines at all. It's a good summer for me to work full-time and make money for the mission field. Plus, I wouldn't be able to plan for our wedding if I was at camp. However, at the same time, I despise the idea of people putting their lives on hold, to plan some ritzy wedding extravaganza. So, sometimes I have to remind myself of what's here in St Catharines like: Colin and I taking our "adopted" brothers and sisters on outings every week, our ministry at Scott Manor, kids connection,visiting my dad and friends in Windsor, Colin's brother Joe- in Toronto, my friends at Tim Hortons. . .stuff like that. And Colin and I will have the summer experience for sure, as we're in an arms reach of beaches, hiking trails, watermelon on sale,Toronto, Yard saling. But we don't want to just live for ourselves-we want to make an impact somewhere!
And we don't need to leave town to make an impact. So we will make the most of our time while we are. Colin and I have such an opportunity to reach out to a handful of families that we are already involved with. I would never want to take that forgranted- ever. So, here's to summer and here's to plenty of sand, plenty of sunscreen, a handful of kids who love us- and absolutely making the most of it.