Two weeks ago, we made a drive up to New Jersey for our Uncle's (Dad's brother) wedding.  Drove through the night on Thursday, arrived on Friday morning, and left Monday night.  A whirlwind extended weekend!  We hadn't been to NJ since 2007, so it was fun to see everyone again.

We started in Newton, NJ.  BEAUTIFUL country scenery.  When you're out of the dirty city that most people associate New Jersey (and New York) with, it's really a gorgeous state.  Newton had lots of land, hills, mountains, farmhouses, etc.

On Friday afternoon, we went to the rehearsal at the Walpack Inn.  This was one of the first weekends since summer that it wasn't raining.  Praise God!! 

 

Uncle Steve and Aunt Helen rehearsing.   <also "caught" a newlywed couple >

 It was reallllllllly bright, so the pictures don't accurately depict the beauty of our surroundings.

I was hoping the landscaping in the background would be crisp, but it was so bright and I'm not sure what setting our camera was on.  Oh well. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saturday at noon was the wedding.  It was a beautiful day.  Nice and cool, sunny, perfect.

 

Reception area 

The out-of-this-world menu. 

We four had the privilege of playing our instruments for the wedding.  We had fun practicing in our hotel room the night before.    Aunt Helen walked in to Canon in D, the special instrumental music was Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and the recessional was Jon Schmidt's All of Me. 

During the ceremony (when we weren't playing), I found myself looking at the mountains with the coloring trees.  I had never played the piano/keyboard in such a setting.  Loved it! 

There were lots of animal heads and bodies at this place.  haha!! 

 

 

Finally...a family picture.    Still bright...hoping the photographer's picture is a little better.  But we all really love this photo.

Missy danced the afternoon away.  She danced with her siblings, the bride and groom, and even a 90-year-old man.  I think she made his day. 

 

At certain times of the day, the people at the Walpack Inn put out food for the deer and bears.  We only got to see the deer.   

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On Sunday morning, we went over to Uncle Steve and Aunt Helen's house for a brunch.  They didn't go on their honeymoon (to Africa) until that Tuesday, so they hosted a family gathering.

Gorgeous view.  Their house actually backs up to the Applalachian Trail! 

Uncle Steve's daughter and son (with wife and twins) came.  The babies were definitely the center of attention.  

 

Wescott side of the family and then all the cousins. 

Uncle Steve and Aunt Helen's family. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saturday afternoon, we headed to Grandma and Pop-pop's house in Wayne.  Pop-pop has been in the hospital for several weeks now.  He wasn't at the wedding and family gatherings and was *greatly* missed.  Dad and us older four visited him on Sunday before heading to our next destination.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Marianna was excited to be sleeping in Dad's (or uncle's) old bed. 

 

Some pics across the street from Grandma and Pop-pop's house 

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On Monday, we drove to North Arlington to visit Mom's Uncle Eddie.  We saw New York City from a hill.  SO CLOSE!!!!!!!  We had really hoped to tour the city for a day, but because Pop-pop was in the hospital and we wanted to see him, that changed our plans.  One day we'll make it there.  We have a number of friends and family who actually work/live in NYC.  When we finally make it up there, we have our tour guides AND lodging all set for us.    It was fun seeing it from a distance this time, though!

With Uncle Eddie!!  We had a good time catching up with him.  

After visiting Uncle Eddie, we made our way to Old Bridge to have dinner with Aunt Margaret, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Maria, Uncle Mark, and Mark.

NOT a fan of tolls. 

We literally drove right by NYC while on the NJ turnpike. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

We had such a great time at dinner with Mom's side of the family.

 

Before we had arrived, we stopped off at Mazur's Bakery in North Arlington.  An *authentic* bakery.    Boy, was that stuff gooOOood!

 

Aunt Lisa, Mom's high school friend, joined us later that evening too.  It was fun seeing her!

 

Wescott's and Daly's.

We left that night and arrived back home around 11am on Tuesday.  Just in time to get a little rest (ha!) before heading back to school and work on Wednesday.    It was a great trip and we wished we had a little longer there.  Until next time!

 

NOW we are in the middle of birthdays.  Dad, Jen, Mom, Bethany...and an anniversary.  Lots going on!  Lots of pictures, lots of food, lots of shopping, lots of  "what do you want for your birthday so I can give it to you tonight when we celebrate?"    Celebrating Dad's tonight!

 

 

 

 

Missy joined the ranks at the Patriot Club on Wednesday nights.  She loves it and is doing an excellent job learning her weekly verses.  Marianna is a great help.    Both girls are memorizing Psalm 121, one verse each week. 

 

It was a let's-have-a-picnic-in-the-back-of-our-pick-up-truck kind of day last week!  The girls love finding places to eat other than the kitchen table.....including Daddy's office, the deck, the grass, and of course the truck.

Missy was in a colorful mood when she asked me to paint her nails.   

()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()

 

Jennifer and Bethany had their last intermural game two nights ago.  They got to the championship!!!  Both of them absolutely loved playing with their team. 

 

Mom, Christopher, and the little girls went to watch one of their games on Monday night.

 

Good job team!!

()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()

This past weekend, I went to visit my long-time friend Grace.  I took the train (SOOO much nicer than the plane I took to Florida in June!!) and stayed from Friday-Sunday.  It was so nice to catch up on life, play with her little boy, and just hang out and talk with Grace and her husband, Sebron.  So thankful for their friendship!

J-man 

 

Us with Jancsi after dinner.  He's such a happy baby!! 

 

 

On Sunday afternoon before I left, we went for a hike at a nearby park.  Soooo beautiful and so much fun!!  

 

 

 

()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()

 

Last night, we had our friend Alyssa over for dinner.  She and her husband moved here from Canada right after getting married last year to work at a church down the road from us.  We've enjoyed getting to know them the past year.  Because of some visa complications, they are having to go home to Canada this week.  We all were hoping something could be worked out so they could stay here, but God has other plans.  We don't know where God will lead them to next, but it's certain they must return to Canada. 

 

We played some Dutch Blitz after dinner and had a fun time sitting in the family room later talking and eating our dessert. 

When Alyssa's husband Jesse came to pick her up, we chatted for a bit and *had* to get one last group picture.  We will definitely miss them but are also excited to see what's in store for them next.  

()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()

Some thoughts.....

Running away from one's problem(s) is like running away from a burning building with friends/family/people still inside. Running away does not get rid of the problem...nor the people who are involved either by choice or by circumstance. We need to face the problem(s), however difficult that might be for you and possibly others. We need to face the people we need to speak with. We can only run for so long.

There are many examples of running away:

-Telling a lie

-Cutting off communication with someone withot an explanation

-Having an abortion

-Leaving home for rebellious reasons

-Ignoring God and other wise influences

 

And those are just a few examples.

How many of us are guilty of running away from a problem?  I'm sure we all are, in one way or another, Whether or not we run from different situations or people and for different 'reasons,' running away is never the answer.  It doesn't resolve anything.  There may be times something cannot be resolved, but running away should never be an option.  In the end, it hurts the people involved, including the one running.

- - - - -

How often are we involved in sin and show no evidence of repentance, yet desire that God would deliver us from the consequences? It's amazing how creative sinners can be in rationalizing sin when we want to justify our own way. We must ask ourselves where we are compromising God's definition of good and evil in order to be acceptable in the eyes of the unbelieving world.

I think a book (or an article, at least!) could be written on the above statement.  So very convicting, yet sadly very true in our culture today.

- - - - -

Do I blame God, defy Him, and taunt Him by PRETENDING to want to see His plan, yet REFUSING my part in it?

We need to rid ourselves of selfishness when we pray and ask God for something.  Otherwise, we won't be able to fully follow God and His leading, especially when His leading is different than we thought it might be.  He could be making His way clear before us, but we can be blinded by our selfishness and wanting what WE want.  What a tragedy!

- - - - -

Your response and attitude (spoken or unspoken) towards other people reflects your response and attitude towards God. Likewise, when you distance yourself from God, the Bible, church, and Christian/godly people, you lose discernment.

How much of my time is spent on worldly matters (that have absolutely no eternal value and can do more damage than good) rather than focusing on God?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hope you are enjoying this fall season!!!  We sure are.

 

 

Who wouldn't want their breakfast brought to them in bed, on a tray complete with flowers and a personal name tag?  Marianna loves making breakfast for people.  She went the extra mile last week and made it into a special event for Missy.  It was so sweet!  She wanted to use my bed, so I was told do.not.make.your.bed. 

Sweet sisters 

 

I've started doing monthly Saturday theory classes. The first one was a success.  I think everyone had fun, especially when I had the girls and boys split up for a competition.  I already have kids asking me when the next "note club" is going to be.  =)

 

We had originally scheduled a baptistm at our house on Labor Day, but since it rained, we did it the week after.  The weather was absolutely perfect...couldn't have been better!  We ended up having about 80 people at our house for the baptism and cookout.  So much fun! 

 

Everything's all set for the crowd! 

 

We had this *brilliant* idea to put a bunch of chairs and tables from church into our pick-up truck and use at our gathering.  Not sure why we've never thought of that before.  (lol)

Marianna getting baptized

  

Marianna has admitted she's a sinner, believes in Jesus Christ...that He was perfect, died for her sins, and rose again, and has accepted Him as her Lord and Savior.  Her baptism was a public showing of her faith in Jesus Christ.

 

 

After the baptism, we had lots of food.    A lot of us played soccer for hours, while others played basketball, swam, or just talked.  There was so much activity! 

 

Ze chef 

 

Soccer 

 

 

Marianna, Marshall, Jonathan, and Noah were all baptized. 

 

 

Marianna and her special friend, Emily. 

^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^

Jennifer and Bethany took pictures of each other one afternoon.  Jen wanted some pictures of her hair before she gets it cut.

 

 

 

 

 

Seesters 

They are mistaken for twins all the time now.  Or someone will be talking to one, thinking they're talking to the other.  We haven't noticed resemblance until just recently.  But I don't think they look alike enough to get them confused...apparently people think otherwise and have a difficult time telling them apart.  haha! 

Right before heading out to school.  They actually matched on purpose.  Imagine that!  Kinda cute, huh? 

 

Off they go!

*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*

Missy is doing an excellent job with her school.  She is reading!!!  Can't believe our 5-year old is doing "big girl" school work now.

 

 

The girls love having tea parties.  They'll do one for breakfast, lunch, or for a snack.  They go all out, using a fancy tablecloth, Mom's nice china, and a candle. 

^**^*^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^

Last Thursday night, we girls met with some other girls for an evening of dessert and games.  We had so much fun playing Mad Gab and Apples to Apples. 

Mad Gab

Here's one some Camp Good News staff came up with.  See if you can figure it out:

The cod leash, Al's, of her purse (a cue shun).

A lovely evening with lovely girls  

^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^**^

{the continuation and conclusion of my notes from camp chapel time on the armor of God}

 

The Belt of Truth

-The first piece of armor (protective equipment) a soldier would put on. 

-Was used to tie up garments so they wouldn't get in the way.

*The Belt prepares one to be ready for action.

*The call to have "your loins girt about with truth" is a call to be prepared.

*Christians always need to be ready to defend themselves against the Devil's schemes.

~~>John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

~~>John 18:37-38 (everyone that is of the truth hears the voice of Jesus)

*We can be prepared in every circumstance by making certain we are people of truth.  That includes knowing the Good News of Jesus, explaining why we blieve in Him, and living as people of integrity...as people whyo are honest and trustworthy.

*The truth will set you free, but it may first get under your skin.

*How much does the truth matter to you?

*~*~*~TRUTH~*~*~*

Take a look ^^at that word^^.  What's in the middle?  That's right...."U."  That's where we need to be.

 

The Breastplate of Righteousness

-Protected a soldier's vital organs.

*God offers His OWN righteousness to every believer in Christ Jesus. {Romans 10:4-1}

*I have done all the sinning, and Jesus has done all the saving. {Romans 4:3-5}

~~>Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

*I am not righteous, but I have Righteous on, and His name is Jesus. Putting the Breastplate of Righteousness will help protect us from the Devil's attacks.

 

The Shoes of Peace

-Marching was an essential part of a soldier's life.

-Even before the Roman era, the breaking of a soldier's shoe was a metaphor for weakness or defeat.  {Isaiah 5:27-28}

-Roman soldiers were so closely identified by their shoes that they were known as "boot men."

-Without shoes, a Roman soldier could not maintain his stand against the enemy.

~~>I Corinthians 3:11 "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which was Jesus Christ."

*The Gospel of Peace is the good news that WE (as believers) can have peace with God. {I Corinthians 15:1-4}

~~>Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news..."

*Jesus is the Gospel of Peace.

~~>Romans 5:1 "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, throgh our Lord Jesus Christ."

*Am I at peace with God?  Are you?

 

The Sword of the Spirit

~~>Ephesians 6:17 "Take...the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God."

*The Sword is the only offensive weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6, used to defeat the enemy.{John 1:1}{Hebrews 4:12}

*When Jess was tempted by the Devil, He sed Scripture to answer and the Devil left Him. {Matthew 4:4, 7, 10}

Challenge: If my Bible (and all access to it) was taken away, how much of the BIble would I know/remember?

 

The Shield of Faith

-The Roman soldier carried his sword on his right side so he could easily take it out.

-The shield described by Paul was intended to be used incompany with others.

-The regular Roman shield was made for use in the tortoise formation (closing the gaps).

-The Roman shield was four feet high and nearly three feet wide.

*The Shield of Faith can protect us from envy, anger, temptation, discouragement, etc.

*Having the Shield of Faith=knowing God's Word and holding up the Truth against lies.

~~>Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

*How to strengthen my faith: Knowing and believing the Bible.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

*Challenge: Do you believe God is telling the truth?  Do you think God cares about your small problems?  Does God have big problems??

 

*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^

I thought about using this as our header......but I don't think seeing this at the beginning of our blog would....ahem....encourage people to scroll down.  Or maybe it would?  haha!  "Who are these crazy-looking people?" might be reason to look/read further.  Anyhow, I think I'll keep it from the top. 

 

 

Seventeen years ago, on September 24th, a boy was added to our family.  Christopher Timothy Wescott was...and still is...the only boy born to our family.  What he didn't know at the time of his birth--or for many years..ha!!--was that he'd get some of the BEST training as to how to be a great husband and father in the future.    

People often say "Oh poor guy...stuck in a house full of women." I guess Dad doesn't count.  Or they'll ask "Do they give you a hard time?"  That's when we give him the you-better-say-no-or-I'll-tackle-you-when-we-are-not-in-the-public's-eye look.  Kidding!!  <mostly>    We get along well and love hanging out together.  Christopher is a great friend and we have fun laughing and making memories together.

Christopher is AWESOME at playing the violin, baseball, and soccer.  We love cheering him on at games and attending his orchestra's concerts.  He's a very hard worker and is very down-to-earth.  He's also great with kids.  Christopher shared the Gospel with several children/adults this past summer and is a great person kids can look up to.

 

Christopher has convictions and stands by them.  He doesn't give in to peer pressure.  Christopher is a true gentleman.  And he's as genuine as they come.  He doesn't open doors for us at stores or restaurants to impress other people.  He doesn't open the car doors for us because he thinks he's better than anyone else.  It's just him.  Some girl is going to be very blessed to have him one day.  But in the mean-time, we'll enjoy the perks of having an awesome brother. 

 

A new tradition-personalizing the birthday table 

 

Kitchen helpers.  Gettin' Christopher's birthday dinner prepared!  We celebrated his birthday a day early since our whole family would be home together long enough to do the birthday dinner, cake, AND presents. 

 

Cooking dinner and baking dessert.  I asked Christopher if I could make him a cake, and he was fine with that idea.  I had to have a backup plan in case it didn't come out (ice cream sandwhiches and whipped cream were a safe alternative...lol!).  I made a marble bunt cake and home-made icing.  It came out so well!!  *whew*

 

Mom with the birthday boy and Marianna & I decorating the cake. 

 

 

Christopher requested southern fried chicken for dinner.  Mom makes some killer fried chicken.  She added lots more to the menu....salad, garlic bread, veggies, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.  It was definitely a feast!! 

 

 

Happy Birfday!  

 

Opening presents! 

 

Christopher got some neat presents from his younger sisters, including home-made pictures, princess puzzles, and Pooh Bear coloring books.

Watching our brother open presents.....and acting goofy whenever we got the chance. 

Like I said... 

Aaaaahhhh!!!  He has a PHONE!  We've already told him "Do NOT give your number to girls."  We'll see how long that lasts.   I'm already 'guilty' of giving some friends (girls) his number so they could text him Happy Birthday.   

 

The morning of his birthday, Christopher had a soccer game.  It ended up getting rained ot a few minutes into the game, but at least he got his team picture.

 

Christopher with friend, Joseph

There's nothing better on a rainy day than fresh, home-made banana bread!

 

 Later on, we all went out for a Taco Bell lunch.  Christopher mentioned that we didn't need to sing to him there.  Haha!!!  That's like telling a hyper puppy to sit still.  Of course we sang to him!  And it's a good thing, too....because one of the Taco Bell employees heard us and gave Christopher a free apple fritter thing for free. 

 

 

Practicing for an upcoming wedding 

UNCC team spirit!!!  We got a group together to go to UNCC to watch the soccer game.  It was something Christopher wanted to do and it turned into a really fun evening.  We girls had fun wearing our school's colors. 

UNCC students/alumni!! 

 

At the soccer game 

We won 2-0! 

 

Lots of fun.  Lots of silliness.  Lots of laughter. 

 

The day after Christopher's birthday, he had an outdoor orchestra concert.  All of us (except Dad, who was working) went to the park to watch him.

 

Mom...completely oblivious the camera was focused on her until the 3rd picture. haha! 

On-lookers  

 

 

Dark skies.......that dropped a torrential downpour on everyone sitting there.  We.were.completely.soaked.to.the.skin.  Utterly drenched.  But hey, there were puddles for us to jump in afterwards!

 

Flooding

Happy Birthday, Christopher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We love you!!!!!!!

 

 

"Never think that you are close enough to God.  Or that you know enough about the Bible.  Or that you have served enough."  -discussion from a Bible study

Bekah's shower at the Martin house.  A couple girls that we've worked with at camp drove as far as 3 hours to come to the shower.  It was so nice to be all together again!

  

Me and Jancsi.  He's gotten so big since the last time I saw him! 

Me, J-Man, and Grace

  

 

Missy and Marianna love babies and had fun playing with Jancsi. 

 

Grace and I have been friends since she was 12 and I was 9.  So glad our friendship has continued through the years!  She lives three hours away and is busy with two babies (one of her own and one she nannies)...but we still take time to communicate when possible.  Thankful for that!

  

A little summer muddin'!  Christopher went mudding with some friends and is still not sure how much he enjoyed it.  lol!  We girls totally would have gone if we were in town.  We were bummed me missed it. 

 

At a friend's wedding. 

 

It was time to change Christopher's "boy room" into a "young man room."    A new bedroom set was in order!!  The bunk bed is gone and a queen sized bed has taken residence.  The room is still a work in process since we still don't have a mattress for him. But Christopher is using the empty bed to his advantage...it's a great little area to practice violin!!  LOL!! 

 

New furniture pieces

Spontaneous get-togethers with special friends are the best!  The McGarty's came over last week for ice cream sundaes and chat time.    Call us weird, but we piled into my closet to talk...kinda like going into a treehouse.....right?.....maybe?   

Marianna's first time playing soccer!!!  She's had one game so far and loved it. 

 

 

Marianna tried to give several of the girls high-fives while playing.  So cute! 

 

Missy, the on-looker and phone photographer. 

 

Older fans  

 

 

 

Christopher is playing soccer this season, too.  He's really good!!  We always enjoy his games. 

 

* * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Armor of God.  {Part I}

Ephesians 6:10-18

~The Helmet of Salvation~

I want to write out some of the notes I took over the summer from Mr. Dennis' evening chapel times on the Armor of God.  The first piece of armor he taught on was the Helmet of Salvation.  Many, many years ago, a Roman soldier's helmet was bronze or iron that was lined with a sponge.  The helmet protected the soldier's head from injury.

II Corinthains 10:3-5 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

The first thing we need to remember is that it's not OUR armor...it's God's armor that he's given us access to and has told us to put on.  It points to God's ultimate victory over the forces of evil.  Jesus' death and resurrection from the dead provides all believers with freedom from the bondage of sin.  Belief in Jesus results in eternal life in Heaven. 

There are TWO kinds of believers: Real believers & make-believers.

James 2:14 "What does it profit a man, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith?"

It's not enough to just say we believe in the Lord Jesus.  We need to show it.  Live it out.  Proclaim Christ to others!  It's not always easy and may result in (forms of) persecution from others.  But when our focus is on the eternal, what difference does it make how others think about and treat us?

Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through (by means of) our Lord Jesus Christ."

God doesn't want to ultimately save us from the Devil (though He provides the armor to help protect and defend ourselves from the Devil and his ways).....He wants to save us from His holy wrath.  (I had never thought of it that way before) He is a just God and has made known the punishment for sin AND the way to have our punishment for sin removed.  Jesus has already paid the price for our sins...He's endured the punishment!!! But in order for us to receive the free gift of salvation and be exempt from enduring our punishment (that we all deserve, but that Jesus has already taken so we don't have to!), we need to accept Christ as our Savior...put our faith and trust in Him.  Repent. Confess.  Admit that we are wrong.  Believe in Jesus Christ.  Choose to accept Him and reign in our life.

Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

*SAVED from God's wrath, the punishment for sin....Hell.*

For people who have not repented of their sins and received God's free gift of salvation, the only thing keeping them from God's wrath (Hell) is the fact that they are still breathing.  That may sound harsh, but it's the truth...which is why we are passionate about sharing the Gospel.  If this sounds harsh, what will eternity be like for those who didn't accept Christ??  This point really hit home for a lot of the girls at camp and sparked great conversations with them.

Romans 10:9 "If you declare with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

 JESUS is the Helmet of Salvation.  But it's a voluntary action on each individual's part to put that Helmet on.

So our tree is FINALLY in the back in our fire pit.  It was an all-afternoon job to get it back there. 

 

Daddy and his little helpers 

 

Getting higher and higher 

 

 

 

Charlie, the dog we sit sometimes, kept the house safe while the others did the tree.  

A little friend 

 

Jason came over to help move the tree.  Thanks Jason!! 

Letting the snake go.  They put it in the field across the street from our house. 

All gone!! 

 

Imagine the fire we'd have if we burned this now! 

I spy Buddy. 

 

Job completed.....

.....and just in time.  It rained that night and the next day.

 

CEF and Camp Good News Summer Recap 2011

 

As I reflect on our summer, I’m amazed at how much went on!!  Can’t believe it’s already September…so crazy.  It was a wonderful summer and I’ll just give a “short” recap of it here with a few pictures (there are literally thousands between us and our friends who took pictures...it was hard narrowing it down to "just a few" ).  There is also SO MUCH I could write about…there’s just not enough time or room.  I’ll try to just touch on the highlights. 

 

 

We four older kids participated with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) again.  Our family has been a part of this ministry since 2005 and we love it.  Since we’ve done it for so long, we three girls were interns again, helped with teaching the students at our state-wide training in Asheville, and did the demo clubs for the staff and students.  There were 26 summer missionaries from here in Charlotte, which is amazing since last year we only had 5.  Praise God for providing people who wanted to share the Gospel with boys and girls all around Charlotte and Asheville!!

 

 

 

2009                                                                         2010

2011

Our new traditional Wescott pose 

 

 

 

5-Day Club and weekend outreach

  

After our eleven-day training in Asheville, all the summer missionaries went to their cities and did 5-Day Clubs.  In addition to doing an outreach in a nearby town, we did 5-Day clubs all throughout Charlotte and its outskirts…Weddington, Waxhaw, Monroe, Lancaster, and others.  The environments of our clubs ranged from Salvation Army Boys and Girls clubs, daycares, and nice clubhouses to neighborhood houses and an abandoned strip complete with bullet holes!!  Every single club was different.  At some clubs, we got there and the kids were already gathered and ready for us.  At other clubs, we would go door-to-door inviting the children.  The age groups we taught ranged from 2 years to 18 years (not at the same time, of course).  You read that right.  It’s not easy teaching such a wide age range with basically the same materials, but God helped us through it and we were able to *adjust* to all ages so everyone enjoyed and understood what we taught.  We weren't about to tell some of the places "We don't do teens. We're only trained for 8-12 year olds."  Not happening.  They need to hear the Gospel, too!!  Some of those groups were the most responsive too!

 

 

Jennifer sharing the Gospel with a parent at an outreach

 

5-Day Club with a teen group

 

 

Bethany with Mr. Gower (wonderful older man) and Jennifer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the abandoned strip.  We did a club in a former barber shop (the one with the door open in the middle). 

 

 

 

The Charlotte Chapter shared the Gospel with over 1,500 children this summer.  Praise the Lord!!!  My prayer right now is that the children in those 5-Day Clubs would remember what we taught and that they would give their lives to the Lord and live for Him.  God allowed us to plant seeds, and while we will not know the outcome of each child’s life, I know God can use the seeds that were planted this summer and use them in the children’s lives, whether it be now or later.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

*Camp Good News*

 

After three weeks of 5-Day Clubs, our whole family headed up to Asheville again to be the cooks for Camp Good News.  We girls have been counseling at Camp Good News (CGN) since 2007, and I can testify that those are my favorite weeks of the entire year.  CGN does six weeks of camp.  Three weeks for boys (teens, 10-12 yrs, and 7-9 yrs) and three weeks for girls (same age groups).  I am so glad our whole family got to go up to cook for the 7-9 yr boys’ week (the third week of camp).  It was SO MUCH FUN and a blessing for US to work together as a family!!!!!  Christopher was a counselor while the rest of us cooked and helped out with other stuff.  Missy and Marianna absolutely l o v e d helping serve at each meal, play with some of the young boys during recreation, and participate in chapel time.  My parents were known as Chef Dad and Chef Mom.  Cute, right?

 

 

 

 

Fun in the kitchen   One night after the little boys went to bed, we stayed up late and made cookies.

 

The servers!!

 

 

 

Mom and Brittany.  Brittany came all the way from CA (by way of TN ) and volunteered for all.six.weeks.  She was a trooper and I'm so glad we got to know her!

 

 

Mrs. Keck, Mom's friend from high school, dropped by camp to surprise Mom.  Boy did it work!  Mom was SO surprised and excited. 

 

 

 

Missy and Marianna had an absolute blast at camp.  They loved participating in everything, and the boys were so sweet to them in making sure they got turns doing things and that they didn't get hurt.  So cute!

 

 

Pure joy

 

 

 

One-on-one time is strongly encouraged so we counselors can really get to know the children and then start spiritual conversations with them.  Some of the most precious times are when the children open up during one-on-one time.

 

 

"Mr. Christopher" made a GREAT counselor this summer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missy lost her FIRST TOOTH at camp!!  She was so excited. The girls also l-o-v-e-d the slip 'n slide.     

 

 

More fun in the kitchen!!  You can tell we're tired.

 

Chef Dad and Chef Mom.  They had a blast and did an amazing job in the kitchen. 

 

  

 

 

Most of the staff at the end of 7-9 yr boys' week. 

 

Mom and Dad with Mr. Dennis and Mrs. Marcia (camp directors) 

 

 

After the boys’ week, Bethany and I stayed for the remaining three girls’ weeks and Jennifer stayed for two weeks.  It was incredible to see God work in the girls’ lives.  So.neat.

 

·         Girls who used to have attitudes about camp gave their lives to Christ and had completely different (good) attitudes toward camp, us, and God. 

 

·         One of my girls had a very bad asthma attack, yet she thanked me EVERY time I prayed for her…even though she couldn’t breathe.  I was blown away.  And while she was in extreme pain, she really wanted to get out of bed and go to chapel time…so encouraging to know that!!

 

·         There were no relational problems between the girls.  (!!!!!!!!!!)  For the most part, the girls got along so well.  Such an answer to prayer!!

 

·         There were more salvations during the 10-12 yr girls’ week than any of the camps in years past.  Out of the 47 girls that week, 17 accepted Christ.  And it wasn’t a peer pressure thing like “Oh, she’s doing it…let’s all do it!”  It wasn’t that at all.  Most of the girls came to us counselors or our camp director on their own and made the decision themselves.  I had the privilege of leading two girls (7-9 yrs) to Christ at 11:00pm and 11:30pm one night.  Never have I seen people more excited about receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Absolutely precious!!!  Altogether, about 200 children came to camp and 34 made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  There’s nothing more precious than a young girl coming up to me and saying, “Miss Lauren….I want to be saved.”

 

 

"Miss Bethany" and a camper during 10-12 yr girls' week 

 

 

We had fantastic group of counselors this summer.  So thankful God brought these people to camp!

 

 

Each child comes to camp for free.  God laid it on Mr. Dennis’ heart several years ago to not charge the children that came.  Well, providing camp for the kids isn’t free!!!  God provided in amazing ways this summer.  Here are just a few of the many ways:

 

·         A few weeks into the summer, there was not enough money for the girls’ weeks.  Mr. Dennis wasn’t about to tell the girls they couldn’t come, so he trusted God for the money.  One day, as his family was going through the mail, they got a check from a person/company they’ve never received money from before……and it covered the REST OF THE SUMMER.

·         We had no cooks signed up for teen girls’ week.  God made it possible for us girl counselors to take turns in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up each day.  We made a schedule and it worked beautifully!

 

·         There were, again, no cooks signed up for the 7-9 girls’ week.  It finally worked out for Bethany and two other counselors to NOT be counselors and to be the cooks for the week.  Thank you, Lord!!! 

 

·         We didn’t know if there were enough beds one week, but after some shifting around, there was JUST enough room.  Whew!

·         God laid it on someone’s heart to provide camp with a commercial freezer.  We put that to good use!!!

 

 

Miss Bethany and Miss Courtney in the kitchen.  They had way too much fun.  

 

 

"Miss Jennifer" with a camper during 10-12 yr girls' week 

 

 

Thank the Lord for safety!  With as many kids that came to camp, it’s amazing nothing worse than a broken hand (activities coordinator), a strained arm, an asthma attack, an infected cut, and a girl’s blood sugar that went alarmingly high happened.  The bears (that live not far from camp) started getting brave and wandered out during the day time.  That was cause for some concern, but there was no trouble and the bears stuck mostly to the dumpster.  The pool was always a fun day.  We counselors doubled as lifeguards and noodles…apparently some of the girls thought we could float.  Haha!!  Praise God for safety at the pool.  And thank you to the family who lets us come to their own pool and provides us with pizza and soft drinks!  SUCH A BLESSING.

 

 

Teen girls' week

 

 

7-9 girls' week. I beat Mr. Nick in an up-the-hill jump-and-roll contest.  They were pretty excited. 

 

CHAPEL TIME

 

Morning chapel timeàNick taught on the “Life of Saul/Paul.”  Sooooo good!!

Evening chapel timeàMr. Dennis taught on the armor of God.  INCREDIBLE!!!

 

Monday

-Word of the day: Salvation

-Verse: Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”

-Battle Cry (chant of the day): Jesus is the only Way to Heaven!

-Armor: Helmet of Salvation

 

Tuesday

- Word of the day: Persecution

-Verse: II Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

-Battle Cry: God is always in control!

-Belt of Truth and Breastplate of Righteousness.

 

Wednesday

-Word of the day: Faith

-Verse: Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.”

-Battle Cry: The Just Shall Live by Faith!

-Armor: Shield of Faith

 

Thursday

-Word of the day: Rebellion

-Verse: I Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, He hath also rejected ye from being king.”

-Battle Cry: Obey God in All Things

-Armor: Shoes/Gospel of Peace and the Sword of the Spirit

 

Friday

-Word of the day: Surrender

-Verse: Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

-Battle Cry: Surrender Your Life to Jesus Christ!

 

 

All of the camp songs are original.  They are either based on Scripture or are actually Scripture word-for-word.  One of the songs was about being at a crossroads all the time in life.  Do we choose God’s way or choose to sin?  Very applicable for EVERYONE.  Another song was about Saul---how his life was turned around for Christ and how *our* lives can be turned around for Him.  Then there was a song with the words of Psalm 119:9-12 and a song with five different attributes of God.  Each and every one of them was wonderful.  I'll writen them out in later posts.

 

 

 

I took pages and pages of notes while at camp and am so glad I did.  I learned so much and grew in the Lord as well.  So thankful for Mr. Dennis and Nick who put an enormous amount of time, effort, and prayer into chapel time.  I would write down some of my notes, but there are so many words in this post that I think I’ll save them for later posts…maybe sprinkle them here and there.  I definitely want to share what I learned and am excited about writing them out on here eventually.

 

 

***A SPECIAL THANKS TO:***

 

Mr. Dennis—Camp Good News’ faithful director.  He takes no credit for anything at camp.  All glory goes to God.  We love Mr. Dennis so much and have learned so much from him!!!!!!!!!!!  He is passionate about the Lord and about sharing the Gospel with people of all ages.  I consider myself privileged to have spent the summer under him.  He is one of my most favorite people in the world.

 

 

 

Mrs. Marcia—Mr. Dennis’ wife.  She does all of the paper work.  Camp wouldn’t happen if she didn’t do all the background and preliminary work.  She’s a hard worker and a special friend.

 

Nick—Mr. Dennis and Mrs. Maria’s son; teacher and song writer. 

He taught the morning chapels, helped with games, composed most of the camp songs, recorded the girls singing, made CDs for all the campers to take home, and did a little bit of everything.  Nick is a gifted speaker and did a tremendous job teaching and had lots of patience during the girls’ weeks. 

 

 

Ben—Activities coordinator. 

What would camp be without Ben?  Game-less, that’s what.  Well, not really, but it wouldn’t be as organized or fun without him!!  Ben did an incredible job with all the games…even with his broken hand!  He genuinely enjoyed all the campers and put his all into everything he did.  Ben (and Nick) did a lot of the “behind the scenes” projects at camp as well.  These projects don’t get noticed by everyone, but we noticed…and are very grateful for their service to Camp Good News.

 

Laura (on left)—Nurse, cook, and craft coordinator. 

Laura is a woman of many trades.  Even though she has a full-time job, she still made time for camp and was a wonderful (and needed!) help.  Her dedication to camp amazes me.  She was working on the crafts since the beginning of the year.  Now that’s dedication!!!

 

All the cooks and counselors!!  Cooking and counseling is a volunteer position.  We don’t do it for money.  We do it because we love the Lord and want to serve Him.  We do it because we love the children.

 

 

There’s not a single place I’d have rather been this summer than Camp Good News.  It is, without a doubt, one of the best camps in the world.  The Gospel is presented more clearly there than anywhere else I’ve been (besides 5-Day Clubs).  Even the children have said they’ve never heard about God the way He’s talked about at Camp…we get this even from the kids who are Christians.  The Gospel really is simple, but it’s never been explained to these children!!!  It is so encouraging to hear the children say they’d rather be at Camp Good News (which doesn’t offer much compared to other camps) than another camp.  At Camp Good News, we strive to share the Gospel with the children, encourage them to memorize Scripture (which a lot of them did!!), AND build personal relationships with them…three things the kids are not used to. 

 

Mr. Dennis and Mrs. Marcia treated us counselors to a day at a fun amusement park at the end of camp.  It was a great way to end our FULL summer and kick-off our BUSY fall semester!!

 

 

So much for a "short" recap!  If you knew everything else I wanted to write, you'd realize that this really was short.    I could keep writing and writing and writing, but this will do.

 

 

 

We are finally all home, safe and sound.  It's been a whirlwind of a summer...a great whirlwind though!!  God has done so much and we've learned a lot. 

I thought about just briefly mentioning what we did at camp and leaving the pictures on facebook, but I think I'm actually going to do an actual post on camp and what God did there.  I want to encourage whoever reads this by sharing how God provided, how children put their faith in Christ, and how we were able to minister as a family.  SO many things happened that we'll never forget!!  I'll also post some pictures...there are literally hundreds (maybe thousands) to choose from since we had several photographers there.    I'll just give you a taste and then leave the rest on facebook.

Meanwhile.....

 

 Charlotte had a beautiful (and HOT) summer.

 

Our whole family was at camp volunteering in the kitchen one week...the rest of the time we old kids/girls were gone, Mom and the little girls had friends over to swim on a regular basis.  They definitely got more tan that we did!

 

 

 

More of our tree fell down.  We've slowly lost this one.  Dad ended up cutting the rest of it down. 

Absolutely beautiful! 

 

 

The girls having fun in the rain. 

The dogs staying warm

 

Christopher went to the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) camp in the beginning of August.  He's in the first violin section!!  He's worked hard for his seat and we're happy for him!

 

There's almost nothing better than home-made salsa.  

 

YUM!!!

Christopher started community college classes two weeks ago, and Jennifer and Bethany began at UNCC last week.  I started teaching piano last week while the little girls started their school. Mom and Dad are keeping busy with teaching and working.  We've hit the ground running!!  But we're glad to be home and are excited about what God holds for us in these upcoming months. 

 

This afternoon, Jen took Marianna and Missy back to the cornfield she took Missy's 5 year photos.  They went to a different area of the cornfield where they found a beautiful tree and bench.  Jen took Marianna's 8 year photos and then took some fun and adorable sister shots.

Our eight year old.  Can't believe how old she is!  Seems like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital when she was born.

 

She was ~so~ excited about this photo shoot.  Definitely made it easier for the person behind the camera!

 

 

 

Love this!

 

Marianna is growing up so fast.  She is a great helper, loves to sing and play the piano, and is a blessing to her family and her friends.

  

Sisters!!

LOVE this one and the ones below it.  They are a cute and hilarious pair. 

 

 

Can't get enough of them!!

 

No, they don't always get along.  We do hear "Marianna FAFE!" <Faith> and "Melissa JOY" sometimes, but really...they are best friends.

These girls make a great team and keep us laughing. 

 

"Jen, take a picture of us running." -Marianna 

 

The broken straw hat.  Love how it looks on her in these photos!

 

 

Cutie pie!

 

 

Jen told Marianna to think of a certain someone doing a certain something to make Marianna laugh...and it worked.   

Missy's Gospel bracelet she made in 5-Day Club this past week. Two of the colors are mixed up, but I *l o v e* this photo, especially her smile in the background.

Gold bead--Heaven and God's love {John 3:16}

Dark bead--Sin {Romans 3:23}

Red bead--Jesus and the Way of salvation {Hebrews 9:22b and I Corinthians 15:3b-4}

Clean bead--The forgiveness of sins and the gift of salvation we can receive when we choose to believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior {John 1:12}

Green bead--Growth in Christ through praying, reading the Bible, going to church, and witnessing {I John 1:9}

 

 

"What if I sit like dis?......What if I look up like dis?" -Missy  

 

Dancing 

We are so thankful for Marianna and Missy.  They are precious gifts from God.  God has already used them, and I'm excited to see how God will use them as they get older. Love you girlies!!

 

This will be the last post for several weeks since I'll be volunteering at a camp in the mountains for 4 weeks.  Our whole family will be cooking for one of the boys' weeks while Christopher is a counselor, and then we girls will be counselors for the girls' weeks.  More on that later!    Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

 

 

It's rare that Missy is not in a princess or ballet outfit.  One of the first things she does in the morning is put on something fancier than her PJs.    We're enjoying these days.

() () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()

After one of our 5-Day Clubs this week, we had some families over to swim.  It was a fun afternoon!  Lots of children.  Lots of boys. Lots of noise. Lots of fun!!

 

 

The fearless one 

 A favorite pool toy

 

 

Even mom did some wild things off the diving board that day, including flipping and a back flop.   It was hilarious (and sooo cute) watching all the young boys cheer her on.  Their faces when she back flopped were priceless...Mom totally impressed them. 

 

 

Jen found a corn field last week and thought it the perfect place to take Missy's 5 year photos.  They had such a fun time and got some really good shots!

 

 

Everyone says about Marianna and Missy, "Yep, they're definitely Wescotts!  They love the camera!"  haha!  It's true...we love getting our pictures taken.

 

Love this little girl SO much.