Summer Plans

school is tapering off. It will be done by the end of the week. We will then go into summer mode (where we try to get a day's worth done each week).

Our "son" Gordon is now with us again. Our little house is a little fuller, but it is a good full. He is hoping to move to his family home to prepare for his family's return, so he may not be here the whole summer. We are all looking forward to the family's return!!

Sam will be going on his first mission trip to Pennsylvania. June 16 to 20. He is going without parents. He is very eager to go and I think it will be incredibly good for him. The trip involves working to serve and is not a sharing the gospel, but more of a learn to serve and think more deeply about spiritual things. It is for middle school students.

The following week I will be in New York City with the high school group. I am the only mom and the oldest person going. There is a HUGE part of me that is NOT looking forward to this trip, but God very clearly said "go," so I'm going. I am sure he will allow me to be a blessing to the teens and to the folks we will be serving. Each day we will serve in a different ministry and each evening we will eat at a different ethnic restaurant (the eating part I am looking forward to). We will be walking and taking the subway and will have a "native" to help us not get lost and such. I am worried that someone will not get on the subway and get separated--so maybe that will be a job God gives me--to make sure no one does that.

Our church as launched the 3rd (maybe 4th?) annual summer groups. Our home groups (bible study) are suspended for the summer and we instead get involved in special interest groups. I am participating in: "Mom's Paint the Town" which is mom's getting a night out away from children to just chat--great fun! "Cuong Nhu" (of course). "Flick Club" we are assigned a movie to watch each week, then get together to discuss it on Wednesdays. And there is one more, going through a book about learning to be more intimate with God--I can't remember what they are calling it. Since I am not working many hours at all this summer--I decided to have some serious fun!

Sam and Brian played with Zome Tools (www.zometool.com) that Gordon owns. They had so much fun that I purchased a bunch. I also bought the game "The Settlers of Catan" (www.catan.com) which is a very educational game. This will make the summer a very educational unschooling type of time. We like to enrich our days with things that teach without workbooks or "right" answers.