Wow…I was just cruising past the ole website and I discovered it has been two whole weeks since I’ve posted anything. I wish I could give a good reason like I’ve been doing c-sections on at risk bovine babies or digging a hole in which to bury old Oprah episodes, but I guess I’ve just been lazy. I have done some deer hunting the last week and a half, but that endeavor has yet to yield anything but wet clothes and wild theories about what all the squirrels do with their time when they’re not chattering wildly at each other, crashing through the leaves like little deer deterents, and/or just making a general nuisance of themselves. I’ve spent probably close to 20 hours in the woods and have just seen the butt end of 3 measly deer. I have, however, seen enough of the aforementioned chattering rats with fluffy tales that if I were to somehow speak their langauge, and entice them to assemble with promises of free walnuts for everyone, their numbers would probably be enough to overthrow at least a handful of small countries!

In other news, Jake is growing like a weed and getting more and more animated daily. On Sunday night, Melissa was playing with him and actually got him to giggle for the first time. Having him around is such a blessing and source of joy for us. I’m looking forward to so many things we can do with father/son time…”late night pitch-n-putt, cruise the livestock auction for 4-H babes, throw stuff of a bridge”…

Last weekend, around 20 or so of us associated with the camp packed up and headed west across the cornfields to Peoria for the National Missionary Convention. We set up our booth, complete with a giraffe, a baboon, a tiki bar, my old red truck with the Tap Tap on the back, a fake fire, a creepy old animatronic man named Mr. Feather, 10,000 s’more bars, and loads of other tacky crap, right in the middle of all the flannel boards, cardboard displays, and general tackiness you’d expect to find at a convention for and by people who haven’t lived in the states for most of their adult lives! It was a beautiful disaster! What came out of the event, aside from crazy comments about our booth and the civic center staff eating their weight in our s’more bars, was a good number of contacts with missionaries from around the world who are interested in partnering with the camp on various different levels. It was amazing to talk to so many people, working in so many different countries, doing so many different kinds of ministry, who were willing and excited about partnering with the camp. We also saw many old friends, including a guy I did a choir tour with in high school called Highest Praise whom I haven’t seen in 10+ years. He is doing ministry in China and changing all sorts of lives for the Kingdom. I look forward to this event every year, as it is a great reminder that God is active all over the world and wants me to be a part of that.

As I close for the day, it seems appropriate, given the season, to ask any and all who are willing what you’re thankful for today. I know, everyone always asks that question this time of year, and I know, you get tired of answering. To that I say, don’t be a turd! Give some thought to the blessings in your life and pass those thoughts on to the rest of us. Cause if there’s anything we could all use, it’s the chance to be reminded of our blessings…does turd have a “u” or an “e?” Peace. Out.