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Originally uploaded by pentecostalsofoc

You are my sonshine. ~Author Unknown

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Originally uploaded by pentecostalsofoc

Simply smiling for the camera. Love my family!

Rain Puddles and Joy

The allure of a puddle - love stomping, watching the water splash in all directions and if you happen to be close by, well, I guess you are going to get wet. Puddles are delightful and bring much cheer to the one who dares to take a moment and simply splash! Thank you dear puddle for the joy that you bring with the simple reminder that life is precious and you must stop and stomp in the puddles!

He Found You

He found you in the desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness, He encircled them, He cared for him as the apple of his eye. (Duet. 32:10)

God found you in the "howling waste of the wilderness." He found you when you were in your most unloveable, ugly time of life. And yet God encircled you with His grace and a mercy and you became the Apple of His Eye! Thank God for mercy, love, forgiveness and unfailing grace.

Fun In the Snow

Lights went out and then we headed to bed. Still no worries. Thankfully, there was a gas stove for cooking. Sabrina is the best cook ever. Homemade pancakes and sausage. Yummy!

After breakfast, it was time to have fun in the snow. Fun and more fun. We had a snow fight, laughed often, and made a snowman. This city girl learned something new too. Call me silly, but I always wondered how you create a perfectly round snowman. Thanks to Joseph, the trick, I learned is to simply form your base and then roll it in the the snow; as you roll it, it picks up snow and until it forms a perfect ball. I know, silly me, but this little tidbit was a fun fact to learn. And our snowman was picture perfect. You can't play in the slow without sledding. Our bunny slope was fun. The girls decided to summersault and roll down the slope; crazy, fun times.

Returned from lunch to still no electricity. Finally, reality began to set in. Hmm, we just might need some candles. Time to start asking complete strangers for candles. Did not make much progress until a gentleman said he would bring us candles. And a very nice lady gave us a couple boxes of candles. The gentleman stayed true to his word, and in the evening we enjoyed a delightful night illuminated by the soft glow of candles. Much fun indeed. Everyone continued to play games and simply enjoy the moment.

Unable to end this post without giving God the glory for the serene moments in life. Looking down on the city below, it was simply gorgeous. All bundled up and simply taking in this breath taking scenery. Then it started to snow. Nothing will take your breath away as you sit and tenderly feel the snowflakes gingerly fall on your face. You then begin to think about a faithful God. God is ever present even in those silent moments when you are just breathing.

"Whenever a snowflake leaves the sky, it turns and turns to say Goodbye!" (Alexander Selkirk) So I say goodbye to this marvelous time and know that this trip was filled with many moments that simply took my breath away. Thankful for all of God's marvelous blessings.

Together

Moments that simply take your breath away are unique indeed. The annual youth snow trip just ended. I can still smell the smoke scent in my hair, but this subtle scent just serves as a reminder of this wonderful trip.

Getting up to Crestline was a journey in and of itself. Thankfully, we left early and arrived just before the snow storm. The snow starting falling and the roads were quickly becoming slick. We, did however, have a wee bit of a challenge trying to find our road. Once we arrived at the cabin and settled down, all was well.

Dinner was simple: grilled cheese sandwiches. Dessert was even more fun, flat chocolate chip cookies. Learned a valuable lesson, higher altitude means adding more flour and extra bake time. Oh, and you will need to add more sugar too! We also had "homemade" popcorn. You know the kind that you make on the stove and then load it with lots of butter and salt! Watching Courtney, Kevin and Cody make this timeless treat was a blast.

My favorite memory for this first night was watching the young people play games. The unity was simply "off the charts!" There is no sweeter sound then yelps, laughs, and lots of noise that equates to great fun. We also had a memorable devotion. Nothing will take your breath away as you watch young people pray and encourage one another. Lovely time indeed!

Then to end the evening, the lights went out, but we were not too alarmed as we knew it would be back on tomorrow or so we thought. That is an exciting story in and of itself. Stay tuned as there is more to come.