Tuesday, August 7, 2018

August 7 – “Cousins’ Camp: The Final Chapter”


Uncle Nathan left his truck for us again.  He rode his infamous scooter to work so we could have the transportation to church.  Nani had already washed everyone’s clothes, so each person had a choice of garb (She’s amazing, you know?).  And speaking of awesome, before church she made a quick trip to the store to get a roast to put in the crock pot for supper.  Left me alone with all of the short ones.  We survived.

Church went really well.  Full house again with people from Florida, Chicago, and even Houston joining us.  Lots of participation with the teaching and the singing.  And I had numerous comments after worship about the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Hey, if there was anything good going on, He had to be the one making it happen.  Here’s a quick anecdote:
One of the visitors was a lady from Houston.  She worked in Houston with a ministry that sends Bibles and Bible study materials into prisons.  She was wondering if we ever had anything like that come up in Galveston.  I told her to wait right where she was and hold that thought.  See, last week we received a letter from an inmate requesting a Bible and some Bible study materials.  That has happened, but very rarely.  I knew we could send the materials, but I was not sure where to direct the letter to insure long-term follow-up.  She said simply, “That would be for me.  I’ll take it if you’d like.”  Guess that counts as an answer to prayer, huh?

After church we settled in for our afternoon rest time.  Nani and Noa got a nap.  The rest of us were a bit more … “animated”?  We started out by watching another episode of Chasing Monsters.  The guy wanted to go marlin fishing and try to catch one without using a pole.  Just the line and his bare hands.  Crazy.  But then came the fun part.  The kids played the episode like a game.  Yep.  A few of them got down on the floor as the fish.  The rest were on the couch-boat.  Freddy’s leash became the hand line.  And the fighting began.  Marlins were fighting fishermen all over the living room.  Sometimes a fisherman fell overboard, so his cohorts dove in to help him.  Sometimes the fish was landed.  Sometimes the fish managed to release himself from the line and escape into the deep.  Fascinating.  Way better than the action of the TV show. 

Just before supper we had another visitor.  Tilly came to see us.  Tilly is Cailyn’s new puppy.  Well, “Cailyn’s” might be a secret way of saying “April’s.”  Tilly is a beautiful brindle boxer.  Great playmate for their other boxer, Abby.  Their Boston bull terrier Scooter is not so impressed, however.  But then, he’s an old guy.  Just don’t disturb his nap. 

When the Galveston and LaMarque cousins finally left for home, we turned our attention to just Caleb and Zak.  We intended to go to the beach for a little bit, but it was getting too dark too quickly.  So instead we opted for a trip way down to the East End of the Island for a sno-cone from Bahama Buck’s.  Good stuff.  On the way, Chris asked Caleb who he missed most from home: Mom, Dad, Luke, or AnnaGrace.  His reply?  “I miss Luke’s particular brand of annoying.”  Umm.  Well, OK then. 

Sleep came easily for the two exhausted boys after they watched a portion of a Harry Potter movie.  Sleep for the one exhausted adult and one totally wasted semi-adult will come after we return these youngsters to Waco tomorrow.  But for now, Cousins’ Camp 2018 is at an end.

Psalms 89:15-16 says, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.  They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.”

Father, thank you for a really fun, loud, hilarious, lovable week.  Watch over these short ones as they get back into the routines of home.  Amen.

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