Hello all! Lots to chat about today. Let's start with my visit with my step sister and her family yesterday who are up from Florida. We got together at my mom and Ray's camp for the day (it was perfect, sunny and 76 degrees, with a gentle summer breeze). Everybody wanted to go out on the pontoon boat. It can only hold 8 people, and we had 10 of us. So Jody (my step sister's husband) and I opted to stay ashore while they all went out. It was just the two of us for a little over an hour. We talked about EVERYTHING, all of it having to do with church, Christian living, endtimes, the Word, children needing the Holy Ghost, revival, etc. etc. etc. It was so spiritually uplifting, and I was so encouraged! He did tell me about a dream he had that was terrifying, and it did leave me pretty unnerved, but my husband and I talked about it, and I prayed about it (earnestly), and will continue to pray about it, until I have some peace of my own. Once they got back with the boat, my step sister Bobbi Jo and I had a wonderful visit of our own, talking about Bible studies, and about family stuff.

So, if that wasn't uplifting enough, we came home from camp to have a life group leader's meeting at our house. The topic? Revival! VERY lively, everyone very involved, and again, very uplifting and encouraging. I discovered a hidden talent of Matt Malone... he can do a PERFECT imitation of Bro. Lee Stoneking! It was hilarious! Anyway, I've been thinking since our life group ended...... yes, thinking. Dangerous. But seriously... I brought up a topic at the end that I think warrented MUCH more discussion, and perhaps should be discussed further at the next gathering. All of our revival discussion focused around reaching adults. I suggested that CHILDREN need the same focused evangelistic attention as adults. After all, if Satan can get ahold of this generation of children, (and he is making a valiant effort), then the church's next generation will be lost. Perhaps it was dismissed because we were out of time. But, I would like to see the church spend money to bring in children's evangelists like Bro. Squires or even Sis. Tammy Griggs! There are people out there with excellent children's ministries, and our children need preaching on their level as much as adults do. In the gospel, when the disciples were arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest, Jesus placed a child in the midst of them and said basically that if they didn't become like a child, they would in no way enter the kingdom of heaven. He also said, "Let the children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." If we do not reach the children, Jesus will not be pleased. I will be praying about it fervently.

What else? Oh... my brother-in-law Ben sent me a cool picture that I in turn sent to another of my brothers-in-law who happens to be a lobsterman in Maine. Check this out!



I thought it was cool! Someone definitely had too much time on their hands when they created that.

Well, I suppose I should get busy doing... something. I don't know what. My house is clean, and my laundry is done. Guess I'll go read. I'm currently reading a book my friend Sandy loaned me called "Gianna... aborted and lived to tell about it". It is a very powerful story, invoking many emotions. Time to read! Talk to you later, I'm sure!

Bad day

Lest one think that the northern apostolic mom has all good days... today is proving most difficult and frustrating. I have something dead in my kitchen (most likely a mouse as we have killed 8 in recent weeks, and I have the mouse tirds everywhere to prove it), and it reeks like the sewer, and now my youngest son and his little neighbor friend upstairs have destroyed my living room carpet. They thought it would be cool while mom was distracted cleaning up mouse poop and looking for a dead animal to get out the fabric paints from my church camp supplies and paint on the living room rug. I only have lestoil here at home (no carpet cleaner), and the lestoil just ain't doin' it..... I am ready to cry. I have yellow, red, and blue spots and streaks all across the rug. I shudder to think of the cost of replacing a 20'x10' carpet... I'm fairly certain we cannot afford that. So please pray for me, because I didn't handle it well at all, and my son is very angry with me, as am I with him. YES, it's partially my fault because, A.) I wasn't watching him every millisecond, B.) I spent the only $20 I had on milk, butter, bread, and cheap food so we have something to eat in the house INSTEAD of going to buy the giant rubbermaid tub I was GOING to buy to put away the church camp supplies. And I thought he was smart enough to know you don't paint on the living room carpet... I was wrong again. Yes, I am having a huge attitude problem right now. I know it's obvious. Please pray for me. Looks like we need a financial miracle.... again. *sigh*

Reunion pictures

Here are the pictures I told you about in the last post.













This is my mom and her 90 year old aunt. Isn't she a peach?















And this is my VERY cool grandpa, 89 years old, virtually blind, grinning ear to ear on my brother's Harley! Awesome!!!!

Life Update

Well, I hardly know where to start. It's been a LOOONNNNGGGGG couple of weeks, and my brain is pretty much on overload. Since we've been home....

Thursday was the first day in about a month that I had NOTHING on my calendar, so you know what I did???? NOTHING! My pastor tells me that rest is a spiritual thing. I concur wholeheartedly! Friday the boys had dentist appointments (no cavities) and then we went back to the campground to swim one last time with their cousins from MA, before they head home. It was HOT... like 93 degrees, so the pool was a refreshing thing indeed.

Saturday, I had the privilege of going to another family reunion, this time on my mom's side of the family. I went without hubby and boys due to scheduling conflicts. I rode with my mom and Ray, and my brother caravaned with us on his Harley. The occasion? Aunt Anne's 90th birthday! She was awesome! She never came up for air! She can talk a blue streak, and has a VERY good memory for a 90 year old who has had a series of mini strokes over the past few years. She was delightful! I have a few pictures, but they are on my hubby's laptop, which currently is being obnoxious, because it will NOT connect to the internet. SO... until we deal with that, I can't put up the pics. I will tell you though, I got a hysterical picture of my blind, 89 year old grandfather sitting on my brother's Harley! He was such a riot! He hopped on that thing like he was 25 years old again, grinning ear to ear. My grandmother was totally unimpressed (disgusted, really). You'd have to know her to appreciate that statement. Whatever. I love my grandparents to pieces, and after losing Jason's grandmother, I couldn't wait to get to this reunion to tell them so, and give them both a few big hugs! My grandmother's health is not good at all. She looked awful, really, at this gathering.... tired. I would be too if I were almost 89!

Today was day one of swimming lessons for both boys. They had hours and hours of practice time in the pool at the campsite last week, so they should do very well this year in lessons.

My step-sister who brought me to the Lord 14 years ago is up from Florida with her family for a week. They just arrived last night. I can't wait to see my neices!!!! It's been quite a while since we've gotten together. Should be a fun week!

Hmmmmm.... have I left anything out? OH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How could I forget????

Bro. Jim Nevius and his family were in church yesterday on their annual family vacation from Metuchen, NJ. We just love having them come and worship with us! Bro. Nevius's preaching was dynamic and anointed, deep and heart-changing. His morning message was about revival, and his evening message was about STAYING in the church... that is where we belong if we are going to make it to heaven. Both messages were outstanding. Sis. Nevius sang "My Redeemer Lives" (Nicole C. Mullen) in the morning, and "Held" (Natalie Grant) in the evening. What a voice! Her singing is powerful and anointed. And their daughter Joanna is so cute, worshipping with all her strength (she's four). In fact, everyone worshipped with all their strength, despite the 90+ degree temperatures (our church is NOT air conditioned). God moved in a wonderful way! It was great!

Okay, now I'm done. Time to do some laundry. (I hear my air conditioned bedroom calling me away from that hot, nasty responsibility). I got two books from the library today that I have been wanting to read for a long time... Philip Yancy's "What's so Amazing About Grace?" and Max Lucado's "It's Not About Me". What better way to spend a HOT afternoon, curled up in an air conditioned room with a good book? Yes, and folding laundry in between. *sigh* Later.

Finally home!

Wow! It's so good to be HOME! We have been gone for 11 days, and it feels like forever! But we have had an excellent time! I already told you about the first six days (church camp). Now, here is "the rest of the story".

We came home from church camp on Thursday, and actually stayed here at home that night. Friday, we hooked up the camper and headed to a local camping resort for the family reunion that was planned for Julie's side of the family. It's original purpose was so that the entire family could come together one more time to spend some quality time with Rheuby, as she wasn't getting much better. Unfortunately, she didn't make it, but we had the family reunion anyway, and it was so comforting to be "together" as a family during such a difficult time. The kids practically LIVED in the pool, and the adults had GREAT quality family time, laughing and just loving being together. The funeral service was very nice, with Jason and Ben both reading scripture. The chapel had a GORGEOUS view of the mountains, and after the graveside service, Roy, Shawn, and Terry all played guitar and sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Again, lots of tears and smiles, knowing how pleased Rheuby would have been! This is indeed a wonderful and very special family I was privileged to marry into!

After 11 days of being gone, my children and I are a little ornery and crabby. It will feel SO good to sleep in my own bed in my air conditioned room after a WONDERFUL shower! I feel so clean!!!!! No more sunblock, bugspray, sweat, and general grime associated with camping! And NO MOSQUITOES IN MY ROOM!!!!!!! Halleluia!

Really, it has been an awesome time! I feel like I really got to KNOW some of the family better this time around, because we were together for so long. Mike and Gina are awesome to hang out with, and I met Jay and Pat from Montana this time around! Also, Terry and Colleen came from Colorado. Was really great to get to know them, too!

Ok, done rambling, I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy beyond exhausted. Time for BED!
Love y'all!

Pictures from church camp 2006

Hello everyone! Well, here are some pictures from this year's church camp. It was really fun, and really exhausting. Of course we had the added strain of Jason being gone a lot due to his grandmother's death. But God was good, and gave us the strength and resources to adapt and overcome! I think the best part of camp was the Saturday night concert by the NH/VT district choir. WOW!!!!! They were totally awesome!!!! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but I DO have the CDs and the DVD, so if you want to see or hear it, and you know how to contact me, let me know... we'll enjoy it together!!!

In the mean time, let me give you sort of a "tour" through the week.



This is the gym where we set up the precampers "Treasure Island". We had lots of fun "discovering the riches of Christ".



These are our precampers (minus my husband) :( But Candice and Karl were a total blast to work with! We also had Br. and Sis. Davis come out of retirement to give us a hand. We had a great time!


This is the precamper display table we set up in the lobby the last night of camp. It gave us a chance to show everyone what we had been doing all week! T-shirts, giant mural, keychains with all our treasure hunt clues, and treasure chests covered with jewels and filled with treasures dug up in the sandbox! What fun!


Wed. night, our sweet little precampers worshipped God and had lots of fun making a melody in their hearts! Thumbs up!!!! Everyone enjoyed it, even the Dist. Sunday School director and Dist. Superintendent, who were given crowns, and invited to join in the fun with us!


Here are our "precampers of the year" - Hannah, Makayla, Joseph, and Jacob!


This was Adam's first year as a junior camper. WOW! It's a whole different ballgame when you leave precampers and become one of the juniors! I think it was just as difficult a transition for MOM as it was for Adam. He stays with his counselors the whole time, and sleeps with the junior boys in his own dorm and everything! I sure missed him! Here he is sporting some cool "dredlocks" that he borrowed from Bro. Rubinate, one of the crusade teachers. They did lots of cool stuff when they weren't in services, like water fights, frisbee wars, dodge ball, bowling, etc. There was never a dull moment, and those boys were EXHAUSTED!



This is Bro. Burke, one of the Junior boys counselors... need I say more?



Adam and I took advantage every chance we got to fit in a hug and squeeze when we saw each other at the evening services! We missed each other a lot!


The junior choir was AWESOME!!! They sang a song called "We Worship You", and brought the congregation to their feet! If I can ever figure out how to post a video of them singing, I'll do it later! They sang their camp crusade song TWICE, and the place went crazy! Every single person in the auditorium was really into it!


Sis. Griggs - I love this woman! And she has a special place for Adam in her heart! She is such a tremendous woman of God! The juniors (and everyone else) had a BLAST in her crusade services!!! I love the Rainbow song!


Now... lest it seem like Nick is left out here, I want you to know that he and I were PLENTY busy all week! After precampers, he and I would go to lunch, then hang out and play pool or foosball, then go to the junior crusade, then go to dinner, then get ready for church, and after church we usually went and hung out at the snack bar till after midnight. Phew! That boy was totally wiped out! But we had a great time! I just didn't bring my camera to all the "down times" during the day. But this picture is of Nick standing by the little pond near the cafeteria.


These are the junior campers of the year! The boy was our Burlington pastor's son, Paul Gene!! YAY Paul Gene! We're so proud of you!


THIS is OUR pastor's daughter, Helene, receiving the senior girls camper of the year trophy! GREAT JOB, HELENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And this is our pastor, WITHOUT hair, receiving his recognition plaque for his years of service as the District Sunday School director. You should have seen him the night he had hair.... it was SCARY!!!!


And last but certainly not least is my excellent friend Sandy, otherwise known to my boys who love her as the Great Sandini! She took Nick to the annual Senior boys vs. Pastors softball game. It was an excellent game, with the senior boys getting the trophy for the second time in a row! Score: 24-23. VERY close! The pastors all needed to get prayed for that night for healing! LOL! Just kidding, although they definitely admitted to being pretty sore.

Our evening preacher was Bro. Jay Stirneman, from the MA/RI district. His preaching was VERY powerful! We had deep moves of God every night at the altar, and God spoke to many many hearts through his preaching. Wow. I missed the day time teaching, because I was working with the precampers, but I hear that Bro. Scotty Teats was phenomenal! I want to hear his message regarding your relationship with your pastor. Everyone said that message was incredible!

Well, that is all I have for now. We had fun... we missed Jason... and our family won't be the same without Gram. Thanks for sharing in the virtual fun!

We miss you Rheuby

Rheuby Conant Frechette

Nov. 9, 1917 - July 1, 2006

We headed for church camp on Saturday morning, excited for an uplifting week, only to get there and receive the news that Rheuby had passed away. It was devastating, and we spent the week travelling back and forth, on the phone, and trying to carry on despite heavy hearts. Rheuby, we love you so very much, and will never forget you. Your life has really meant something and you made a difference in this dark world with your smile, your laugh, and your love. We will miss you.