Live BOLDLY

Every summer Jim goes to Nebowa Christian Camp in Onawa, Iowa. He swims in the lake and pool, makes new friends and takes time to reflect on the word of the Lord. This year the theme was being BOLD-Acts 4:31 "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God BOLDLY." They were taught that it is easy to say you are a Christian when you are in church, but you have to also say it to your friends at school, and comfort strangers with the word of the Lord, because it is then, when you are speaking His name BOLDLY, that you are truly filled with the Holy Spirit. Jim was filled with the truest joy I have ever seen in him when we picked him up that day! He told his Dad and I, that he went there a man and had come back a better man. He recited to us Romans 12:1 from memory. Which was a good sign he was paying attention (lol)! He went on to tell us about the friends he made from Manhattan Christian College (in Kansas), and how he would love to go there too and study Youth Ministry! WOW, what a proud moment for his Dad and I!! I think Youth Ministry could be a true calling for him, he is gifted in caring for younger ones and would be great at spreading the word of the God. We are truly Blessed!!

Family, Fun and Faith

10-13 July, 2009

Jim spent a week this summer in Alabama with Mom and Dad Brandt, and at the end of the week we met half way in Salem, Mo. We stayed in a beautiful log cabin near the Current River. On Saturday Dad, Duey, Jim and I departed in two canoes down the Current River into the thick fog. Here is Dad and Jim disappearing into the fog.

As the day went on the fog held tight to the cloudy day and we saw little sunlight until the end of the day. When of course Duey and I got a little sunburned. I was burned on the tops of my knees and Dueys knees and feet were hurting for a few days, but as you can see it didn't put a damper on our moods. We were loving being together and alive in such a gorgeous place. I think our near death experience may have made everything seem a little sweeter that night. Ok, so maybe it wasn't that dramatic but it was very scary. Dad and Jim were in a canoe together and Duey and I were in another. As the river flows the downed trees create forks in water. We thought it was fun for each of us to take a side and "race". As Dad and Jim took the right side, Duey and I watched as they hit a tree stump and flipped over. There are very few parts of this river that are deep and of course, this was one of them. The current pulled them under and we had to watch them not come up. It was horrible. Duey jumped out of our canoe and ran over the rocky sand bar in between us and dove in down stream to catch Jim. Just then we saw both surface and shortly after get there footing. Meanwhile Duey is still in the water trying to rescue the items from the canoe that were quickly sailing away. The cooler, Jim's gatorade, the towel and dads hat. After a good 5 minutes in freezing cold water, Duey was able to get the cooler and the gatorade. Here is Dad and Jim after the "flip". As we traveled a little farther down river we came upon the towel under the water on the rocks. Once again in the freezing cold water, it was Duey to the rescue!! Here he is with our towel. A little farther down stream we passed a man wearing a hat just like dads, I yelled to him that we had lost one like that earlier and he said he had found it earlier...It was dads hat. The nice man gave it back and we had recouped all that was lost and even gained a little more appreciation of family.

The weekend ended by Dad and Mom leaving on Sunday and Duey, Jim, Heath and I rafting a short day (in shallow water) before heading home. It was a great weekend of family, fun and faith. God had protected us.