Engelke Camp-out 2008

Our 18th summer together (my side of the family)...

Fun on the Kickapoo River at Blakley Hobbit!

We ran the gamut...from rain to sun....from river play to camp crafts........from eager to exhausted. It's all good!

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. --Psalm 24:1-2

Together, Whole Again

Praise God that our little girl Paige is home and recovering from dehydration/stomach illness! Five days & four nights in the local hospital, we are slowly returning to "normal" at our house. Boy, did her brother and sisters miss her (as did Mommy and Daddy, whoever wasn't on "hospital shift" with her at the time)! And of course, when she was feeling good enough to think about it (which took 4 days), Paige really missed being home, too.

Even though they fight like cats and dogs sometimes, we still have a pretty tight-knit bunch here. Nothing felt right without Paige being here. We missed her compassion, her helpful & generous spirit, her fight for the underdog--even her whining!! We missed everything. We missed being together as a family.

These are the times when your heart grows so big inside of you that you think it will burst.


Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.--1 Corinthians 12:27

Extreme Makeover, Sleepover Edition

This is what happens when you let four 9-year-old girls set up a beauty shop in your bathroom...and you're cleaning up breakfast dishes instead of keeping an eye on your lastborn.

That Tired, Awesome Feeling

We had our 4th annual VBS here in Potosi last week. I am on the planning committee and wrote the curriculum this year, so I felt extra pressure for all to go well. Everybody really pitched in to make it a success, and I am so grateful for all my Christian friends in this community! I am also grateful to the school district for letting us hold this event at our public school- that makes it less intimidating for the unchurched and is an excellent outreach for us.

Our VBS is different because we represent different churches, but we all hold the same basic beliefs that God is BIG! (our Shrek theme this year) and that we are to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone through our actions, words, worship, and prayer. Being on the music and skit team, I get to work up-close with the kids --we had 63 in all (ages 3-grade 6)--so it is extra-fun and very high-energy for me.

We ended 5 days ago and I'm still exhausted. But it's the good kind of exhausted...the awesome feeling you get when you give glory to the One who made us.

After the closing night program and carnival, our kids dug into my costume bag and re-enacted the week's skits. I would have enjoyed it more had it not been 10:00 p.m., but oh well, I should appreciate their enthusiasm, right?

Cy was the Woodsman (his dad's part in the skits), Paige was Donkey, Ally was Fiona, Wynne was a Fairy Tale Princess, and Shae was Fiona 2 (because you can never have enough strong women in the house).

I'm saved by grace though faith! - Ephesians 2: 8-9

Family Video May-June 2008

Family Reunion Time

Every 3 years we have a Myers Family Reunion the first Saturday in July. Last Saturday was a great day at the Livingston Park (Livingston was the "home base" for my Grandma & Grandpa, May & Clarice Myers). My mom Jeanne is the youngest of 12--yes TWELVE--children (born 1912-1932) born to Clarice & May. Grandma & Grandpa began raising their family on a farm near Laurel, Nebraska...then Kimball, South Dakota....then Arthur/Livingston, Wisconsin. What a tremendous amount of hard work and love they poured into their lives and the lives of their children, grandchildren, greats and great-greats... I only knew them for a short while, so this reunion is a great way for me to hear more stories about them and all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

It was so special for my mom to reunite with her brother Jupe (Clarice Myers, Jr.) who lives near Brandenburg, Kentucky. Uncle Jupe is 84 now and in very good physical health except for his eyes and hearing. He has always been a quite independent, strong man, and it's hard for someone like him to not be able to drive and such. Many thanks to his eldest (my cousin) Marshall for driving him up to the reunion!
Three years ago I put together a photo book/journal of family memories entitled "Mostly Myers". I loved hearing stories that Uncle Jupe shared with me, like helping Grandpa on the farm, earning 50 cents an hour at Oscar Mayer in 1941, paying $35.00 for a 1928 Model T while attending Mining School, and operating submarines in World War II. What a hardworking, well-rounded, intelligent and courageous man.
My mom gets her tireless work ethic and devotion to family from her own mother. It's neat to hear other relatives comment on how much my mother resembles Grandma (in appearance and in heart). These are women who spent years raising large families on meager budgets, huge gardens, wringer washers, and sewing machines. No Walmarts, supermarkets, or modern appliances. It just boggles my mind. I admire them, I respect them, and I love them! When people say that I'm like Mom in certain ways, I take it as a huge compliment!

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. --2 Timothy 1:5

Happy Anniversary, Mark!

Thirteen years ago you and I started learning about what Love is and how much work it can be. Being your wife is something I started dreaming about when we were in high school, long before we even dated. I must admit that our marriage is nothing like I thought it would be--and I don't mean that in a bad way. It goes beyond anything I could have ever dreamed about; it is more meaningful, more painful, and more joyful than comprehension. Thank God for His guidance and His example of what Love is (Jesus). He teaches me so much through you. I love you dearly!!

Today is the one date night we get every year!! WooHOO!! I am hoping that this fall we can make another date night to watch Fireproof. Its theme song, "Love Is Not a Fight" by Warren Barfield, is awesome. Here's what Barfield wrote about it:

"I learned through a fight (with my wife) that Love is not a battle. It isn’t angry. It isn’t a fight, but it is something worth fighting for. I want to be fighting for my wife, not fighting with her. Christ is the ultimate example of what it means to fight for love. He accepted blame that wasn’t His, and gave His life for the ones He loved. I want to follow His lead and exhaust myself for Love. I hope the song encourages everyone that hears it to fight for Love. I have received story after story of how the song is at work in people’s lives. I pray it continues to do its work."

LOVE IS NOT A FIGHT
by Warren Barfield

Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It’s a house we enter in
And then commit to never leave
Lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We’ll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Love is a shelter in the raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave,
may God send His angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight
but it’s something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they’re falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Love will come to save us
If we’ll only call
He will ask nothing of us
But demand we give our all
I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It’s worth fighting for

Thank you, Mark, for marrying me and fighting for me!
Love, Amy