Montana...

Between internet issues and busy schedules, I have neglected my blog...But, we just came back from an amazing adventure out west and I want to share a few memories before I forget!

This is the great group of people we were privileged to travel across the country with! 

It was so great to see our good friends again!

We took several of the youth and some of their families out to Clark Canyon Bible camp in Montana where our friends Dale and Jill Stewart serve as missionaries. We worked on several work projects that are going on at the camp this summer.   Some of our group also held a VBS for the children in a neighboring area.

Lots of various demolition and tearing things apart, then a lot of cleaning up and putting things back together again. 

Of course we did take a little time to fish, and have a little fun too!

The camp from the road, and our beautiful surroundings for the week!

We ate well!

The girls and their new friend Jakoley!

Anaya LOVED helping Jill milk the goat!  Lucy, not so much!

Dishes were much more fun with the super fast industrial dishwasher!  All the kids asked why we don't have one of these at home.  Umm we have a big family, but not that big!

The VBS team got a flat on their way to the one room schoolhouse in the valley.  This trip was all about rural missions, and they got to experience what really rural is.  The team had a handful of kids show up which was nearly 100 percent of the children in a very large radius!  The community felt blessed that people cared enough to come to them, and our team was blessed by them as well!

Our last adventure with the group was a back packing trip up in the mountains.  I was going to stay back at camp, but Jill volunteered to take the girls so I could go.  Normally this would not be my type of trip, I camp, but with flush toilets, showers and campsites!  This was not that kind of trip!  But I was feeling adventurous and decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did, it was AMAZING!

Gods creation is so absolutely amazing, it was beautiful out there.  We hiked up and back in the mountains for about an hour or so and finally came to our destination, a valley with a stream running along the side.  As we arrived, I kept feeling like I had been there before, and sure enough, I had.  When I came out in high school with my family we took a horse back trip up the same path!  {For the record, I prefer horseback riding!}  We crossed the aforementioned stream several times and on the very first crossing, I slipped and got both feet soaking wet for the rest of the trip!  I must say, I was amazed at how fast my feet warmed up and it was much less annoying than I thought it would be hiking with wet feet.  It was to my advantage really, I didn't have to wait in line to cross on the rocks, I could just trudge right on through!

Those would be my shoes drying by the fire!

Our beautiful camp site!  {Beautiful, but not comfortable, not many of us slept well directly on the ground!}

The sunsetting and shining on the mountain was breathtaking...

The snow we woke up to the next morning was breathtaking too!!!

That night it rained and there was one big crash of thunder and lightening! I couldn't sleep, there was a rock right where I was laying so I was awake thinking about Dylan and his friends in a tent without a rain fly, hoping they weren't too wet.  Then, after several long hours, I started getting cold.  So I began thinking about Jayden and Spencer and wondering if they were warm enough, I checked Easton who was in the tent with Ryan and I and noticed he was pushed way into the side of the tent so I tried to pull his sleeping bag closer and it wouldn't budge. I slid my hand between his bag and the tent and realized they were FROZEN together!  So the snow was not surprising to me, but it was funny to hear everyone gasp when they opened their tent in the morning!

Pastor Ryan started a few snowball fights!

This is the Stewart family {missing a few more kids and one cute grandbaby!}

The kids and I and another family who was with us stayed in this cabin, which used to be the Stewart family home.  16 years ago Ryan and I came out and worked on this cabin before they moved in, it was fun to come back and stay in it!  After our work week was done, the rest of the group headed toward home and my parents came out and joined us in Montana.  We spent a couple of days with our friends before heading out on our family vacation to the Tetons and Yellowstone. {to be continued...}