A Happy Camper!

On July 11th, Lily left for her first time away from home to go to Camp Ba Yo Ca for the week! 

Jonathan went to Camp Ba Yo Ca for the first time when he was 7 years old, so he was very excited that Lily was old enough to attend this summer.  Camp Ba Yo Ca is located at the foothill of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and has been around for over 50 years.  The primary purpose of Camp Ba Yo Ca is: to lead campers to accept Christ as their personal Savior, to make disciples for Jesus Christ and to provide training and opportunities for Christian service. This purpose is achieved through the summer camping program by providing the best in Christian teaching and atmosphere, and also by giving campers the best camping experience possible.

When Jonathan mentioned Lily going away to camp this summer, I was a little hesitant about sending my Lily away for 5 days and 4 nights. I had been praying about it and the LORD is so sweet to answer our prayers in His own perfect way!  A very dear friend of mine approached me in April and out of nowhere asked if Lily would be her daughter's roommate for the week at Camp Ba Yo Ca.  I couldn't have picked a sweeter child for Lily to spend the week with!  God is so good!  Here are Lily and Kaitlyn Strunk before they left for camp:

We had to drop the girls off at the Knox County Association of Baptists Office on Monday morning at 8am so they could ride the bus to camp.  Jonathan wanted to drop Lily off since he was so excited about her going!  It was a huge help to me, because I knew I would be very emotional with saying good-bye to Lily for the week with NO communication til Friday!  Lily's good friend, Grace Sullivan, was also attending camp that week too: 

Jonathan was so sweet to take pictures for me!  He got one of Lily waving good-bye as she was getting on the bus!

I don't have any pictures of Lily during her stay at camp, but she has shared so many stories with us and had the very best time!  One of her favorite activities was learning how to canoe!  When I picked her up on Friday, she and I hugged and cried so hard!  We missed her so much, but are thankful she had a great time away.  She was exhausted and filthy (only took one shower all week!), but very happy! 

Camp Ba Yo Ca was such a wonderful experience for Lily and she is asking to go back next year!  I am praying that we will be able to send both her and Maddy together next summer.  When you have time, take a look at their website and read more about their camp:  www.campbayoca.com.  I would highly recommend it for your child ages 7-17! 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 28:19

S'More Great Fun!

On Friday, May 6, Lily's Brownie Troop went camping together for the first time and I was so excited that I got to go with her!  We left at 4:00 on Friday and headed to the Girl Scout Camp, Camp Tanasi, for a weekend of outdoor fun!  Since this was their first camping experience, we stayed in one of the cabins on site.  The girls got to do lots of crafts while they were there. 

I had fun painting Lily's feet for her bandanna.

She kept giggling and giggling!

The girls had so much fun just being together playing outside.

 When it got dark, it was time to build a campfire and have s'mores!

After eating lots and lots of s'mores we sang songs and took turns sharing our favorite things and our least favorite things.  When we came in, everyone got ready for bed and I got to read a bedtime story!  I chose, "Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping," and it was so cute! 

The next morning after a huge breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage the girls worked on a Mother's Day craft

and then we all took a hike on the trail called Raccoon Run.  The girls were excited!  Lily brought her special pink hiking stick that her Daddy got her for her 7th Birthday.

We were blessed with beautiful weather and the views were amazing!  Praise God, our almighty Creator! 

 The hike was over 2 miles long, but it was lots of fun and full of adventure! 

 The flowers were beautiful along the way.

With all the rain, there were some parts of the trail that were blocked by water so we had to go off trail a little bit. 

 Me and my sweet Lily!

We stopped halfway to enjoy a picnic lunch. 

Here are Lily and Kaitlyn Strunk.  They met when they were first born, but lost touch over the years.  I'm so happy that the LORD brought them back together through the Brownie Troop. 

Hiking up the hill to the barn was hard work, but we were happy to find the horse barn we had been looking for!  Thank you, Jonathan for telling me to bring a map!

 We were so happy to see this sign!

The girls (and Mommies!) had "Turtle Time" when we got back so we could rest up for the rest of our busy day.

Such sweet friends!

 We are so proud of you, Lily!

The girls went out to gather 4 sticks to make a picture frame:

 We split up into two groups and went on a short hike to see the large Tree House:

 Under the tree house was a place to learn how to tie different knots. 

Kendal and Lily have become such sweet friends through the Brownie Troop.   

 Troop 20355!!! 

 After the tree house, we took a hike to the Observation Tower.  On the way we saw the platform tents just like I stayed in at Camp White Rock when I was a Girl Scout!

 Another gorgeous view!

 Lily enjoyed looking through binoculars.

Before supper, the girls all worked on friendship bracelets.

We ended the night with yummy ice cream sundaes!

 We were sad that it was time to leave, but thankful for the wonderful time together!

Thank you, LORD for my precious daughter, Lily, and the special time you allow us to share together! 

It was wonderful to get away from all of the busyness and to just take time to enjoy God's blessings and His amazing creation.  Can't wait to go camping again!

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to [the disciples], "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

Mark 6:31