It’s been quite a month!!
And it’s very hard to believe we’re experiencing the waning days of summer. Didn’t summer always include August? Apparently no longer, as social media posts are flooded with “back to school” photos.
A glance back at a major part of our summer will reveal why we are filled with deep joy as well as a bit of tiredness. Fortunately, we still have a couple of weeks of summer to recharge before our fall ministry schedule launches.
Backing up to July 17th, we flew to Dallas, Texas, for the wedding of Ashton Willeford and Mitchell Peletier, which was held Sunday, the 21st. Ashton’s family and extended family attended family camp for many years and are very dear friends, so it was a joy to celebrate the marriage of this Christ-centered young couple. Ashton’s father, Sean Willeford, was a colleague of Lisa’s in athletic training, having graduated from University of the Pacific a few years ahead of Lisa, so she also attended the wedding. It was a great time all around.
Mitchell and Ashton are committed to honoring the Lord with their lives.
Sean and Janelle Willeford were all smiles as they celebrated God’s faithfulness to their family.
While we were in the area, we took advantage of the opportunity to meet up with a number of friends and only regretted there wasn’t more time to connect with all. We were delighted to spend a morning with our dear friends and now retired NFL player, Rex and Danielle Burkhead, and in a very rare occurrence, I failed to get a photo. :( We were so encouraged by our time with them.
We spent an evening with long time friends, family campers, and former Californians, Richard and Elizabeth Haseltine and their two children, Christopher and Rebecca, and their spouses. Rebecca and her husband Adam, who Paul married 5 years ago, have little Adley and are expecting twins in October. Our evening together was full of great conversation, lots of laughter, and many shared memories. We were so blessed by the time.
Richard and Elizabeth Haseltine, Chris and Ellie Haseltine, Adam, Rebecca, and Adley White—an evening of great food and fellowship.
Over 20 years ago, Wai and Elaine Wong came to our “Home Improvement" Sunday School class at Grace Chapel, and that was the beginning of our “chosen family” relationship with them. At that time, they only had baby Jessica, and over the next few years, they added Leilani and Jasmine and moved from Boston, to Seattle, to Ann Arbor, to Cincinnati, and now to Dallas. Wai is an extremely gifted electrophysiologist (a very specialized cardiologist) and Elaine is a quintessential mom, who set aside her career as an occupational therapist to pour into their daughters. It’s always a joy to share time and space with this fully-devoted-to-Christ family and this was no exception. It’s also always too short, but we’re most grateful for what we have.
Dr. Wai-Shun Wong with his wife Elaine, and Jasmine (a junior at Oral Roberts University, and Leilani (a recent Hillsdale College graduate) are always so hospitable and life-giving.
The last visit we squeezed in was with our dear nieces and their families. We loved being with them for the evening and catching up on their lives. Stephanie and fam have lived in Celina for over 20 years now and was recently joined by her sister Janell and family, who transplanted from CA. Lots of laughter and talking, while eating yummy Texas bbq. Such a sweet time.
Great time with our niece Janell and her husband Adam, and their kids Noah and Mandy, and niece Stephanie, whose husband and kids were unable to join the party. So thankful for these family members!
After five wonderfully full days in Texas, Lisa, Paul, and I flew home and 24 hours later, our three grandchildren from Oakland made their first “unaccompanied minors” flight to BWI and were met by two ecstatic cousins and their favorite Auntie Lisa.
And so it began. Eight days of mostly “we couldn’t be happier to be together” moments at the first annual “Papa-Gigi Camp.”
Our new home was the perfect “base camp,” with plenty of sleeping room; a “great room” for playing games, watching the screen for home movies, a few sporting events, and having family devotions; our newly remodeled kitchen with its 5’ x 11’ granite counter top was perfect for all culinary creations and art projects; and best of all, our pool, which hosted many of our events. Add in the bonus of the huge common grass area on the other side of our fence, where we played field games, and we were set.
And fun was had by all. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking.
Tuesday, July 23, the launch.
Not surprisingly, Paul developed the “family devotions” curriculum and Barbara Steele made it beautiful. What would we do without her! Themed around 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity”, which all had memorized within the first 24 hours, each of the five grandchildren led devotions one day/night and was responsible for praying at meals during “their” day. This was possibly the biggest unexpected blessing of the week for us: all five were very engaged in devotions, asking questions and promoting discussion which lasted 30–40 minutes each day. Pure joy!
The booklet Paul wrote and Barbara Steele designed. Everyone had their own copy in which they wrote their thoughts on the devotional questions.
The pool was the hub of most activities. All five love the water and came up with some very creative games/competitions and ways to enjoy the refreshing water in the heat of the day.
The field behind our house set the stage for bocci ball, corn hole, water balloon toss, football, and baseball.
Though we stayed pretty close to home for the most part, we did venture in DC to spend a morning at the National Zoo, where the antics of the orangutans and the reptile house got highest marks. Sadly, the pandas haven’t yet returned to the zoo but should be there by next years’ camp.
Make-your-own-pizza night was one of the most popular meals. Each child received a lump of my homemade pizza dough and all the fixins’ and enjoyed making pizza exactly as they wanted it. Yum!
Nathan’s 11th birthday was July 27th and as has been true for many of his birthdays, his cousins helped to make it very fun and memorable. His parents hosted the meals for the day and our own “Olympics” filled the afternoon. It was a great day of celebrating this great young man.
His birthday ended with a night swim and outdoor movie.
As the evening cooled down, the kids all moved into the hot tub, from which they comfortably watched “Home Team” while snacking on popcorn and seltzer waters.
This is how family devotions played out . . . lots of discussion and engagement.
We all attended the Johnsons’ home church, “The King’s Chapel,” on Sunday morning.
Our final big breakfast together, featuring everyone’s favorite cinnamon rolls, smokies, and bacon.
And just like that, it was over. 8 days after picking them up at at the airport, the reverse trip was made and after a teary farewell, the Garcias were off to Oakland.
This photo of Ana and Rachel hugging goodbye captures how all of us were feeling.
These photos give but a glimpse into the many delights of the week. Though we had many hopes, dreams, and expectations of what the week would be, I can honestly say they were all exceeded. Which doesn’t mean our time was absent of minor quarrels and an occasional attitude.
But we would attribute the delight of the week to not only the grace of God, who gave us among other things great weather all week, but also to having Lisa as our veteran “camp counselor.” Lisa’s servant-heartedness, her kindness and sensitivity, andher sacrificial love is lost on no one and her status as “everyone’s favorite” is well deserved. It was such a gift to have her with us and she has been given a lifetime invitation to be a part of “Papa-Gigi Camp."
Auntie Lisa, hanging with her beloved nieces and nephews. We all know how much she loves us and is committed to us.
The sun set on our remarkable week and an eerie silence fell over the house. No more laughter ringing off the walls, shrieks of joy coming from the pool, rooms in disarray, or meals to prepare for hungry children.
Over the next few days we washed a boatload of towels and sheets, remade beds, cleaned floors, re-supplied the fridge, returned “homeless items” to their proper homes, and finally wiped fingerprints off glass doors.
And we both agreed that what had become normal for us prior to camp, suddenly seemed abnormal, and that we would welcome the happy chaos back.
“Papa-Gigi Camp 2024” was the highest highlight of our summer and the sun will never set on the memories made and the deepened relationships.
We are truly blessed beyond.
