I dare to believe in incredible things!

A group from our youth are in Mexico on a missions trip to offer help to an orphanage and assist with running a summer VBS.

The day they left our little town and headed off into the somewhat "unknown" I heard a song on the radio. It was such a powerful message I had to check it out further. So at home I investigated (er, uh I mean "googled").

Here is the video (AWESOME VIDEO) I found.

On a blog our Youth Pastor is using to keep us in the loop, he talks about an experience that hopefully taught those young men and women about being a part of the impossible. I will recap his thoughts here but please feel free to visit and read for yourself. MCYGMissions

Before leaving on the missions trip the youth group studied the life and thoughts of George Mueller. The Youth learned

Book Review of Silenced by Dani Pettrey

A fantastic read! Dani Pettrey's fourth installment in the Alaskan Courage Series is out and she hasn't missed a beat yet!


Jake Knew Something Was Wrong. 
But He Never Guessed How Wrong. 

A relaxing day of rock climbing takes a disturbing turn when Kayden McKenna's route brings her face-to-face with a dead climber. Is it a terrible accident or something darker? When the case is handed to overburdened sheriff Landon Grainger, he turns to Jake Westin for help. With Jake's past now revealed, he's ready to use his talent for investigation again--but he could never prepare for where the mystery will take him.

Kayden's climbing expertise soon leads her and Jake to the realization that the death was no accident. And worse, it seems the killer is onto them. When strange things begin happening in Yancey, Jake is terrified that once again his world may put someone he loves in danger. But the truth is far worse than he could ever imagine. 

Silenced was an exciting read filled with an amazing cast of characters. Most of them are all familiar to readers who have been following the series all along. I read this book from that perspective, having started with Dani and the McKenna clan in book #1 Submerged. I am not a good person to ask how the story holds its own to a reader just joining the fun. However, each of the past characters plays a supporting role in the book, continuing on with their story lines slightly. This makes the characters more fleshed out then just names and casual mentions. 

I have been looking forward to this story line since the middle of book #3 Stranded. Kayden always drew my curiosity in the ways she poked and prodded at Jake, hoping to prove him a fraud. In book #3 we all got a glimpse into his secretive past making us all, Kayden included, like him a little bit more.

Now in Silenced we have the full growth of that change into a budding romance. And a sweet one at that. Jake is

New Beginnings, Shaky Steps

Things look very different in our house these days.

My oldest daughter graduated last week, the same day my youngest got her first job. I feel old.

But proud :)

It got me thinking about how much life is changing and wondering if we are ready. Soon our active household of five will be four with an empty chair at meals. Then ten short months after that we will be able to reduce our kitchen table to a small nook - just enough room for three.

Life changes on us, doesn't it.

At the present time there is an RV parked in our yard. It isn't ours. It belongs to a couple from our church who are facing a life change too. They'll stay there a few days longer -- a little hesitant to say goodbye to what was and also a little excited to find out what lies ahead. But so many questions are churning.

Much like us.

I am the kind of person who likes change - well, as long as I had some say in it. So as my oldest daughter prepares to pack up her room and squeeze it into an enlarged closet called a dorm room, I am excited for her. And for us. Yet, I'm getting a little weepy as I write this and I can guarantee on the day we wave her off I will be as well, BUT I am not distraught. I am hopeful.

But let me call it hope that has been worked for.

Often when we