Greenwood Hills Bible Conference 2010

We had a wonderful vacation at Greenwood Hills (GWH) last week. It was restful, refreshing, and spiritually uplifting. The weather was pleasant and the fellowship was encouraging. What more could you want?

Sunday was a little rainy, but that brought cooler weather- down closer to 80 instead of in the 90s. It was lovely. The children enjoyed playing a lot of shuffleboard. We are truly pikers at it, but it was fun to watch people who knew what they were doing.

We did keep trying and mostly played each other as we would have been no competition to anyone else.

Monday we tried to go canoing, however, it started to thunder briefly as we got there. Frustration! It always seems to rain when we want to go canoing. We decided to reschedule for a time later in the week.


We got back rather quickly as we didn't get to go canoing. We found my DH and Elizabeth in the Chatterbox enjoying a treat. Of course we made them share. We didn't want them to eat all that sugar by themselves. We spread the 'poison' around. Each doing their part to take a little bit.

We went swimming every day. The water was lovely. Not too hot and not too cool, just right. Goldilocks would have been happy.

Three different evenings we played volleyball. It was a lot of fun. The first 45 minutes or so was ' family friendly' volleyball where anyone of any ability could play. I don't think they even kept score.

Later in the evening they did competitive volleyball. For the most part of it was for 16 and up. They allowed spiking and kept score. It was a good time.

The cabins were rustic, but we learned a few things from last year. This year we brought a little dorm refrigerator. It worked a lot better and kept the food colder than when we used ice. We also didn't come in and find the food floating, or worse yet, sunk in dirty water. Yuk!

We also rigged up a curtain in the bathroom to provide an area of privacy to change in. That made getting ready a lot quicker. My DH spent much of his time reading and resting. I think he got a much needed break. I just wish it was two weeks instead of one. He could have used it.

Michelle was happy as there were several babies for her to carry around and take care of. She enjoyed giving little Caleb his bottle. She just loves babies! Michelle also found the treasure in the camp treasure hunt. Joan was the first to recite Romans 5:1-10 on the scripture memory contest. It really wasn't fair, she already knew it.

Even my DH got into the baby act. He found one with hair that matched his. It was nice to see little Jaidyn growing so well. We met her paternal grandparents this week too.

We did finally make it canoing later in the week. It was a beautiful sunny day. T-Bob was in my canoe.

We canoed on a reservoir. It is where the camp gets their drinking water. We were pleased to see that the water was crystal clear. The scenery was beautiful also. The rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Boots and Michelle argued their way along the reservoir. They changed positions several times. Each one sure that they would do a better job than the other. We stayed away from them. It was quieter.

Joan and Thomas worked together well. The only problem was that Joan did not know how to steer or do the J-stroke. The went farther than anyone else as they zig-zagged their way along. Needless to say, theirs was the last canoe back to shore. Mr. Stout tried hard to be patient with them (well, maybe not that hard).

As the week progressed my DH became more and more rested. It was good to see him start to recover from his long work weeks. I am just hoping that he will be able to adjust his schedule when he returns home so that he can stay a little rested.

The children all seemed to have a good time. It is nice when you find something the whole family enjoys doing and is a way to spend time together.

Friday afternoon was the USA v. Canada soccer match. It is very competitive. Mr. Boots, T-Bob, and Michelle all joined in the game. (Mr. Boots is wearing the light blue shorts in the above pic.)

Michelle played barefoot as she decided none of her footwear fit or would work. You can't run in crocs very well. I was the bad guy who made her quit playing. Too many players were serious and had cleats on. I didn't like the thought of a cleat landing on her tender toes.

One family brought along a snow cone machine to provide refreshment for the fans watching. It was a nice treat. No we didn't take the toppings. The children just enjoyed the chipped ice.

Joan was not much of a fan. She spent most of her time reading. T-Bob was anxious to get in the game! The game ended in a tie 1-1. Everybody ran off the field and went down to the pool to cool off.

I was having fun with the camera. The children were happy to perform for me. Here is Mr. Boots, barefoot, showing good form on his dive.

T-Bob tried to do a flip off the side of the pool. He still needs to work on his technique. That entry looked a little painful.

The speakers for the week were Alan Gamble from Scotland and Johnny Gorman from NC. They spoke on giving Christ pre-eminence. Maybe I will do a blog or two on the messages in the next couple weeks. It was excellent meaty teaching.

Friday was also very special as our friend the Taters came to visit. T-Bob and Joe had a great day playing together. It's nice to have a buddy almost the same age as yourself. They get along well.

It was really great to see Lily up walking and getting around after all she has been through the last year. Thanks Carol for coming to visit.

We had a wonderful time and would love to have a few more friends come along with us next year. If you are interested let us know. Children 12 and under are free! Not having to cook or work in the kitchen for a whole week is a real treat! Christian fellowship and Bible teaching just can't be beat. Getting rested and refreshed is really sweet.

We love GWH!

~Mom