Camping and Four Guys

We set off this past Friday afternoon to Bald Eagle State Park for a weekend away in the woods. Every so often being surrounded by concrete kind of gets old and we start to miss trees and grass; so we decided to take our weekend and go camping. I didn't even have to force Anna to go either .... I asked her as we were planning on what to do for the weekend if she maybe wanted to go to Baltimore for the night and she said no she would rather go camping. So we went camping and camped in the park's primitive camping area which is called "primitive" because the camp sites are 100 ft. from the road and about 100 ft. from another camp site; oh ya, and no running water either. It might sound a little rough but it was exactly what we needed. It was wonderful; we spent the weekend with constant camp fires, reading, hiking, relaxing and just enjoying the beauty of nature. I'm not gonna lie we were pretty sad to leave on Sunday because I think we both really enjoy camping.

Meanwhile ministry here in Philly is going well. Things continue to be busy for us both and I find myself continuing to grow in my love for the people here. As I was leaving Cast Your Cares yesterday I noticed a guy walking across the street towards me. He wanted to know what day he was signed up to get food from our food cupboard and I just happened to know because I noticed his name on the list for Thursday. About that same time I noticed another guy walking towards me who I knew and he wanted to talk as well. Before I knew it there were four guys around me asking me a variety of questions all at once, all about the food cupboard. I didn't mind it though because they all led into conversations that were a little more personable then just when is my appointment. I have known each of the guys for a few years, some better than others. We finished up our conversations and as I was beginning to leave I felt tears starting to fill up my eyes and an overwhelming feeling of love and caring for the guys. They all have very different lives, with different families, friends, and circumstances. As I was on my way home I found myself praying for these guys; praying that they would know the Truth about Jesus, who He is, who He wants to be in their lives, and the hope that He gives us here on Earth and for eternity. I began to remember vividly some of the conversations I have had with them about the Lord from time to time and wondering at the time if I was getting anywhere with them. But the Lord encouraged me right then that it is not my job to convince anyone about who He is but just to share who He is and to show who He is to others in my life. I finished praying with a peace in my heart as well as a deep since of caring for these four guys. It was another neat experience for me here in Philly, one that I hope I'll never forget and one that I am very thankful for. It encouraged me to press on for Jesus, as Philippians's 3:14 says and it also encouraged me to wait in eager hope for those four guys to one day embrace their Savior, Jesus.


Home away from Home

Hiking adventure

Do I go through?

Chris leading the way


Dinner