My Travels Continue

After returning from Florida this week, it's been a bit of a whirlwind trip across the state.  I was able to spend some quality time sledding, which is definitely one of my favorite activities of the winter and one that I've been looking forward to for months.  Thanks to friends in Rochester that have some of the best hills I've seen since Michigan Tech.  From Detroit I headed over to Lansing for two Camp Barakel events.

First we had the STEP Reunion (Summer Tech and Engineer Program) where we're able to hang out with some of the high school kids that help camp make it through the summer.  Not only does their time at camp support our efforts to spread the Gospel, it also helps them develop work ethic and to learn more about what God can do through them.  The next day we went met with the mostly college aged summer staff.

Over the summer our free time always goes "clean, move, play", but at the Barakel Bash we are able to eat, play, and sing.  It's a great time to maintain the fellowship that we develop throughout the summer.  During the Bash we play games in the gym, meet people from other years, reconnect with resident staff members, sing songs from the summer, and generally encourage one another.  I know I was really looking forward to it and I was not disappointed.

After the Bash some people were able to join me in Battle Creek and we kind of extended the Bash with movies, cards, and we even did some skating.  One of Battle Creek's supposed claims to fame is the International Festival of Lights.  It used to be a huge thing when I was a kid, or it seemed like it at least.  Now many of the displays are falling apart and it's not in the state I remember it.  While walking through town we enjoyed many of the lights they have around camp, and we even got a chance to talk to some of the people that put it together.  They explained that the lights are being replaced with LED lights, and it looks like the Festival will be improving over the next years.

So the lights were fun to check out, and we were able to see how the city is doing.  This break has been a rush and it's going to continue like that for the rest of the Holiday season.  Thanks for following, and have a Merry Christmas!