Testament

Maybe it's just because as a college student, I experienced many spiritual mountaintops in Missouri at Kanakuk Camps..... but this area of the world brings me closer to God. Big Cedar Lodge is just a short drive away from Kanakuk and situated on the same pristine Table Rock Lake. And I decided this year that every moment I spend there is just a testament to the magnificence of God. Our week of vacation there reminded me of this passage (though I had to search for it... I thought it was a verse in Psalms and forgot it was part of an actual story in Luke).
Luke 19~

35They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"^[b]
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

I promise you, the stones, the trees, the flowers, the wildlife, everything screamed of God to me. Every time someone would say, "Wow... those flowers are amazing..." Yup... God did that. And the hills, and the fish, and the waterfalls and the leaves and the caves and the rock formations and the smells and the sounds... yup, it's all of His Hand. I know it sounds obvious, I mean... God's creation is a basic scriptural truth of childhood. But, I just felt there should be signs that read.... "crafted by God," and "fashioned by the Hand of the Creator." I thought that even those people who may not believe in God, but are intrigued by nature....something within them is still testifying to the uniqueness and power of God. Our little fishergirl. She would fish 24/7 if possible. Also, quite a horse lover. See the serious look on her face? She was soaking it in. Part of "the crew" of the 10 kids we had there. Yes, they outnumbered the adults.Testament.Still working on my photography skills. I can definitely sense when the light is right... that tiny window of time before the sun sets. Not bad with framing the picture , but aperture and that stuff is like a foreign language. I'm an old dog, remember? And I really have tried. It is not such a great moment when you realize that your big butts are completely obscuring flowers you were trying to capture. The kiddos working on their architecture skills using the enormous and genius Lincoln Log table at Registration. This kid is tough. Ram Tough. And talk about testaments. Kyler is a talking and walking one. Wheee! Kelly had a great time!
Chameleon eyes. When he wears a brown shirt, his eyes are brown. Gray shirt, Gray eyes. Green shirt... well, you get it the idea. I love those eyes.
Nana's are the best. Especially when their cabins are a few steps away and they pay $ to the first child who gets still and falls asleep at night. (It seems that everyone usually falls asleep at exactly the same time.)
Another testament. Isn't she stunning? I can say it because she's not directly mine.
Nana's idea of a simple birthday cake that I didn't have to bake, just build. Loved it. Also love the picture that I totally didn't mean to take. I mean I meant to take the picture, but I love the exposure on it... which was a random occurrence and had nothing to do with the photographer. And a Final Testament.