Greetings as we embark on the last month of summer! I am not sure what happened to June and July (and I definitely missed a monthly newsletter in there), but here we are staring down the last weeks of summer. I am struggling a bit with that reality but so very thankful for some truly transforming experiences for our family this summer. Our family of 4 got to be a part of a mission experience called Impact WV with our local church in early July in which we traveled to an area called Grant Town around Fairmont, WV to do restoration projects on homes, along with spending time sharing the Jesus story with the children there.
I just share briefly that it was a time that in some ways took me back to the days of my breast cancer diagnosis. I fully agreed to the trip when my husband enthusiastically suggested we do it, but as the time drew closer, I became pretty anxious because it felt like there were a lot of things out of my control about the trip. Also, construction and camping are not two words that come to mind when you think of our family.
On our first evening at DaySpring Camp which provided our meals, lodging and teaching times while in WV, we were oriented to the procedures of the camp including the dining hall and our cleaning responsibilities while at the camp. I remember Tara who was in charge of the kitchen say “just do things the way we say because we have systems in place that work”, in other words “trust the process”.
And these were the words I heard in my head for the rest of the week…when I started to doubt that we could actually accomplish these 3 huge construction projects in 4.5 sweltering hot days and when I wondered if any kids would show up to our much anticipated and planned VBS, I heard “trust the process”. In my morning quiet times I was also reminded continually of God’s unfailing love and the times like my breast cancer journey that He had brought me through before and heard Him say “trust the process”. As the days at DaySpring and the worksite passed, I found myself asking fewer and fewer questions about how and why. I could see that beyond all that I thought could be possible, He was doing a work. We were building things and putting on a VBS program, but He was building relationships among our team, among our students with students from the other churches staying at DaySpring, He was building relationships with the homeowners and families of Grant Town, and with the kids attending our VBS. I could see that He was building me in my faith and trust in His Unfailing Love.
A highlight of the trip for me was the final evening at the camp when the Grant Town families were invited to join us for dinner and testimonies. Those we had served were so touched and thankful for what was accomplished on their homes, but they also just loved the time we spent in and around their homes.
We sang “The Goodness of God” that evening during our final worship time together….i particularly love the verse of the song…
“I Love your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in the darkest night You are close like no other
I’ve known you as a Father
I’ve known you as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God”
The days of Impact WV at DaySpring were certainly days that just like the days I walked throught breast cancer 13 years ago, I felt and knew I was living in the goodness of God! ~Kara
We had our 2nd Empower Hour Workship with Christy Asonglefac, DPT on Saturday, JUNE 29TH at The Edge Dance Complex in Severna Park, MD during which we focused on Self-Lymphatic Drainage and Mobility. It was a joy to connect with several ladies that we had not met before, and they were able to benefit from Christy’s incredible knowlege around breast cancer oncology.
And for all local survivors that may benefit from our workshops….PLEASE SHARE AND MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR NEXT EMPOWER HOUR WORKSHOP:
SATURDAY, SEPT 28TH AT 10 AM
AT THE EDGE DANCE COMPLEX (844 RITCHIE HWY)
IN SEVERNA PARK
Pinked Update:
We had 2 awesome kit assemblies in July ~ one with the ladies of our church and a second with the dancers at The Edge Dance Complex. So much thanks to these two groups that helped to fill our empty shelves with kits ready to ship. We are currently looking to put a few Kit Assemblies on the calendar for the fall! If you would be willing to host a small group of friends/family in your home to assemble breast cancer kits, please let me know! It’s super low key… you invite your loved ones (using the graphic below) and I bring all the supplies needed to put together approximately 20-30 kits.
As always, we can use your support for our Kit Assembly gatherings by simply shopping our Amazon Wishlist which was recently updated and ships directly to us.
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