Sweet Tea

So I love sweet tea.  It's a great drink for sitting on the porch swing on a beautiful summer morning.  But it can get expensive spending even $1 at McD whenever you want one.  Plus, when you live 15 minutes from McD...you don't get it very often.  So I set out to learn how to make my own.  With the help of the interwebs and a friend...here's the recipe...

First, make a simple syrup

-2 cups of sugar

-1.5 cups of water

Boil for 2 minutes - mixture should be clear when done.

Then...brew your tea

-boil 4 cups of water

-turn off heat and add 9 black tea bags and cover - let sit for 5 minutes

Combine tea and simple syrup and add 8-10 cups of water in pitcher.

Enjoy!

Eating Ethiopian

We took our kids to the Blue Nile Restaurant in Ann Arbor a few days ago.  It's a fantastic Ethiopian restaurant.  We weren't quite sure what to expect since our children are younger and love McDonald's.  But we prepped them and hoped for the best.  And much to our surprise, it was one of the most fun experiences eating out as a family.  It was such a great moment to watch our children try new things and find that though it wasn't what they liked best, they enjoyed it just the same.  It was fun to see them experience part of another culture and appreciate Ethiopia.

We recently purchased a globe to have in our house and Operation World, a book on missions and cultures around the world.  We really want our children to grow up loving the nations with the same heart that God has for the nations of the world.

"Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:18-19

Taking Water for Granted

This past week our family has had the opportunity to experience life without running water.  Our well was being treated to make sure it was safe for drinking so we got to experience about 3 days without water.  We purchased bottled water, carried 5 gallon buckets of water to flush toilets, and walked to a friend's house to take a shower.  It really made me appreciate what a luxury running water is here in America.  It made me think of Ethiopia (and how much I miss it) and how many people in the villages have to haul their water each day.

It also made me think of sweet organizations like Orphan Justice Mission that help provide wells and clean water to villages in Uganda.

Today, take some time to thank God for what you have.  And then take some time to support an organization that provides clean water around the world.

It doesn't take long

Last week I was at my grandma's funeral back in Peoria, IL.  It was a hart time, but it was good to be with family and it was good to know that Grandma was with Jesus.  I was reminded of how my grandma came to family camp in Michigan still this year.  She was such a spunky old lady and we all loved her very much!

After the burial, we took some time to drive by Grandma and Grandpa's old house.  In the two years since they had lived there is was completely run down.  The grass was messed up, the front door was ripped off, mold was on the siding, the gutters were rusted out - the place was a mess.  Two years ago it was a flawless house in perfect condition.  It was amazing that by simply ignoring the house, the problems had crept up.  Our lives are a lot like that.  In everything we do and the relationships we have things deteriorate quickly if we don't invest in them and put work into them.

I shared this thought with our Michigan retreat center staff.  We talked about how we need to constantly pay attention to details because if we don't, the work we do will end up like this house.  We have to constantly improve and strive to be better.

My grandparents taught me a lot of lessons...even in their passing.  I'm going to miss them a lot.

Spread the word about adoption during the super bowl!

Tony Dungy has an adoption video out for people to show during the super bowl!  Help spread the word!  You can download the video from adoptionjourney.com/share/dungyhalftime.

Marketing and Ministry

Dale, our director, recently challenged us to think about our roles and how that fits into the mission of Miracle Camp - probably one of the greatest camps in Michigan (of course I'm biased). This was a great exercise to think through why I do what I do each day. Basically...our mission is to create opportunities to help people to draw close to God.

Since I work on program and marketing I see what I do in marketing as the "creating opportunities" and the programming as "helping people draw closer to God." Sometimes it feels weird to market a ministry, but I think that it's important to run Miracle Camp on good solid business principles. At the same time, I believe that we shouldn't charge people to hear the Gospel...so it's important that we have a great scholarship program and seek to give away our services to those that need Jesus or those that just can't afford a full camp fee.

Here's some of my goals for this year...

1. Developing a church partnership program and to increase our relationship with the churches that attend - I really believe we have to serve churches...we can't exist on our own. Christian camps have been called "church camps" often...and that's exactly what I want us to be - a great church camp in Michigan! We are many churches camp.
2. Grow by 1,000 guests in 2012. This is a lofty goal...but I'm going to shoot for it. The more people, the more opportunities for people to grow closer to God. Some people say numbers aren't important, but if each of those 1,000 people has a name, a face, and a spiritual journey...then I think that numbers are important.
3. Pray about everything - if we truly believe it's God who changes lives...then it doesn't matter how good of a program director I am. God does the work. May I never forget that!

Let me know your thoughts on these goals. Let me know if you think there's some other things we should work on this year! I would love to hear from you!

Family Camp in Michigan

I am really looking forward to Family Camp in Michigan at Miracle Camp and Retreat Center! That sounds funny, because I work there...but I really do love family camps. My family has been attending family camp here at Miracle Camp for the past 20 years! We've never missed a summer! When I was in 2nd grade we made our first trip up to Michigan to participate in family camp. We've been coming back ever since. There are Michigan family camps on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day weekends. These are great times with fun activities for everyone in the family!

Miracle Camp and Retreat Center is in Michigan not far from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. In fact, we're only a 2 hour drive from Chicago, Illinois!

We just started our planning for this summer's family camps. We're looking forward to seeing how God works in the lives of each family member during the retreat weekends here.

Cookbooks Finished

We finished our family cookbooks! It includes our favorite 30+ family recipes. It was a lot of fun having to photograph all the food...mainly because that meant we got to eat it after. You can purchase it through Blurb's website (http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1798070).

Imagine Ethiopia! by Jason & Emily Coon by Jason & Emily Coon | Make Your Own Book